Andrew Lang_Fairy Book 01 (51 page)

Jack took off his clothes quickly, but though he was
weary he could not go to sleep. Soon after this he heard
the giant walking backward and forward in the next
room, and saying to himself:

"Though here you lodge with me this night,
You shall not see the morning light;
My club shall dash your brains out quite."

"Say you so?" thought Jack. "Are these your tricks
upon travelers? But I hope to prove as cunning as you
are." Then, getting out of bed, he groped about the
room, and at last found a large thick billet of wood. He
laid it in his own place in the bed, and then hid himself
in a dark corner of the room.

The giant, about midnight, entered the apartment,
and with his bludgeon struck many blows on the bed,
in the very place where Jack had laid the log; and then
he went back to his own room, thinking he had broken
all Jack's bones.

Early in the morning Jack put a bold face upon the
matter, and walked into the giant's room to thank him
for his lodging. The giant started when he saw him,
and began to stammer out: "Oh! dear me; is it you?
Pray how did you sleep last night? Did you hear or see
anything in the dead of the night?"

"Nothing to speak of," said Jack, carelessly; "a rat, I
believe, gave me three or four slaps with its tail, and
disturbed me a little; but I soon went to sleep again."

The giant wondered more and more at this; yet he
did not answer a word, but went to bring two great
bowls of hasty-pudding for their breakfast. Jack wanted
to make the giant believe that he could eat as much as
himself, so he contrived to button a leathern bag inside
his coat, and slip the hasty-pudding into this bag, while
he seemed to put it into his mouth.

When breakfast was over he said to the giant: "Now
I will show you a fine trick. I can cure all wounds with
a touch; I could cut off my head in one minute, and the
next put it sound again on my shoulders. You shall
see an example." He then took hold of the knife,
ripped up the leathern bag, and all the hasty-pudding
tumbled out upon the floor.

"Ods splutter hur nails!" cried the Welsh giant, who
was ashamed to be outdone by such a little fellow as
Jack, "hur can do that hurself"; so he snatched up the
knife, plunged it into his own stomach, and in a moment
dropped down dead.

Jack, having hitherto been successful in all his undertakings,
resolved not to be idle in future; he therefore
furnished himself with a horse, a cap of knowledge, a
sword of sharpness, shoes of swiftness, and an invisible
coat, the better to perform the wonderful enterprises
that lay before him.

He traveled over high hills, and on the third day he
came to a large and spacious forest through which his
road lay. Scarcely had he entered the forest when he
beheld a monstrous giant dragging along by the hair
of their heads a handsome knight and his lady. Jack
alighted from his horse, and tying him to an oak tree,
put on his invisible coat, under which he carried his
sword of sharpness.

When he came up to the giant he made several strokes
at him, but could not reach his body, but wounded his
thighs in several places; and at length, putting both
hands to his sword and aiming with all his might, he
cut off both his legs. Then Jack, setting his foot upon
his neck, plunged his sword into the giant's body, when
the monster gave a groan and expired.

The knight and his lady thanked Jack for their
deliverance, and invited him to their house, to receive a
proper reward for his services. "No," said Jack, "I
cannot be easy till I find out this monster's habitation."
So, taking the knight's directions, he mounted his horse
and soon after came in sight of another giant, who was
sitting on a block of timber waiting for his brother's
return.

Jack alighted from his horse, and, putting on his
invisible coat, approached and aimed a blow at the giant's
head, but, missing his aim, he only cut off his nose. On
this the giant seized his club and laid about him most
unmercifully.

"Nay," said Jack, "if this be the case I'd better
dispatch you!" so, jumping upon the block, he stabbed him
in the back, when he dropped down dead.

Jack then proceeded on his journey, and traveled over
hills and dales, till arriving at the foot of a high mountain
he knocked at the door of a lonely house, when an
old man let him in.

When Jack was seated the hermit thus addressed
him: "My son, on the top of this mountain is an
enchanted castle, kept by the giant Galligantus and a vile
magician. I lament the fate of a duke's daughter, whom
they seized as she was walking in her father's garden,
and brought hither transformed into a deer."

Jack promised that in the morning, at the risk of his
life, he would break the enchantment; and after a sound
sleep he rose early, put on his invisible coat, and got
ready for the attempt.

When he had climbed to the top of the mountain he
saw two fiery griffins, but he passed between them
without the least fear of danger, for they could not see
him because of his invisible coat. On the castle gate
he found a golden trumpet, under which were written
these lines:

"Whoever can this trumpet blow
Shall cause the giant's overthrow."

As soon as Jack had read this he seized the trumpet
and blew a shrill blast, which made the gates fly open
and the very castle itself tremble.

The giant and the conjurer now knew that their
wicked course was at an end, and they stood biting
their thumbs and shaking with fear. Jack, with his
sword of sharpness, soon killed the giant, and the
magician was then carried away by a whirlwind; and every
knight and beautiful lady who had been changed into
birds and beasts returned to their proper shapes. The
castle vanished away like smoke, and the head of the
giant Galligantus was then sent to King Arthur.

The knights and ladies rested that night at the old
man's hermitage, and next day they set out for the
Court. Jack then went up to the King, and gave his
Majesty an account of all his fierce battles.

Jack's fame had now spread through the whole
country, and at the King's desire the duke gave him his
daughter in marriage, to the joy of all his kingdom.
After this the King gave him a large estate, on which he
and his lady lived the rest of their days in joy and
contentment.
[31]

And many a hunting song they sung,
And song of game and glee;
Then tuned to plaintive strains their tongue,
"Of Scotland's luve and lee."
To wilder measures next they turn
"The Black, Black Bull of Norroway!"
Sudden the tapers cease to burn,
The minstrels cease to play.
— "The Cout of Keeldar," by J. Leyden.

In Norroway, langsyne, there lived a certain lady,
and she had three dochters. The auldest o' them said to
her mither: "Mither, bake me a bannock, and roast me
a collop, for I'm gaun awa' to seek my fortune." Her
mither did sae; and the dochter gaed awa' to an auld
witch washerwife and telled her purpose. The auld
wife bade her stay that day, and gang and look out o'
her back door, and see what she could see. She saw
nocht the first day. The second day she did the same,
and saw nocht. On the third day she looked again, and
saw a coach-and-six coming along the road. She ran
in and telled the auld wife what she saw. "Aweel," quo'
the auld wife, "yon's for you." Sae they took her into
the coach, and galloped aff.

The second dochter next says to her mither: "Mither,
bake me a bannock, and roast me a collop, fur I'm gaun
awa' to seek my fortune." Her mither did sae; and awa'
she gaed to the auld wife, as her sister had dune. On the
third day she looked out o' the back door, and saw a
coach-and-four coming along the road. "Aweel," quo'
the auld wife, "yon's for you." Sae they took her in,
and aff they set.

The third dochter says to her mither: "Mither, bake
me a bannock, and roast me a collop, for I'm gaun awa'
to seek my fortune." Her mither did sae; and awa' she
gaed to the auld witch-wife. She bade her look out o'
her back door, and see what she could see. She did
sae; and when she came back said she saw nocht. The
second day she did the same, and saw nocht. The
third day she looked again, and on coming back said
to the auld wife she saw nocht but a muckle Black Bull
coming roaring alang the road. "Aweel," quo' the auld
wife, "yon's for you." On hearing this she was next to
distracted wi' grief and terror; but she was lifted up and
set on his back, and awa' they went.

Aye they traveled, and on they traveled, till the lady
grew faint wi' hunger. "Eat out o' my right lug," says
the Black Bull, "and drink out o' my left lug, and set
by your leavings." Sae she did as he said, and was
wonderfully refreshed. And lang they gaed, and sair
they rade, till they came in sight o' a very big and
bonny castle. "Yonder we maun be this night," quo'
the bull; "for my auld brither lives yonder"; and
presently they were at the place. They lifted her aff his
back, and took her in, and sent him away to a park for
the night. In the morning, when they brought the
bull hame, they took the lady into a fine shining parlor,
and gave her a beautiful apple, telling her no to break
it till she was in the greatest strait ever mortal was in
in the world, and that wad bring her o't. Again she
was lifted on the bull's back, and after she had ridden
far, and farer than I can tell, they came in sight o' a
far bonnier castle, and far farther awa' than the last.
Says the bull till her: "Yonder we maun be the night,
for my second brither lives yonder"; and they were at
the place directly. They lifted her down and took her
in, and sent the bull to the field for the night. In the
morning they took the lady into a fine and rich room,
and gave her the finest pear she had ever seen, bidding
her no to break it till she was in the greatest strait ever
mortal could be in, and that wad get her out o't. Again
she was lifted and set on his back, and awa' they went.
And lang they gaed, and sair they rade, till they came
in sight o' the far biggest castle, and far farthest aff,
they had yet seen. "We maun be yonder the night,"
says the bull, "for my young brither lives yonder"; and
they were there directly. They lifted her down, took
her in, and sent the bull to the field for the night. In
the morning they took her into a room, the finest of a',
and gied her a plum, telling her no to break it till she
was in the greatest strait mortal could be in, and that
wad get her out o't. Presently they brought hame the
bull, set the lady on his back, and awa' they went.

And aye they gaed, and on they rade, till they came
to a dark and ugsome glen, where they stopped, and the
lady lighted down. Says the bull to her: "Here ye
maun stay till I gang and fight the deil. Ye maun seat
yoursel' on that stane, and move neither hand nor fit
till I come back, else I'll never find ye again. And if
everything round about ye turns blue I hae beated the
deil; but should a' things turn red he'll hae conquered
me." She set hersel' down on the stane, and by-and-by
a' round her turned blue. O'ercome wi' joy, she lifted
the ae fit and crossed it owre the ither, sae glad was she
that her companion was victorious. The bull returned
and sought for but never could find her.

Lang she sat, and aye she grat, till she wearied. At
last she rase and gaed awa', she kedna whaur till. On
she wandered till she came to a great hill o' glass, that
she tried a' she could to climb, bat wasna able. Round
the bottom o' the hill she gaed, sabbing and seeking a
passage owre, till at last she came to a smith's house;
and the smith promised, if she wad serve him seven
years, he wad make her iron shoon, wherewi' she could
climb owre the glassy hill. At seven years' end she got
her iron shoon, clamb the glassy hill, and chanced to
come to the auld washerwife's habitation. There she
was telled of a gallant young knight that had given in
some bluidy sarks to wash, and whaever washed thae
sarks was to be his wife. The auld wife had washed
till she was tired, and then she set to her dochter, and
baith washed, and they washed, and they better washed,
in hopes of getting the young knight; but a' they could
do they couldna bring out a stain. At length they set
the stranger damosel to wark; and whenever she began
the stains came out pure and clean, but the auld wife
made the knight believe it was her dochter had washed
the sarks. So the knight and the eldest dochter were
to be married, and the stranger damosel was distracted
at the thought of it, for she was deeply in love wi' him.
So she bethought her of her apple, and breaking it,
found it filled with gold and precious jewelry, the richest
she had ever seen. "All these," she said to the eldest
dochter, "I will give you, on condition that you put
off your marriage for ae day, and allow me to go into
his room alone at night." So the lady consented; but
meanwhile the auld wife had prepared a sleeping-drink,
and given it to the knight, wha drank it, and never
wakened till next morning. The lee-lang night ther
damosel sabbed and sang:

"Seven lang years I served for thee,
The glassy hill I clamb for thee,
The bluidy shirt I wrang for thee;
And wilt thou no wauken and turn to me?"

Next day she kentna what to do for grief. She then
brak the pear, and found it filled wi' jewelry far richer
than the contents o' the apple. Wi' thae jewels she
bargained for permission to be a second night in the
young knight's chamber; but the auld wife gied him
anither sleeping-drink, and he again sleepit till morning.
A' night she kept sighing and singing as before:

"Seven lang years I served for thee," &c.
Still he sleepit, and she nearly lost hope a'thegither.
But that day when he was out at the hunting, somebody
asked him what noise and moaning was yon they heard
all last night in his bedchamber. He said he heardna
ony noise. But they assured him there was sae; and he
resolved to keep waking that night to try what he could
hear. That being the third night, and the damosel
being between hope and despair, she brak her plum, and
it held far the richest jewelry of the three. She
bargained as before; and the auld wife, as before, took in
the sleeping-drink to the young knight's chamber; but he
telled her he couldna drink it that night without
sweetening. And when she gaed awa' for some honey to
sweeten it wi', he poured out the drink, and sae made the
auld wife think he had drunk it. They a' went to bed
again, and the damosel began, as before, singing: