h X f LUMSDEN * SON'S • ^i fi^-m • v.-.'--.''.-.. . rJ . , TWOPENNY BOOKS EMBELLISHED WITH UMEROUS ENGRAVINGS .♦ JACK THR GIANT-KILLER; Bf.INO THE HISTORY or a ix HIS WONDERFUL EXPLOITS AGAINST THE GIANTS. Embellished with BEAUTIFUL COLOURED PLATES. GLASGOW: PUBLISHED BY J. LUMSDEN & SON. JACK THE GIANT-KILLER. In the reign of King Arthur, there lived near the Land's-end of England, a worthy farmer, who had an only son, named Jack. Jack was a boy of a bold temper, and he took pleasure m hearing or reading stories of giants and fairies. In those days there lived on St. Michael's Mount of Cornwall, which rises out of the sea, at some distance from the main land, a huge giant. He was eighteen feet high, and three yards round; and his fierce and savage looks were the terror of all his neighbours. He dwelt in a gloomy cavern on the very top of the mountain, and used to wade over to the main-land in search of his prey. When he came near, the people left their houses ; and after he had glutted his appetite upon their cattle, he would throw half a dozen oxen upon his back, and tie three times as many sheep and hogs round his waist, and so march back. The gianthad done this for years when Jack resolved to destroy him. Jack took a horn, a shovel, a pickaxe, and a dark lantern ; and early in a long winters evening, he swam to the mount. There he dug a pit twenty-two feet deep, and almost as many broad. He covered it at the top with sticks and straw, and strewed some of the earth over JACK THE GIANT-KILLER. 5 them, to make tliem resemble solid ground. He then put his horn to his mouth, and blew such a loud and long tantivy, that the giant awoke, and came towards Jack, roaring- in a voice like thunder, — " You saucy villain, you shall pay dearly for breaking my rest. I will broil you for my breakfast." He had hardly spoken these words, when lie came advancing one step further ; but then he tumbled headlong into the pit, and his fall shook the very mountain. u O ho ! Mr Giant," said Jack, looking into the pit, " have you found your way so soon to the bottom ? Will nothing serve you for breakfast this cold morning but broiling poor Jack?" The giant now tried to rise ; but Jack struck him a blow on the head with his pickaxe, which killed him. Jack then made haste back to rejoice his friends. When the Justices of Cornwall heard of this valiant action, thev sent for Jack, and declared that he should always be called Jack the Giant- Killer ; and they also gave him a sword and belt, upon which was, in let ters of gold, This is the valiant Cornish man, Who slew the giant Cormoran. The news of Jack's exploit was soon spread over England ; and another giant, called Old Blunderbore, vowed to have his revenge on Jack, if he should ever get him into his power. This giant kept an enchanted castle in a 6 JACK THE GIANT-KILLER. lonely wood. As Jack was once taking a journey to Wales, he passed through this wood ; and as he was weary, he sat down be- side a fountain, and there he fell asleep. The giant came to the fountain for water at this time, and found Jack there ; and as the lines on Jack's belt showed who he was, the giant lifted him up, and laid him gently on his shoulder to carry him to the castle. But as lie passed through the thicket, the rustling of the leaves waked Jack; and he was sadly afraid when he found himself in the clutches of Blunderbore; but still more when they reached the castle, for the floor was covered with the sculls and bones of men. The giant took him into a large room, where there lay the hearts and limbs of persons that had been lately killed ; and he told Jack, with a horrid grin, that men's hearts, eaten with pepper and vinegar, were his nicest food. He locked Jack up in that room, while he went to fetch another giant. While he was away, Jack heard dread- ful shrieks and cries, from many parts of tho castle; and soon after he heard a mournful voice repeat these lines : Haste, valiant stranger, haste away, Lest you become the giant's prey. On his return he'll bring another Still more savage than his brother—? A horrid, cruel monster, who Before he kills, will torture you. i- 1 JACK THE GIANT-KILLER. 9 This warning* was so shocking to poor Jack that he was ready to go mad. He ran to tha window, and saw the two giants coming along arm in arm. This window was right over the gates of the castle. « Now/' thought Jack, « either my death or freedom is at hand." Now, there were two strong cords in the room. Jack made a large noose, with a slip knot at the ends of both these ; and as the giants were coming through the iron gates, he threw the ropes over their heads. He then made the other ends fast to a beam in the ceil- ing, and pulled with all his might, till he had almost strangled them. When he saw that they were both quite black in the face, he drew his sword, and slid down the ropes ; he then killed the giants. Jack next took a great bunch of keys from the pocket of Blunderbore, and went into the castle again. He searched all the rooms, and in them found three ladies tied up by the hair of their heads, and almost starved to death. They told him that their husbands had been killed by the giants, who had then condemned them to be starved to death, because they would not eat the flesh of their own husbands'. " Ladies," says Jack, "I have put an end to the monsters and I give you this castle, and all the riches that it con- tains, to make amends for the pains you have felt/' He then gave them the keys of the 10 JACK THE GIANT-KILLER. castle, and went further on his journey. At length he lost his way; and when night came on, he was in a lonely valley, where he t hought himself very lucky at last in finding a large and handsome house. He went up boldly, and knocked loudly at the gate : when, to his great terror and surprise, there came forth a monstrous giant with two heads. He spoke to Jack very civilly; all the mischief he did was by secret malice, under the show of kind- ness. Jack told him that he was a traveller who had lost his way; on which the huge monster made him welcome, and led him into a room, where there was a good bed. Jack took off his clothes quickly, but though ho was weary, he could not sleep. Soon after this he heard the giant walking backward and forward in the next room, 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 travellers ? But I hope to prove as cunning as you are/' Getting out of bed, he found a large thick billet of wood, and laid it in his own place in the bed, and then hid himself in a dark corner of the room. In the middle of the night the giant came with his great club, and struck many heavy blows on the bed, iu the very place where Jack had JACK THE GIANT-KILLER 11 laid the billet; and then lie went away thinking he had broken all Jack's bones. Early in the morning Jack walked into the giant's room to thank him for his lodging. The giant started when he saw him, and began to stammer out — " O ! dear me ! is it you ? Pray how did you sleep last night ? Did you hear or see any thing in the dead of the night ?" " No- thing worth speaking of," said Jack, carelessly; " a rat, I believe, gave me three or four slaps with his tail, and disturbed me a little ; but I soon went to sleep again." The giant wondered, yet did not answer a word, but went to bring two bowls of hasty-pudding for their breakfast. Jack wanted to make the giant believe that he could eat as much as himself ; so he buttoned a leathern bag inside his coat, and slipt 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 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 a 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 12 JACK THE GIANT-KILLER. it into his stomach, and dropped down dead. As soon as Jack had thus tricked the Welsh monster, he went further and met with King- Arthur's only son, who was travelling 1 into Wales to deliver a beautiful lady from the power of a magician. Jack begged leave to attend him ; and the prince at once agreed to this, and gave Jack many thanks for his kindness. This prince was a handsome, and brave knight, and so good-natured, that he gave money to every body he met. At length he gave his last penny to an old woman, and then turned to Jack, and said, 44 How are we to get food the rest of the journey ?" 44 Leave that to me, sir/' said Jack. Night came on, and the prince began to grow uneasy. 44 Sir," said Jack, 44 be of good heart. Two miles further there lives a large giant, whom I know well; he has three heads, and will fight five hundred men, and make them fly before him." 44 Alas!" replied the king's son, 44 we had better never have been born than meet him." 44 My lord," said Jack, ' 4 leave me to manage him ; and wait here in quiet till I return." The prince now staid behind, while Jack rode on at full speed ; and when he came to the gates of the castle, he gave a loud knock. The giant, with a voice like thunder, roared out, 4i Who is there ?" and Jack made answer 44 No one but your poor cousin Jack." J 1 JACK THE GIANT-KILLER. 17 « Weil," said the giant, " what news, cousin Jack ?" " Dear uncle," said Jack, c< lieavy news." " Pooh !" said the giant, " what heavy news can come to me ? I can fight five hundred men, and make them fly before me." " Alas I" said Jack, " here is the king's son coming with two thousand men to kill you, and to destroy the castle." " Oh ! cousin Jack," said the giant, 66 this is heavy news indeed ; but I have a large cellar where I will hide myself, and you shall lock me in, and keep the keys till the king's son is gone." Now when Jack had made the giant fast in the vault, lie went back and fetched the prince to the castle, and they both made themselves merry with the giant's wine and other dainties : so that night they rested very pleasantly, while the poor giant lay trembling in the cellar. Early in the morning, Jack gave the king's son gold and silver out of the giant's treasure, and set him on his journey. He then went back to let his uncle out of the hole, who asked Jack what he should give him for saving his castle. " I desire nothing," said Jack, " but the old coat and cap, with the old rusty sword and slippers, that are hanging at your bed's head." " Then," said the giant, " you shall have them, and they are of great use. The coat will keep you invisible ; the cap will give you knowledge ; IB JACK THE GIANT-KILLER* the sword cut through any thing ; and the shoes are of vast swiftness: these may be useful to you in all times of danger :" Jack then gave many thanks to the giant. When he had come up with the king's son, they soon arrived at the dwelling of the beautiful lady, who was under the power of a wicked magician. She received the prince very politely, and after some time she said, " My lord, you must submit to the custom of my palace : to-morrow morning tell me on whom I bestow this handkerchief, or lose your head." She then went out of the room. The young prince went to bed very mournful ; but Jack put on his cap of knowledge, which told him that the lady was forced to meet the wicked magician every night in the middle of the forest. Jack put on his coat of darkness and his shoes of swiftness, and was there before her. When the lady came, she gave the handkerchief to the magician. Jack, with his sword of sharpness, at one blow, cut off his head : the enchantment was then ended. She was married to the prince on the next day, and soon after went back with her husband to the court of King Arthur, where they were received with joyful welcomes ; and Jack, for the many great exploits he had done, Was made a knight of the round table. After this, Jack took leave of the king, and JACK THE GIANT-KILLER 19 set off ; taking with him his cap of knowledge, his sword of sharpness, his shoes of swiftness, and his invisible coat. He went along over high hills and came to a large forest, through which his road lay. He had hardly entered the forest, when on a sudden, he heard very dreadful shrieks, and saw a giant carrying away a handsome knight from his beautiful lady. Jack got down 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 many strokes at him, but could not reach his body, on account of his great height. But he wounded his thighs in many places; and, putting both hands to his sword, he cut off one of the giant's legs, so that he made the earth tremble with the force of his fall. Then Jack set one foot upon his neck, and cried out, " Thou savage wretch, behold, 1 am come to give thee the just reward of all thy crimes." And so plunging his sword into the giant's body, the monster gave a groan, and died. Jack had not rode a mile and a half before he came in sight of a cavern ; and near the entrance he saw a giant sitting on a huge block of fine timber, with an iron club in his hand. His eyes looked like flames of fire, his face was grim and his cheeks seemed like two flitches vi bacon - 7 the bristles of his beard 20 JACK THE GIANT-KILLER. seemed to be thick rods of iron wire ; and his long locks of hair hung down like curling snakes. Jack got down from his horse, and turned him into a thicket ; then he put on his coat of darkness, and, drawing nearer, said softly, " O monster ! are you there ? it will not be long before I shall take you fast by the beard." The giant, all this while, could not see him ; so Jack came quite close to him, and struck a blow at his head with his sword of sharpness ; but he missed his aim, and only cut off his nose. He then roared like loud claps of thunder. He could not see who had given him the blow ; yet he took up his iron club, and began to lay about him like one mad with pain and fury. " Nay," said Jack/'if this is the case, I will kill you at once." So he slipped behind him, and stabbed him, when, after a few howls, he dropped down dead. He then came to a window secured with iron bars, through which he saw a number of captives, who cried out, when they saw Jack, u Alas ! alas ! are you come to be one among us in this horrid den?" " I hope," said Jack, " you will not stay here long ; but tell me why you are here at all ?" " Alas !" said one old man, " We are persons that have been taken by a giant and are kept till he has a feast, then one of us is killed, and cooked to please his horrid taste." « Well," said Jack, " I JACK THE GIANT-KILLER 23 have given him such a dinner, that it will be long enough before he requires any more. For I have sent his monstrous head to the court of King Arthur." He then unlocked the gate, and set them all free. He placed them round a table, and set before them beef, with bread and wine, upon which they feasted. When supper was over, they searched the giant's coffers, and Jack shared the store. It was just at the time of sunrise that Jack mounted his horse to proceed on his journey. He arrived at the knight's house, where he was received with the greatest joy, by the thankful knight and his lady ; who, in honour of Jack's exploits, gave a grand feast. When the company were assembled, the knight de- clared to them the great actions of Jack, and gave him a fine ring, on which was engraved the picture of the giant dragging the knight and the lady by the hair, with this motto : Behold in dire distress were we, Under a giant's fierce command, But gain'd our lives and liberty From valiant Jack's victorious hand. On a sudden, a herald, pale and breathless with haste and terror, rushed into the midst of the company, told them that Thundel, a savage giant with two heads, had heard of the death of his kinsmen, and was come to take ))is revenge on Jack, and that he was now 24 JACK THE GIANT-KILLER. within a mile of the house, the people all flying before him like chaff before the wind. At this news, the very boldest of the guests trembled : but Jack drew his sword, and said, 11 Pray, do me the favour to walk into the garden, and you shall soon see the giant's de- feat and death." To this they all agreed, and wished him success in his attempt. The knight's house stood in the middle of a moat, thirty feet deep and twenty wide, over which lay a drawbridge. Jack set men to work, to cut the bridge on both sides, almost to the middle; and then dressed himself in his coat of darkness, and went against the giant with his sword of sharpness. As he came close to him, though the giant could not see him, yet he found some danger was near, and he cried : " Fa, fe, f\, f , fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman ; Let him be alive, or let him be dead, I'll grind his hones to make me bread. " " Say you so, my friend ?" said Jack, « you are a monstrous miller indeed." « Art thou/' cried the giant, "the villain who killed my kinsmen ? then I will tear thee with my teeth, and grind thy bones to powder." « You must catch me first," said Jack ; and throwing off his coat of darkness, and putting on his shoes of swiftness, he began to run, the giant fol- lowing him like a walking castle, making the JACK THE GIANT-KILLER. 25 ground shake at every step. Jack led him round and round the walls of the house, that the company might see the monster and, to finish the work, Jack ran over the drawbridge, the giant going after him with his club. But when the giant came to the middle, where the bridge had been feiit on both sides, the great weight of his body made it breajk ; and lie tumbled into the water, and rolled about like a large whale. Jack now stood by the side of the moat, and jeered at him, saying, " I think you told me you would grind my bones to powder ; when will you begin ?" The giant foamed at both his horrid mouths with fury, and plunged from side to side of the moat ; but he could not get out to have revenge upon his little foe. At last Jack ordered a cart- rope to be brought to him. He then threw it over his two heads, and, by the help of horses, dragged him to the edge of the moat, when he cut off the monster's heads. Jack afterward knocked at the door of a small and lonely house, and an old man, with ahead as white as snow, let him in. " Good father." said Jack " can you lodge a traveller who has lost his way ?" " Yes," said the hermit, " I can, if you will accept such fare as my poor house affords." After supper the hermit said, " I know you are the famous conqueror of giants; now, on the -O JACK THE GIANT-KILLER. top of this mountain is an enchanted castle, kept by a giant named Galligantus, who, by the help of a vile magician, gets many knights into his castle, where he changes them into the shape of birds and beasts. Many knights have tried to destroy the enchantment, yet none have been able to do it, by reason of two fiery griffins, which destroy all who come nigh. Jack promised that in the morning, at the risk of his life, he would break the enchantment ; after a sound sleep, he put on his invisible coat.' When he had climbed to the top of the mountain, he saw the two fiery griffins, but they could not see him, because of his invisible coat. On the castle-gate he found a trumpet, under which was written : " 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. Jack, with his sword of sharpness, soon killed the giant, and the ma- gician was carried away by a whirlwind ; and every knight and beautiful lady, who had been changed into beasts, returned to their shapes. Jack at last at the king's desire received a duke's 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. X r LUMSDEN & SON V' /fr*3)T OF THE ISH 1 -- ■/My* 1 ■ \w//////77/7/////////////////////w^ PRICE ONE HALFPENNY; | Upwards of 500 Kinds . JACK, THE GIANT KILLER. CHEAP EDITION. Maps of every Country EUEGAMEr COLOURED, PRICE CS?) ONLY! •C ' 1