Once a Week (magazine)/Series 1/Volume 10/Jack the Giant Killer married and settled

by John Fortescue Brickdale (attribution uncertain)

Jan.

2,

ONCE A WEEK.

1SW.]

make him lazy, and insoand cowardly for everybody becomes so who does not keep his body and mind in wholesome exercise, and trusts to underhand help for what he ought to do for himself. What the cunning giant expected came to Jack, who was a favourite at court, and pass. had a pension from King Arthur, besides

39

sure after a while to

eaten

lent,

horrid creatures.

having a duke's daughter for his wife, began to give himself airs, and instead of following his fine old calling of destroying wicked ogres

and magicians, and rescuing

distressed damsels,

thought of nothing but sport and pastime,

He ceased to practise feasting and luxury. his sword exercise, used to lie in bed half the The wise and

day, and grew quite fat and puffy.

Merlin was

much

distressed at seeing this,

him good advice

but (strange to say) Jack would never take it. People always take advice now, though I don't see that they follow it a bit the more. "My son," he would say to him, "you are wasting your time and losing your reputation. It was not by leading such a life as this that you earned your fame and honour you could not swim to St. Michael's Mount and dig a pit twenty-two feet deep, and as many broad, in a single night now. There are plenty more giants about, but you could not kill them as you did Coroften offered

moran."

"

Pooh, pooh," Jack would answer, "there's no hurry. I can't go just yet, I have so many engagements to balls and hunting parties but when the season is over I have only just to take my Sword of Sharpness, my Coat of Darkness, and my Shoes of Swiftness, and then I will finish off all my arrears in a week." "Depend upon it," Merlin replied to this one day, "if you trust to such helpers as those, instead of relying on yourself, they will play you a trick some day, and put you to

shame. ledge

tell

What

does your

you about

Jack turned at this. tells

"The

me much

it

"

own Cap

of

Know-

incommoded by

these

This was very bad for trade, and the people laid all the blame of it on Jack. They began to hoot and jeer at him as he

"

passed.

Now

"

what have say, sion this year ?

then, fat Jack," they would you done to earn your pen-

Where's your belt with the it won't go round your waist now." And one day, after some giants had been eating them worse than usual, they even broke his windows, and pelted him

verses on

it

?

I suppose

with mud. This at last roused him. "Very well, " I will rascals," he said, go forth once more you shall see that I am still the great Giant Killer; and when I come back crowned with

you will repent of your insolence." So he called for his horse, packed up the coat and shoes in his saddle-bags, put on the Sword of Sharpness, and set out in search of

victory,

adventures.

He had

not gone far before he met a crowd

of people flying along the road in the greatest terror and confusion, crying out, " The Giant! the Giant! the Giaut!" and, looking up, he

above the trees of saw, si: i, bouring wood, a monstrous giant towards him. "Ho, ho!" said he, was looking for stop, you just what cowards, sit down on that hillock, I

shall see

a neighstalking

"this is wretched

and you what sport the mighty Jack can show

you." So saying, he got off his horse, and took out his Shoes of Swiftness, intending to play the same tricks with this giant as he did with the two-headed giant Thundel before he killed him but when he tried to put them on ho found them too small, his feet had grown so

fat for

want of

Here was a dreadful

exercise.

He

pulled and tugged with all his might, and at last he did manage to get one of them on but the other would not go over situation

!

do what he would. Meanwhile, the "Take giant was drawing nearer and nearer.

his heel,

?

red, and stammered a little fact is," he said at last, "it

the same as you do

but

it

is

I nonsense, and I won't wear it any mora. don't see why I should be insulted by my own

all

nightcap, and I have thrown dusthole."

or otherwise

up

it

away

into the

Merlin said no more just then, but he quietly went to the dusthole, picked the cap out again, and used it himself.

Meanwhile the country was being again overrun with giants for they generally marry young, and have large families, and their children grow up very quickly. Monsters with more heads than ever now infested every neighbourhood j and peaceable citizens could

not go about their daily business without being

Jack! take care!" the people cried out, be upon you directly." And at last, seeing that the giant was almost close to him, Jack was obliged to start off with one shoe on and the other in his hand. Fancy what a ridiculous figure he cut for the foot with the magic shoe on it took enormous strides, while the other one could only make little hops after it so he went stumbling and blundering round and round in a circle, with the giant and after him, banging at him with his club it was only because he went so crooked that The people who were he escaped the blows.

" he

will

!

,-

looking on, in spite of their fright, couldn't help roaring with laughter at the sight, particularly when they thought of his big words [Jan.

just before; and at last,

As

Dg and

aft

1864.

2,

for the sword, it remains sticking

day; and if you walk ten bank of the river before breakfast some spring morning, and then take a at the right spot, you draught of the water will find it has given you the sharpest appetite you ever had in your life. You would have thought that these two misadventures would have pretty well sickened Jack of the cunning old giant's presents but He still relied on what remained to him, no. " the coat of darkness, that, at least, must be So he went useful to me," he said to himself. up more hills and down more dales, with the to this

ilong the

that he spied under a i not particularly eing, as it seemed, luuigij at f

his

ST

hat he

would not come out

it

till

was dark, and

the p«oplt

my

after

all,

he

all

he

tly

sai

fault,

.

-.

which never did

me

fit

prop*

coat in his saddle-bag as before. He travelled a long time, however, without

one in the has run as fast as a mill-race ever

This put him out, and he he had been nearly spoilt by being made so much of at King Arthur's One day, when he was in the w orst of court. humours, he met a knight in armour riding quietly along the road, and, having nothing else to vent his ill-temper on, he determined " to pick a quarrel with him. Hollo, you " how dare he cried sir," out, you pass me without saluting ? Don't you know that I am the great Jack the Giant Killer ? You shall

i

Then Jack, having found determined to recover Ins Kiuxvssf'ul

.re

111.

went on, character by some his horse,

adventure.

and down fifty on the oppo-

hills

dales, he site

came to a shallow

river,

bank of which he saw a good-sized giant fast asleep. "Oh, oh!" said Jack to

hini* think

this river,

I >rtunity for me! and chop off yonder

man's hea

i

time to wake."

awing the Sword of Sharpness, and turning up his trowsers, ho stepped gently into the began to wade across. But, unI

was about half-way over,

made I

of ro

»int

of his sword upon a piece The magic powers. igh the solid stone

much mud

if

losing his balaix

lie

himself, he

.ve

leant

her,

and Jack, rolled over ami

woke up

g

out,

and began tman:

tea

ne,

my °*dy

—

in a rage into

these words he a stream that was flo

ry,

m

"Now,

u? v

.isleep that

Is

it

you are brave

tugged awa

it

hid

having any sport.

got very cross

for

r

either salute

"

me

me

or fight

"

!

you are indeed he," replied the stranger, "you had better pursue your profession, inIf

stead of

I molesting peaceable travellers. not salute you, because I am as good a and I w ill not fight you, beknight as you cause I hear you carry magic weapons, for which I am no match." " I will not use them against you," n Jack "it shall be all fair ; but fight me you shall

T

shall."

"Very want to

said

well,"

the

other.

"I

don't

you or anybody but if you attack me, of course I must defend myself." Then Jack lowered his lance, and ran full fight

at the knight but the other kept hi without moving an inch. Again and Jack tried to overthrow him but he mi. well have tilted against Stonehei a tilt

may

suppose that this did not improve hi He got nearly mad with rage and

am sorry to say, th< adversary took such hold of him that h is promise, and wa t<> slip on the Coat of Darl

and at

last,

I

his

aid

lo

bin

really I

iMiid,

n

flu-

LCh side i .

So Jack was

sblo to recover himself

over

jusl

from

kni tl;

unable

his

mid, ad. When he saw what he had done, all Jack's bad passion left him in an instant, and he was seized by shame and remorse. He ran up to the knight and endeavoured to raise him. The wounded man recovered a little, but refused his help. "Begone!" he said, in a stern though feeble voice; "you have slain me by a foul blow; let not my last moments be disturbed by the presence of a coward." With these words he fell back; his face turned pale, his limbs stiffened, and he spoke no more.

Jack, in the greatest distress, did all he could think of to revive him, but with no success. Then, rising up, he slowly and sorrowfully turned his horse's head homewards.

"The knight spoke truly," he said within himself. "I have done a shameful and cowardly deed, and am no longer worthy to punish the crimes of others. Henceforth I will retire from the world, and live in penitence and obscurity. I now perceive that those magic gifts were only fatal snares. Oh that I had listened to the advice of the wise Merlin! But I will go now and tell him all."

So he returned to Camelot in a very different mood from that in which he had set out. He sought the wise Merlin, and freely told him everything that had happened, confessing all his errors and misfortunes without any concealment. When he had finished his tale, the wise Merlin smiled cheerfully, and answered him thus:

"My son, be comforted. I see with joy that you are now cured of the faults which were creeping over you, and I may safely tell you the truth. Learn, then, that the two giants and the knight were no other than myself. You know that I have the power of assuming any shape I please; and perceiving that you needed a sharp lesson to rouse you from your state of indolence and self-satisfaction, I took this means of bringing you to a of your duty. Cheer up, therefore, there is no harm done; and you are a better man than ever. You have already got rid of the shoes and sword, get rid of the coat also; and then you will be worthy to wear the only one of the giant's treasures that was really useful, the Cap of Knowledge, which I now return to you."

Jack embraced the good Enchanter with the warmest gratitude and delight.

"You have taken a load off my heart," he cried, "and have given me a lesson which I will never forget. But as for the Cap of Knowledge, pray keep it yourself. You are wise, and will know how to use it; but I perceive that knowledge without wisdom is of no avail. I possessed it; but it did me no good. Henceforth I will learn to depend on myself alone."

Just then King Arthur was busy making up a huge fire to boil that famous plum-pudding of his that you have so often heard of. So Jack went up to the furnace and thrust the coat into it.

Merlin kept the cap, and became ten times more knowing than even he had been before. Nevertheless, he was made a regular fool of by a pretty woman soon afterwards.

Jack got up early the very next morning after his return and practised the dumb bells two hours before breakfast and after a few weeks of training he felt fit for his old work once more, and went forth in a proper state of mind, as he had done in the days of Cormoran, to destroy all the race of wicked giants on the face of the earth. He had a vast number of adventures, which I have no time to tell you. I can only say, that in the end he was perfectly successful; and the best proof of it is that you may travel from the Land's End to John o'Groat's and back again without meeting a single giant, except, perhaps, at a fair, and he will be only a puny stunted creature, barely eight feet high, who couldn't eat so much as a baby if he tried.