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035 - The History of Jack the Giant Killer · Blue Fairy Book

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  Speaker 1: The History of Jack the Giant Killer of the Blue
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  Speaker 1: Fairy Book. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
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  Speaker 1: are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer,
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  Speaker 1: please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Brett Condron. The
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  Speaker 1: Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lange, The History of Jack
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  Speaker 1: the Giant Killer. In the reign of the famous King Arthur,
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  Speaker 1: there lived in Cornwall a lad named Jack, who was
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  Speaker 1: a boy of bold temper, and took delight in hearing
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  Speaker 1: or reading of conjurers, giants and fairies, and used to
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  Speaker 1: listen eagerly to the deeds of the knights of King
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  Speaker 1: Arthur's round table. In those days, there lived on Saint
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  Speaker 1: Michael's mount off Cornwall, a huge giant eighteen feet high
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  Speaker 1: and nine feet round. His fierce and savage looks were
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  Speaker 1: the terror of all who beheld him. He dwelt in
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  Speaker 1: a gloomy cavern on the top of the mountain, and
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  Speaker 1: used to wade over to the mainland in search of prey.
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  Speaker 1: When he would throw half a dozen oxen upon his back,
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  Speaker 1: and tie three times as many sheep and hogs around
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  Speaker 1: his waist, and marched back to his own abode. The
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  Speaker 1: giant had done this for many years. When Jack resolved
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  Speaker 1: to destroy him. Jack took a horn, a shovel, a
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  Speaker 1: pick axe, his armor, and a dark lantern, and one
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  Speaker 1: winter's evening he went to the mount. There he dug
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  Speaker 1: a pit twenty two feet deep and twenty broad. He
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  Speaker 1: covered the top over so as to make it look
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  Speaker 1: like solid ground. He then blew his horn so loudly
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  Speaker 1: that the giant awoke and came out of his den,
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  Speaker 1: crying out, you saucy villain, You shall pay for this.
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  Speaker 1: I'll broil you for my breakfast. He had just finished,
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  Speaker 1: when taking one step further, he tumbled headlong into the pit,
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  Speaker 1: and Jack struck him a blow on the head with
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  Speaker 1: his pickaxe, which killed him. Jack then returned home to
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  Speaker 1: cheer his friends with the news. Another giant called Blunderbore
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  Speaker 1: vowed to be revenged on Jack if ever he should
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  Speaker 1: have him in his power. This giant kept an enchanted
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  Speaker 1: castle in the midst of a lonely wood, and sometime
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  Speaker 1: after the death of Cormoran, Jack was passing through the wood, and,
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  Speaker 1: being queery, sat down and went to sleep. The giant,
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  Speaker 1: passing by and seeing Jack, carried him to his castle,
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  Speaker 1: where he locked him up in a large room, the
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  Speaker 1: floor of which was covered with the bodies, skulls, and
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  Speaker 1: bones of men and women. Soon after, the giant went
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  Speaker 1: to fetch his brother, who was likewise a giant, to
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  Speaker 1: take a meal off his flesh, and Jack saw with
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  Speaker 1: terror through the bars of his prison the two giants approaching. Jack,
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  Speaker 1: perceiving in one corner of the room, a strong cord
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  Speaker 1: took courage, and, making a slipknot at each end, he
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  Speaker 1: threw them over their heads and tied it to the
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  Speaker 1: window bars. He then pulled till he had choked them.
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  Speaker 1: When they were black in the face, he slid down
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  Speaker 1: the rope and stabbed them to the heart. Jack next
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  Speaker 1: took a great bunch of keys from the pocket of
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  Speaker 1: Blunderbore and went into the castle again. He made a
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  Speaker 1: strict search through all the rooms, and one of them
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  Speaker 1: found three ladies tied up by the hair of their
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  Speaker 1: heads and almost starved to death. They told him that
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  Speaker 1: their husbands had been killed by the giants, who had
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  Speaker 1: then condemned them to be starved to death because they
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  Speaker 1: would not eat the flesh of their own dead husbands. Ladies,
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  Speaker 1: said Jack, I have put an end to the monster
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  Speaker 1: and his wicked brother. I give you this castle and
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  Speaker 1: all the riches it contains, to make some amends for
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  Speaker 1: the dreadful pains you have felt. He then very politely
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  Speaker 1: gave them the keys of the castle and went further
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  Speaker 1: on his journey to Wales. As Jack had but little money,
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  Speaker 1: he went on as fast as possible. At length he
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  Speaker 1: came to a handsome house. Jack knocked at the door,
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  Speaker 1: when there came forth a Welsh giant. Jack said he
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  Speaker 1: was a traveler who had lost his way, on which
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  Speaker 1: the giant made him welcome and let him into a
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  Speaker 1: room where there was a good bed to sleep in.
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  Speaker 1: Jack took off his clothes quickly, but though he was weary,
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  Speaker 1: he could not go to sleep. Soon after this, he
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  Speaker 1: heard the giant walking backward and forward in the next room,
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  Speaker 1: saying to himself, though you lodge here with me to night,
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  Speaker 1: you shall not see the morning light. My clubs shall
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  Speaker 1: dash your brains out. Quite say you so thought, Jack,
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  Speaker 1: are these your tricks upon travelers? But I hope to
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  Speaker 1: prove as cunning as you are. Then, getting out of bed,
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  Speaker 1: he groped about the room and at last found a
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  Speaker 1: large thick billet of wood. He laid it in his
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  Speaker 1: place in the bed, and then hid himself in a
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  Speaker 1: dark corner of the room. The giant, about midnight entered
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  Speaker 1: the apartment and with his bludgeons, struck many blows on
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  Speaker 1: the bed in the very place where Jack had laid
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  Speaker 1: the log, and then he went back to his own room,
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  Speaker 1: thinking he had broken all Jack's bones. Early in the morning,
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  Speaker 1: Jack put a bold face upon the matter and walked
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  Speaker 1: into the giant's room to thank him for his lodging.
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  Speaker 1: The giant started when he saw him and began to
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  Speaker 1: stammer out, Oh, dear me, is it you pray? How
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  Speaker 1: did you sleep last night? Did you hear or see
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  Speaker 1: anything in the dead of the night? Nothing to speak of,
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  Speaker 1: said Jack carelessly. A rat, I believe, gave me three
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  Speaker 1: or four slaps with its tail and disturbed me a little,
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  Speaker 1: but I soon went to sleep again. The giant wondered
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  Speaker 1: more and more at this, yet he did not answer
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  Speaker 1: a word, but went to bring two great bowls of
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  Speaker 1: hasty pudding for their breakfast. Jack wanted to make the
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  Speaker 1: giant believe that he could eat as much as himself,
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  Speaker 1: so he contrived to button a leather bag inside his
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  Speaker 1: coat and slip the hasty pudding into his bag while
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  Speaker 1: he seemed to put it into his mouth. When breakfast
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  Speaker 1: was over, he said to the giant, now I will
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  Speaker 1: show you a fine trick. I can cure all wounds
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  Speaker 1: with a touch. I could cut off my head in
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  Speaker 1: one minute, and the next put it sound to get
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  Speaker 1: on my shoulders. You shall see an example. He took
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  Speaker 1: hold of the knife, ripped up the leather bag, and
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  Speaker 1: all the hasty pudding trembled out upon the floor. Od
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  Speaker 1: splutter her nails, cried the Welsh giant, who was quite
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  Speaker 1: ashamed to be outdone by such a little fellow as Jack.
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  Speaker 1: Her can do that herself. So he snatched up the knife,
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  Speaker 1: plunged it into his own stomach, and in a moment
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  Speaker 1: dropped down dead. Jack, having hitherto been successful in all
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  Speaker 1: his undertakings, resolved not to be idle in the future.
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  Speaker 1: He therefore furnished himself with a horse, a cap of noedge,
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  Speaker 1: a sword of sharpness, shoes of swiftness, and an invisible coat,
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  Speaker 1: the better to perform the wonderful enterprises that lay before him.
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  Speaker 1: He traveled over high hills, and on the third day
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  Speaker 1: he came to a large and spacious forest through which
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  Speaker 1: his road lay. Scarcely had he entered the forest when
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  Speaker 1: he beheld a monstrous giant dragging along by the hair
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  Speaker 1: of their heads. A handsome knight and his lady. Jack
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  Speaker 1: alighted from his horse, and, tying him to an oak tree,
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  Speaker 1: put on his invisible coat, under which he carried his
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  Speaker 1: sword of sharpness. When he came up to the giant,
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  Speaker 1: he made several strokes at him, but he could not
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  Speaker 1: reach his body, but wounded his thighs in several places,
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  Speaker 1: and at length, putting both hands to his sword and
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  Speaker 1: aiming with all his might, he cut off both his legs. Then, Jack,
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  Speaker 1: setting his foot upon his neck, plunged his sword into
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  Speaker 1: the giant's body. When the monster gave a groan and expired,
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  Speaker 1: the knight and his lady thanked Jack for their deliverance,
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  Speaker 1: and invited him to their house to receive a proper
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  Speaker 1: reward for his services. No, said Jack, I cannot be
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  Speaker 1: easy till I find out this monster's habitation. So, taking
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  Speaker 1: the night's directions, he mounted his horse, and soon after
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  Speaker 1: came in sight of another giant, who was sitting on
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  Speaker 1: a block of timber waiting for his brother's return. Jack
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  Speaker 1: alighted from his horse, and, putting on his invisible coat,
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  Speaker 1: approached and aimed to blow at the giant's head, but
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  Speaker 1: missing his aim, he only cut off his nose. On this,
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  Speaker 1: the giant seized his club and laid about him most unmercifully. Nay,
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  Speaker 1: said Jack, if this be the case, I'd better dispatch you, So,
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  Speaker 1: jumping upon the block, he stabbed him in the back
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  Speaker 1: when he dropped down dead. Jack then proceeded on his
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  Speaker 1: journey and traveled over hills and dales till arriving at
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  Speaker 1: the foot of a high mountain. He knocked at the
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  Speaker 1: door of a lonely house when an old man let
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  Speaker 1: him in. When Jack was seated, the hermit thus addressed
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  Speaker 1: him my son. On the top of this mountain is
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  Speaker 1: an enchanted castle kept by the giant Galagantis and a
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  Speaker 1: vile magician. I lament the fate of a duke's daughter,
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  Speaker 1: whom they seized his She was walking in her father's
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  Speaker 1: garden and brought hither transformed into a deer. Jack promised
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  Speaker 1: in the morning, at the risk of his life, he
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  Speaker 1: would break the enchantment, and after a sound sleep, he
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  Speaker 1: rose early put on his invisible coat and got ready
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  Speaker 1: for the attempt. When he had climbed to the top
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  Speaker 1: of the mountain, he saw two fiery griffins, but he
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  Speaker 1: passed between them without the least fear of danger, for
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  Speaker 1: they could not see him because of his invisible coat.
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  Speaker 1: On the castle gate he found a golden trumpet, under
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  Speaker 1: which were written these lines, whoever can this trumpet blow,
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  Speaker 1: shall cause the giants overthrow. As soon as Jack had
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  Speaker 1: read this, he seized the trumpet and blew a shrill blast,
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  Speaker 1: which made the gates fly open, and the very castle
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  Speaker 1: itself tremble. The giant in the conjuror now knew that
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  Speaker 1: their wicked course was at an end, and they stood
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  Speaker 1: biting their thumbs and shaking with fear. Jack, with his
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  Speaker 1: sword of sharpness, soon killed the giant, and the magician
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  Speaker 1: was then carried away by a whirlwind, and every night
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  Speaker 1: and beautiful lady, who had been changed into birds and beasts,
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  Speaker 1: returned to their proper shapes. The castle vanished away like smoke,
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  Speaker 1: and the head of the giant Galagantis was then sent
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  Speaker 1: to King Arthur. The knights and ladies rested that night
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  Speaker 1: at the Old Man's hermitage. The next day they set
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  Speaker 1: out for the court. Jack then went up to the
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  Speaker 1: king and gave his majesty an account of all his
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  Speaker 1: fierce battles. Jack's fame had now spread through the whole country,
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  Speaker 1: and at the King's desire, the Duke gave him his
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  Speaker 1: daughter in marriage, to the joy of all his kingdom.
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  Speaker 1: After this, the King gave him a large estate on
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  Speaker 1: which he and his lady could live the rest of
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  Speaker 1: their days in joy and contentment. End of the history
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  Speaker 1: of Jack the Giant Killer.