“Tantivy!  Tantivy!  Tantivy!”

just as he would have done had he been hunting a fox.

Of course this woke the giant, who rushed in a rage out of his cave, and seeing little Jack, fair and square blowing away at his horn, as calm and cool as may be, he became still more angry, and made for the disturber of his rest, bawling out, “I’ll teach you to wake a giant, you little whipper-snapper.  You shall pay dearly for your tantivys, I’ll take you and broil you whole for break—­”

He had only got as far as this when crash—­he fell into the pit!  So there was a break indeed; such an one that it caused the very foundations of the Mount to shake.

But Jack shook with laughter.  “Ho, ho!” he cried, “how about breakfast now, Sir Giant?  Will you have me broiled or baked?  And will no diet serve you but poor little Jack?  Faith!  I’ve got you in Lob’s pound now!  You’re in the stocks for bad behaviour, and I’ll plague you as I like.  Would I had rotten eggs; but this will do as well.”  And with that he up with his pickaxe and dealt the giant Cormoran such a most weighty knock on the very crown of his head, that he killed him on the spot.

Whereupon Jack calmly filled up the pit with earth again and went to search the cave, where he found much treasure.

Now when the magistrates heard of Jack’s great exploit, they proclaimed that henceforth he should be known as—­

Jack the giant-killer.

And they presented him with a sword and belt, on which these words were embroidered in gold: 

  Here’s the valiant Cornishman
  Who slew the giant Cormoran.

II

Of course the news of Jack’s victory soon spread over all England, so that another giant named Blunderbore who lived to the north, hearing of it, vowed if ever he came across Jack he would be revenged upon him.  Now this giant Blunderbore was lord of an enchanted castle that stood in the middle of a lonesome forest.

It so happened that Jack, about four months after he had killed Cormoran, had occasion to journey into Wales, and on the road he passed this forest.  Weary with walking, and finding a pleasant fountain by the wayside, he lay down to rest and was soon fast asleep.

Now the giant Blunderbore, coming to the well for water, found Jack sleeping, and knew by the lines embroidered on his belt that here was the far-famed giant-killer.  Rejoiced at his luck, the giant, without more ado, lifted Jack to his shoulder and began to carry him through the wood to the enchanted castle.

But the rustling of the boughs awakened Jack, who, finding himself already in the clutches of the giant, was terrified; nor was his alarm decreased by seeing the courtyard of the castle all strewn with men’s bones.

“Yours will be with them ere long,” said Blunderbore as he locked poor Jack into an immense chamber above the castle gateway.  It had a high-pitched, beamed roof, and one window that looked down the road.  Here poor Jack was to stay while Blunderbore went to fetch his brother-giant, who lived in the same wood, that he might share in the feast.