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

The Curran index tentatively identifies the author, recorded in the magazine's account book as "J. F. Brickdale," as John Fortescue Brickdale.
​ ​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.