Year: 1864

For my part confess | never could care
much for Jack the Giant Killer after he had
got the coat of darkness, the shoes of swiftness
the sword of sharpness, and the cap of knowl-
edge. | could kill giants myself with such an
outfit as that and one cannot help feeling that
there is something unfair and unmanly in using
magic weapons, even against ogres. A real
hero should dlsdaln any conquest except such
as he can obtain by his own skill and courage.


These being my sentiments, / was much
delighted by discovery that l made little
while ago, and which | will now relate to you.


One day last summer, having nothing partic-
ular TO DO | thought | would go into Somer-
Of Camelot (now called Winchester), to see if
| could find anything curious about King
Arthur and his knights, aud the famous Court
Enchanter and First Prophet 10 W ailing
Merlin, who, you know, all lived there in the
good old times


Accordingly, having provided myself with a
stout teaspoon, gimlet, and corkscrew.
proceeded to the place, and set to work with
such assiduity and vigor that in few weeks
had sunk a trench thirty inches long. twenty
wide, and two deep; at the bottom of which
found, just as had intended. large, fiat stone,
with ring in the middle Of it. | need hardly
add that, on lifting up this stone l beheld a
flight of steps. These l descended then turned
right round to the left, then walked straight
down crooked passage, then knocked my nose
against a wall, then stumbled over a coal-scuttle
of the period which had been left in the way.
aud at last found myself in dark room, which
at once recognized as Merlin's Brown Study.


In the middle of this study was a table, 10
the middle of the table was drawer, and in
the middle of the drawer lay large folio book,
in the great magcians own hand and what
do you think this was? Why, the original
manuscript of the History of Jack the Giant
Killer. Now, know Merlin's writing as well
as | do yours, and | am as familiar with the
ancient British as | am with Hebrew so
. Immediately sat down and read the whole of it.
Then. thinking that | had stayed away from
home long enough put back the book. shut
the drawer, walked up the steps, filed in the
trench. smoothed the t1rf over it. and went away
by the mail-traiu that very night and when you
20 to Camelot yourself you will not find the
least trace of my having been there before you.


must now tell yon what my great discovery
was. for | don't call the little matters that
have mentioned hitherto dscoveries-they are
mere trifes to me; do such things every day,
and think nothing of them-ny great discovery
was, that the manuscript contained Third
Part of the adventures Of Jack besides the Two
Parts that we know so well already. This
Third Part was full of the most wonderful,
surprising and delightful adventures recollect
every word of it, of course, and could say of
the whole by heart. if l chose; but, as it was
IN nine hundred and ninety nine chapters per-
haps you would find it rather tedious. so had
better only tell you few bits out OF it to day
The only reason can think of why this Part
has always been left out by the editors is. that
it does Il must confess) contain something like
a moral, which certainly has no business in a
story; but you needn't notice it, and then it
will do you no harm, hope.


In the first place, it turns out that the Welsh
giant, whom Jack called Uncle, and who gave
him the coat, the shoes, the sword, and the cap
so easily. was not such stupid giant as you
supposed. He saw that if Jack went on in
that way much longer be would soon kill OF
all the giants in the land and he knew that
/ the best way to stop him was 10 let him have