Page:The Allies Fairy Book.djvu/36

 pudding into it without its being perceived. Then, telling the giant he would show him a trick, taking a knife, Jack ripped open the bag, and out came all the hasty pudding. Whereupon, saying, “Odds splutters hur nails, hur can do that trick hurself,” the monster took the knife, and ripping open his own belly, fell down dead.

Now it happened in these days that King Arthur’s only son asked his father to give him a large sum of money, in order that he might go and seek his fortune in the principality of Wales, where lived a beautiful lady possessed with seven evil spirits. The king did his best to persuade his son from it, but in vain; so at last he gave way and the prince set out with two horses, one loaded with money, the other for himself to ride upon. Now after several days’ travel he came to a market-town in Wales, where he beheld a vast crowd of people gathered together. Ihe prince asked the reason of it, and was told that they had arrested a corpse for several large sums of money which the deceased owed when he died. The prince replied that it was a pity creditors should be so cruel, and said: “Go bury the dead, and let his creditors come to my lodging, and there their debts shall be paid.” They came in such great numbers that before night he had only twopence left for himself.

Now Jack the Giant-killer, coming that way, was so taken with the generosity of the prince that he desired to be his servant. This being agreed upon, the next morning they set forward on their journey together, when, as they were riding out of the town, an old woman called after the prince, saying: “He has owed me: twopence these seven years; pray pay me as well as the rest.” Putting his hand in his pocket, the prince gave the woman all he had left, so that after their day’s food, which cost what small store Jack had by him, they were without a penny between them.