Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 2 1884.djvu/78

70 ye would manage better, and steal the purse that lies below the giant's pillow, I would marry your second sister to my second son." And Mally said she would try. So she set out for the giant's house, and slippit in, and hid again below the bed, and waited till the giant had eaten his supper, and was snoring sound asleep. She slippit out, and slippit her hand below the pillow, and got out the purse; but just as she was going out the giant wakened, and after her; and she ran, and he ran, till they came to the "Brig o' ae hair," and she wan ower, but he cuddna, and he said, "Wae worth you, Mally Whuppie! lat you never come again." "Ance yet, carle," quo she, "I'll come to Spain." So Mally took the purse to the king, and her second sister was married to the king's second son.

After that the king says to Mally, "Mally, you are a clever cutty, but if you would dee better yet, and steal the giant's ring that he wears on his finger, I will give you my youngest son to yoursel." Mally said she would try. So back she goes to the giant's house, and hides herself below the bed. The giant wizna lang ere he came hanie, and, after he had eaten a great big supper, he went to his bed, and shortly was snoring loud. Mally crept out, and raxed in ower the bed, and got hold of the giant's hand, and she pirlt and pirlt until she got off the ring; but just as she got it off the giant got up, and grippit her by the hand, and he says, "Now I hae catcht you, Mally Whuppie, and, if I had deen as muckle ill to you as ye hae deen to me, what wad ye dee to me?"

Mally considered what plan she would fall upon to escape, and she says, "I wad pit you into a pyock, and I wad pit the cat inside wi' you and the dog aside you, and a needle and thread and a shears, and I wad hang you up upon the wa', and I wad gang to the wood, and wile the thickest stick I could get, and I would come hame, and take you down, and lay upon you till you were dead."

"Well, Mally," says the giant, "I'll just do that to you." So he gets a pyock, and puts Mally into it, and the cat and the dog beside her, and a needle and thread and shears, and hings her up upon the wa', and goes to the wood to choose a stick.

Mally she sings, "Oh, gin ye saw faht I see."

"Oh," says the giant's wife, "faht divv ye see, Mally?"