Page:History of Jack and the giants (1).pdf/16

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16
THE HISTORY OF

Jack alighted from his horse and put him in to a thicket, then with his coat of darkness he became somewhat near to behold his figure, and said softly, Oh! are you there? it will not be long before I take you by the beard. The giant all this time could not fee him by reason of his invisible coat, so coming up close to him, valiant Jack fetching a blow at his head with his sword of sharpness, and missing somewhat of his aim, cut off the giants nose, whole nostrils were wider than a pair of jack boots, the pain was terrible, and so he put up his hand to feel for his nose, and when he could not find it, he rav'd and roar'd louder than claps of thunder, and tho' he turned up his large eyes, he could not see from whence the blow came which had done him that great disaster; nevertheless, he took up his iron-head club, and began to lay about him like one stark mad. Nay, quoth Jack, if you be for that sport, then I will dispatch you quickly, for fear of an accidental blow falling out. Then as the giant arose from his block Jack makes no more to do but runs his sword up to the hilt in the giant's fundament, where he left it sticking for a while, and stood himself laughing with his heads akimbo, to see the giant caper and dance the canaries with his sword in his arss, crying out, he should die be should die with the griping of his guts. Thus did the giant continue raving for an hour or more and at length fell down dead, whose dreadful fall was like to have crushed poor Jack, had he not been nimble enough to avoide the same.

This being done, Jack cut off both the giant's heads, and sent them both to King Arthur by a waggoner, whom he employed for the purpose, together with an account of his prosperous success in all his undertakings.