Now Jack, after wishing good morning to the King and pocketing the
little mouse which was on sentry, trudged on his way; and such a long
way he had to go and this was his first day. At last he found the place;
and there was one of the frogs on sentry, and gun upon his shoulder, and
did try to hinder Jack from going in; but when Jack said to him that he
wanted to see the King, he allowed him to pass; and Jack made up to the
door. The King came out, and asked him his business; and Jack told
him all from beginning to end. “Well, well, come in.” He gets good
entertainment that night; and in the morning the King made such a funny
sound, and collected all the frogs in the world. And he asked them,
did they know or see anything of a castle that stood upon twelve golden
pillars; and they all made a curious sound, _Kro-kro, kro-kro_, and
said, No.
Jack had to take another horse, and a cake to this King's brother, who
is the King of all the fowls of the air; and as Jack was going through
the gates, the little frog that was on sentry asked John should he go
with him. Jack refused him for a bit; but at last he told him to jump
up, and Jack put him in his other waistcoat pocket. And away he went
again on his great long journey; it was three times as long this time as
it was the first day; however, he found the place, and there was a fine
bird on sentry. And Jack passed him, and he never said a word to him;
and he talked with the King, and told him everything, all about the
castle. “Well,” said the King to him, “you shall know in the morning
from my birds, whether they know anything or not.” Jack put up his horse
in the stable, and then went to bed, after having something to eat. And
when he got up in the morning the King and he went on to some field, and
there the King made some funny noise, and there came all the fowls that
were in all the world. And the King asked them; “Did they see the fine
castle?” and all the birds answered, No. “Well,” said the King, “where
is the great bird?” They had to wait then for a long time for the eagle
to make his appearance, when at last he came all in a perspiration,
after sending two little birds high up in the sky to whistle on him to
make all the haste he possibly could. The King asked the great bird,
Did he see the great castle? and the bird said: “Yes, I came from there
where it now is.” “Well,” says the King to him; “this young gentleman
has lost it, and you must go with him back to it; but stop till you get
a bit of something to eat first.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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