The youngest of the three strange lassies was called Molly Whuppie, and
she was very clever. She noticed that before they went to bed the giant
put straw ropes round her neck and her sisters', and round his own
lassies' necks he put gold chains. So Molly took care and did not fall
asleep, but waited till she was sure every one was sleeping sound. Then
she slipped out of the bed, and took the straw ropes off her own and her
sisters' necks, and took the gold chains off the giant's lassies. She
then put the straw ropes on the giant's lassies and the gold on herself
and her sisters, and lay down.
And in the middle of the night up rose the giant, armed with a great
club, and felt for the necks with the straw. It was dark. He took his
own lassies out of bed on to the floor, and battered them until they
were dead, and then lay down again, thinking he had managed fine. Molly
thought it time she and her sisters were out of that, so she wakened
them and told them to be quiet, and they slipped out of the house. They
all got out safe, and they ran and ran, and never stopped until morning,
when they saw a grand house before them. It turned out to be a king's
house: so Molly went in, and told her story to the king. He said: “Well,
Molly, you are a clever girl, and you have managed well; but, if you
would manage better, and go back, and steal the giant's sword that hangs
on the back of his bed, I would give your eldest sister my eldest son to
marry.” Molly said she would try.
So she went back, and managed to slip into the giant's house, and crept
in below the bed. The giant came home, and ate up a great supper, and
went to bed. Molly waited until he was snoring, and she crept out, and
reached over the giant and got down the sword; but just as she got it
out over the bed it gave a rattle, and up jumped the giant, and Molly
ran out at the door and the sword with her; and she ran, and he ran,
till they came to the “Bridge of one hair”; and she got over, but he
couldn't, and he says, “Woe worth ye, Molly Whuppie! never ye come
again.” And she says “Twice yet, carle,” quoth she, “I'll come to
Spain.” So Molly took the sword to the king, and her sister was married
to his son.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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