Tales of Wonder Every Child Should Know — John Shaqi
Tales of Wonder Every Child Should Know
General
Tales of Wonder Every Child Should Know
Fairy tales
"Look into my left ear, Jack, and see what you will see," and from the
mare's left ear Jack drew out a most gorgeous soldier's suit, done off
with gold braiding and ornaments of every sort. By the mare's advice
he put it on, and himself, the mare, and the bear went off to the war.
The King soon heard of the wonderfully grand fellow that was riding to
the war to-day with the mare and the bear, and he came to Jack and
welcomed him and told him how his two brothers had won the last two
victories for him. He asked Jack on what side he was going to fight.
"I will strike no stroke this day," says Jack, "only on the King of
Scotland's side."
The King thanked him heartily, and said, "We will surely win the
victory," and then into the battle they rode with Jack at their head,
and Jack struck east and west and in all directions, and the wind of
the strokes tumbled mountains at the other end of the world, and very
soon the King of the East with all his soldiers that were left alive
took to their heels and never stopped running until they went as far
as the world would let them.
Then the King came to Jack and thanked him over and over again, and
said he would never be able to repay him. He then invited him to come
to his castle, where he would give a little feast in his honour, but
Jack said they didn't know at home where he was and they would be
uneasy about him, and so he could not go with the King.
"But," says he, "I and my brothers will come to the feast with you at
any other time."
"What day will the three of you come?" said the King.
"Only one of us can leave home in one day," said Jack. "I will come to
feast with you to-morrow, and my second brother the day after, and my
third brother the day after that."
The King agreed to this and thanked him. "And now," said the King,
"let me give you a present," and he gave him a comb, such that every
time he combed his hair with it he would comb out of it bushels of
gold and silver, and it would transform the ugliest man that ever was
into the nicest and handsomest. Jack took it and thanked the King and
rode away.
On this day, as on the other two days after the battle, they cured the
dead and the wounded with the bottles of Ioca, and all were well
again. When Jack went to the wood, he left the mare and the bear in it
and became Hookedy-Crookedy again, and went home and to his garden.
The Yellow Rose came to him and had wonderful news for him this day
about the terrible grand fellow entirely, who had won the battle for
her father that day; brother to the two brave fellows who had won the
battles on the other two days.
"Well," says Jack, says he, "those must be wonderful chaps. I wish I
had been there; but I had to be away on a message for your father all
day."
"Oh, my poor Hookedy-Crookedy," says she, "it was better so, for what
could you do?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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