finished the bottle was as full as when they commenced; and they all
said that bate all ever they knew or heerd tell of; and the King said
it bate all ever he knew or heerd tell of, too, and that the same
bottle would be of mighty great sarvice to him, to keep his troops in
drink when he'd go to war, and axed Jack on what tarms he'd part with
it. Jack said he couldn't part with it entirely, as it wasn't his own,
but if the King relaised his brother he 'd leave the bottle with him
till such times as the Queen of the Golden Mines might call for it.
The Queen agreed to this. Jack's brother was relaised, and himself and
Jack started off for England. When they were come there the King of
England gave a great faist in their honour, too, and at this faist
Jack said he 'd like to show them a little wonder he fetched with him,
and he produced the loaf, and axed the King to divide all round. And
the King cut off the loaf, and divided all round, over all the prences
and nobility and gentry that was there; and when he had finished they
were all lost in wondherment, for the loaf was still as big as when
the King commenced to cut. The King said that would be the grand loaf
for feeding his troops whenever he went to war, and axed Jack what
would he take to part with it. Jack said the loaf wasn't his to part
with, but if the King relaised his brother out of prison he'd give him
the loaf till such times as the Queen of the Golden Mines might call
for it. The King agreed to this, and relaised Jack's other brother,
and then the three of them started for home together. And when they
were come near home the two older brothers agreed that Jack, when he'd
tell his story, would disgrace them, and they'd put him to death. But
Jack agreed if they'd let him live he would go away and push his
fortune, and never go back near home. They let him live on these
conditions, and they pushed on home, where they were received with
great welcomes, and told mortial great things entirely of all the
great things they done while they were away. Jack come to the castle
in disguise and got hired as a boy and lived there.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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