Jack the Giant-Killer, Dyslexic-Friendly Font (Level C)

Jack the Giant-Killer

        When Arthur was king, a good farmer lived in Cornwall. He had one son, named Jack. Jack was strong and brave and very daring. He never ran or hid when danger came.

        In those days a huge giant lived in a gloomy cave on St. Michael’s Mount. This mountain rises out of the sea near Cornwall. The giant was cruel to the Cornish people. He used to wade through the sea to the mainland. He stole six or more of their oxen each time.

        At last Jack made up his mind to end this monster. One cold evening he took a horn, a shovel, a pickaxe, and a dark lantern. He swam over the sea to the Mount. Then he set to work. Before morning he had dug a great pit. He covered it carefully over with sticks and straw. Then he put some dirt on the top so it looked like solid ground. When this was done, he blew his horn loudly. The giant woke up and roared like thunder:

        “You villain! You will pay for waking me. I will broil you for my breakfast!”

        But almost as he spoke, he tumbled into the pit.

        “Oh, ho, Mr. Giant!” said Jack. “Hungry now?”

        Then he struck the giant’s head with the pickaxe so hard that it killed him.

        Soon the rulers of Cornwall heard what Jack had done. They declared that he should always be called Jack the Giant Killer. They also gave him a sword and a belt. The belt had golden writing on it, which said:

“This is the good, brave Cornishman

Who killed the giant Cormoran.”

        There was another giant in England called Blunderbore. He swore to get revenge on Jack for killing Cormoran. One day Jack was on his way to Wales. He fell asleep in the woods. The giant, coming along, found him there. When he saw the writing on the belt he knew who Jack was. He lifted him on his shoulder and carried him off to his castle.

        When Jack awoke he was badly frightened. The giant carried him into a room and locked him up. Then he went to get another giant who lived close by to help him eat Jack for dinner. While he was gone, Jack heard dreadful cries and groans from different parts of the castle. Soon after he heard a sad voice saying:

“Run, brave stranger, run away,

Or you’ll become the giant’s prey.

When he comes he’ll bring another,

Even crueler than his brother!”

        Poor Jack looked out of the window and saw two giants coming along arm in arm.

        “Now,” he thought, “death or freedom is at hand.” There were two strong ropes in the room. Jack made a large loop with a slip-knot in each of them. Just as the giants came through the gate, he threw the ropes over their heads. He tied the other ends to a beam in the ceiling. He pulled the ropes with all his might until the giants couldn’t breathe. Then he drew his sword. He slipped down the ropes and killed them both.

        Next Jack took the keys from Blunderbore. He searched the castle. In one of the rooms he found three ladies. They told him that their husbands had been killed by the giant. Then he had left them to starve to death.

        Jack gave them the castle and all the riches in it, and then went on his way.

        After a few days, he got lost. When he had wandered about a while, he found a large house. He went up to it and knocked loudly at the gate. To his great horror, a giant with two heads came out. He spoke very nicely, however, and took Jack into the house. He led him to a good bed to pass the night in.

        Jack took off his clothes. He was very tired, but he could not go to sleep. Soon he heard the giant walking about in the next room. He was saying to himself:

“Though you sleep with me tonight,

You will not see the morning light.

I’ll club your head with all my might!”

        When he heard this, Jack got out of bed. He took a big piece of wood and put it in the bed. Then he hid in a dark corner of the room.

        In the middle of the night, the giant came with his great club. He struck the bed hard several times. Then he went off. He thought he had broken all Jack’s bones.

        Early next morning Jack walked into the giant’s room. He thanked him for letting him stay. The giant was very startled to see him. He said:

        “Oh, dear me! Is it you? How did you sleep last night? Did you hear or see anything?”

        “Nothing much,” said Jack. “A rat gave me three or four slaps with his tail, but that was all.”

        The giant said nothing. He went and got two bowls of pudding for their breakfast.

        Jack did not want the giant to think that he could not eat as much as the giant. He hid a leather bag inside his coat. He then slipped the pudding into this bag, while pretending to eat it.

        When breakfast was done, he said to the giant:

        “Now I will show you a fine trick. I can heal all wounds. I’ll show you.” He then took a knife and ripped up the leather bag. All the pudding tumbled out on the floor.

        “Ods splutter hur nails!” cried the giant. He did not want Jack to think he could not do the same thing. “Hur can do that hurself!” He pushed the knife into his stomach and fell down dead.

        After this, Jack went farther on his trip. In a few days he met King Arthur’s son. The prince was traveling into Wales to save a beautiful lady from the power of a wicked magician. Jack went with him.

        The prince was very kind, and soon gave away all the money he possessed.

        After giving his last penny to an old beggar-woman, he was very uneasy as to where they were to pass the night.

        “Sir,” said Jack, “two miles from here lives a giant with three heads. He can fight five hundred men at once. I will go on and visit him. You wait here until I come back.”

        Jack rode on to the gates of the castle, and gave a loud knock. The giant roared out:

        “Who is there?”

        “No one but your poor cousin Jack.”

        “Well, what news, Cousin Jack?”

        “Dear uncle, I have bad news for you. The king’s son is coming with two thousand men to kill you!”

        “Cousin Jack, this is bad news indeed! But I have a large basement. I will hide myself there. You lock, bolt, and bar me in until the king’s son is gone.”

        So Jack locked, bolted, and barred the giant in the basement. Then he went back and got the prince. They feasted and made merry, and spent the night very nicely in the castle.

        In the morning Jack gave the prince some of the giant’s gold and silver. Then the prince left, while Jack let the giant out of the basement.

        The giant thanked Jack very much for saving him, and asked what he should give him as a reward.

        “Why, good uncle,” said Jack, “I only want the coat and the cap and the rusty sword and the slippers beside the bed.”

        “Take them,” said the giant. “They will be very useful to you. The coat will make you invisible. The cap will give you knowledge. The sword will cut through anything, no matter what it is. The shoes will make you run fast.”

        Jack took the gifts, thanked the giant, and then quickly caught up with the prince.

        After a few days they reached the home of the beautiful lady whom the prince had come to save.

        She greeted the prince and made a feast for him. When it was ended she rose, and, taking her handkerchief, said:

        “My lord, tomorrow morning you must tell me who I have given this handkerchief to—or else lose your head.”

        The prince went to bed very sadly, but Jack put on the cap of knowledge. It told him that the lady was under a spell. She had to meet the wicked magician every night in the forest.

        So Jack put on his coat of darkness, and his shoes of swiftness, and was there before her. When the lady came, she gave the handkerchief to the magician. Jack with his sword of sharpness cut off his head with one blow. The spell ended.

        The next day the lady married the prince. Soon after they went to the court of King Arthur. Jack was made a Knight of the Round Table.

        Very soon Jack set off to find new adventures. On the third day of this trip he came to a wide forest. He had hardly got into it when he heard screams. Soon he saw a huge giant. He was dragging a knight and a lady by their hair. Their tears and cries melted Jack’s heart. He got down from his horse and put on his invisible coat. He could not reach the giant’s body, so he cut off both the monster’s legs at the knee. The giant fell upon the ground. Then Jack set his foot on his neck and pushed his sword into the giant’s body.

        The knight and the lady were very happy. They begged Jack to come to their house. But Jack heard that the giant had a brother who was even more cruel. He would not rest until he had also killed him.

        Soon he came to the cave where the giants lived. There was the other giant sitting on a huge block of wood. A club lay by his side. Jack was still wearing his coat of darkness. He went up to the giant and struck at his head with his sword of sharpness. But he missed and only cut off his nose. The giant roared with pain. He took up his iron club and began to swing it through the air, but he could not hit Jack because of his coat. Jack slipped behind the giant. Jumping onto the block of wood, he stabbed the giant in the back. After a few yells, the monster dropped down dead.

        Jack went into the cave to look for the treasure. One room held a great pot and a dining table, where the giants ate. Another part of the cave was barred with iron. It was full of men and women that the giants had locked up. Jack set them all free and gave them the treasure.

        Jack cut off the giant’s head. He sent it with the head of his brother to the court of King Arthur. Then he went back to the house of the knight and his lady.

        He was met with great joy. The knight gave a feast. When they were all there, the knight gave Jack a ring. On it was the picture of the giant dragging the knight and the lady by the hair. Around the picture it said:

“See here how we shook and how

The giant held us by the hair.

We surely would be dead by now

If brave Jack had not been there.”

        But while they were making merry, a man ran into the room. He told them that Thundel, a cruel giant with two heads, was coming. He had heard of the death of his brothers. Now he wanted to kill Jack. The guests shook with fright. But Jack only drew his sword and said, “Let him come!”

        Around knight’s house was a moat. Over it was a bridge. Jack set men to work to cut the bridge on both sides, nearly to the middle. Then he dressed in his magic coat. He went out to meet the giant. As the giant came along, he could not see Jack. But he could tell that someone was near, for he cried out:

“Fa, fe, fi, fo, fum,

I smell the blood of an Englishman

Be he alive, or be he dead,

I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.”

        “Well, my friend,” cried Jack. “You are a monstrous miller!”

        “Ah!” cried the giant. “You are the villain that killed my brothers! I will tear you with my teeth and grind your bones!”

        “You must catch me first!” said Jack. Then he threw off his coat and put on his shoes of swiftness. He began to run. The giant followed him like a walking castle. Jack led him round and round the house. Then he ran onto the bridge. The giant ran after him with his club. But when he came to where the bridge was cut, it broke. He tumbled into the water.

        Jack now got a rope and flung it over his two heads. Then he pulled him to the edge of the moat, where he cut off the heads.

        Once again, Jack set out to find new adventures. He went very far, but he didn’t find any until he came to the foot of a high mountain. Here was a lonely little house. He knocked at the door. It was opened by an old man with a beard as white as snow. The old man gave Jack food, and then said:

        “My son, I know that you are the giant-killer. At the top of this mountain there is a magic castle. It is kept by a giant named Galligantes. With the help of a magician, he catches many knights. Then he changes them into beasts. He has also caught the duke’s daughter, whom they have changed into a deer. Many knights have tried to end the spell, but two griffins guard the castle gate. Since you have an invisible coat, you may pass them by without being seen. On the gates of the castle are words. They will tell you how to break the spell.”

        Jack promised that in the morning he would try to break the spell. After a sound sleep, he arose early and set out.

        He passed by the griffins without the least fear of danger, for they could not see him in his invisible coat.

        There was a golden trumpet on the castle gate. Under it were written these words:

“Whoever can this trumpet blow,

Will cause the giant’s overthrow.”

        Jack grabbed the golden trumpet and blew. It made the gates fly open and shook the whole castle. The giant and the magician bit their thumbs and shook with fear. Jack soon killed the giant with his sword. The magician was carried off by a whirlwind. The castle turned to smoke. Then the duke’s daughter and all the knights and ladies who had become beasts turned back to people.

        Jack’s fame rang through the whole country. The king gave him a large home to reward him for all his brave deeds. And Jack married the duke’s daughter, and lived in joy for the rest of his days.