Tom shouted from the depth of his lungs:
"Open the gate and let me drive through. This is the King"s Highway."
The only reply, for a minute, was the barking of the curs. Then a rattling of bolts was heard, and the great gates swung wide open.
"Who are you, you impudent fellow? Go round over the hill, or I"ll thrash you," bl.u.s.tered Giant Blubb, in a rage.
"Better save your breath to cool your porridge, you big boaster, and come out and fight," said Tom.
"Fight? You pigmy. I"ll just get a switch and whip you, as I would a bad boy."
Thereupon Giant Blubb stepped aside into the grove nearby, keeping all the while an eye on his gate, guarded by his two monstrous dogs. He selected an elm tree twenty feet high, tore it up by the roots, pulled off the branches, and peeled it for a whip. This he jerked up and down to make ready for his task of thrashing "the pigmy."
Meanwhile Giant Tom upset the wain, drew out the tongue and took off one of the wheels. Then, as if armed with spear and shield, he advanced to meet Giant Blubb. He whistled like a boy, as he went forward.
In a pa.s.sion of rage, Giant Blubb lifted his elm switch to strike, but Tom warded off the blow with his wheel shield. Then he punched him in the stomach, with the wagon tongue, so hard that the big fellow slipped and rolled over in the mud:
Picking himself up, Giant Blubb, now half blind with rage, rushed against Tom, who, this time, made a lunge which planted the cart tongue inside Blubb"s bowels, and knocked him over.
But Tom was not a cruel fellow, and had no desire to kill anyone. So he threw down his war tools, and tearing up a yard or two of gra.s.sy sod rolled it together, and made a plug of it, as big around as a milk churn. With this, he stopped up the big hole in Giant Blubb"s huge body.
But instead of thanking Tom, Giant Blubb rushed at him again. He was in too much of a rage to see anything clearly, while Tom, perfectly cool, gave the angry monster such a kick, in the place where he kept his dinner, that he rolled over, and Tom gave him another kick. Then the plug of sod fell out of his wound.
As he was bleeding to death, Giant Blubb beckoned to Tom to come up close, for he could only whisper.
"You"ve beaten me on the square, and I like you. Don"t think I killed my twenty wives. They all died naturally. But call the dogs by name, and they will let you pa.s.s. Then, in my vaults, you"ll find gold, silver, and copper. Make these your own and bury me decently. This is all I ask."
Tom made himself owner of the castle and all its treasures. He opened the King"s Highway again. He took care of his aged mother, married the twenty-first wife of Giant Blubb, now a widow, and was always kind to the sick and poor.
To-day in Cornwall, they still tell stories of the big fellow who abolished Giant Blubb"s toll gate.
Centuries afterward, when Christ"s gospel came into the land, they restored Giant Tom"s tomb and on it were chiseled these words:
THE RESTORER OF PATHS TO DWELL IN.
XIII
A BOY THAT VISITED FAIRYLAND
Many are the places in Wales where the ground is lumpy and humpy with tumuli, or little artificial mounds. Among these the sheep graze, the donkeys bray, and the cows chew the cud.
Here the ground is strewn with the ruins of cromlechs, or Cymric strongholds, of old Roman camps, of chapels and monasteries, showing that many different races of men have come and gone, while the birds still fly and the flowers bloom.
Centuries ago, the good monks of St. David had a school where lads were taught Latin and good manners. One of their pupils was a boy named Elidyr. He was such a poor scholar and he so hated books and loved play, that in his case spankings and whippings were almost of daily occurrence. Still he made no improvement. He was in the habit also of playing truant, or what one of the monks called "traveling to Bagdad." One of the consequences was that certain soft parts of his body--apparently provided by nature for this express purpose--often received a warming from his daddy.
His mother loved her boy dearly, and she often gently chided him, but he would not listen to her, and when she urged him to be more diligent, he ran out of the room. The monks did not spare the birch rod, and soon it was a case of a whipping for every lesson not learned.
One day, though he was only twelve years old, the boy started on a long run into the country. The further he got, the happier he felt--at least for one day.
At night, tired out, he crept into a cave. When he woke up, in the morning, he thought it was glorious to be as free as the wild a.s.ses.
So like them, he quenched his thirst at the brook. But when, towards noon, he could find nothing to eat, and his inside cavity seemed to enlarge with very emptiness, his hunger grew every minute. Then he thought that a bit of oat cake, a leek, or a bowl of oat meal, whether porridge or flummery, might suit a king.
He dared not go out far and pick berries, for, by this time, he saw that people were out searching for him. He did not feel yet, like going back to books, rods and scoldings, but the day seemed as long as a week. Meanwhile, he discovered that he had a stomach, which seemed to grow more and more into an aching void. He was glad when the sunset and darkness came. His bed was no softer in the cave, as he lay down with a stone for his pillow. Yet he had no dreams like those of Jacob and the angels.
When daylight came, the question in his mind was still, whether to stay and starve, or to go home and get two thrashings--one from his daddy, and another from the monks. But how about that thing inside of him, which seemed to be a live creature gnawing away, and which only something to eat would quiet? Finally, he came to a stern resolve. He started out, ready to face two whippings, rather than one death by starvation.
But he did not have to go home yet, for at the cave"s mouth, he met two elves, who delivered a most welcome message.
"Come with us to a land full of fun, play, and good things to eat."
All at once, his hunger left him and he forgot that he ever wanted to swallow anything. All fear, or desire to go home, or to risk either schooling or a thrashing, pa.s.sed away also.
Into a dark pa.s.sage all three went, but they soon came out into a beautiful country. How the birds sang and the flowers bloomed! All around could be heard the joyful shouts of little folks at play. Never did things look so lovely.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE KING SPOKE KINDLY TO ELIDYR, ASKING HIM WHO HE WAS]
Soon, in front of the broad path along which they were traveling, there rose up before him a glorious palace. It had a splendid gateway, and the silver-topped towers seemed to touch the blue sky.
"What building is this?" asked the lad of his two guides.
They made answer that it was the palace of the King of Fairyland. Then they led him into the throne room, where, sat in golden splendor, a king, of august figure and of majestic presence, who was clad in resplendent robes. He was surrounded by courtiers in rich apparel, and all about him was magnificence, such as this boy, Elidyr, had never even read about or dreamed.
Yet everything was so small that it looked like Toy Land, and he felt like a giant among them, even though many of the little men around him were old enough to have whiskers on their cheeks and beards on their chins.
The King spoke kindly to Elidyr, asking him who he was, and whence he had come.
While talking thus, the Prince, the King"s only son appeared. He was dressed in white velvet and gold, and had a long feather in his cap.
In the pleasantest way, he took Elidyr"s hand and said:
"Glad to see you. Come and let us play together."
That was just what Elidyr liked to hear. The King smiled and said to his visitor, "You will attend my son?" Then, with a wave of his hand, he signified to the boys to run out and play games.
A right merry time they did have, for there were many other little fellows for playmates.
These wee folks, with whom Elidyr played, were hardly as big as our babies, and certainly would not reach up to his mother"s knee. To them, he looked like a giant, and he richly enjoyed the fun of having such little men, but with beards growing on their faces, look up to him.
They played with golden b.a.l.l.s, and rode little horses, with silver saddles and bridles, but these pretty animals were no larger than small dogs, or grayhounds.
No meat was ever seen on the table, but always plenty of milk. They never told a lie, nor used bad language, or swear-words. They often talked about mortal men, but usually to despise them; because what they liked to do, seemed so absurd and they always wanted foolish and useless things. To the elves, human beings were never satisfied, or long happy, even when they got what they wanted.
Everything in this part of fairyland was lovely, but it was always cloudy. No sun, star or moon was ever seen, yet the little men did not seem to mind it and enjoyed themselves every day. There was no end of play, and that suited Elidyr.
Yet by and by, he got tired even of games and play, and grew very homesick. He wanted to see his mother. So he asked the King to let him visit his old home. He promised solemnly to come back, after a few hours. His Majesty gave his permission, but charged him not to take with him anything whatever from fairyland, and to go with only the clothes on his back.