t; how he killed a Giant, and ca

to the Marsh and to Wisbeach, hearing of Tom, came to hire him; but Tom would not hire himself till his friends persuaded him, and his master promised him a new suit of clothes from top to toe, and also that he should be h

s master seeing him so tractable and careful in his business, made him his head man, and trusted him to carry be

t, and improving his courage by drinking so much strong ale; one day as he was going to Wisbeach, without saying anything to his master or any of his fel

nt soon spied him, and seeing him a daring fellow, vowed to stop his journey and make a prize of his beer; but To

e, must come and fling open my gates at pleasure. Are you so careless of your life that you do not care what you do? I will make you an example to all

said Tom, "you shall

ut a fool if you come to fight me, an

eapon here that shall make

and then ran to his cave to fetch his club,

side down, taking the axle tree and wheel for his sword and b

at Tom, to see him take the wheel in one o

ings with those instruments; I have a twig here that w

ck as a mill post; with this the giant made a blo

him as brave a blow on the side of

giant recovering, made many hard blows at Tom; but still as they came h

her down the giant's face, who, being fat and foggy, was almost spent with figh

is fool then?" Whereupon, finding the giant grew weak, T

gged Tom to spare his life and he would perform anything he s

ound him breathless, and then cut off his head, after which he went into his cave,

heel and axle tree to their places, and loaded his beer on his cart, and went to

done, which, though he was rejoiced to hear, he could n

o the place, to be convinced of the truth

n Tom showed them the head and what gold and silver there was in the cave, all of th

t, and happy was he that could come to see the giant's cave;

own the cave, and built himself a handsome house on the spot. He gave part of the giant's lands to the

was no longer called plain Tom, but Mr. Hickathrift, and they fear

it. He enclosed himself a park and kept deer; and just by his house he built a churc