on the Longships; but, that sometimes he would, having had his fun with them, good-humouredly place them on board their ships or boats again. He is said to have dined every day on little children, who were generally fried on a large flat rock which stood at a little distance from his cave. THE LORD OF PENGERSWICK AND THE GIANT OF ST THE HE giant who dwelt on St Michael's Mount had grown very old, and had lost all his teeth; still he was the terror of the neighbouring villages. The horrid old monster-who had but one eye, and that one in the middle of his forehead -would, whenever he required food-which was pretty often -walk or wade across to Market-Jew, as the tide might be, select the best cow in the neighbourhood, and, swinging it over his shoulders, return to his island. This giant had often taken cattle from the Pengerswick estate; and one day he thought he should like another of this choice breed. Accordingly, away he went, across the sea, to Pengerswick cove. The giant did not know that the lord of Pengerswick had returned from the East, a master of "white-witchcraft," or magic. The lord had seen the giant coming, and he began to work his spells. The giant was bewildered, yet he knew not how. At last, after much trouble, he caught a fine calf, tied its four feet together, passed his great head between the fore and hind legs, and, with the calf hanging on his shoulders, he trode in joy towards the shore. He wandered on in perfect unconsciousness of the path, and eventually he found himself on the precipitous edge of the great black rock which still marks the western side of Pengerswick cove. As if the rock had been a magnet, the giant was chained fast. He twisted, turned, and struggled in vain. He found himself gradually becoming stiff, so that at last he could move hand nor foot; yet were his senses more kee than ever. The giant had to remain thus, during winter's night, with the calf bleating, as never calf before, into his ear. In the morning, when the e thought he had punished the giant sufficiently, he his mare, and rode down to the shore. He disencha giant, by giving him a severe horsewhipping, and made him drop the calf. He continued to flog t until he leapt off the rock into the sea, through w great agony he waded to the Mount; and from tha this he has never ventured on the mainland. We learn, however, from undoubted authority, th time after this, Tom, the giant of Lelant, visited th on the Mount, and, finding him half-starved, he t aunt Nancy from Gulval to see his friend, with a large of butter and eggs. The old giant was exceedingly see the farmer's wife, bought all her store at a very gant price, and bargained and paid in advance for mo had a store of wealth in the caverns of the Moun knowing old woman kept him well supplied as long giant had money to pay her; and aunt Nancy's fan came the wealthiest in the parish of Gulval. THE GIANT OF ST MICHAEL'S MOUNT LOSES HIS V HE giant on the Mount and the giant on Trecrobb THE were very friendly. They had only one cobbling-h between them, which they would throw from one other, as either required it. One day the giant Mount wanted the hammer in a great hurry, so he sh "Holloa, up there! Trecrobben, throw us down the mer, woost a'?" "To be sure," sings out Trecrobben; "here! look out, and catch 'm." Now, nothing would do but the giant's wife, who was very near-sighted, must run out of her cave to see Trecrobben throw the hammer. She had no hat on; and coming at once out into the light, she could not distinguish objects. Consequently, she did not see the hammer coming through the air, and received it between her eyes. The force with which it was flung was so great that the massive bone of the forehead of the giantess was crushed, and she fell dead at the giant's feet. You may be sure there was a great todo between the two giants. They sat wailing over the dead body, and with their sighs they produced a tempest. These were unavailing to restore the old lady, and all they had to do was to bury her. Some say they lifted the Chapel Rock and put her under it, others, that she is buried beneath the castle court, while some-no doubt the giants' detractors— declare that they rolled the body down into the sea, and took no more heed of it. TOM AND THE GIANT BLUNDERBUSS; OR, THE WHEEL AND EXE FIGHT.* A YOUNG giant, who does not appear to have been known by any other name than Tom, lived somewhere westward of Hayle, probably in Lelant. Tom would eat as much meat *The similarity of this story to the well-known tale of "Tom Hickathrift" will strike every one. It might be supposed that the old story of the strong man of the Isle of Ely had been read by some Cornish man and adapted to the local peculiarities. This may possibly have been the case, but I do not think it probable. I first heard the story from a miner on the floors of Ding-Dong Mine during my earliest tour in search of old stories. I have since learned that it was a common story with the St Ives nurses, who told it to amuse or terrify their children. Recently, I have had the same tale communicated to me by a friend, who got it from a farmer as three men, and when he was in the humour he could do as much work as half-a-dozen. Howbeit, Tom was a lazy fellow, and spent most of his time wandering about the parish with his hands in his pockets. Occasionally Tom would have an industrious fit; then, if he found any of his neighbours hedging, he would turn to and roll in all the largest rocks from over the fields, for "grounders."* This was the only work Tom took delight in; he was wont to say, he could feel his strength about such work as that. Tom didn't appear so very big a man in those days when all men were twice the size they are now. He was about four feet from shoulder to shoulder, square built, and straight all the way down from shoulders to cheens, (loins.) Tom's old mother was constantly telling her idle son to do something to earn his food, but the boy couldn't find any job to his mind for a long time. At last he undertook to drive a brewer's wain, in the hope of getting into plenty of strong drink, and he went to live in Market-Jew, where the brewery was. The first day he was so employed, he was going to St Ives with his load of beer, and on the road he saw half a score of men trying to lift a fallen tree on to a living in Lelant. This story is confined to the parishes of Lelant, St Ives, Sancreed, Towednach, Morva, and Zennor. Mr Halliwell thinks the adventures of Tom Hickathrift are connected with "some of the insurrections in the Isle of Ely, such as that of Herewood described in Wright's 'Essays,' ii. 91." Now, Herewood the Saxon is said to have taken refuge in the extreme part of Cornwall, and we are told of many romantic adventures, chiefly in connexion with the beautiful daughter of Alef, a Cornish chief. May it not be, that here we have the origin of the story as it is told in Lincolnshire and in Cornwall? * In making the really Cyclopean hedges which prevail in some parts of Cornwall, the large boulders of granite, or other stones, which lie scattered on the moors are used for the foundation. Indeed, one purpose, and a very important one, served by those hedges, has been the removal of the stones from the ground which has been enclosed, and the disposal of the stones so removed. "draw." It was, however, more than the whole of them could do. "Stand clear," shouts Tom. He put his hands, one on each side of the tree, and lifted it on the "draw," without so much as saying "Ho!" to his oxen, or looking behind him. The feat was performed in Ludgvan Lees, and a little further on was a giant's place diverting the road, which should have gone straight to St Ives but for it. This place was hedged in with great rocks, which no ten men of these times could move. They call them the Giant's Hedges to the present day. There was a gate on that side of the giant's farm which was nearest Market-Jew, and another on that side which joined the highway leading on to St Ives. Tom looked at the gate for some time, half disposed to drive through, but eventually he decided on proceeding by the ordinary road. When, however, Tom was coming back from St Ives with his empty wain, his courage screwed up by the influence of some three or four gallons of strong beer, which he had drunk, he began to reason with himself thus:— "The king's highway ought not to be twisting and turning like an angle-twitch.* It should go straight through here. What right has the giant to keep his place closed, stopping honester men, than he ever was, longer on the road home? If everybody were of my mind, the road would soon be opened. Faith, I'll drive through. He wouldn't eat me, I suppose. My old mammy never told me I was to come to my end that way. They say the giant has had scores of wives. What becomes of them nobody can tell; yet there are always more ready to supply their place. Well, that's no business of mine. I never met the man to make me turn back yet; so come along, Neat and Comely," shouts Tom to the 1ST SERIES. * A worm. C |