BILLY BEG AND HIS BULL
: For Classes Iv. And V.: Children Stories To Tell
Once upon a time, there was a king and a queen, and they had one son,
whose name was Billy. And Billy had a bull he was very fond of, and the
bull was just as fond of him. And when the queen came to die, she put it
as her last request to the king, that come what might, come what may, he'd
not part Billy and the bull. And the king promised that, come what might,
come what may, he would not. Then the good queen died, and was buried.<
After a time, the king married again, and the new queen could not abide
Billy; no more could she stand the bull, seeing him and Billy so thick. So
she asked the king to have the bull killed. But the king said he had
promised, come what might, come what may, he'd not part Billy Beg and his
bull, so he could not.
Then the queen sent for the Hen-Wife, and asked what she should do. "What
will you give me," said the Hen-Wife, "and I'll very soon part them?"
"Anything at all," said the queen.
"Then do you take to your bed, very sick with a complaint," said the
Hen-Wife, "and I'll do the rest."
So the queen took to her bed, very sick with a complaint, and the king
came to see what could be done for her. "I shall never be better of this,"
she said, "till I have the medicine the Hen-Wife ordered."
"What is that?" said the king.
"A mouthful of the blood of Billy Beg's bull."
"I can't give you that," said the king, and went away, sorrowful.
Then the queen got sicker and sicker, and each time the king asked what
would cure her she said, "A mouthful of the blood of Billy Beg's bull."
And at last it looked as if she were going to die. So the king finally
set a day for the bull to be killed. At that the queen was so happy that
she laid plans to get up and see the grand sight. All the people were to
be at the killing, and it was to be a great affair.
When Billy Beg heard all this, he was very sorrowful, and the bull noticed
his looks. "What are you doitherin' about?" said the bull to him. So Billy
told him. "Don't fret yourself about me," said the bull, "it's not I
that'll be killed!"
The day came, when Billy Beg's bull was to be killed; all the people were
there, and the queen, and Billy. And the bull was led out, to be seen.
When he was led past Billy he bent his head. "Jump on my back, Billy, my
boy," says he, "till I see what kind of a horseman you are!" Billy jumped
on his back, and with that the bull leaped nine miles high and nine miles
broad and came down with Billy sticking between his horns. Then away he
rushed, over the head of the queen, killing her dead, where you wouldn't
know day by night or night by day, over high hills, low hills, sheep walks
and bullock traces, the Cove o' Cork, and old Tom Fox with his bugle horn.
When at last he stopped he said, "Now, Billy, my boy, you and I must
undergo great scenery; there's a mighty great bull of the forest I must
fight, here, and he'll be hard to fight, but I'll be able for him. But
first we must have dinner. Put your hand in my left ear and pull out the
napkin you'll find there, and when you've spread it, it will be covered
with eating and drinking fit for a king."
So Billy put his hand in the bull's left ear, and drew out the napkin, and
spread it; and, sure enough, it was spread with all kinds of eating and
drinking, fit for a king. And Billy Beg ate well.
But just as he finished he heard a great roar, and out of the forest came
a mighty bull, snorting and running.
And the two bulls at it and fought. They knocked the hard ground into
soft, the soft into hard, the rocks into spring wells, and the spring
wells into rocks. It was a terrible fight. But in the end, Billy Beg's
bull was too much for the other bull, and he killed him, and drank his
blood.
Then Billy jumped on the bull's back, and the bull off and away, where you
wouldn't know day from night or night from day, over high hills, low
hills, sheep walks and bullock traces, the Cove o' Cork, and old Tom Fox
with his bugle horn. And when he stopped he told Billy to put his hand in
his left ear and pull out the napkin, because he'd to fight another great
bull of the forest. So Billy pulled out the napkin and spread it, and it
was covered with all kinds of eating and drinking, fit for a king.
And, sure enough, just as Billy finished eating, there was a frightful
roar, and a mighty great bull, greater than the first, rushed out of the
forest. And the two bulls at it and fought. It was a terrible fight! They
knocked the hard ground into soft, the soft into hard, the rocks into
spring wells, and the spring wells into rocks. But in the end, Billy Beg's
bull killed the other bull, and drank his blood.
Then he off and away, with Billy.
But when he came down, he told Billy Beg that he was to fight another
bull, the brother of the other two, and that this time the other bull
would be too much for him, and would kill him and drink his blood.
"When I am dead, Billy, my boy," he said, "put your hand in my left ear
and draw out the napkin, and you'll never want for eating or drinking; and
put your hand in my right ear, and you'll find a stick there, that will
turn into a sword if you wave it three times round your head, and give you
the strength of a thousand men beside your own. Keep that; then cut a
strip of my hide, for a belt, for when you buckle it on, there's nothing
can kill you."
Billy Beg was very sad to hear that his friend must die. And very soon he
heard a more dreadful roar than ever he heard, and a tremendous bull
rushed out of the forest. Then came the worst fight of all. In the end,
the other bull was too much for Billy Beg's bull, and he killed him and
drank his blood.
Billy Beg sat down and cried for three days and three nights. After that
he was hungry; so he put his hand in the bull's left ear, and drew out the
napkin, and ate all kinds of eating and drinking. Then he put his hand in
the right ear and pulled out the stick which was to turn into a sword if
waved round his head three times, and to give him the strength of a
thousand men beside his own. And he cut a strip of the hide for a belt,
and started off on his adventures.
Presently he came to a fine place; an old gentleman lived there. So Billy
went up and knocked, and the old gentleman came to the door.
"Are you wanting a boy?" says Billy.
"I am wanting a herd-boy," says the gentleman, "to take my six cows, six
horses, six donkeys, and six goats to pasture every morning, and bring
them back at night. Maybe you'd do."
"What are the wages?" says Billy.
"Oh, well," says the gentleman, "it's no use to talk of that now; there's
three giants live in the wood by the pasture, and every day they drink up
all the milk and kill the boy that looks after the cattle; so we'll wait
to talk about wages till we see if you come back alive."
"All right," says Billy, and he entered service with the old gentleman.
The first day, he drove the six cows, six horses, six donkeys, and six
goats to pasture, and sat down by them. About noon he heard a kind of
roaring from the wood; and out rushed a giant with two heads, spitting
fire out of his two mouths.
"Oh! my fine fellow," says he to Billy, "you are too big for one swallow
and not big enough for two; how would you like to die, then? By a cut with
the sword, a blow with the fist, or a swing by the back?"
"That is as may be," says Billy, "but I'll fight you." And he buckled on
his hide belt, and swung his stick three times round his head, to give him
the strength of a thousand men besides his own, and went for the giant.
And at the first grapple Billy Beg lifted the giant up and sunk him in the
ground, to his armpits.
"Oh, mercy! mercy! Spare my life!" cried the giant.
"I think not," said Billy; and he cut off his heads.
That night, when the cows and the goats were driven home, they gave so
much milk that all the dishes in the house were filled, and the milk ran
over and made a little brook in the yard.
"This is very queer," said the old gentleman; "they never gave any milk
before. Did you see nothing in the pasture?"
"Nothing worse than myself," said Billy. And next morning he drove the
six cows, six horses, six donkeys, and six goats to pasture again.
Just before noon he heard a terrific roar; and out of the wood came a
giant with six heads.
"You killed my brother," he roared, fire coming out of his six mouths,
"and I'll very soon have your blood! Will you die by a cut of the sword,
or a swing by the back?"
"I'll fight you," said Billy. And buckling on his belt and swinging his
stick three times round his head, he ran in and grappled the giant. At the
first hold, he sunk the giant up to the shoulders in the ground.
"Mercy, mercy, kind gentleman!" cried the giant. "Spare my life!"
"I think not," said Billy, and cut off his heads.
That night the cattle gave so much milk that it ran out of the house and
made a stream, and turned a mill wheel which had not been turned for seven
years!
"It's certainly very queer," said the old gentleman; "did you see nothing
in the pasture, Billy?"
"Nothing worse than myself," said Billy.
And the next morning the gentleman said, "Billy, do you know, I only heard
one of the giants roaring in the night, and the night before only two.
What can ail them, at all?"
"Oh, maybe they are sick or something," says Billy; and with that he
drove the six cows, six horses, six donkeys, and six goats to pasture.
At about ten o'clock there was a roar like a dozen bulls, and the brother
of the two giants came out of the wood, with twelve heads on him, and fire
spouting from every one of them.
"I'll have you, my fine boy," cries he; "how will you die, then?"
"We'll see," says Billy; "come on!"
And swinging his stick round his head, he made for the giant, and drove
him up to his twelve necks in the ground. All twelve of the heads began
begging for mercy, but Billy soon cut them short. Then he drove the beasts
home.
And that night the milk overflowed the mill-stream and made a lake, nine
miles long, nine miles broad, and nine miles deep; and there are salmon
and whitefish there to this day.
"You are a fine boy," said the gentleman, "and I'll give you wages."
So Billy was herd.
The next day, his master told him to look after the house while he went up
to the king's town, to see a great sight. "What will it be?" said Billy.
"The king's daughter is to be eaten by a fiery dragon," said his master,
"unless the champion fighter they've been feeding for six weeks on
purpose kills the dragon." "Oh," said Billy.
After he was left alone, there were people passing on horses and afoot, in
coaches and chaises, in carriages and in wheelbarrows, all going to see
the great sight. And all asked Billy why he was not on his way. But Billy
said he didn't care about going.
When the last passer-by was out of sight, Billy ran and dressed himself in
his master's best suit of clothes, took the brown mare from the stable,
and was off to the king's town.
When he came there, he saw a big round place with great high seats built
up around it, and all the people sitting there. Down in the midst was the
champion, walking up and down proudly, with two men behind him to carry
his heavy sword. And up in the centre of the seats was the princess, with
her maidens; she was looking very pretty, but nervous.
The fight was about to begin when Billy got there, and the herald was
crying out how the champion would fight the dragon for the princess's
sake, when suddenly there was heard a fearsome great roaring, and the
people shouted, "Here he is now, the dragon!"
The dragon had more heads than the biggest of the giants, and fire and
smoke came from every one of them. And when the champion saw the creature,
he never waited even to take his sword,--he turned and ran; and he never
stopped till he came to a deep well, where he jumped in and hid himself,
up to the neck.
When the princess saw that her champion was gone, she began wringing her
hands, and crying, "Oh, please, kind gentlemen, fight the dragon, some of
you, and keep me from being eaten! Will no one fight the dragon for me?"
But no one stepped up, at all. And the dragon made to eat the princess.
Just then, out stepped Billy from the crowd, with his fine suit of clothes
and his hide belt on him. "I'll fight the beast," he says, and swinging
his stick three times round his head, to give him the strength of a
thousand men besides his own, he walked up to the dragon, with easy gait.
The princess and all the people were looking, you may be sure, and the
dragon raged at Billy with all his mouths, and they at it and fought. It
was a terrible fight, but in the end Billy Beg had the dragon down, and he
cut off his heads with the sword.
There was great shouting, then, and crying that the strange champion must
come to the king to be made prince, and to the princess, to be seen. But
in the midst of the hullabaloo Billy Begs slips on the brown mare and is
off and away before anyone has seen his face. But, quick as he was, he was
not so quick but that the princess caught hold of him as he jumped on his
horse, and he got away with one shoe left in her hand. And home he rode,
to his master's house, and had his old clothes on and the mare in the
stable before his master came back.
When his master came back, he had a great tale for Billy, how the
princess's champion had run from the dragon, and a strange knight had come
out of the clouds and killed the dragon, and before anyone could stop him
had disappeared in the sky. "Wasn't it wonderful?" said the old gentleman
to Billy. "I should say so," said Billy to him.
Soon there was proclamation made that the man who killed the dragon was to
be found, and to be made son of the king and husband of the princess; for
that, everyone should come up to the king's town and try on the shoe which
the princess had pulled from off the foot of the strange champion, that he
whom it fitted should be known to be the man. On the day set, there was
passing of coaches and chaises, of carriages and wheelbarrows, people on
horseback and afoot, and Billy's master was the first to go.
While Billy was watching, at last came along a raggedy man.
"Will you change clothes with me, and I'll give you boot?" said Billy to
him.
"Shame to you to mock a poor raggedy man!" said the raggedy man to Billy.
"It's no mock," said Billy, and he changed clothes with the raggedy man,
and gave him boot.
When Billy came to the king's town, in his dreadful old clothes, no one
knew him for the champion at all, and none would let him come forward to
try the shoe. But after all had tried, Billy spoke up that he wanted to
try. They laughed at him, and pushed him back, with his rags. But the
princess would have it that he should try. "I like his face," said she;
"let him try, now."
So up stepped Billy, and put on the shoe, and it fitted him like his own
skin.
Then Billy confessed that it was he that killed the dragon. And that he
was a king's son. And they put a velvet suit on him, and hung a gold chain
round his neck, and everyone said a finer-looking boy they'd never seen.
So Billy married the princess, and was the prince of that place.
More
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And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they tha... CHRIST'S SERMON ON THE MOUNT
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they tha... CHRISTMAS AT FEZZIWIG'S WAREHOUSE
"Yo Ho! my boys," said Fezziwig. "No more work to-night! Christmas Eve, Dick! Christmas, Ebenezer! Let's have the shutters up!" cried old Fezziwig with a sharp clap of his hands, "before a man can say Jack Robinson. . . ." "Hilli-ho!" cried ... CHRISTMAS DAY.
"Boys," said Mrs. Howard one morning, looking up from a letter she was reading, "I have had a letter from your grandmamma. She writes that she is returning to England shortly." The boys went on with their breakfast without showing any great amou... CHRISTMAS IN CALIFORNIA.
"To think that this is Christmas Day!" Said Harold to his aunt, "I know it really is, and yet, Believe it--well, I can't! I've had a tree, my stocking, too, This morning full I found, But how can I believe it With no snow upon the ground? Loo... CHRISTMAS IN SEVENTEEN SEVENTY-SIX
"On Christmas day in Seventy-six, Our gallant troops with bayonets fixed, To Trenton marched away." Children, have any of you ever thought of what little people like you were doing in this country more than a hundred years ago, when the crue... CHRISTMAS IN THE ALLEY
"I declare for 't, to-morrow is Christmas Day an' I clean forgot all about it," said old Ann, the washerwoman, pausing in her work and holding the flatiron suspended in the air. "Much good it'll do us," growled a discontented voice from the co... CHRISTMAS IN THE BARN
Only two more days and Christmas would be here! It had been snowing hard, and Johnny was standing at the window, looking at the soft, white snow which covered the ground half a foot deep. Presently he heard the noise of wheels coming up the road... CHRISTMAS ON BIG RATTLE
Archer sat by the rude hearth of his Big Rattle camp, brooding in a sort of tired contentment over the spitting fagots of var and glowing coals of birch. It was Christmas Eve. He had been out on his snowshoes all that day, and all the day bef... CHRISTMAS UNDER THE SNOW
It was just before Christmas, and Mr. Barnes was starting for the nearest village. The family were out at the door to see him start, and give him the last charges. "Don't forget the Christmas dinner, papa," said Willie. '"Specially the chic... CINDERELLA OR THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER
Once upon a time there was a gentleman who married, for his second wife, the proudest and most haughty woman that ever was seen. She had two daughters of her own, who were, indeed, exactly like her in all things. The gentleman had also a young da... CINDERELLA OR THE LITTLE GLASS SLIPPER.
Once there was a gentleman who married for his second wife the proudest and most haughty woman that was ever seen. She had by a former husband two daughters of her own humor, who were, indeed, exactly like her in all things. He had likewise, ... CLARA'S "FUNERAL."
Clara was the most unfortunate of dollies. She had had the mumps and whooping cough; and no sooner did she recover from the scarlet fever than she contracted pneumonia and nearly died. One morning Blanche was applying hot bandages to relieve bronchi... CLOVER-BLOSSOM.
IN a quiet, pleasant meadow, Beneath a summer sky, Where green old trees their branches waved, And winds went singing by; Where a little brook went rippling So musically low, And passing clouds cast shadows On t... COLUMBUS
Joaquin Miller Behind him lay the gray Azores, Behind the Gates of Hercules; Before him not the ghost of shores, Before him only shoreless seas. The good mate said: "Now must we pray, For lo! the very stars are gone, Brave Adm'r'l, spe... CONCORD HYMN
Ralph Waldo Emerson By the rude bridge that arched the flood, Their flag to April's breeze unfurled. Here once the embattled farmers stood, And fired the shot heard round the world. The foe long since in silence slept; Alike the c...