Free Jack and the Devil's Purse by Duncan Williamson Page B

pointing their sticks and spears at these three men on horseback.
    Jack said, ‘There’s too many for me to start an argument. I wonder if that old woman is tellin the truth.’ And he came in as close as he could. He held up this stick:
    He said, ‘
Go on
,
stick, beat them
!’
    Before you could say another word the stick flew from his hand. And that stick went straight for these robbers! Left and right went the stick cracking heads, breaking arms, cracking legs. Within minutes there wasn’t a standing man in the whole place. And there stood the three horse-backed men by themselves. These robbers made off for their lives – those who were able to run! And them that weren’t able to run lay on the ground moaning in pain. Jack went over and he picked up his stick. He walked up.
    He said, ‘Are you in trouble, sir?’
    And this young gentleman on a horse said, ‘Young man, where did you come from? I never saw anything so clever in all my life! You-you-you beat off fifty robbers!’
    ‘Well,’ Jack said, ‘with the help of this! My stick.’
    He said, ‘I watched that stick. That’s a clever stick! Where did you get it?’
    Jack said, ‘I got it from an old woman. And I promised to return it.’
    ‘Well,’ said the young man, ‘do you know who I am?’
    Jack said, ‘No. Are you a gentleman or a laird o’ some kind?’
    He said, ‘No, I’m the king!’
    ‘The king?’ says Jack. And he bowed before him and said, ‘I’m sorry, my lord!’
    ‘Don’t bow before me, young man,’ he said. ‘What’s your name?’
    ‘My name is Jack and I’m going to the end of the land to see my old auntie.’
    He said, ‘Jack, before you go anywhere, clever young man, you must come with me and meet my family and meet my wife!
    ‘Soldier,’ he said, ‘take Jack up with you on the back of your horse.’
    So Jack was put on the back of the soldier’s horse. And they rode on. After a few miles they came to this beautiful palace. The soldiers went one way with the horses and Jack and the king went right up the front steps into the most beautiful palace Jack had ever been in his life! The king clapped his hands. He called for footmen and maids to come and set a beautiful meal for Jack. And he and the king sat and they talked for a long, long time.
    ‘Young man,’ he said, ‘Jack, I would like you to meet my queen. But to tell you the truth, she’s not very well.’
    ‘Oh,’ says Jack, ‘what’s wrong with her?’
    ‘Well,’ he said, ‘she has a problem. You see, my queen cannot sleep. She has never slept for many, many months.’
    ‘Oh,’ Jack said, ‘that’s terrible. She cannae sleep?’
    He said, ‘She’s ill from the want of sleep, Jack. And the funny thing is, it all began a while ago when a young man tried to steal my fruit.’
    Jack said, ‘A young man tried to steal your fruit?’
    ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you. Jack, you see my father, the king before me, had a wonderful fruit tree here. This is the Tree of Life, the Fruit of Life. And whoever feeds from that Tree of Life never takes ill. But we caught a young man stealing fruit from our tree. And naturally I had to send him to prison. From that day on my tree has never produced another fruit. And my wife has never had a wink of sleep.’
    ‘Well,’ Jack said, ‘there must be something behind this. But I’ll tell ye, I cannae stay to help you. I’m going offto see an old aunt o’ mine. And my mother tells me she’s very clever. I’ll ask her when I go there and maybe she’ll be able to help me.’
    The king said, ‘If ye can find ony help for me at all, Jack, I’ll reward you handsomely when you come back. If you can find anything to help my tree and my queen I’ll be much obliged to you, Jack!’
    So the next morning the king ordered Jack a horse. He tellt Jack to go to the kitchens, get anything he wanted to carry with him. So Jack went to the kitchens and got some food. The king shook hands with him and told him when he returned he