Last of the Huggermuggers | Page 5

He then went about the room,
grumbling and swearing, and poking into all the corners and holes in
search of the rat; for he saw that the hole under the door had been
enlarged, and he was sure that the rats had done it. So he went peeping

and poking about, making Little Jacket not a little troubled, for he
expected every moment that he would pick up the boot in which he was
concealed, and shake him out of his hiding-place. Singularly enough,
however, the giant never thought of looking into his own boots, and
very soon he went back to his chamber to dress himself. Little Jacket
now ventured to peep out of the boot, and stood considering what was
next to be done. He hardly dared to go again to the door, for
Huggermugger was now dressed, and his wife too, for he heard their
voices in the next room, where they seemed to be preparing their
breakfast. Little Jacket now was puzzling his wits to think what he
should do, if the giant should take a fancy to put his boots on before he
could discover another hiding-place. He noticed, however, that there
were other boots and shoes near by, and so there was a chance that
Huggermugger might choose to put on some other pair. If this should
be the case, he might lie concealed where he was during the day, and at
night work away again at the hole in the door, which he hoped to
enlarge enough soon, to enable him to escape. He had not much time,
however, for thought; for the giant and his wife soon came in. By
peeping out a little, he could just see their great feet shuffling over the
wide floor.
"And now, wife." says Huggermugger, "bring me my boots." He was a
lazy giant, and his wife spoiled him, by waiting on him too much.
"Which boots, my dear," says she.
"Why, the long ones," says he; "I am going a hunting to-day, and shall
have to cross the marshes."
Little Jacket hoped the long boots were not those in one of which he
was concealed, but unfortunately they were the very ones. So he felt a
great hand clutch up the boots, and him with them, and put them down
in another place. Huggermugger then took up one of the boots and drew
it on, with a great grunt. He now proceeded to take up the other. Little
Jacket's first impulse was to run out and throw himself on the giant's
mercy, but he feared lest he should be taken for a rat. Besides he now
thought of a way to defend himself, at least for a while. So he drew
from his belt one of the long thorns he had cut from the bush by the

seaside, and held it ready to thrust it into his adversary's foot, if he
could. But he forgot that though it was as a sword in his hand, it was
but a thorn to a giant. Huggermugger had drawn the boot nearly on, and
Little Jacket's daylight was all gone, and the giant's great toes were
pressing down on him, when he gave them as fierce a thrust as he could
with his thorn.
"Ugh!" roared out the giant, in a voice like fifty mad bulls; "wife, wife,
I say!"
"What's the matter, dear?" says wife.
"Here's one of your confounded needles in my boot. I wish to gracious
you'd be more careful how you leave them about!"
"A needle in your boot?" said the giantess, "how can that be? I haven't
been near your boots with my needles."
"Well, you feel there yourself, careless woman, and you'll see."
Whereupon the giantess took the boot, and put her great hand down
into the toe of it, when Little Jacket gave another thrust with his
weapon.
"O-o-o-o!!" screams the wife. "There's something here, for it ran into
my finger; we must try to get it out. She then put her hand in again, but
very cautiously, and Little Jacket gave it another stab, which made her
cry out more loudly than before. Then Huggermugger put his hand in,
and again he roared out as he felt the sharp prick of the thorn.
"It's no use," says he, flinging down the boot in a passion, almost
breaking Little Jacket's bones, as it fell. "Wife, take that boot to the
cobbler, and tell him to take that sharp thing out, whatever it is, and
send it back to me in an hour, for I must go a hunting today."
So off the obedient wife trotted to the shoemaker's, with the boot under
her arm. Little Jacket was curious to see whether the shoemaker was a
giant too. So when the boot was left