Bab Bab 5 · How Jack Went To Seek His Fortune

Once on a time there was a boy named Jack, and one morning he started to

go and seek his fortune.

He hadn't gone very far before he met a cat.

“Where are you going, Jack?” said the cat.

“I am going to seek my fortune.”

“May I go with you?”

“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.”

So on they went, jiggelty-jolt, jiggelty-jolt.

They went a little further and they met a dog.

“Where are you going, Jack?” said the dog.

“I am going to seek my fortune.”

“May I go with you?”

“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.”

So on they went, jiggelty-jolt, jiggelty-jolt. They went a little

further and they met a goat.

“Where are you going, Jack?” said the goat.

“I am going to seek my fortune.”

“May I go with you?”

“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.”

So on they went, jiggelty-jolt, jiggelty-jolt.

They went a little further and they met a bull.

“Where are you going, Jack?” said the bull.

“I am going to seek my fortune.”

“May I go with you?”

“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.”

So on they went, jiggelty-jolt, jiggelty-jolt.

They went a little further and they met a rooster.

“Where are you going, Jack?” said the rooster.

“I am going to seek my fortune.”

“May I go with you?”

“Yes,” said Jack, “the more the merrier.”

So on they went, jiggelty-jolt, jiggelty-jolt.

Well, they went on till it was about dark, and they began to think of

some place where they could spend the night. About this time they came

in sight of a house, and Jack told them to keep still while he went up

and looked in through the window. And there were some robbers counting

over their money. Then Jack went back and told them to wait till he gave

the word, and then to make all the noise they could. So when they were

all ready Jack gave the word, and the cat mewed, and the dog barked, and

the goat bleated, and the bull bellowed, and the rooster crowed, and all

together they made such a dreadful noise that it frightened the robbers

all away.

And then they went in and took possession of the house. Jack was afraid

the robbers would come back in the night, and so when it came time to go

to bed he put the cat in the rocking-chair, and he put the dog under the

table, and he put the goat upstairs, and he put the bull down cellar,

and the rooster flew up on to the roof, and Jack went to bed.

By-and-by the robbers saw it was all dark and they sent one man back to

the house to look after their money. Before long he came back in a great

fright and told them his story.

“I went back to the house,” said he, “and went in and tried to sit down

in the rocking-chair, and there was an old woman knitting, and she stuck

her knitting-needles into me.” That was the cat, you know.

“I went to the table to look after the money and there was a shoemaker

under the table, and he stuck his awl into me.” That was the dog, you

know.

“I started to go upstairs, and there was a man up there threshing, and

he knocked me down with his flail.” That was the goat, you know.

“I started to go down cellar, and there was a man down there chopping

wood, and he knocked me up with his axe.” That was the bull, you know.

“But I shouldn't have minded all that if it hadn't been for that little

fellow on top of the house, who kept a-hollering, 'Chuck him up to me-e!

Chuck him up to me-e!'” Of course that was the cock-a-doodle-do.