In ancient times, there was a giant who lived in a cave high up by the mountains. Now, it was all very well for him up there, but in time his cave became too small for him; for as he grew older and older he grew larger and larger, and as soon as he cocked his leg it was as much as the cave would hold, while the sharp stones cut his toes and made him cry “Ah!” whenever he moved.
At the foot of the mountains was a small village, and there the people were very happy, and had all they wanted. But one day they heard a noise like thunder, and before they could say “Steeple” a great rock came tumbling down the side of the mountain and smashed the pigsty of old Farmer Hogget. Immediately all the villagers ran together and blamed each other. And well they might, for some of them said they were sure it was Bob, and Bob was equally sure it was Jim, and for anything we know to the contrary, it could have been Dick or Harry. But while they were quarrelling and scolding, a second crash was heard, and a huge stone came down from above, which broke the window of old Doctor Quack. Now it was plain that whatever had happened at the top of the mountain was also going on in the village, and so the people said, “This will never do; whatever is to be done must be done immediately, and in a friendly way.” So they held a large council of all wise men and women, and decided that they would send to the top of the mountain and ask the cause of these disasters.
Now, however, all this was, in truth, nothing else than going to see who lived there, and when Farmer Hoggot heard it he was very much frightened, for he was afraid it was a robber. So he called all the village to counsel to consult what they should do, and they decided that Jim should go. “Why should I go?” said Jim; but the people said, “Because you are bigger than the rest of us.” So Jim, although he didn’t at all like to do it, was obliged to go; but he was very unhappy all the way, and all the more because so many stones came rolling down, that he didn’t know how his head was left on his shoulders.
At last, however, with great difficulty he reached and knocked at the cave where Garry the Giant lived. Yes, he was at home, but he did not know how soon, as he had just got his foot well inside the door.
“Oh!” said Jim, in a trembling voice, for he was in terror at what he had seen and heard. “Oh! if you please, would you be so kind as to turn the door through about six inches more, then you would be able to have your foot inside the door entirely, and I should feel much better.”
Garry was not long in doing this, and then he begged Jim to be so kind as to look and see what he could do with his place, for it was so very very small. The house was indeed a most miserable one, all built of very sharp rocks, instead of nice smooth timber, and Garry had nothing to eat but green and dry stones.
“Oh! oh! oh!” said Garry, when Jim had told him of all his troubles, “I feel so very, very lonely. Indeed, in all the long years that I have lived I have never spoken to a single creature; whatever I have said I have said to myself, or to the light of the sun and the stars. I wish I could have a friend—a friend, however small, who would talk to me.”
“Well, don’t you see?” said Jim, “I will be your friend.”
“Will you?” said Garry, in great joy. “I will serve you whatever way I can.”
“Well, that’s just what they told us in the village,” said Jim; “but I’ll not trouble you about it. Now, good morning,” and he began to go.
But for a wonder now Garry wanted something himself. “Oh!” said he to Jim, “I feel so lonely; will you come up and spend the day with me once a week, and perhaps keep an eye over our little village?”
“That will I most gladly do!” said Jim.
Then there was the greatest joy in the village! For Garry begged Jim to ask them to come up as often as they liked, to let them know when it was dinner-time, and to have everything he had.
But every time they went to the top of the mountain the people would sit and tell him stories about the world below; and when they heard that he cried out loud to each of the men by name, and had them all punished, they feared at first that they should find a very tree—instead of a man—but at last the tree would call out and cry for himself.
Still a man can tell what he will bear; and to make a long story short, they all did bear it, and Jim himself proposed to Garry to retrench a little, and not have all the village every time, but only now and then, and to miss a few dinners a week or so.
For Garry was always the first awake in the morning, and every night he would say, “Good night! good night!” to Jim to make haste and close everything close by, and come and settle near him.
And when they were settled decently, Garry was soon cured of his loneliness; for the people came up to see him every day from the village, and brought their wives and children and their old grandmother in the rush-basket, and they had lovely friends.
And afterwards Garry used to come down every time it snowed, to beg everyone to store good wood and hay against the cold rainy season; so that it sometimes happened with a heavy snow that the pigsty of Farmer Hogget should be ten times larger than it possibly could be otherwise. And not uncommonly they found Garry’s face between the splitting upper and under side of the roof lay, in vain trying to get a drop of air, for he said he found them abominably close.
After the cold weather had lasted some time, then, for a long time nothing happened, except that Garry used to come down with his beard as soft as silk—hair, when that’s the case, by the way—and beg that they would set as many nuts as they could find, so that they might eat nuts instead of butter in the spring.
Indeed, it was all a dream with the people, and a very good one, for one day was just like another, when they were all packed up in the house up on the top of the mountain, and then Garry’s eldest son used to start off all in a moment to see whether Jim was finished down at school, and then they should get to dinner before he was out of bed to say “Bless you,” for he was a little boy, and sometimes a little one, for all that no one could ever see a little girl amongst them.
However, a little one they had not seen for a very long time, and one reason was, because Garry, although he didn’t want to see any other one, still he had given it for a learnen that they should not have so many friends themselves, but a few of all friends would be quite enough for them.
And this was all his reason too. But at last they got into the cabin together, and the grass grew very very thickly beside the root of the huge cedar tree. In short, the peacemaking was planned and settled between Garry the giant, and his friend from the village Jim; and little Garry was the meeting of half of each of them.