the tinker that he flung
down the pudding and ran away. The pudding being broke to pieces by the
fall, Tom crept out covered over with the batter, and with difficulty
walked home. His mother, who was very sorry to see her darling in such
a woeful state, put him into a tea-cup, and soon washed off the batter;
after which she kissed him, and laid him in bed.

Soon after the adventure of the pudding, Tom's mother went to milk her
cow in the meadow, and she took him along with her. As the wind was very
high, fearing lest he should be blown away, she tied him to a thistle
with a piece of fine thread. The cow soon saw the oak-leaf hat, and,
liking the look of it, took poor Tom and the thistle at one mouthful.
While the cow was chewing the thistle Tom was afraid of her great teeth,
which threatened to crush him in pieces, and he roared out as loud as he
could:

"Mother, mother!"

"Where are you, Tommy, my dear Tommy?" said his mother.

"Here, mother," replied he, "in the red cow's mouth."

His mother began to cry and wring her hands; but the cow, surprised
at the odd noise in her throat, opened her mouth and let Tom drop out.
Fortunately his mother caught him in her apron as he was falling to the
ground, or he would have been dreadfully hurt. She then put Tom in her
bosom and ran home with him.

Tom's father made him a whip of barley straw to drive the cattle with,
and having one day gone into the fields, he slipped a foot and rolled
into the furrow. A raven, which was flying over, picked him up and flew
with him to the top of a giant's castle that was near the seaside, and
there left him.

Tom was in a dreadful state, and did not know what to do; but he was
soon more dreadfully frightened; for old Grumbo, the giant, came up to
walk on the terrace, and seeing Tom, he took him up and swallowed him
like a pill.

The giant had no sooner swallowed Tom than he began to repent what he
had done; for Tom began to kick and jump about so much that he felt very
uncomfortable, and at last threw him up again into the sea. A large
fish swallowed Tom the moment he fell into the sea, which was soon after
caught, and bought for the table of King Arthur. When they opened the
fish in order to cook it, every on was astonished at finding such a
little boy, and Tom was quite delighted to be out again. They carried
him to the king, who made Tom his dwarf, and he soon grew a great
favorite at court: for by his tricks and gambols he not only