Jack to fire
it off. Nothing happened except that Jack was nearly knocked backwards
by the "kick"; but he was very proud of the bruise, and when he
returned to Chiswick showed it to his father and to William in triumph.

It was getting purple then, with green edges, and Dr. Rotheram
pronounced it one of the best bruises he had ever seen. "Good enough,"
he said, "to have killed a lion with."

"Yes," said William, "instead of missing a rabbit."

Mrs. Pescod, of course, wanted the children to sleep indoors, but they
would not. "It is our very last night in the caravan," said Janet, "and
we couldn't give it up." So Mrs. Pescod instead made them promise to
come to breakfast, and gave them each a large cake of her own making in
case they felt hungry in the night.

CHAPTER 22

THE ADVENTURE OF THE GIANT

After receiving a thousand messages for Collins, both affectionate and
jocular--one from Mr. Pescod being on no account to forget to tell her
to try anti-fat--they said good-bye to these kind folk and marched into
Faringdon the next morning, very sorry it was the last, but determined
to make a brave show. Through watery Lechdale they went, over the Isis
(as the Thames is called here), and past Buscot.

It was just after leaving Buscot that Gregory, who had been ahead
alone, suddenly rushed back in a wild state of excitement.

"What do you think I've seen?" he panted. "A giant! A real live giant!"

"Don't be an ass!" said Jack

"But I have," he protested--"I have. He's there in that wood, kneeling
by the stream, washing his face. I watched him walk to it. He's
enormous! He's as tall as this caravan nearly. Do come and peep at him."

They all very readily accompanied Gregory into the wood, and there,
sure enough, was a giant, combing his hair.

He heard them coming, and looked round. They stopped, open-eyed and
openmouthed.

"Here, I say," the giant said at last, "this won't do. You mustn't look
at me like that--free. It's a penny each, you know."

He had a broad Yorkshire accent and a kind face.

"Where do you come from?" he asked.

"We come from London," said Janet. "We are on a caravan journey."

"A caravan journey," said the giant. "So am I. I always am, in fact."

"Are you?" said Gregory. "How splendid!"

"Splendid!" said the giant. "Do you think so? I'd give a good deal to
sleep in a bed in a house. Excuse me if I sit down," he added. "My legs
aren't very strong."

He sat down, but even then h