n 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 a 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
sea-side, 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
hand 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, everyone 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 amused the King and Queen, but also all the Knights of the
Round Table.

It is said that when the King rode out on horseback, he often took
Tom along with him, and if a shower came on, he used to creep into his
Majesty's waistcoat pocket, where he slept till the rain was over.

King Arthur one day asked Tom about his parents, wishing to know if
they were as small as he was, and whether rich or poor. Tom told the
King that his father and mother were as tall as any of the sons about
court, but rather poor. On hearing this, the King carried Tom to his
treasury, the place where he kept all his money, and told him to take
as much money as he could carry home to his parents, which made the
poor little fellow caper with joy. Tom went immediately to fetch a
purse, which was made of a water-bubble, and then returned to the
treasury, where he got a silver three-penny piece to put into it.

Our little hero had some trouble in lifting the burden upon his back;
but he at last succeeded in getting it placed to his mind, and set
forward on his journey. However, without meeting with any accident
and after resting himself more than a hundred times by the way, in two
da