Jack and His Comrades

Jack and His Comrades

Once, a poor widow lived with her only son, Jack. That summer the harvest was bad. Their old supplies were nearly gone, and the new potatoes in the garden were not ready yet.

One evening, Jack said, “Mother, I’m going to look for work. If I’m lucky, I’ll come back with something to help us.”

His mother baked him a round loaf, packed a little cheese and an apple, and walked him to the gate at sunrise.

“Take my blessing with you, son,” she said. “And remember: a good road begins with a good deed.”

Jack hugged his mother and set off.

He went from farm to farm, but no one had work. By evening, the road led him to a marshy hollow. There he heard a plaintive cry:

“Hey, friend! Help me!”

A little donkey was stuck in the mud. He had struggled so hard to reach a dry patch that only his ears stuck up, straight as two candles.

“Hold on,” Jack said.

He carried over stones and sod, making a firm path. At last the donkey climbed out.

“Thank you!” he said, shaking the mud from his legs. “My name is Neddy. Where are you going?”

“I’m looking for good fortune and work before autumn.”

“Then let’s go together. The road feels shorter when you have company.”

That was how Jack found his first companion.

In the next village, they saw a dog being chased by a noisy group of boys. The dog ran to Jack, and Neddy brayed so loudly that the troublemakers scattered.

“What a voice!” said the dog. “I’m Cawley. May I come with you?”

“You’re welcome,” Jack replied.

Beyond the village, they sat down to rest. Jack shared his food with Cawley, and Neddy found a juicy thistle. Just then, a faint meow came from behind a stone wall.

A thin cat walked up to them.

“It looks like you haven’t eaten in a while,” Jack said, and held out a piece of cheese.

“My name is Tom,” purred the cat after his meal. “And where is such a fine company headed?”

“We’re looking for good fortune.”

“Good fortune is better found together. I’ll join you.”

Soon the friends heard a commotion in a field. A fox was carrying a black rooster in its teeth. Cawley raced after it. The fox, unwilling to argue with such a swift dog, dropped its catch and disappeared into the bushes.

The rooster trembled, but quickly recovered.

“You saved me!” he crowed. “If you’ll have me, I’d like to be your companion too.”

“There’s room for everyone,” said Neddy. “When you’re tired, you can ride on my back.”

So five friends traveled down the road: Jack, Neddy, Cawley, Tom, and the Black Rooster.

When the sun went down, there was no house nearby. The friends made a place to sleep in the forest. Jack lay on the dry grass, the dog and cat curled up against Neddy’s warm side, and the rooster flew up to a branch.

In the middle of the night, the Black Rooster suddenly woke.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo! I see a light!”

“What light?” Neddy mumbled sleepily.

Jack sat up and looked. “That isn’t sunrise. There’s a lit window over there. Perhaps they’ll let us spend the night.”

They pushed through the bushes and soon saw a house in a hollow. But as they came closer, they heard loud voices.

Jack put a finger to his lips. “Quiet. Let’s see who’s inside first.”

Six robbers sat inside. Bags of coins, silver objects, and jewels lay on the table.

“We did well at Lord Dunlavin’s castle today,” one boasted. “We couldn’t have got inside without his dishonest gatekeeper!”

Jack heard every word.

“Friends,” he whispered, “those things were stolen. We must make the robbers run away, but in a way that makes them choose to flee.”

He quickly came up with a plan.

Neddy put his front hooves on the windowsill. Cawley climbed onto his back. Tom perched on Cawley, and the Black Rooster sat on top.

Jack raised his hand.

“One…two…three!”

“Hee-haw!” brayed Neddy.

“Woof, woof, woof!” thundered Cawley.

“Mreeeow!” yowled Tom.

“Cock-a-doodle-doooo!” cried the rooster.

And Jack added in a deep voice, “You’re surrounded! Come out at once!”

The robbers jumped. In the dark window, they saw a strange, tall creature with ears, teeth, shining eyes, and a crest on its head.

“A forest monster!” one shouted.

“And there’s more than one!” cried another.

All six robbers rushed out through the back door and ran into the forest so fast they forgot about the stolen treasure.

The friends entered the house.

“Supper first, then we’ll take turns keeping watch,” Jack decided.

They found bread, vegetables, and warm soup. After their long journey, it was a feast. Then everyone settled down for the night: Jack in a room, Neddy in the stable, Cawley by the door, Tom near the fire, and the rooster on a perch.

Meanwhile, in the forest, the robbers began to regret leaving their treasure behind.

“Who will go and check the house?” their leader asked.

Suddenly everyone became very interested in the moon, the trees, and their own shoes.

“Fine. I’ll go myself,” the leader grumbled.

He tiptoed back to the house. Inside, it was dark.

Two green lights shone beside the fire.

“Who’s there?” he whispered.

“Mrrrrow!” Tom leapt onto a shelf, and several spoons clattered onto the floor.

The robber jumped backward and stepped on a wooden bowl.

“Woof!” Cawley called from beside the door.

Above him, the Black Rooster crowed:

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

The leader rushed toward the stable, but Neddy sneezed so loudly that the door shook.

That was enough for the robber.

He raced back to the forest and told his companions that the house was guarded by a green-eyed spirit, a fearsome watchman, a winged sentry, and a thunderous beast in the stable.

“I’m never going back there!”

“Neither are we!” the others chorused.

At sunrise, Jack and his companions put the gold and silver in a bag and loaded it onto Neddy’s back.

“We’ll return everything to its owner,” Jack said.

They reached Lord Dunlavin’s castle after noon. The same gatekeeper the robbers had mentioned stood at the entrance.

“What do you want?” he asked rudely.

“We’d like to see the lord of the castle,” Jack replied.

“Move along. This is no place for travelers and their menagerie.”

The Black Rooster tilted his head and asked, “Tell me, sir, who opened the gate for six robbers last night?”

The gatekeeper turned pale. “Six robbers? I know nothing about that!”

Just then, Lord Dunlavin looked out of a window.

“That’s interesting,” he said. “We haven’t said how many robbers there were. How did you know there were six?”

The gatekeeper lowered his eyes. His secret was revealed.

Jack untied the bag. “This is your property. We found it in a house in the forest and brought it back.”

Lord Dunlavin could hardly believe his eyes.

“You’ve returned every last coin!”

He invited the travelers into the castle, gave them a meal, and listened to their whole story. Then he said, “Someone who helps the weak, shares what little he has, and returns what belongs to others can be trusted. Jack, if you wish, stay here and manage my household.”

Jack agreed, but made one condition.

“My companions stay with me.”

Neddy got the finest place in the stable. Cawley became the favorite dog in the courtyard. Tom settled near the warm kitchen. The Black Rooster woke the whole household every morning.

As soon as Jack received his first wages, he sent some to his mother. Before long, he brought her to live with him.

That was how he found good fortune—not where he had first gone looking for it.

His greatest luck was not in a bag of gold or behind the gates of a rich castle. It had traveled beside him all along: on four hooves, four paws, soft cat paws, and two rooster’s feet.

Jack now understood: when you help someone out of the mud, you may find a true friend walking beside you one day.

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨