More English Fairy Tales, part 18 · page 21 2101Look you and see if you know him."102But the stranger shook his head, and said, "It bodes no good to thee or thine to bring such a monster to shore.103Yet cast him not back into the Wear; thou has caught him, and thou must keep him," and with that away he turned, and was seen no more.104The young heir of Lambton took up the gruesome thing, and, taking it off his hook, cast it into a well close by, and ever since that day that well has gone by the name of the Worm Well.105For some time nothing more was seen or heard of the Worm, till one day it had outgrown the size of the well, and came forth full-grown.106So it came forth from the well and betook itself to the Wear.107And all day long it would lie coiled round a rock in the middle of the stream, while at night it came forth from the river and harried the country side.108It sucked the cows' milk, devoured the lambs, worried the cattle, and frightened all the women and girls of the district, and then it would retire for the rest of the night to the hill, still called the Worm Hill, on the north side of the Wear, about a mile and a half from Lambton Hall.109This terrible visitation brought young Lambton, of Lambton Hall, to his senses.checked by a teacher110He took upon himself the vows of the Cross, and departed for the Holy Land, in the hope that the scourge he had brought upon his district would disappear.111But the grisly Worm took no heed, except that it crossed the river and came right up to Lambton Hall itself where the old lord lived on all alone, his only son having gone to the Holy Land.112What to do?113The Worm was coming closer and closer to the Hall; women were shrieking, men were gathering weapons, dogs were barking and horses neighing with terror.114At last the steward called out to the dairy maids, "Bring all your milk hither," and when they did so, and had brought all the milk that the nine kye of the byre had yielded, he poured it all into the long stone trough in front of the Hall.115The Worm drew nearer and nearer, till at last it came up to the trough.116But when it sniffed the milk, it turned aside to the trough and swallowed all the milk up, and then slowly turned round and crossed the river Wear, and coiled its bulk three times round the Worm Hill for the night.117Henceforth the Worm would cross the river every day, and woe betide the Hall if the trough contained the milk of less than nine kye.118The Worm would hiss, and would rave, and lash its tail round the trees of the park, and in its fury it would uproot the stoutest oaks and the loftiest firs.119So it went on for seven years.120Many tried to destroy the Worm, but all had failed, and many a knight had lost his life in fighting with the monster, which slowly crushed the life out of all that came near it.121At last the Childe of Lambton came home to his father's Hall, after seven long years spent in meditation and repentance on holy soil.122Sad and desolate he found his folk: the lands untilled, the farms deserted, half the trees of the park uprooted, for none would stay to tend the nine kye that the monster needed for his food each day.123The Childe sought his father, and begged his forgiveness for the curse he had brought on the Hall.124"Thy sin is pardoned," said his father; "but go thou to the Wise Woman of Brugeford, and find if aught can free us from this monster."125To the Wise Woman went the Childe, and asked her advice.126"'T is thy fault, O Childe, for which we suffer," she said; "be it thine to release us."127"I would give my life," said the Childe.128"Mayhap thou wilt do so," said she. "129But hear me, and mark me well.130Thou, and thou alone, canst kill the Worm.131But, to this end, go thou to the smithy and have thy armour studded with spear-heads.132Then go to the Worm's Rock in the Wear, and station thyself there.133Then, when the Worm comes to the Rock at dawn of day, try thy prowess on him, and God gi'e thee a good deliverance."134"This I will do," said Childe Lambton.135"But one thing more," said the Wise Woman, going back to her cell. "136If thou slay the Worm, swear that thou wilt put to death the first thing that meets thee as thou crossest again the threshold of Lambton Hall.137Do this, and all will be well with thee and thine.138Fulfil not thou vow, and none of the Lambtons, for generations three times three, shall die in his bed.139Swear, and fail not."140The Childe swore as the Wise Woman bid, and went his way to the smithy.141There he had his armour studded with spear-heads all over.142Then he passed his vigils in Brugeford Chapel, and at dawn of day took his post on the Worm's Rock in the River Wear.1 2← previousMore English Fairy Tales, part 17next →More English Fairy Tales, part 19↑ back to More English Fairy TalesThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg14241/32/page/2/