How Jack Went to Seek His Fortune: An English Fairy Tale

“How Jack Went to Seek His Fortune” is an English fairy tale collected by Joseph Jacobs in English Fairy Tales (1890). It follows a boy named Jack who sets out into the world hoping to improve his circumstances. Along the way, he meets five animals, each of which asks to accompany him. Jack welcomes them all, and the little company continues its journey together.

Their travels eventually bring them to a house occupied by robbers. Rather than confront the thieves directly, Jack develops a plan that makes use of every animal’s natural voice. Their combined noise frightens the robbers away, allowing Jack and his companions to take possession of the house. The story celebrates resourcefulness, cooperation and the surprising advantages of welcoming others along life’s journey.

The Story of How Jack Went to Seek His Fortune

Once upon a time, there lived a boy named Jack. One morning, he decided to leave home and seek his fortune. He did not know exactly where his journey would take him or what opportunities he might find, but he was determined to discover what the wider world had to offer.

With his decision made, Jack set out along the road. He travelled without a large company, moving steadily through the countryside and looking ahead to whatever might lie beyond the next bend. He had no elaborate plan for becoming wealthy. His purpose was simply to go out into the world and see whether he could find a better future.

He had not travelled very far when he met a cat.

The cat looked at him and asked where he was going.

“I am going to seek my fortune,” Jack replied.

The cat was interested in his answer. It asked whether it might accompany him on his journey.

Jack welcomed the suggestion. He saw no reason to refuse a travelling companion and answered cheerfully that the more, the merrier.

The cat joined him, and the two continued along the road together. Their journey took on a lively rhythm as they moved forward, with Jack and his new companion making their way through the countryside.

Before long, they met a dog.

The dog also wanted to know where Jack was going. When Jack explained that he was seeking his fortune, the dog asked whether it could join him.

Jack gave the same welcoming answer. He had already accepted the cat’s company, and he was happy to have another companion. The dog therefore joined the little party.

Now there were three travellers: Jack, the cat and the dog.

They continued along the road, moving together and enjoying the journey. Jack did not complain about having to accommodate his companions. Instead, he seemed pleased that his company was growing. Each animal had approached him with the same question, and each had received the same friendly welcome.

A little farther along, they met a goat.

The goat asked Jack where he was travelling. Once again, Jack explained that he was going to seek his fortune.

The goat then asked whether it could come with him.

Jack agreed without hesitation. He believed that having more companions made the journey better, so the goat joined the others.

The party now consisted of four travellers. The cat, dog and goat followed Jack as they continued their journey. They moved along together, keeping to the same road and travelling towards an unknown destination.

Their next encounter was with a bull.

The bull stopped Jack and asked where he was going. Jack explained that he was seeking his fortune, just as he had told the other animals.

The bull asked if it could accompany him.

Jack welcomed it too. He did not turn the bull away because it was larger than the other animals or because its presence would make the group more unusual. He simply repeated his friendly invitation.

The bull joined the company, bringing the number of travelling companions to five, including Jack.

Explore more stories from our Joseph Jacobs’ English Fairy Tales collection.

The little group continued its journey. The cat, dog, goat and bull all moved along with him, and their steady progress carried them farther from the places they had already passed.

Before long, they met a rooster.

The rooster asked Jack the familiar question: where was he going?

Jack answered that he was going to seek his fortune.

The rooster then asked whether it might join him as well.

Jack was pleased to welcome another companion. He agreed, and the rooster became the fifth animal to join his journey.

The party now included Jack, a cat, a dog, a goat, a bull and a rooster. They continued along the road together, each animal adding to the unusual company that had gathered around the boy.

They travelled for some time. As the day went on, the light gradually began to fade. The countryside grew darker, and the travellers realised that they needed somewhere to spend the night.

Jack began looking for a suitable place where they could rest. His companions also needed shelter, and he did not want to leave any of them behind. The party continued until a house came into view.

Jack approached carefully. Before entering, he told the animals to remain quiet while he went to inspect the building.

He moved towards a window and looked inside.

What he saw immediately changed his plans. A group of robbers were gathered in the house, counting a large amount of money. They appeared occupied with their treasure and had no idea that someone was watching them from outside.

Jack understood that the house was not an ordinary place to seek shelter. The robbers could be dangerous, especially if they discovered an intruder. He therefore returned to his companions without disturbing the men inside.

He explained what he had seen and told the animals that they must wait for his signal. When he gave the word, each of them should make as much noise as possible.

The animals prepared to follow his instruction.

Jack knew that the robbers were not expecting anyone outside. If the animals raised their voices together, the sudden disturbance might frighten the men and make them believe that something terrible was approaching.

Once everyone was ready, Jack gave the signal.

The cat began to mew. The dog barked loudly. The goat bleated, while the bull produced a tremendous bellow. Above all the other sounds, the rooster crowed.

The noises came together in such a sudden and frightening manner that the robbers believed themselves to be in danger. They could not understand what was happening outside or what kind of creatures might be approaching the house.

They were so terrified that they abandoned the money and fled.

Jack and his companions waited until the robbers had disappeared. Then they entered the house and took possession of it.

For Jack, the discovery offered an unexpected opportunity. He had set out to seek his fortune and had found a house that could provide shelter for the night. The robbers had left in such a hurry that they had not remained to defend their possession.

The animals had played an important part in the success of the plan. Each had contributed its own distinctive sound, and together they had produced the frightening noise that drove the robbers away.

However, Jack was not careless. He knew that the robbers might return after discovering that the house was empty. He therefore decided that everyone should sleep in a different part of the building, using their positions to make the house appear occupied by several strange and formidable figures.

When it was time to rest, Jack arranged his companions carefully.

He placed the cat in the rocking chair. The dog went underneath the table. He sent the goat upstairs and placed the bull in the cellar. The rooster flew up onto the roof.

Jack then went to bed.

The arrangement seemed ordinary enough to the travellers, but it would create a frightening surprise for anyone who entered the house without knowing that the animals were there.

The robbers, meanwhile, had not forgotten the money they had left behind. After some time, they noticed that the house had become dark and quiet. They began to wonder whether the strange disturbance had passed.

They decided to send one of their men back to investigate.

The robber approached the house and entered, expecting to find the money where they had left it. He did not know that Jack and the animals had taken possession of the building. He also had no idea that the animals were waiting in different parts of the house.

He first tried to sit in the rocking chair.

But the cat was there.

The robber received a painful surprise when the cat thrust its knitting needles into him. He had no idea that the creature in the chair was an animal. In the darkness and confusion, he imagined that an old woman was sitting there, ready to defend herself.

Alarmed, he moved away and went towards the table to look for the money.

Underneath the table was the dog.

The robber was attacked again, this time by what he imagined was a shoemaker hiding beneath the furniture. The dog stuck its awl into him, adding to his growing fear.

The robber could hardly understand what kind of people were occupying the house. He had expected to find an empty building, but every place he approached seemed to contain someone ready to strike him.

He hurried towards the staircase, hoping to escape the strange occupants and find another way to the money.

But the goat was upstairs.

When the robber reached that part of the house, the goat attacked him. In his fright, he imagined that a man was waiting there with a flail, using it to beat anyone who approached.

The robber had now encountered an old woman, a shoemaker and a man threshing upstairs, although none of these people was actually present. They were simply Jack’s animal companions, each defending its assigned position.

Desperate to get away, the robber tried the cellar.

The bull was waiting there.

As the man entered, the bull struck him with such force that he imagined a man was chopping wood with an axe. The robber had suffered another terrifying encounter and was now convinced that the house was full of dangerous people.

Yet the worst surprise was still waiting above him.

As he hurried away, he heard a loud voice calling from the roof. The rooster was crowing and making a great noise. The robber imagined that a little fellow was shouting at him, demanding that he be thrown up to him.

By this time, the robber could bear no more. He rushed out of the house and returned to his companions in a state of terror.

The other robbers gathered around him and demanded to know what he had discovered.

The man told them that he had entered the house to look for their money, but every room seemed to contain someone waiting to attack him. He described the old woman in the rocking chair, the shoemaker beneath the table, the man upstairs with a flail and the man in the cellar with an axe.

He also told them about the strange little figure on the roof, whose shouting had frightened him most of all.

The robbers listened in disbelief. They had gone to the house together and knew that they had left it behind. Yet their companion’s account made it sound as though a whole group of people had taken possession of the building.

None of them wanted to return and face such mysterious occupants.

Jack and his companions therefore remained in the house. The boy’s journey had begun with a simple decision to seek his fortune, and his willingness to welcome five animals had brought him an unexpected opportunity.

The cat, dog, goat, bull and rooster had each played a part in driving away the robbers and keeping the house safe. Together, they had turned what might have been a dangerous encounter into a successful adventure.

Jack had not needed a powerful army or a complicated weapon. He had relied on observation, timing and the natural voices of his companions. By using what each animal could do, he had found a way to overcome a group of men who might otherwise have been difficult to defeat.

And so Jack’s search for fortune brought him and his unusual company to a house that the robbers were too frightened to reclaim.

Explore our complete Historic Folklore & Fairy-Tale Collections archive.

Moral Lesson

The story teaches that cooperation and resourcefulness can turn an ordinary group into a powerful team. Jack recognises the value of every companion and gives each animal a role suited to its abilities. Their combined efforts help him overcome a dangerous situation. The tale also reminds readers that clever thinking can sometimes achieve what strength alone cannot.

Knowledge Check

1. Why did Jack leave home?
He set out to seek his fortune and discover opportunities in the wider world.

2. Which five animals joined Jack on his journey?
A cat, a dog, a goat, a bull and a rooster.

3. What did Jack discover when he looked through the window of the house?
He saw a group of robbers counting their money.

4. How did Jack and the animals frighten the robbers away?
They made a loud combined noise using the cat’s mewing, the dog’s barking, the goat’s bleating, the bull’s bellowing and the rooster’s crowing.

5. Where did Jack place each animal when it was time to sleep?
He put the cat in the rocking chair, the dog under the table, the goat upstairs, the bull in the cellar and the rooster on the roof.

6. Why did the robber who returned to the house flee?
Each animal attacked or frightened him, making him believe that dangerous people occupied every part of the house.

Source

Joseph Jacobs (collector and reteller), “How Jack Went to Seek His Fortune,” in English Fairy Tales (London: David Nutt, 1890). Jacobs identifies the source in his Notes and References as American Folk-Lore Journal, Volume I, pages 227–228.

Explore More Joseph Jacobs’ English Fairy Tales