He shares his meal with the dog, while the donkey eats thistles; a half-starved cat (Tom) comes by, and Jack gives it a bone with meat.
With the donkey placing its fore-hoofs on the window-sill, the animals stack one on top of another and make noise, then, at Jack's deceptive call to raise the pistols and fire, the beasts smash all the window panes, frightening the robbers into bolting the house and riding far out into the woods.
He sneaks back inside the house in the dark, only to receive scratches from the cat, a bite from the dog, pecking from the cockerel, and finally a great kick from the donkey at the stable outside.
Jack announces that, no matter, he has arrived with the stolen gold and silver, and requested a supper and lodging after a long ride from Athsalach ('muddy ford').
[a] The grateful lord declares he would provide them comfort for the rest of their days, appointing Jack as his steward, brought his mother to live near the castle, and eventually married his lordship's daughter.
Jacobs cited listed the following three parallels (or cognates) to the present tale:[1] In the Scottish and German counterparts, just the animals and no human seek their fortune, but still the similarities are striking.