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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..f6a49fc --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #63866 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/63866) diff --git a/old/63866-0.txt b/old/63866-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a59b243..0000000 --- a/old/63866-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,15591 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hero-Tales of Ireland, by Jeremiah Curtin - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Hero-Tales of Ireland - -Author: Jeremiah Curtin - -Release Date: November 23, 2020 [EBook #63866] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERO-TALES OF IRELAND *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - - HERO-TALES - OF - IRELAND - - COLLECTED BY - JEREMIAH CURTIN - - LONDON - MACMILLAN AND CO. - 1894 - - University Press: - JOHN WILSON AND SON, CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A. - - - - -TO THE RIGHT HON. JOHN MORLEY, - -SECRETARY OF STATE FOR IRELAND. - - -SIR,— - -To you, a thinker who values every age of human history, and a statesman -who takes deep interest in the nation which produced and kept these -tales, I beg to dedicate this volume. - - JEREMIAH CURTIN. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - - INTRODUCTION ix - - ELIN GOW, THE SWORDSMITH FROM ERIN, AND THE COW GLAS GAINACH 1 - - MOR’S SONS AND THE HERDER FROM UNDER THE SEA 35 - - SAUDAN OG AND THE DAUGHTER OF THE KING OF SPAIN; YOUNG CONAL - AND THE YELLOW KING’S DAUGHTER 58 - - THE BLACK THIEF AND KING CONAL’S THREE HORSES 93 - - THE KING’S SON FROM ERIN, THE SPRISAWN, AND THE DARK KING 114 - - THE AMADAN MOR AND THE GRUAGACH OF THE CASTLE OF GOLD 140 - - THE KING’S SON AND THE WHITE-BEARDED SCOLOG 163 - - DYEERMUD ULTA AND THE KING IN SOUTH ERIN 182 - - CUD, CAD, AND MICAD, THREE SONS OF THE KING OF URHU 198 - - CAHAL, SON OF KING CONOR, IN ERIN, AND BLOOM OF YOUTH, DAUGHTER - OF THE KING OF HATHONY 223 - - COLDFEET AND THE QUEEN OF LONESOME ISLAND 242 - - LAWN DYARRIG, SON OF THE KING OF ERIN, AND THE KNIGHT OF - TERRIBLE VALLEY 262 - - BALOR ON TORY ISLAND 283 - - BALOR OF THE EVIL EYE AND LUI LAVADA, HIS GRANDSON 296 - - ART, THE KING’S SON, AND BALOR BEIMENACH, TWO SONS-IN-LAW OF - KING UNDER THE WAVE 312 - - SHAWN MACBREOGAN AND THE KING OF THE WHITE NATION 335 - - THE COTTER’S SON AND THE HALF SLIM CHAMPION 356 - - BLAIMAN, SON OF APPLE, IN THE KINGDOM OF THE WHITE STRAND 373 - - FIN MACCOOL AND THE DAUGHTER OF THE KING OF THE WHITE NATION 407 - - FIN MACCOOL, THE THREE GIANTS, AND THE SMALL MEN 438 - - FIN MACCOOL, CEADACH OG, AND THE FISH-HAG 463 - - FIN MACCOOL, FAOLAN, AND THE MOUNTAIN OF HAPPINESS 484 - - FIN MACCOOL, THE HARD GILLA, AND THE HIGH KING 514 - - THE BATTLE OF VENTRY 530 - - NOTES 547 - - - - - -INTRODUCTION. - - -The tales included in this volume, though told in modern speech, relate -to heroes and adventures of an ancient time, and contain elements -peculiar to early ages of story-telling. The chief actors in most of -them are represented as men; but we may be quite sure that these men are -substitutes for heroes who were not considered human when the stories -were told to Keltic audiences originally. To make the position of these -Gaelic tales clear, it is best to explain, first of all, what an ancient -tale is; and to do this we must turn to uncivilized men who possess such -tales yet in their primitive integrity. - -We have now in North America a number of groups of tales obtained from -the Indians which, when considered together, illustrate and supplement -one another; they constitute, in fact, a whole system. These tales we -may describe as forming collectively the Creation myth of the New World. -Since the primitive tribes of North America have not emerged yet from -the Stone Age of development, their tales are complete and in good -preservation. In some cases simple and transparent, it is not difficult -to recognize the heroes; they are distinguishable at once either by -their names or their actions or both. In other cases these tales are -more involved, and the heroes are not so easily known, because they are -concealed by names and epithets. Taken as a whole, however, the Indian -tales are remarkably clear; and a comparison of them with the Gaelic -throws much light on the latter. - -What is the substance and sense of these Indian tales, of what do they -treat? To begin with, they give an account of how the present order -of things arose in the world, and are taken up with the exploits, -adventures, and struggles of various elements, animals, birds, reptiles, -insects, plants, rocks, and other objects before they became what they -are. In other words, the Indian tales give an account of what all those -individualities accomplished, or suffered, before they fell from their -former positions into the state in which they are now. According to the -earliest tales of North America, this world was occupied, prior to the -appearance of man, by beings called variously “the first people,” “the -outside people,” or simply “people,”—the same term in all cases being -used for people that is applied to Indians at present. - -These people, who were very numerous, lived together for ages in harmony. -There were no collisions among them, no disputes during that period; -all were in perfect accord. In some mysterious fashion, however, each -individual was changing imperceptibly; an internal movement was going -on. At last, a time came when the differences were sufficient to cause -conflict, except in the case of a group to be mentioned hereafter, and -struggles began. These struggles were gigantic, for the “first people” -had mighty power; they had also wonderful perception and knowledge. They -felt the approach of friends or enemies even at a distance; they knew -the thought in another’s heart. If one of them expressed a wish, it was -accomplished immediately; nay, if he even thought of a thing, it was -there before him. Endowed with such powers and qualities, it would seem -that their struggles would be endless and indecisive; but such was not -the case. Though opponents might be equally dexterous, and have the power -of the wish or the word in a similar degree, one of them would conquer in -the end through wishing for more effective and better things, and thus -become the hero of a higher cause; that is, a cause from which benefit -would accrue to mankind, the coming race. - -The accounts of these struggles and conflicts form the substance of -the first cycle of American tales, which contain the adventures of the -various living creatures, plants, elements, objects, and phenomena in -this world before they became what they are as we see them. Among living -creatures, we are not to reckon man, for man does not appear in any of -those myth tales; they relate solely to extra-human existences, and -describe the battle and agony of creation, not the adventures of anything -in the world since it received its present form and office. According to -popular modes of thought and speech, all this would be termed the fall -of the gods; for the “first people” of the Indian tales correspond to -the earliest gods of other races, including those of the Kelts. We have -thus, in America, a remarkable projection of thought, something quite as -far-reaching for the world of mind as is the nebular hypothesis for the -world of matter. According to the nebular hypothesis, the whole physical -universe is evolved by the rotary motion of a primeval, misty substance -which fills all space, and which seems homogeneous. From a uniform motion -of this attenuated matter, continued through eons of ages, is produced -that infinite variety in the material universe which we observe and -discover, day by day; from it we have the countless host of suns and -planets whose positions in space correspond to their sizes and densities, -that endless choral dance of heavenly bodies with its marvellous figures -and complications, that ceaseless movement of each body in its own -proper path, and that movement of each group or system with reference -to others. From this motion, come climates, succession of seasons, with -all the variety in this world of sense which we inhabit. In the theory -of spiritual evolution, worked out by the aboriginal mind of America, -all kinds of moral quality and character are represented as coming from -an internal movement through which the latent, unevolved personality -of each individual of these “first people,” or gods, is produced. Once -that personality is produced, every species of dramatic situation and -tragic catastrophe follows as an inevitable sequence. There is no more -peace after that; there are only collisions followed by combats which are -continued by the gods till they are turned into all the things,—animal, -vegetable, and mineral,—which are either useful or harmful to man, and -thus creation is accomplished. During the period of struggles, the gods -organize institutions, social and religious, according to which they -live. These are bequeathed to man; and nothing that an Indian has is of -human invention, all is divine. An avowed innovation, anything that we -call reform, anything invented by man, would be looked on as sacrilege, -a terrible, an inexpiable crime. The Indian lives in a world prepared -by the gods, and follows in their footsteps,—that is the only morality, -the one pure and holy religion. The struggles in which creation began, -and the continuance of which was creation itself, were bequeathed to -aboriginal man; and the play of passions which caused the downfall of -the gods has raged ever since, throughout every corner of savage life in -America. - -This Creation myth of the New World is a work of great value, for by aid -of it we can bring order into mythology, and reconstruct, at least in -outline, and provisionally, that early system of belief which was common -to all races: a system which, though expressed in many languages, and -in endlessly varying details, has one meaning, and was, in the fullest -sense of the word, one,—a religion truly Catholic and Œcumenical, for it -was believed in by all people, wherever resident, and believed in with -a vividness of faith, and a sincerity of attachment, which no civilized -man can even imagine, unless he has had long experience of primitive -races. In the struggle between these “first people,” or gods, there were -never drawn battles: one side was always victorious, the other always -vanquished; but each could give one command, one fateful utterance, -which no power could resist or gainsay. The victor always said to the -vanquished: “Henceforth, you’ll be nothing but a ——,” and here he named -the beast, bird, insect, reptile, fish, or plant, which his opponent was -to be. That moment the vanquished retorted, and said: “You’ll be nothing -but a ——,” mentioning what he was to be. Thereupon each became what his -opponent had made him, and went away over the earth. As a rule, there is -given with the sentence a characteristic description; for example: “The -people to come hereafter will hunt you, and kill you to eat you;” or, -“will kill you for your skin;” or, “will kill you because they hate you.” - -One opponent might be turned into a wolf, the other into a squirrel; -or one into a bear, the other into a fox: there is always a strict -correspondence, however, between the former nature of each combatant and -the present character of the creature into which he has been transformed, -looked at, of course, from the point of view of the original myth-maker. - -The war between the gods continued till it produced on land, in the -water, and the air, all creatures that move, and all plants that grow. -There is not a beast, bird, fish, reptile, insect, or plant which is -not a fallen divinity; and for every one noted there is a story of its -previous existence. - -This transformation of the former people, or divinities, of America -was finished just before the present race of men—that is, the -Indians—appeared. This transformation does not take place in every -American mythology as a result of single combat. Sometimes a great hero -goes about ridding the world of terrible oppressors and monsters: he -beats them, turns them into something insignificant; after defeat they -have no power over him. We may see in the woods some weak worm or insect -which, in the first age, was an awful power, but a bad one. Stories -of this kind present some of the finest adventures, and most striking -situations, as well as qualities of character in the hero that invite -admiration. - -In some mythologies a few personages who are left unchanged at the eve of -man’s coming, transform themselves voluntarily. The details of the change -vary from tribe to tribe; but in all it takes place in some described -way, and forms part of the general change, or metamorphosis, which is -the vital element in the American system. In many, perhaps in all, the -mythologies, there is an account of how some of the former people, or -gods, instead of fighting and taking part in the struggle of creation, -and being transformed, retained their original character, and either went -above the sky, or sailed away westward to where the sky comes down, and -passed out under it, and beyond, to a pleasant region where they live in -delight. This is that contingent to which I have referred, that part of -“the first people” in which no passion was developed; they remained in -primitive simplicity, undifferentiated, and are happy at present. They -correspond to those gods of classic antiquity who enjoyed themselves -apart, and took no interest whatever in the sufferings or the joys of -mankind. - -It is evident, at once, that to the aborigines of America the field for -beautiful stories was very extensive. - -Everything in nature had a tale of its own, if some one would but tell -it; and during the epoch of constructive power in the race,—the epoch -when languages were built up, and great stories made,—few things of -importance to people of that time were left unconsidered; hence, there -was among the Indians of America a volume of tales as immense, one might -say, as an ocean river. This statement I make in view of materials which -I have gathered myself, and which are still unpublished,—materials which, -though voluminous, are comparatively meagre, merely a hint of what in -some tribes was lost, and of what in others is still uncollected. What -is true of the Indians with reference to the volume of their stories, is -true of all races. - -From what is known of the mind of antiquity, and from what data we have -touching savage life in the present, we may affirm as a theory that -primitive beliefs, in all places, are of the same system essentially as -the American. In that system, every individual existence beyond man is -a divinity, but a divinity under sentence,—a divinity weighed down by -fate; a divinity with a history behind it, a history which is tragedy or -comedy as the case may be. These histories extend along the whole line of -experience, and include every combination conceivable to primitive man. - -Of the pre-Christian beliefs of the Kelts, not much is known yet in -detail and with certainty. What we may say at present is this, that -they form a very interesting variant of that aforementioned Œcumenical -religion held in early ages by all men. The peculiarities and value of -the variant will be shown when the tales, beliefs, and literary monuments -of the race are brought fully into evidence. - -Now that some statement has been made touching Indian tales and their -contents, we may give, for purposes of comparison, two or three of them, -either in part or condensed. These examples may serve to show what Gaelic -tales were before they were modified in structure, and before human -substitutes were put in place of the primitive heroes. - -It should be stated here that these accounts of a former people, and the -life of the world before this, as given in the tales, were delivered in -one place and another by some of these “former people” who were the last -to be transformed, and who found means to give needful instruction to -men. On the Klamath River, in Northwestern California, there is a sacred -tree, a former divinity, which has been a great source of revelation. On -a branch of the Upper Columbia is a rock which has told whole histories -of a world before this. - -Among the Iroquois, I found a story in possession of a doctor,—that is, a -magician, or sorcerer,—who, so far as I could learn, was the only man who -knew it, though others knew of it. This story is in substance as follows: - -Once there was an orphan boy who had no friends; a poor, childless -widow took the little fellow, and reared him. When the boy had grown up -somewhat, he was very fond of bows and arrows, became a wonderful shot. -As is usual with orphans, he was wiser than others, and was able to hunt -when much smaller than his comrades. - -He began to kill birds for his foster-mother; gradually he went farther -from home, and found more game. The widow had plenty in her house now, -and something to give her friends. The boy and the woman lived on in this -fashion a whole year. He was good, thoughtful, serious, a wise boy, and -brought game every day. The widow was happy with her foster-son. - -At last he came late one evening, later than ever before, and hadn’t half -so much game. - -“Why so late, my son; and why have you so little game?” asked the widow. - -“Oh, my mother, game is getting scarce around here; I had to go far to -find any, and then it was too late to kill more.” - -The next day he was late again, a little later than the day before, and -had no more game; he gave the same excuse. This conduct continued a week; -the woman grew suspicious, and sent out a boy to follow her foster-son, -and see what he was doing. - -Now what had happened to the boy? He had gone far into the forest on the -day when he was belated, farther than ever before. In a thick and dense -place he found a round, grassy opening; in the middle of this space was -a large rock, shaped like a millstone, and lying on one side, the upper -part was flat and level. He placed his birds on the rock, sprang up, and -sat on it to rest; the time was just after midday. While he was sitting -there, he heard a voice in the stone, which asked: “Do you want me to -tell a story?” He was astonished, said nothing. Again the voice spoke, -and he answered: “Yes, tell me a story.” - -The voice began, and told him a wonderful story, such as he had never -heard before. He was delighted; never had he known such pleasure. About -the middle of the afternoon, the story was finished; and the voice said: -“Now, you must give me your birds for the story; leave them where you put -them.” He went away toward home, shot what birds he could find, but did -not kill many. - -He came the next day, with birds, and heard a second story; and so it -went on till the eighth day, when the boy sent by the foster-mother -followed secretly. That boy heard the story too, discovered himself, -and promised not to tell. Two days later the widow sent a second boy to -watch those two, and three days after that a third one. The boys were -true to the orphan, however, and would not tell; the magic of the stories -overcame them. - -At last the woman went to the chief with her trouble; he sent a man to -watch the boys. This man joined the boys, and would not tell. The chief -then sent his most trusty friend, whom nothing could turn aside from his -errand. He came on the boys and the man, while they were listening to a -story, and threatened them, was very angry. The voice stopped then, and -said: “I will tell no more to-day; but, you boys and you men, listen to -me, take a message to the chief and the people,—tell them to come here -to-morrow, to come all of them, for I have a great word to say to every -person.” - -The boys and men went home, and delivered the message. On the following -day, the whole people went out in a body. They cleared away the thick -grass in the open space; and all sat down around the stone, from which -the voice came as follows:— - -“Now, you chief and you people, there was a world before this, and a -people different from the people in the world now,—another kind of -people. I am going to tell you of that people. I will tell you all about -them,—what they did; how they fixed this world; and what they became -themselves. You will come here every day till I have told all the stories -of the former people; and each time you will bring a little present of -what you have at home.” - -The stone began, told a story that day, told more the next day. The -people came day after day, week after week, till the stone told all it -knew. Then it said: “You have heard all the stories of the former world; -you will keep them, preserve them as long as you live. In after times -some man will remember nearly all of these stories; another will remember -a good many; a third, not so many; a fourth man, a few; a fifth, one -story; a sixth, parts of some stories, but not all of any story. No man -will remember every story; only the whole people can remember all. When -one man goes to another who knows stories, and he tells them, the first -man will give him some present,—tobacco, a bit of venison, a bird, or -whatever he has. He will do as you have done to me. I have finished.” - -Very interesting and important are these statements touching the origin -of stories; they indicate in the Indian system revelation as often as it -is needed. In Ireland, the origin of every Fenian tale is explained in a -way somewhat similar. All the accounts of Fin Mac Cool and his men were -given to Saint Patrick by Ossian, after his return from Tir nan Og, the -Land of the Young, where he had lived three hundred years. These Fenian -tales were written down at that time, it is stated; but Saint Patrick -gave an order soon after to destroy two-thirds of the number, for they -were so entertaining, he said, that the people of Erin would do nothing -but listen to them. - -In every case the Fenian tales of Ireland, like the tales of America, -are made up of the adventures of heroes who are not human. Some writers -assert that there have never been such persons on earth as Fin Mac Cool -and his men; others consider them real characters in Irish history. In -either case, the substantial character of the tales is not changed. If -Fin and his men are historical personages, deeds of myth-heroes, ancient -gods of Gaelic mythology, have been attributed to them, or they have been -substituted for heroes who were in the tales previously. If Fin and his -men are not historical, they are either the original non-human heroes, -or a later company of similar character substituted in the tales for the -original heroes, or for some successors of those heroes; at this date it -would be difficult to decide how often such substitutions may have been -made. - -The following tale of Pitis and Klakherrit, though condensed, is -complete; it is given here not because it is the best for illustration, -but because it is accessible. The tale is dramatic; the characters -are well known; it is ancient, and may be used to show how easily the -character of stories may be modified without changing their structure, -simply by changing the heroes. This tale of Pitis and Klakherrit is not -more than third rate, if compared with other Indian tales, perhaps not so -high in rank as that, still, it is a good story. - -At a place called Memtachnokolton lived the Pitis people; they were -numerous, all children of one father. They lived as they liked for a -long time, till one of them who had gone hunting did not return in the -evening. Next day two of his brothers went to look for him, and found his -headless body four or five miles away, at the side of a deer-trail. They -carried the body home, and buried it. - -On the following day, another went to hunt, and spent the night out in -like manner. Next day his headless body was found, brought home, and -buried. Each day a Pitis went to hunt till the last one was killed; and -the way they died was this:— - -Not very far south of the deer-trail were the Klak people, at -Klakkewilton. They lived together in one great house, and were all blind -except one Klakherrit, who was young and strong, bad, a great liar, and -very fond of gambling. This Klakherrit hated the Pitis people, and wanted -to kill them all; he used to go out and watch for them. When a Pitis went -hunting, and was following the deer, Klakherrit sat down at the trail, -some distance ahead; and, as the Pitis came up, he would groan, and call -out, “Oh, I have a big splinter in my foot; I cannot take it out alone, -help me!” - -The Pitis pitied him always, and said: “I will pull it out for you;” then -he sat down, took the foot in his hand, looked at it, and pulled at the -splinter. - -“Oh, you cannot pull it out with your fingers; you must take it between -your teeth.” The Pitis took the end of the splinter between his teeth, -and began to pull; that moment Klakherrit cut his head off, and carried -it to Klakkewilton, leaving the body by the roadside. - -When Klakherrit killed the last Pitis, he took his skin, put it on and -became just like Pitis. He went then to Memtachnokolton, and said to the -Pitis women and children, “I killed a deer to-day; but Klakherrit ran off -with it, so I come home with nothing.” - -“We have enough to eat; never mind,” said the women, who thought he was -their man. - -About dark that evening, Klakherrit, the counterfeit Pitis, killed all -the women and children except one little child, a boy, who escaped by -some wonderful fortune, and hid under the weeds. Klakherrit burned the -village then, and went home, thinking: “I have killed every Pitis.” - -Next morning little Pitis came out of his hiding-place, and wandered -around the burnt village, crying. Soon an old woman, Tsosokpokaila, heard -the child, found him, took him home, called him grandson, and reared him; -she gave him seeds to eat which she took from her own people,—a great -many of them lived in her village. She was a small person, but active. - -In a few days, little Pitis began to talk; and soon he was able to run -around, and play with bows and arrows. The old woman said to him then: -“My grandson, you must never go to the south nor to the east. Go always -to the north or west, and don’t go far; you needn’t think to meet any of -your people, they are dead, every one of them.” - -All this time Klakherrit went out every morning, and listened long and -carefully; hearing no sound of a Pitis, he went in one day, and said to -his blind relatives: “I hear nothing, I see nothing of the Pitis people; -they are all dead.” - -There was one old man in the house, an uncle of Klakherrit, and he -answered: “My nephew, I can’t see anything; but some day you may see a -Pitis. I don’t think all the Pitis people are dead yet; I think some are -living in this world somewhere.” - -Klakherrit said nothing, but went out every morning as before; at last he -saw far away in the west a little smoke rising, a slender streak of it. -“Some people are living off there,” thought he; “who can they be, I must -know.” He hurried to the house for his choicest clothes, and weapons, and -made ready. He took his best bow, and a large quiver of black fox-skin, -this he filled with arrows; then he put beads of waterbone on his neck, -and a girdle of shining shells around his waist. When dressed to his -wish, he started, and went straight toward the fire. As he came near -it, he walked slowly, to see who was there; for a time he saw no one, -but he heard pounding at the other side of a big pine-tree. He went -around slowly to the other side, and saw a man pounding something. He -would pound a while, and then pick up nuts, crack the shells with his -teeth, and eat the kernels. This person was Kaisusherrit; and he was so -busy that he did not see Klakherrit, who stood looking on a good while. -“Hallo, my friend!” said Klakherrit, at last, “why are you alone; does no -one else live around here?” - -Kaisusherrit said nothing; he went on pounding pine cones, getting nuts -out of them, didn’t look at the stranger. Around his neck he had a net -bag filled with pine nuts. After a while he stopped pounding, cracked -some nuts, put the kernels in his mouth, and then pounded pine cones -again. - -“My friend, you are alone in this place. I came here by myself; there -are only two of us. I saw your smoke this morning; and I said, before I -started, ‘I will go and see a good man to-day.’ I thought that you were -here, and I found you.” - -Kaisusherrit said nothing, but pounded away. - -“My friend, why not talk to me; why not say something? Let us gamble: -there is plenty of shade under the trees here; we might as well play.” - -Kaisusherrit was silent, didn’t take his eyes off the pine cones. - -“Why not talk to me, my friend? If you don’t talk to me, who will; there -are only two of us in this place. I came to see you this morning, to have -a talk with you. I thought you would tell me what is going on around -here where you live; and I would tell you what I know. Stop eating; -let’s gamble, and have a good talk.” - -Klakherrit talked, and teased, and begged, all the forenoon. He didn’t -sit down once; he was on his feet all the time. At last, a little after -noon, Kaisusherrit looked up, and said: “Why do you make all this fuss? -That is not the way for one grown person to talk to another. You act like -some little boy, teasing, and talking, and hanging around. Why don’t you -sit down quietly, and tell me who you are, what you know, and where you -live? Then I can tell you what I like, and talk to you.” - -Klakherrit sat down, and told who he was. Then he began again: “Well, my -friend, let us play; the shade is good here under the trees.” - -“Why do you want to play?” asked Kaisusherrit; “do you see anything here -that you like? I have nothing to bet against your things.” - -“Oh, you have,” said Klakherrit,—“you have your pounding stone, your net -full of nuts, your pine cones.” - -“Very well,” said Kaisusherrit; “I will bet my things against yours;” -and he placed them in one pile. Klakherrit took off his weapons and -ornaments, and tied them up with Kaisusherrit’s things in one bundle, so -that the winner might have them all ready to carry away. Kaisusherrit -brought sticks to play with, and grass to use with the sticks. He sat -down then with his back to the tree, and motioned to the other to sit -down in front. The bundle was near the tree, and each had a pile of grass -behind him. - -“Let us go away from this tree to the shade out there; I don’t like to be -near a tree,” said Klakherrit. - -“Oh, I can’t go there; I must have my back against a tree when I -play,” said Kaisusherrit. “Oh, come, I like that place; let us go out -there.” “No, my back aches unless I lean against a tree; I must stay -here.” “Never mind this time; come on, I want to play out there,” urged -Klakherrit. “I won’t go,” said Kaisusherrit; “I must play here.” - -They talked and disputed about the place till the middle of the -afternoon: but Kaisusherrit wouldn’t stir; and Klakherrit, who was dying -to play, agreed at last to let Kaisusherrit put his back to the tree, and -to sit opposite himself. They began, and were playing about two hours, -when Klakherrit was getting the advantage; he was winning. Both were -playing their best now, and watching each other. Kaisusherrit said then -in his mind, “You, Klakherrit’s grass, be all gone, be grass no more, -be dust.” The grass in Klakherrit’s hand turned to dust. He reached -behind to get more grass, but found none; then he looked to see where it -was. That moment Kaisusherrit snatched the bundle, and ran up the tree. -Klakherrit sprang to his feet, looked through the branches; and there he -saw Kaisusherrit with the bundle on his back. - -“Oh, my friend,” cried he, “what is the matter; what are you doing?” -Kaisusherrit said nothing, sat on a limb, and looked at the stranger. -“Oh, my friend, why go up in the tree? Come, let us finish the game; -maybe you’ll win all my things. Come down.” - -Klakherrit talked and talked. Kaisusherrit began to come down slowly, -stopping every little while; he reached the lower limbs. Klakherrit -thought he was coming surely; all at once he turned, and hurried up -again, went to the very top, and sat there. Klakherrit walked around -the tree, persuading and begging. Kaisusherrit slipped down a second -time, was near the ground, seemed to be getting off the tree; Klakherrit -was glad. Kaisusherrit didn’t get off, though; he went up to the next -limb, smiled, and looked at Klakherrit, who was getting terribly angry. -Kaisusherrit went higher. Klakherrit could hold in no longer; he was -raging. He ran, picked up sharp rocks, and hurled them at Kaisusherrit. -The first one hit the limb on which he was sitting, and cut it right -off; but he was very quick and sprang on to another. Klakherrit hurled -stone after stone at the tree, with such force and venom that a limb -fell whenever a stone struck it. At dusk there wasn’t a limb left on the -tree; but Kaisusherrit was there yet. He was very quick and resolute, and -dodged every stone. Klakherrit drew breath a moment, and began again to -hurl stones at Kaisusherrit; wherever one struck the tree, it took the -bark off. At dark the tree was all naked and battered, not a branch nor -a bit of bark left. Kaisusherrit was on it yet; but Klakherrit couldn’t -see him. Klakherrit had to go home; when he went into the house, he said, -“Well, I’ve met a man to-day who is lucky; he won all my things in play.” - -“My son,” said Klakherrit’s father, who was very old, “you have been -telling us that you are a great player; but I thought all the time that -you would meet a person some day who would beat you. You have travelled -much to find such a one; you have found him.” - -Next morning Klakherrit went out, and saw a smoke in the west. “That -is my friend,” said he; “I must see him.” He took his best dress and -weapons, and soon reached the fire. “Hallo, my friend,” said Klakherrit, -“I’ve come to play with you to-day.” “Very well,” answered Kaisusherrit, -who was wearing Klakherrit’s clothes that he had carried up the tree. -“But, my friend, you won’t do as you did yesterday?” “Oh, no; I’ll -play nicely to-day, I’ll play to please you.” They tied the stakes in -one bundle, brought sticks and grass. Kaisusherrit put his back to a -tree much larger than the first one. Klakherrit wished to play in the -open; Kaisusherrit wouldn’t go there. They disputed and quarrelled till -Klakherrit had to yield; but he made up his mind not to let Kaisusherrit -go up the tree this time. - -They played as before till the middle of the afternoon, when Klakherrit -was winning. Kaisusherrit turned the grass into dust, and was up the -tree before Klakherrit could stop him. The deeds of the day before -were repeated with greater force. Kaisusherrit was more cynical in his -conduct. Klakherrit was more enraged; he cut all the limbs, and stripped -all the bark from this tree with stone-throwing. At dark he had to go -home, leaving Kaisusherrit unhurt. - -On the third morning, Klakherrit was watching for smoke; he wanted to -win back what he had lost in the west. Soon he saw a herd of deer pass, -followed by a Pitis. - -It was the end of summer; little Pitis had grown very fast, was a young -man now. While Klakherrit was gambling, Pitis told his grandmother that -he wanted to hunt. “Oh, my grandson,” said she, “you must never go -hunting; all your people were killed while out hunting. I don’t want you -to hunt; I don’t want you to be killed.” - -“I don’t want to be killed, my grandmother; but I don’t like to stay -around the house here all the time. I want to find food and bring it -home; I want, besides, to see where my people were killed. I want to see -the place where they died; I want to look at the person who killed them.” - -“My grandson, I don’t like to hear you talk in that way; I don’t want you -to go far from this house. There is a very bad person south of us: he is -the one who killed all your people; he is Klakherrit.” - -“My grandmother, I can’t help going,—I must go; I must see the place -where my people were killed. If I can find him, I must look at -Klakherrit, who killed all my relatives.” - -Next morning, young Pitis rose, and dressed himself beautifully. He took -a good bow, and a quiver of black fox-skin; his arrows were pointed with -white flint; in his hair he had Winishuyat[1] to warn him of danger. “My -grandmother,” said he, at parting, “do the best you can while I am gone.” -The old woman began to cry, and said, “Oh, my grandson, be on the watch, -and guard yourself well; take good care, my grandson.” - -Pitis started off; and, when out of sight, Winishuyat said, “My brother, -a little ahead of us are deer. All your relatives were killed by -Klakherrit for the sake of these deer. The deer obeyed your people, and -went wherever they told them.” Pitis saw twenty deer, and, a few moments -later, twenty more. He shouted; they ran around, stopped, and looked at -him. “I want you, deer,” said Pitis, “to go toward the south, and go past -Klakherrit’s house, so that he can see you and I can see him.” - -Pitis shouted three times; and Klakherrit, who was watching for -Kaisusherrit’s smoke, heard him. The forty deer went on one after another -in a line, Pitis following. When Klakherrit saw them, he ran into the -house, and called to his relatives: “Deer are coming; and a Pitis is with -them!” - -“Oh, my nephew,” cried the blind uncle, “you kept saying all the time -that there was not another Pitis in this world; but I knew there were -some left somewhere. Didn’t I say that you would see Pitis people; didn’t -I tell you that you hadn’t killed all that people, my nephew? You will -meet a Pitis to-day.” - -Klakherrit made no answer; he took his bow and quiver quickly, and -hurried out. The deer had passed the house and Pitis was just passing. -Klakherrit saw him well; and Pitis had a good look at Klakherrit. -Klakherrit went away on one side of the trail, got ahead of the deer, and -sat down at the side of the trail near a rock. When they came up, the -deer passed him; but Winishuyat said to Pitis, “My brother, Klakherrit -is near that rock right there; when you pass, don’t stop, don’t speak to -him. It is he who killed our people; he wants to kill you.” - -When Pitis came to the rock; Klakherrit jumped up on one leg, and cried, -“Oh, my friend, I can’t travel farther. I was going to help you, but I -have this great splinter in my foot; draw it out for me.” Pitis didn’t -look at him, went straight past. A little later, Winishuyat said, “My -brother, on the other side of that clump of bushes your enemy is sitting: -go by; don’t speak to him.” When Pitis came, Klakherrit begged him again -to pull the splinter out of his foot; but Pitis didn’t stop, didn’t speak -to him. Five times that day did Klakherrit run ahead by side-paths, and -beg Pitis to pull a splinter out of his foot; but Pitis never stopped, -never answered him. In the evening, Pitis said to the deer, “You, deer, -meet me in the morning where you met me to-day.” That night, Pitis said -to his grandmother, “I saw Klakherrit; he bothered me all day. Five times -he was ahead of me with a sore foot; but if his foot is sore, how can he -travel so? There must be a great many of his people just like him.” - -“My grandson, Klakherrit has many relatives; but he is the only one of -that people who can travel. All the rest are blind; he is the one who was -ahead of you all day.” - -“Well, grandmother, I have seen Klakherrit; I know all about him. I know -what I can do to him; I shall follow the deer to-morrow.” (Pitis didn’t -hunt deer; he just followed them.) Next morning, Pitis rose very early, -bathed in the creek, ate his breakfast, and dressed for the road; then -he brought two flat stones, a blue and a white one, each about a foot -wide, put them down before the old woman, and said, “My grandmother, -watch these two stones all day. If you see thick black spots of blood -on the blue stone, you may know that I am killed; but if you see light -red blood on the white stone, you may know that I am safe.” The old -woman began to cry; but he went to the place where he met the deer the -day before. He sent them by the same road; and, after a while, he met -Klakherrit, who begged him to pull the splinter out of his foot. Pitis -passed in silence; when out of sight, he stopped the deer, and said, -“Now, my deer, let the strongest of you go ahead; and if Klakherrit is -by the trail again, run at him, and stamp him into the ground with your -fore-feet; jump on him, every one of you.” - -Some distance farther on, they saw Klakherrit sitting at the side of the -trail. The first deer ran and thrust his hoofs into his body; the second -and the third did the same, and so did the whole forty. He was all cut -to pieces, one lump of dirt and blood. The deer went on; Pitis followed. -Soon Pitis called to the deer, “We’ll go back again;” and he walked ahead -till they returned to where they had trampled his enemy. Klakherrit was -up again, begging, “Oh, my friend, pull this great splinter out of my -foot; I cannot do it alone, help me!” Pitis sent the deer at him again; -they trampled him into the ground, and went on. When they had gone -perhaps two miles, Klakherrit was sitting at the roadside as before, and -begged Pitis to pull the splinter out of his foot. Pitis was terribly -angry now; he stopped in front of Klakherrit, and walked up to him. “My -friend,” said he, “what are you talking about; what do you want? Are you -one person, or are there many like you? You bothered me all yesterday; -what do you want to-day?” - -“I am only one person,” said Klakherrit; “but, my friend, pull this -splinter out; my foot pains me terribly.” - -“But how do you run so fast, and go ahead of me every time, if your foot -is hurt; how do you pull the splinter out?” - -“I get it out at last, and run ahead; but by that time there is another -splinter in my foot.” - -“Why do you follow me; what do you want; why don’t you let me alone?” -inquired Pitis, sitting down. - -“Oh, my friend, pull this splinter out; my foot is so sore I cannot talk. -Pull the splinter, and I will tell you.” - -Pitis took hold of the splinter and pulled, but no use, he could not -draw it out. “Take it between your teeth, that is the only way,” said -Klakherrit. - -“My brother,” said Winishuyat, “look out for your life now; that is the -way in which Klakherrit killed all your people. Do what he says; but -dodge when I tell you.” - -Pitis took the splinter between his teeth, and began to pull. That moment -Klakherrit drew his knife, and struck; but before the knife came down, -Winishuyat cried, “Dodge to the left!” Pitis dodged, and just escaped. -Pitis struck now with his white-flint knife. Every blow he gave hit -Klakherrit; he dodged every blow himself so that it struck only his -clothes. Klakherrit was very strong, and fought fiercely. Pitis was -quick, and hit all the time. The fight was a hard one. In the middle -of the afternoon, Pitis was very tired, and had all his clothes cut to -pieces; and Klakherrit’s head was cut off. But the head would not die; it -fought on, and Pitis cut at it with his knife. - -Now Winishuyat called out, “My brother, you can’t kill Klakherrit in that -way; you can’t kill him with any weapon on this earth. Klakherrit’s life -is in the sky; Klakherrit’s heart is up there on the right side of the -place where the sun is at midday.” - -Pitis looked up, and saw the heart. He stretched out his right hand then, -pulled down the heart, and squeezed it; that moment Klakherrit died. - -Pitis took the skin off Klakherrit’s body, put it on himself, and -became just like him. He cut up his enemy’s flesh, then carried it to -Klakkewilton, went into the house and said, “I have some venison to-day; -I will roast it.” He roasted Klakherrit’s flesh, and gave it to his -relatives. All ate except the old uncle, who grumbled, and said, “This -meat doesn’t seem right to me; it has the smell of our people.” Pitis -walked out, pulled off Klakherrit’s skin, threw it into the house, -and was himself again; then he set fire to the house, and stopped the -door. He listened; there was a great noise inside and an uproar. If any -broke through, he threw them back again. At last one woman burst out, -and rushed away; she escaped, and from her were born all the Klaks in -the world. But she and they were a people no longer; they had become -rattlesnakes. The Pitis people became quails, and Kaisusherrit’s people, -gray squirrels. - -The old woman, Tsosokpokaila, who reared Pitis, became a weed about a -foot high, which produces many seeds; the quails are fond of these seeds. - -The following summary shows in outline the main parts of a tale which -could not be so easily modified as the preceding, and one which is much -more important as to contents. - -Before thunder and lightning were in this world, Sulapokaila (trout old -woman) had a house on the river Winimem, near Mount Shasta. One evening, -a maiden called Wimaloimis (grisly bear maiden) came, and asked a night’s -lodging of the old woman; she gave it. Next morning, Wimaloimis wanted -to eat Sulapokaila, and had almost caught her, when the old woman turned -into water, and escaped. Wimaloimis went her way then, but remained in -the neighborhood. She built a house, lay down near the door, and gazed at -the sun for a long time; at last she grew pregnant from gazing. In time -she had twins. When the first one was born, she tried to swallow it; but -the infant gave out a great flash of light and frightened her. When the -second child was born, she tried to eat that; but it roared terribly, and -she was so frightened that she rushed out of the house, and ran off. The -old woman, Sulapokaila, came and took the children home, washed them, -cared for them, named the first-born Walokit (Lightning), and the second -Tumukit (Thunder). - -The boys grew very fast, and were soon young men. One day, Walokit asked, -“Brother, do you know who our mother is, who our father is?” - -“I do not know,” answered Tumukit; “let us ask our grandmother.” - -They went and asked the old woman. “I know your father and mother,” -replied the old woman. “Your mother is very bad; she came to my house, -and tried to eat me. She wanted to eat trees, bushes, everything she saw. -When you were born, she tried to eat you; but somehow you little boys -frightened her. She ran away, and is living on that mountain yonder. Your -father is good; he is living up there in the sky.” - -A couple of days later, Walokit said to his brother, “Let us go and find -our mother.” They went off, and found her half-way up on the slope of -a mountain, sitting in front of her house, and weaving a basket. Her -head was down; she did not see them even when near. They stood awhile in -silence, and then walked right up to her. - -“Oh, my children!” cried she, putting the basket aside, “come into the -house, and sit down.” She went in; the boys followed. She sat down. - -“Come here, and I’ll comb your hair; come both of you, my children.” -They sat down in front of her, and bent their heads. She stroked their -hair, took her comb, and began to comb; next, she opened her mouth wide, -and was going to swallow both at one gulp. That moment some voice said, -“Look out, boys; she is going to eat you.” They saw no one, but heard the -voice. Next instant, Walokit flashed, and Tumukit roared. The mother, -dazzled, deafened, rushed out of the house in great terror. - -“I don’t believe she is our mother,” said Tumukit. - -“I don’t believe she is either,” answered Walokit. They were both very -angry, and said, “She is a bad woman anyhow. She may be our mother; but -she is a bad woman.” - -They went home, and later Walokit found his mother, and killed her. -Tumukit merely stood by, and roared. The woman’s body was torn to pieces, -and scattered. The brothers wept, and went to their grandmother, who sent -them to various sacred springs to purify themselves, and wash away the -blood of their mother. When they had done that, after many pilgrimages, -they said, “We will go to our father, if we can.” - -Next day they said, “Grandmother, we will stay with you to-morrow, and -leave you the next day.” On the second morning, they said, “We are going, -and you, our grandmother, must do the best you can without us.” - -“To what place are you going, my grandsons?” - -“We are going to our father, if we can.” - -When the old woman heard this, she went into the house, and brought out a -basket cup full of trout blood (water), and gave it to Walokit, “Rub this -over your whole body; use it always; it will give you strength. No matter -how much you use the blood, the basket will never be empty.” - -They took farewell of the old woman, and went to the upper side of the -sky, but did not go to their father. They live up there now, and go over -the whole world, sometimes to find their father, sometimes for other -purposes. When they move, we see one, and hear the other. - -This tale has a few of the disagreeable features peculiar to some of -the early myth-tales of all races,—tales which, if not forgotten, are -misunderstood as the race advances, and then become tragedies of horror. -Still, such tales are among the most precious for science, if analyzed -thoroughly. - -In another tale, told me by the same man who related this one, the sun, -after his road had been marked out, finally, was warned against his own -children, the grisly bears, who would beset his path through the sky, and -do their best to devour him. - -The grisly bear maiden, Wimaloimis, is a terrible criminal; she piles -horror upon horror. She tries to eat up the hospitable trout woman who -gives her lodging; she has twins from her own father; she tries to -eat her own children; she brings them to commit matricide under cruel -conditions. The house of Pelops and Lot’s daughters, combined, barely -match her. If the tale of Wimaloimis had belonged to early Greece, and -had survived till the time of the Attic tragedians, the real nature -of the actors in it would have been lost, in all likelihood, and then -it might have served as a striking example of sin and its punishment. -Instead of discovering who the _dramatis personæ_ were really, the people -of that time would have made them all human. In our day, we try to -discover the point of view of the old myth-maker, to learn what it really -was that he dealt with. In case we succeed, we are able to see that many -of the repulsive features of ancient myths were not only natural and -explicable, but absolutely unavoidable. The cloud, a grisly bear, is -a true daughter of the sun. The sun and the cloud are undoubtedly the -parents of the twin brothers, Thunder and Lightning; there are no other -parents possible for them. That the cloud, according to myth description, -tried to devour her own children, and was destroyed at last, and torn -to pieces by them, is quite true. When we know the real elements of the -tale, we find it perfectly accurate and truthful. If the personages in it -were represented as human, it would become at once, what many a tale like -it is made to be, repulsive and horrible. - -Among Gaelic tales there are few in which the heroes are of the earliest -period, though there are many in which primitive elements are prominent, -and some in which they predominate. In a time sufficiently remote, -Gaelic tales were made up altogether of the adventures of non-human -heroes similar to those in the tales of America,—that is, heroes in the -character of beasts, birds, and other living creatures, as well as the -phenomena and elements of nature. - -Beasts and birds are frequent in Gaelic tales yet; but they never fill -the chief rôle in any tale. At most they are friends of the hero, and -help him; not infrequently he could not gain victory without them. If on -the bad side, the rôle is more prominent, a monster, or terrible beast, -may be the leading opponent, or be one in a series of powerful enemies. - -In a few Gaelic tales, phenomena or processes of nature appear still as -chief actors; but they appear in human guise. The two tales in which this -position is most evident, are those of Mor and Glas Gainach,—not the tale -of Mor as given in this volume, but an older tale, and one which, so far -as I know, exists only in fragments and sayings. This tale of Mor, which -I gathered bit by bit in one place and another through West Kerry, is, in -substance, as follows: - -Mor (big), a very large woman, came by sea to Dunmore Head, with her -husband, Lear, who could not live with Mor, and went around by sea to the -extreme north, where he stayed, thus putting, as the phrase runs, “All -Ireland between himself and the wife.” Mor had sons, and lived at Dun -Quin (the ruins of her house Tivorye [Mor’s house], are shown yet) at the -foot of Mount Eagle. She lived on pleasantly; much came to her from the -sea. She was very proud of her sons, and cared for no one in the world -except them. The woman increased greatly in substance, was rich and happy -till her sons were enticed away, and went to sea. - -One day, she climbed to the top of Mount Eagle, and, for the first time, -saw Dingle Bay with the highlands of Iveragh and Killarney. “Oh, but -isn’t Erin the big country; isn’t it widely spread out!” cried she. Mor -was enormously bulky, and exerted herself to the utmost in climbing the -mountain. At the top, certain necessities of nature came on her; as a -result of relieving these, a number of deep gullies were made in Mount -Eagle, in various directions. These serve to this day as water-courses; -and torrents go through them to the ocean during rainfalls. - -News was brought to Mor on the mountain that her sons had been enticed -away to sea by magic and deceit. Left alone, all her power and -property vanished; she withered, lost her strength, went mad, and then -disappeared, no man knew whither. “All that she had came by the sea,” -as people say, “and went with the sea.” She who had been disagreeable -and proud to such a degree that her own husband had to leave her; the -woman whose delight was in her children and her wealth,—became the most -desolate person in Erin, childless, destitute, a famishing maniac that -disappeared without a trace. - -There is an interesting variant to this story, referring to Lear, Mor’s -husband. This represents him not as going to the other end of Erin, but -as stopping where he touched land first; there he died, and was buried. -This is the version confirmed by the grave mound at Dunmore Head. - -From the artistic point of view, it is to be regretted that the tale -of Mor has not come down to us complete with its variants; but we may -be thankful for what we have. The fragments extant, and the sayings, -establish the character of the tale, especially in view of a most -interesting bit of testimony preserved in a book published in 1757. - -After I had collected all the discoverable scraps and remnants of the -tale, I came upon the statement in Smith’s “History of Kerry,” page 182, -that Dunmore Head was called by the people thereabout, “Mary Geerane’s -house.” The author adds the name in Gaelic (which he did not know), in -the following incorrect form: “Ty-Vorney Geerane.” Now this sentence does -not mean Mary Geerane’s house at all, but the house of Mor, daughter of -the sun, Tigh Mhoire ni Greine, pronounced, “Thee Vorye nyee Grainye.” -Here is the final fact needed,—a fact preserved with an ignorance of its -nature and value that is absolutely trustworthy. - -What does the story mean now? Mor, daughter of the sun, leaves her -husband, Lear, and comes to land herself. The husband cannot follow; for -Lear is the plain of the sea,—the sea itself in its outward aspect. Lear -is the Neptune of the Gaels. One version represents Lear as coming to his -end at Dunmore Head; the other, as going around the island to Donaghedee, -to live separated from a proud and disagreeable wife by the land of all -Ireland. Each of these variants is equally consonant with the character -of the couple. Let us pursue the tale further. Mor, the cloud woman,—for -this she is,—has issue at Dun Quin, has sons (the rain-drops), and is -prosperous, is proud of her sons, cares only for them; but her sons -cannot stay with her, they are drawn to the sea irresistibly. She climbs -Mount Eagle, is amazed at the view from the summit, sits down there and -performs her last act on earth, the result of which is those tortuous -and remarkably deep channels on the sides of Mount Eagle. After that she -hears on the mountain that her sons are gone, she vanishes from human -ken, is borne out of sight from the top of Mount Eagle. - -Such is the myth of the cloud woman, Mor (the big one), a thing of wonder -for the people. - -In “Glas Gainach,” with which this volume opens, we have, perhaps, the -best tale preserved by memory in Ireland. The tale itself is perfect, -apparently, and its elements are ancient. - -The prize for exertion, the motive for action, in this tale, is a present -from King Under the Wave to his friend the King of Spain. This King of -Spain is, of course, supposititious. Who the former friend was whose -place he usurped, we have no means of knowing; but we shall not be far -out of the way, I think, if we consider him to be the monarch of a -cloud-land,—a realm as intangible as the Nephelokokkygia of Aristophanes, -but real. - -In Elin Gow, the swordsmith, we have a character quite as primitive -as the cow or her owners. Elin Gow is found in Scotland as well as in -Ireland. Ellin Gowan’s Height, in Guy Mannering, is simply Elin Gow’s -Height, _Gowan_ (_Gobhan_ in Gaelic) being merely the genitive case of -_Gow_ (_Gobha_). Elin Gow means simply Elin the smith. Under whatever -name, or wherever he may be, Elin Gow occupies a position in Gaelic -similar to that of Hephæstos in Greek, or Vulcan in Latin mythology; he -is the maker of weapons, the forger of the bolt. - -In a short tale of Glas Gavlen, which I obtained near Carrick, County -Donegal, it is stated that the cow came down from the sky. According to -the tale, she gives milk in unlimited quantities to all people without -exception. Time after time the rich or powerful try to keep her for -their own use exclusively, but she escapes. Appearing first at Dun -Kinealy, she goes finally to Glen Columkil near the ocean, where a strong -man tries to confine her; but she rises in the air, and, clearing the -high ridge on the northern side of the glen, disappears. Since then, -there is no free milk in Erin, and none but that which common cows give. - -The cow, Glas Gainach or Gaunach or Gavlen, for all three refer to the -same beast, betrays at once her relationship with those cows of India so -famous in the Rig Veda, those cloud cows whose milk was rain, cows which -the demon Vritra used to steal and hide away, thus causing drought and -suffering. Indra brought death to this demon with a lightning bolt; for -this deed he received the name Vritrahan (slayer of Vritra). The cows -were freed then from confinement; and the world was refreshed by their -milk, which came to all, rich and poor, in like manner. So far the main -characters of the tale are quite recognizable. Cian and Cormac are simply -names current in Irish history, and are substituted for names of original -heroes, who were characters as far from human and as mythologic as King -Under the Wave or Glas Gainach. - -A comparison of Gaelic tales with the Indian tales of America shows that -the Gaelic contain materials some of which is as ancient as the Indian, -while the tales themselves are less primitive. - -There are many Indian tales which we can analyze, genuine myths,—a myth, -in its earliest form, being a tale the substance of which is an account -of some process in nature, or some collision between forces in nature, -the whole account being given as a narrative of personal adventure. - -Among the Irish tales there are very few ancient myths pure and simple, -though there are many made up of myth materials altogether. The tale -of Mor, reconstructed from fragments, is a myth from beginning to end; -the history of a cloud in the guise of a woman, as Glas Gainach is the -history of a cloud in the guise of a cow. - -Tales like Glas Gainach and Mor are not frequent in Gaelic at present; -but tales of modified structure, composite tales to which something -has been added, and from which something has been taken away, are met -with oftener than any. The elements added or taken away are not modern, -however; they are, if we except certain heroes, quite ancient. - -In course of time, and through change of religion, ancient heroes were -forgotten in some cases, rejected in others, and new ones substituted; -when the argument of a tale, or part of it, grew less distinct, it was -strengthened from the general stock, made more complete and vivid. In -this way came adventure tales, constructed of materials purely mythic -and ancient. Parts were transferred from one tale to another, the same -incidents and heroes being found in tales quite different in other -respects. - -The results to be obtained from a comparison of systems of thought -like the Indian and the Gaelic would be great, if made thoroughly. If -extended to all races, such a comparison would render possible a history -of the human mind in a form such as few men at present even dream of,—a -history with a basis as firm as that which lies under geology. If this -work is to be accomplished, we must make large additions indeed to our -knowledge of primitive peoples. We must complete the work begun in -America. We must collect the great tales of Africa, Asia, and the islands -of the Pacific,—tales which embody the philosophy of the races that made -them. The undertaking is arduous, and there is need to engage in it -promptly. The forces of civilized society, at present, are destroying -on all sides, not saving that which is precious in primitive people. -Civilized society supposes that man, in an early degree of development, -should be stripped of all that he owns, both material and mental, and -then be refashioned to serve the society that stripped him. If he will -not yield to the stripping and training, then slay him. - -In view of this state of things, there is no time for delay; primitive -man is changing, and the work is extensive. - -Of Chinese thought we know very little, especially of Taoism, the most -ancient system of the country,—the one which has grown up from Chinese -myth-tales. Of African tales, only few have been collected, and those of -small value mainly. - -In Asia and Eastern Europe, the Russians have done the best work by far; -besides many good volumes of Slav tales, they have given us much from -the Tartars and Mongols of exceptional value and ancient. In the United -States, little was accomplished till recent years; of late, however, -public interest has been roused somewhat, and, since Major Powell entered -the field, and became Director of the Bureau of Ethnology, more has been -done in studying the native races of America than had been done from the -discovery of the country up to that time. - -To sum up, we may say, that the Indian tales reveal to us a whole system -of religion, philosophy, and social polity. They take us back to the -beginning of things; they describe Creation and the establishment of the -present order in the world. - -Those tales form a complete series. The whole mental and social life -of the race to which they belong is evident in them. The Gaelic tales -are a fragment of a former system. The earliest tales in that system -are lost; those which formed the Creation myth, and related directly to -the ancient faith and religious practices of the Gaels, were set aside -and prohibited at the introduction of Christianity. In many of those -that remained, leading heroes were changed by design, or forgotten, and -others put in their places. In general, they were modified consciously -and unconsciously,—some greatly, others to a less degree, and a few very -little. - -We find various resemblances in the two systems, some of which are very -striking in details, and others in general features; the question, -therefore, rises readily enough: Can we not use the complete system to -aid us in explaining and reconstructing, in some degree, the imperfect -one? We can undoubtedly; and if to materials preserved by oral tradition, -like those in this volume, be added manuscript tales, and those scattered -through chronicles ecclesiastical and secular, we may hope to give some -idea of what the ancient system of Gaelic thought was, and discover -whether the Gaelic gods had a similar origin with the Indian. What is -true of the Gaelic is true also of other ancient systems in Europe, such -as the Slav and Teutonic. These have much less literary material than the -Gaelic; but the Slav has vastly greater stores of oral tradition, and -tales which contain much precious thought from pre-Christian ages. - -During eight years of investigation among Indian tribes in North America, -I obtained the various parts of that Creation myth mentioned in this -introduction, from tribes that were remote from one another, and in -different degrees of development. Such tales I found in the east, in -the central regions, and finally in California and Oregon. Over this -space, the extreme points of which are three thousand miles apart, each -tribe has the Creation myth,—one portion being brought out with special -emphasis in one tribe, and another portion in a different one. In tribes -least developed, the earliest tales are very distinct, and specially -valuable on some points relating to the origin and fall of the gods. -Materials from the extreme west are more archaic and simple than those -of the east. In fact the two regions present the two extremes, in North -America, of least developed and most developed aboriginal thought. -In this is their interest. They form one complete system, a single -conception richly illustrated. - -Shall we find among tribes of Africa, Australia, and the Pacific Islands, -tales which are component parts of great Creation myths like that of -North America? We shall find them no doubt, if we spend time and skilled -labor sufficient. - -The discovery and collection of these materials, and the proper use of -them afterward, constitute, for scientific zeal and activity, a task as -important as self-knowledge is important to man. - - * * * * * - -In 1887, I made a journey to Ireland; when I collected tales from which -were selected the twenty forming the “Myths and Folk-lore of Ireland,” -Boston, Little, Brown, and Company, 1889. While in Ireland, during that -first visit, and this one, I have met with much good will and kindness -which are pleasant to remember. - -I must mention, to begin with, my indebtedness to Rev. P. A. Walsh, of -the St. Vincent Fathers, Cork, a widely known Gaelic scholar, and a man -whose acquaintance with the South of Ireland is extensive and intimate. -Father Walsh gave me much information concerning the people, and letters -to priests. I am greatly obliged to J. J. MacSweeny, Esq., of the Royal -Irish Academy, for help in many ways, and for letters to people in -Donegal. To Rev. Eugene O’Growney, Professor of Gaelic at Maynooth, I am -grateful for letters and advice. - -If I were to mention all who have done me deeds of kindness, the list -would be long indeed. I must name, however, in Dingle, the venerable -Canon O’Sullivan and Father Scollard, in Bally Ferriter, Rev. John -O’Leary. To Mr. Patrick Ferriter, of Dingle, a man of keen intelligence -and an excellent Gaelic scholar, I am deeply indebted for assistance -in Gaelic. Canon Brosnan, of Cahirciveen, placed all his knowledge of -the region where he lives at my service, and on one occasion led in an -unwilling story-teller. Father MacDevitt, of Carrick, County Donegal, -assisted me much in his neighborhood. Rev. James MacFadden, of Glena, -County Donegal, and his curate, Rev. John Boyle, of Falcarra, helped me -effectively, and showed the most courteous hospitality. I should return -special thanks to Prof. Brian O’Looney, of Dublin, whose knowledge of -ancient Gaelic lore is unmatched, and who at all times was as willing as -he was able to aid me. - -In America, the list of my obligations is short; there is only one man -on that continent to whom thanks are due in connection with this volume, -but that man, like the hero in Gaelic tales, was worth more than the -thousands on all four sides of him. The contents of this book would not -have been collected without the co-operation of Hon. Charles A. Dana, who -published fifty of these Gaelic tales in the Sunday edition of “The Sun.” -At that time no other editor was willing to join in the enterprise; and -I did not feel able to endure both the financial burden and the labor of -finding and collecting Gaelic tales, as I had done in 1887. Mr. Dana, -with his keen eye for literary character, noted at once in the “Myths and -Folk-lore” the originality of Gaelic tales and their heroes. When I told -him that relics like the Cuculin and Gilla na Grakin of my first book -were on the verge of extinction, he joined hands with me to save them, -and I set out on my second journey to Ireland. - - JEREMIAH CURTIN. - -LONDON, ENGLAND, August, 1894. - - - - -HERO-TALES OF IRELAND. - - - - -ELIN GOW, THE SWORDSMITH FROM ERIN, AND THE COW GLAS GAINACH. - - -Once King Under the Wave went on a visit to the King of Spain, for the -two were great friends. The King of Spain was complaining, and very sorry -that he had not butter enough. He had a great herd of cows; but for all -that, he had not what butter he wanted. He said that he’d be the richest -man in the world if he had butter in plenty for himself and his people. - -“Do not trouble your mind,” said King Under the Wave. “I will give you -Glas Gainach,—a cow that is better than a thousand cows, and her milk is -nearly all butter.” - -The King of Spain thanked his guest for the promise, and was very glad. -King Under the Wave kept his word; he sent Glas Gainach, and a messenger -with instructions how to care for the cow, and said that if she was -angered in any way she would not stay out at pasture. So the king took -great care of her; and the report went through all nations that the King -of Spain had the cow called Glas Gainach. - -The King of Spain had an only daughter, and he was to give the cow with -the daughter; and the cow was a great fortune, the best dower in the -world at that time. The king said that the man who would do what he put -on him would get the daughter and the cow. - -Champions came from every part of the world, each man to try his fortune. -In a short time hundreds and thousands of men lost their heads in combat. -The king agreed then that any man who would serve seven years, and bring -the cow safe and sound every day of that time to the castle, would have -her. - -In minding the cow, the man had to follow her always, never go before -her, or stop her, or hold her. If he did, she would run home to the -castle. The man must stop with her when she wanted to get a bite or a -drink. She never travelled less than sixty miles a day, eating a good -bite here and a good bite there, and going hither and over. - -The King of Spain never told men how to mind the cow; he wanted them to -lose their heads, for then he got their work without wages. - -One man would mind her for a day; another would follow her to the castle -for two days; a third might go with her for a week, and sometimes a man -could not come home with her the first day. The man should be loose and -swift to keep up with Glas Gainach. The day she walked least she walked -sixty miles; some days she walked much more. - -It was known in Erin that there was such a cow, and there was a smith in -Cluainte above here, three miles north of Fintra, and his name was Elin -Gow. He was the best man in Erin to make a sword or any weapon of combat. -From all parts of Erin, and from other lands also, young princes who were -going to seek their fortunes came to him to have him make swords for -them. Now what should happen but this? It came to him in a dream three -nights in succession that he was to go for Glas Gainach, the wonderful -cow. At last he said, “I will go and knock a trial out of her; I will go -toward her.” - -He went to Tramor, where there were some vessels. It was to the King of -Munster that he went, and asked would he lend him a vessel. Elin Gow -had made many swords for the king. The king said that he would lend the -vessel with willingness, and that if he could do more for him he would -do it. Elin Gow got the vessel, and put stores in it for a day and a -year. He turned its prow then to sea and its stern to land, and was -ploughing the main ocean till he steered into the kingdom of Spain as -well as if he had had three pilots, and there was no one but himself in -it. He let the wind guide the ship, and she came into the very harbor of -the province where the king’s castle was. - -When Elin Gow came in, he cast two anchors at the ocean side and one at -the shore side, and settled the ship in such a way that there was not a -wave to strike her, nor a wind to rock her, nor a crow to drop on her; -and he left her so that nothing would disturb her, and a fine, smooth -strand before her: he left her fixed for a day and a year, though he -might not be absent an hour. - -He left the vessel about midday, and went his way walking, not knowing -where was he or in what kingdom. He met no man or beast in the place. -Late in the evening he saw, on a broad green field at a distance, a -beautiful castle, the grandest he had ever set eyes on. - -When he drew near the castle, the first house he found was a cottage at -the wayside; and when he was passing, who should see him but a very old -man inside in the cottage. The old man rose up, and putting his two -hands on the jambs of the door, reached out his head and hailed him. Elin -Gow turned on his heel; then the old man beckoned to him to enter. - -There were four men in front of the castle, champions of valor, -practising feats of arms. Flashes of light came from their swords. These -men were so trained that they would not let a sword-stroke touch any part -of their bodies. - -“Come in,” said the old man; “maybe you would like to have dinner. You -have eaten nothing on the way.” - -“That was a mistake of my own,” said Elin Gow; “for in my ship are -provisions of all kinds in plenty.” - -“Never mind,” said the old man; “you will not need them in this place;” -and going to a chest, he took out a cloth which he spread on a table, and -that moment there came on it food for a king or a champion. Elin Gow had -never seen a better dinner in Erin. - -“What is your name and from what place are you?” asked the old man of his -guest. - -“From Erin,” said he, “and my name is Elin Gow. What country is this, and -what castle is that out before us?” - -“Have you ever heard talk of the kingdom of Spain?” asked the old man. - -“I have, and ’tis to find it that I left home.” - -“Well, this is the kingdom of Spain, and that building beyond is the -castle of the king.” - -“And is it here that Glas Gainach is?” - -“It is,” said the old man. “And is it for her that you left Erin?” - -“It is then,” said Elin Gow. - -“I pity you,” said the old man; “it would be fitter for you to stop at -home and mind something else than to come hither for that cow. ’Tis not -hundreds but thousands of men that have lost their heads for her, and I -am in dread that you’ll meet the same luck.” - -“Well, I will try my fortune,” said Elin Gow. “’Tis through dreams that I -came.” - -“I pity you,” said the old man, “and moreover because you are from Erin. -I am half of your country, for my mother was from Erin. Do you know now -how this cow will be got?” - -“I do not,” said Elin Gow; “I know nothing in the world about it.” - -“You will not be long,” said the old man, “without knowledge. I’ll tell -you about her, and what conditions will be put on you by the king. He -will bind you for the term of seven years to bring the cow home safe and -sound to his castle every evening. If you fail to bring her, your head -will be cut off that same evening. That is one way by which many kings’ -sons and champions that came from every part of the world were destroyed. -There are spikes all around behind the castle, and a head on each spike -of them. You will see for yourself to-morrow when you go to the castle, -and a dreadful sight it is, for you will not be able to count the heads -that are there on the spikes. I will give you now an advice that I have -never given any man before this, but I have heard of you from my mother. -You would be a loss to the country you came from. You are a great man to -make swords and all kinds of weapons for champions. - -“The king will not tell you what to do, but I’ll tell you: you’ll be as -swift as you can when you go with the cow; keep up with her always. The -day she moves least she will travel thirty miles going and thirty miles -coming, and you will have rest only while she’ll be feeding, and she will -take only a few minutes here and a few minutes there; wherever she sees -the best place she’ll take a bite; and do not disturb her wherever she -turns or walks, and do not go before her or drive her. If you do what I -say, there will be no fear of you, if you can be so swift as to keep up -with the cow.” - -“I am not in dread of falling back,” said Elin Gow. - -“Then there will be no fear of you at all,” said the old man. - -Elin Gow remained in the cottage that night. In the morning the old man -spread his cloth on the table; food and drink for a king or a champion -were on it that moment. Elin Gow ate and drank heartily, left good health -with the old man, and went to the castle. The king had a man called the -Tongue-speaker, who met and announced every stranger. “Who are you or why -do you come to the castle?” asked this man of Elin Gow. - -“I wish to speak to the king about Glas Gainach.” - -“Oh,” said the speaker, “you are badly wanted, for it is three days since -the last man that was after her lost his head. Come, and I will show it -to you on the spike, and I am in dread your own head will be in a like -place.” - -“Never mind,” said Elin Gow; “misfortune cannot be avoided. We will do -our best.” - -The Tongue-speaker went to the king then, and said, “There is a man -outside who has come for Glas Gainach.” - -The king went out, and asked Elin Gow what he wanted or what brought him. -He told him, as he told the speaker, that it was for the cow he had come. - -“And is it in combat or in peace that you want to get her?” - -“’Tis in peace,” said Elin Gow. - -“You can try with swords or with herding, whichever you wish.” - -“We will choose the herding,” said Elin Gow. - -“Well,” said the king, “this is how we will bind ourselves. You are to -bring Glas Gainach here to me every evening safe and sound during seven -years, and, if you fail, ’tis your head that you will lose. Do you see -those heads on the spikes there behind? ’Tis on account of Glas Gainach -they are there. If you come home with the cow every night, she will be -yours when seven years are spent,—I bind myself to that,” said the king. - -“Well,” said Elin Gow, “I am satisfied with the conditions.” - -Next morning Glas Gainach was let out, and both went together all day, -she and Elin Gow. She went so swiftly that he threw his cap from him; he -could not carry it half the day. All the rest he had was while she was -feeding in any place. He was after her then till she came home, and he -brought her back as safe and sound as in the morning. The king came out -and welcomed him, saying, “You’ve taken good care of her; many a man went -after her that did not bring her home the first day.” - -“Life is sweet,” said Elin Gow; “I did the best hand I could. I know what -I have to get if I fail to bring her.” - -The king gave Elin Gow good food and drink, so that he was more improving -than failing in strength, and made his way and brought the cow every day -till he had the seven years spent; then he said to the king, “My time is -up; will I get the cow?” - -“Oh, why not?” said the king. “You will: you have earned her well; you -have done more than any man who walked the way before. See now how many -have lost their heads; count them. You are better than any of them. I -would not deny or break my word or agreement. You were bound to bring -her, and I am bound to give her. Now she is yours and not mine, but if -she comes back here again, don’t have any eye after her; you’ll not get -her.” - -“That will do,” said Elin Gow. “I will take good care not to let her come -to you. I minded her the last seven years.” - -“Well,” said the king, “I don’t doubt you.” - -They gave the cow food that morning inside; did not let her out at all. -Elin Gow bound the cow in every way he wished, to bring her to the -vessel. He used all his strength, raised the two anchors on the ocean -side, pulled in the vessel to put the cow on board. When Elin Gow was -on board, he turned the stem of the ship toward the sea, and the stern -toward land. He was sailing across the wide ocean till he came to Tramor, -the port in Erin from which he had started when going to Spain. Elin Gow -brought Glas Gainach on shore, took her to Cluainte, and was minding her -as carefully as when he was with the King of Spain. - -Elin Gow was the best man in Erin to make swords and all weapons for -champions; his name was in all lands. The King of Munster had four sons, -and the third from the oldest was Cian. He was neither dreaming nor -thinking of anything night or day but feats of valor; his grandfather, -Art Mac Cuin, had been a great champion, and was very fond of Cian. He -used to say, “Kind father and grandfather for him; he is not like his -three brothers.” - -When twenty years old, Cian said,“I will go to try my fortune. My father -has heirs enough. I would try other kingdoms if I had a sword.” - -“You may have my sword,” said the father. - -Cian gave the sword a trial, and at the first turn he broke it. “No sword -will please me,” said Cian, “unless, while grasping the hilt with the -blade pointed forward, I can bend the blade till its point touches my -elbow on the upper side, then let it spring back and bend it again till -the point touches my elbow on the under side.” - -“There is not a man in Erin who could make a sword like that,” said -the father, “but Elin Gow, and I am full sure that he will not make it -at this time, for he is minding Glas Gainach. He earned her well, and -he will guard her; seven years did he travel bareheaded without hat or -cap,—a thing which no man could do before him. It would be useless to go -to him, for he has never worked a stroke in the forge since he brought -Glas Gainach to Erin, and he would not let her go. He would make the -sword but for that. It’s many a sword he made for me.” - -“Well, I will try him,” said Cian. “I will ask him to make the sword.” - -Cian started, and never stopped till he stood before Elin Gow at -Cluainte, and told him who he was. - -Elin Gow welcomed the son of the king, and said, “Your father and I were -good friends in our young years. It was often I made swords and other -weapons for him. And what is it that brought you to-day?” - -“It is a sword I want. I wish to go and seek my fortune in some foreign -land. I want a good sword, and my father says you are the best man in -Erin to make one.” - -“I was,” said Elin Gow; “and I am sorry that I cannot make you one now. I -am engaged in minding Glas Gainach; and I would not trust any one after -her but myself, and I have enough to do to mind her.” - -Cian told how the sword was to be made. - -“Oh,” said Elin Gow, “I would make it in any way you like but for the -cow, and I would not wish to let your father’s son go away without a -sword. I will direct you to five or six smiths that are making swords -now, in place of me since I went for Glas Gainach.” - -He gave the names, and the king’s son went away. - -None of them could make the sword in the way Cian wanted. He came back to -Elin Gow. - -“You have your round made?” said Elin Gow. - -“I have,” said Cian, “but in vain; for none of them would make the sword -in the way asked of him.” - -“Well, I do not wish to let you go. I will take the risk.” - -“Very well,” said Cian; “I will go after Glas Gainach to-morrow, while -you are making the sword, and if I don’t bring her, you may have my head -in the evening.” - -“Well,” said Elin Gow, “I am afraid to trust you, for many a champion -lost his head on account of her before; but I’ll run the risk. I must -make the sword for you.” - -The king’s son stopped that night with Elin Gow, who gave him the best -food and drink he had, and let out Glas Gainach before him next morning, -and told him not to come in front of her in any place where she might -want to feed or drink. He advised him in every way how to take care of -her. Away went Cian with the cow, and he was doing the right thing all -day. She moved on always, and went as far as Caorha, southwest of Tralee, -the best spot of land in Kerry for grass. When she had eaten enough, -she turned toward home, and Cian was at her tail all the day. When he -and Glas Gainach were five miles this side of Tralee, near the water -at Derrymor, where she used to drink, Cian saw her going close to deep -water; he came before her, and turned her back; and what did she do but -jump through the air like a bird, and then she went out through the sea -and left him. He walked home sad and mournful, and came to Elin Gow’s -house. The smith asked him had he the cow, and he said, “I have not. I -was doing well till I came to Derrymor, and she went so near deep water -that I was afraid she would go from me. I stopped her, and what did she -do but fly away like a bird, and go out through the sea.” - -“God help us,” said Elin Gow, “but the misfortune cannot be helped.” - -“I am the cause,” said Cian; “you may have my head.” - -“What is done, is done. I would never take the head off you, but she is a -great loss to me.” - -“I am willing and satisfied to give you my head,” said Cian. “Have you -the sword made?” - -“I have,” said Elin Gow. - -Cian took the blade, tested it in every way, and found that he had the -sword he wanted. - -He swore an oath then to Elin Gow that he would not delay day or night, -nor rest anywhere, till he had lost his head or brought back Glas Gainach. - -“I am afraid your labor will be useless,” said Elin Gow, “and that you -will never be able to bring her back. I could not have brought her myself -but for the advice of an old man that I met before I saw the King of -Spain.” - -Cian went home to his father’s castle. The king saw him coming with the -sword. “I see that Elin Gow did not refuse you.” - -“He did not,” said Cian. “He made the sword, and it is a sore piece of -work for him. He has parted with Glas Gainach. I promised to give my -head if I did not bring her home to him in safety while he was making the -sword. I minded her well all day till she came to a place where she used -to drink water. I did not know that; but it was my duty to know it, for -he directed me in every way needful how to mind her. I was bringing her -home in safety till I brought her to Derrymor River; and I went before -her to turn her back,—and that was foolish, for he told me not to turn -her while I was with her,—and she did nothing but spring like a bird and -out to sea and away. I promised Elin Gow in the morning if I did not -bring the cow to give him my head; and I offered it when I came, as I had -not the cow, but he said, ‘I will never take the head off a son of your -father, even for a greater loss.’ And for this reason I will never rest -nor delay till I go for Glas Gainach and bring her back to Elin Gow, or -lose my head; so make ready your best ship.” - -“The best ship,” said the king, “is the one that Elin Gow took.” - -The king’s son put provisions for a day and a year in the vessel. He set -sail alone and away with him through the main ocean, and he never stopped -till he reached the same place to which Elin Gow had sailed before. He -cast two anchors on the ocean side, and one next the shore, and left -the ship where there was no wind to blow on her, no waves of the ocean -to touch her, no crows of the air to drop on her. He went his way then, -and was walking always till evening, when he saw at a distance the finest -castle he had ever set eyes on. He went toward it; and when he was near, -he saw four champions at exercise near the castle. He was going on the -very same road that Elin Gow had taken, and was passing the same cottage, -when the old man saw him and hailed him. He turned toward the cottage. - -“Come to my house and rest,” said the old man. “From what country are -you, and what brought you?” - -“I am a son of the King of Munster in Erin; and now will you tell me what -place is this?” - -“You are in Spain, and the building beyond there is the king’s castle.” - -“Very well and good. It was to see the king that I left Erin,” said Cian. - -“It is for Glas Gainach that you are here, I suppose,” said the old man. -“It is useless for you to try; you never can bring her from the king. It -was a hundred times easier when Elin Gow brought her; it is not that way -now, but by force and bravery she is to be taken. It is a pity to have -you lose your head, like so many kings and champions.” - -“I must try,” said Cian; “for it was through me that Elin Gow lost Glas -Gainach. I wanted a sword to try my fortune, and there was not a smith in -Erin who could make it as I wanted except Elin Gow; he refused. I told -him that I would give my head if I did not bring the cow home to him in -safety. I followed her well till, on the way home, she went to drink near -the sea, and I went before her; that moment she sprang away like a bird, -and went out through the water.” - -“I am afraid,” said the old man, “that to get her is more than you can -do. You see those four men? You must fight and conquer them before you -get Glas Gainach.” - -The old man spread out the table-cloth, and they ate. - -“I care not,” said the king’s son, “what comes. I am willing to lose my -head unless I can bring back the cow.” - -“Well,” said the old man, “you can try.” - -Next morning breakfast was ready for Cian; he rose, washed his hands and -face, prayed for mercy and strength, ate, and going to the pole of combat -gave the greatest blow ever given before on it. - -“Run out,” said the king to the Tongue-speaker; “see who is abroad.” - -“What do you want?” asked the Tongue-speaker of Cian. - -“The king’s daughter and Glas Gainach,” said Cian. - -The speaker hurried in and told the king. The king went out and asked, -“Are you the man who wants my daughter and Glas Gainach?” - -“I am,” answered Cian. - -“You will get them if you earn them,” said the king. - -“If I do not earn them, I want neither the daughter nor the cow,” replied -Cian. - -The king ordered out then the four knights of valor to kill Cian. He was -as well trained as they, for he had been practising from his twelfth -year, and he was more active. They were at him all day, and he at them: -he did not let one blow from them touch his body; and if a man were to go -from the Eastern to the Western World to see champions, ’tis at them he -would have to look. At last, when Cian was hungry, and late evening near, -he sprang with the strength of his limbs out of the joints of his bones, -and rose above them, and swept the heads off the four before he touched -ground. - -The young champion was tired after the day, and went to the old man. The -old man asked, “What have you done?” - -“I have knocked the heads off the four champions of valor.” - -The old man was delighted that the first day had thriven in that way with -Cian. He looked at the sword. “Oh, there is no danger,” cried he; “you -have the best sword I have ever seen, and you’ll need it, for you’ll have -more forces against you to-morrow.” - -The old man and Cian spent the night in three parts,—the first part in -eating and drinking, the second in telling tales and singing songs, the -third in sound sleep. - -The old man told how he had been the champion of Spain, and at last when -he grew old the king gave him that house. - -Next morning Cian washed his face and hands, prayed for help and mercy, -ate breakfast with the old man, went to the pole of combat, and gave a -greater blow still than before. - -“What do you want this day?” asked the Tongue-speaker. - -“I want three hundred men on my right hand, three hundred on my left, -three hundred after my poll, three hundred out in front of me.” The king -sent the men out four deep through four gates. Cian went at them, and as -they came he struck the heads off them; and though they fought bravely, -in the evening he had the heads off the twelve hundred. Cian then left -the field, and went to the old man. - -“What have you done after the day?” asked the old man. - -“I have stretched the king’s forces.” - -“You’ll do well,” said the old man. - -The old champion put the cloth on the table, and there was food for a -king or a champion. They made three parts of that night,—the first for -eating and drinking, the second for telling tales and singing songs, the -third for sleep and sound rest. - -Next morning, Cian gave such a blow on the pole of combat that the king -in his chamber was frightened. - -“What do you want this time?” asked the Tongue-speaker. - -“I want the same number of men as yesterday.” - -The king sent the men out; and the same fate befell them as the other -twelve hundred, and Cian went home to the old man untouched. Next morning -Cian made small bits of the king’s pole of combat. - -“Well, what do you want?” asked the Tongue-speaker. - -“Whatever I want, I don’t want to be losing time. Let out all your forces -against me at once.” - -The king sent out all the forces he wished that morning. The battle was -more terrible than all the others put together; but Cian went through the -king’s forces, and at sunset not a man of them was living, and he let no -one nearer than the point of his sword. - -“How did the day thrive with you?” asked the old man when Cian came in. - -“I have killed all the king’s champions.” - -“I think,” said the old man, “that you have the last of his forces down -now; but what you have done is nothing to what is before you. The king -will come out and say to-morrow that you will not get the daughter with -Glas Gainach till you eat on one biscuit what butter there is in his -storehouses, and they are all full; you are to do this in the space of -four hours. He will give you the biscuit. Take this biscuit from me, and -do you hide the one that he will give you,—never mind it; put as much as -you will eat on this, and there’ll be no tidings of what butter there is -in the king’s stores within one hour,—it will vanish and disappear.” - -Cian was very glad when the old man told him what to do. They spent that -night as they had the nights before. Next morning Cian breakfasted, and -went to the castle. The king saw him coming, and was out before him. - -“What do you want this morning?” asked the king. - -“I want your daughter and Glas Gainach,” said Cian. - -“Well,” said the king, “you will not get my daughter and Glas Gainach -unless within four hours you eat on this biscuit what butter there is in -all my storehouses in Spain; and if you do not eat the butter, your head -will be on a spike this evening.” - -The king gave him the biscuit. Cian went to the first storehouse, dropped -the king’s biscuit into his pocket, took out the one the old man had -given him, buttered it, and began to eat. He went his way then, and in -one hour there was neither sign nor trace of butter in any storehouse the -king had. - -That night Cian and the old man passed the time in three parts as usual. -“You will have hard work to-morrow,” said the old man, “but I will tell -you how to do it. The king will say that you cannot have his daughter and -Glas Gainach unless within four hours you tan all the hides in Spain, -dry and green, and tan them as well as a hand’s breadth of leather that -he will give you. Here is a piece of leather like the piece the king -will give. Clap this on the first hide you come to; and all the hides -in Spain will be tanned in one hour, and be as soft and smooth as the -king’s piece.” - -Next morning the king saw Cian coming, and was out before him. “What do -you want now?” asked the king. - -“Your daughter and Glas Gainach,” said Cian. - -“You are not to get my daughter and Glas Gainach unless within four hours -you tan all the dry and green hides in Spain to be as soft and smooth as -this piece; and if you do not tan them, your head will be on one of the -spikes there behind my castle this evening.” - -Cian took the leather, dropped it into his pocket, and, taking the old -man’s piece, placed it on the first hide that he touched. In one hour all -the hides in Spain were tanned, and they were as soft and fine as the -piece which the king gave to Cian. - -The old man and Cian spent this night as they had the others. - -“You will have the hardest task of all to-morrow,” said the old man. - -“What is that?” asked the young champion. - -“The king’s daughter will come to a window in the highest chamber of -the castle with a ball in her hand: she will throw the ball through the -window, and you must catch it on your hurley, and keep it up during two -hours and a half; never let it touch the ground. There will be a hundred -champions striving to take the ball from you, but follow my advice. The -champions, not knowing where the ball will come down when the king’s -daughter throws it, will gather near the front of the castle; and if -either of them should get the ball, he might keep it and spoil you. Do -you stand far outside; you will have the best chance. I don’t know, -though, what you are to do, as you have no hurley, but wait. In my youth -I was great to play at hurley, and I never met a man that could match me. -The hurley I had then must be in this house somewhere.” - -The old man searched the house through, and where did he find the hurley -but up in the loft, and it full of dust; he brought it down. Cian swung -it, knocked the dust from the hurley, and it was as clean as when made. - -“It is glad I am to find this, for any other hurley in the kingdom would -not do you, but only this very one. This hurley has the virtue in it, and -only for that it would not do.” - -Both were very glad, and made three parts of that night, as they had of -the nights before. Next morning Cian rose, washed his hands and face, and -begged mercy and help of God for that day. - -After breakfast he went to the king’s castle, and soon many champions -came around him. The king was outside before him, and asked what he -wanted that day. - -“I want your daughter and Glas Gainach.” - -“You will not get my daughter and Glas Gainach till you do the work I’ll -give, and I’ll give you the toughest task ever put before you. At midday, -my daughter will throw out a ball through the window, and you must keep -that ball in the air for two hours and a half: it must never touch ground -in that time, and when the two hours and a half are spent, you must drive -it in through the same window through which it went out; if not, I will -have your head on a spike this evening.” - -“God help us!” said Cian. - -All the champions were together to see which man would get the ball -first; but Cian, thinking of the old man’s advice, stood outside them -all. At midday the king’s daughter sent out the ball through the highest -window; and to whom should it go but to Cian, and he had the luck of -getting it first. He drove the ball with his hurley, and for two hours -and a half he kept it in the air, and did not let another man touch it. -Then he gave it a directing blow, and sent it in through the window to -the king’s daughter. - -The king watched the ball closely; and when it went in, he ran to Cian, -shook his hand warmly, and never stopped till he took him to his -daughter’s high chamber. She kissed him with joy and great gladness. He -had done a thing that no other had ever done. - -“I have won the daughter and Glas Gainach from you now,” said Cian. - -“You have,” said the king; “and they are both yours. I give them with all -my heart. You have earned them well, and done what no other man could do. -I will give you one-half of the kingdom till my death, and all of it from -that out.” - -Cian and the king’s daughter were married. A great feast was made, and -a command given out that all people of the kingdom must come to the -wedding. Every one came; and the wedding lasted seven days and nights, to -the pleasure of all, and the greatest delight of the king. Cian remained -with the king; and after a time his wife had a son, the finest and -fairest child ever born in Spain, and he was increasing so that what of -him didn’t grow in the day grew in the night, and what did not grow in -the night grew in the day, and if the sun shone on any child, it shone on -that one. The boy was called Cormac after Cian’s father, Cormac Mac Art. - -Cian remained with the King of Spain till Cormac’s age was a year and -a half. Then he remembered his promise to Elin Gow to bring back Glas -Gainach. - -Cian put stores in the vessel in which he had come, and placed Glas -Gainach inside, firmly fettered. He gave then the stem of his ship to -the ocean, the stern to land, raised the limber sails; and there was the -work of a hundred men on each side, though Cian did the work all alone. -He sailed through the main ocean with safety till he came to Tramor,—the -best landing-place in Erin at that time. Glas Gainach was brought to -shore carefully, and Cian went on his way with her to go to Elin Gow’s -house at Cluainte. - -There was no highway from Tramor but the one; and on that one were three -brothers, three robbers, the worst at that time in Erin. These men knew -all kinds of magic, and had a rod of enchantment. Cian had brought much -gold with him on the way, coming as a present to his father. - -The three brothers stopped Cian, saluted him, and asked would he play a -game. He said that he would. They played, and toward evening the robbers -had the gold won; then they said to Cian, “Now bet the cow against the -gold you have lost, and we will put twice as much with it.” He laid the -cow as a wager, and lost her. - -One of the three robber brothers struck Cian with the rod of enchantment, -and made a stone pillar of him, and made an earth mound of Glas Gainach -with another blow. The two remained there, the man and the cow, by the -roadside. - -Cian’s son Cormac was growing to manhood in Spain, and heard his mother -and grandfather talk of his father, and he thought to himself, “There -was no man on earth that could fight with my father; and I promise now -to travel and be walking always till I find out the place where he is, -living or dead.” - -As Cormac had heard that his father was from Erin, to Erin he faced, -first of all. The mother was grieved, and advised him not to go -wandering. “Your father must be dead, or on the promise he made me he’d -be here long ago.” - -“There is no use in talking; the world will not stop me till I know what -has happened to my father,” said Cormac. - -The mother could not stop him; she gave her consent. He turned then to -his grandfather. “Make ready for me the best vessel you have,” said he. -The vessel was soon ready with provisions for a day and a year, and gold -two thousand pieces. He embarked, and went through the main ocean faster -than his father had gone till he sailed into Tramor. He was on his way -walking till he came to the robbers about midday. - -They saluted him kindly, thinking he had gold, and asked, “Will you play -a game with us?” - -“I will,” said Cormac; “I have never refused.” - -They played. The robbers gained, and let him gain; they were at him the -best of the day, till they won the last piece of gold of his two thousand -pieces. - -When he had lost what he had, he was like a wild man, and knew not what -to do for a while. At last Cormac said to himself, “It is an old saying -never contradicted that strength will get the upper hand of enchantment.” -He jumped then, and caught two of the three robbers, one in each hand, -and set them under his two knees. The third was coming to help the two; -but Cormac caught that one with his hand and held the three, kept them -there, and said, “I will knock the heads off every man of you.” - -“Do not do that,” begged the three. “Who are you? We will do what you ask -of us.” - -“I am seeking my father, Cian Mac Cormac, who left Spain eighteen years -ago with Glas Gainach.” - -“Spare us,” said the three brothers; “we will give back your gold and -raise up your father with Glas Gainach.” - -“How can ye do that,” asked Cormac, “or where is my father?” - -“He is that pillar there opposite.” - -“And where is Glas Gainach?” - -They showed him the earth mound. - -“How can ye bring them back to their own shapes?” asked Cormac. - -“We have a rod of enchantment,” said the brothers; and they told where -the rod was. When Cormac had a true account of the rod, what he did was -to draw out his sword and cut the heads off the three brothers, saying, -“Ye will never again rob any man who walks this way.” Cormac then found -the rod of enchantment, went to the pillar, gave it a blow, and his -father came forth as well and healthy as ever. - -“Who are you?” asked Cian of Cormac. - -“I am your son Cormac.” - -“Oh, my dear son, how old are you?” - -“I’m in my twentieth year,” said Cormac. “I heard my mother and -grandfather talk of your bravery, and I made up my mind to go in search -of you, and be walking always till I found you. I said I’d face Erin -first, for ’twas there you went with Glas Gainach. I landed this morning, -met these three robbers; they won all my gold. I was like a wild man. I -caught them, and swore I would kill them. They asked who was I; I told -them. They said you were the stone pillar; that they had a rod that would -raise you up with Glas Gainach. They told where the rod was. I took the -heads off them, and raised you with the rod.” - -Now Cormac struck the earth mound, and Glas Gainach rose up as well as -before. Everything was now in its own place, and they were glad. Cian -would not stop till he brought Glas Gainach to Elin Gow, so he was -walking night and day till he came here behind to Cluainte, where Elin -Gow was living. He screeched out Elin Gow’s name, told him to come. He -came out; and when he saw Cian and Glas Gainach he came near fainting -from joy. Cian put Glas Gainach’s horn in his hand, and said, “I wished -to keep the promise I made when you spared my head; and it was gentle of -you to spare it, for great was the loss that I caused you;” and he told -all that had happened,—how he had won and lost Glas Gainach, and lost her -through the robbers. - -“Who is this brave youthful champion with you?” asked Elin Gow. - -“This is my son, and but for him I’d be forever where the three robbers -put me. I was eighteen years where they left me; but for that, the cow -would have been with you long ago. What were you doing all this time?” -asked Cian of Elin Gow. - -“Making swords and weapons, but I could not have lived without the -support of your father.” - -“He promised me that,” said Cian, “before I left Erin. I knew that he -would help you.” - -“Oh, he did!” said Elin Gow. - -The father and son left good health with Elin Gow, and never stopped nor -stayed till they reached the castle of Cian’s father. The old king had -thought that Cian was dead, as he had received no account of him for so -many years. Great was his joy and gladness, and great was the feast that -he made. - -Cian remained for a month, and then went to the house of the robbers, -took out all its treasures, locked up the place in the way that no man -could open it; then he gave one-half his wealth to his father. He took -the rest to Spain with his son, and lived there. - -Elin Gow had grown old, and he was in dread that he had not the strength -to follow Glas Gainach, and sent a message to Caol na Crua, the fleetest -champion in Kerry. Caol came. Elin Gow agreed to pay him his price for -minding the cow, and was glad to get him. He told Caol carefully how to -herd the cow. She travelled as before, and was always at home before -nightfall. - -Glas Gainach had milk for all; and when any one came to milk her she -would stop, and there never was a vessel that she did not fill. One -woman heard this; and once when Glas Gainach was near a river, the woman -brought a sieve and began to milk. She milked a long time. At last the -cow saw the river white with milk; then she raised her leg, gave the -woman a kick on the forehead, and killed her. - -Caol na Crua was doing well, minding the cow all the time, till one -evening Glas Gainach walked between the two pillars where she used to -scratch herself; when she was full, her sides would touch both pillars. -This evening she bellowed, and Elin Gow heard her. Instead of going home -then, she went down to a place northwest of Cluainte, near a ruin; she -used to drink there at times, but not often. Caol na Crua did not know -this. He thought she was going into the sea, and caught her tail to hold -her back. With that, instead of drinking, she went straight toward the -water. Caol tried to hold her. She swept him along and went through the -ocean, he keeping the grip he had, and she going with such swiftness that -he was lying flat on the sea behind her; and she took him with her to -Spain and went to the king, and very joyful was the king, for they were -in great distress for butter while Glas Gainach was gone. - - - - -MOR’S SONS AND THE HERDER FROM UNDER THE SEA. - - -In old times, there was a great woman in the southwest of Erin, and she -was called Mor. This woman lived at Dun Quin; and when she came to that -place the first time with her husband Lear, she was very poor. People say -that it was by the water she came to Dun Quin. Whatever road she took, -all she had came by the sea, and went the same way. - -She built a small house, and their property was increasing little by -little. After a while she had three sons, and these grew to be very fine -boys and then strong young men. - -The two elder sons set out to try their fortunes; they got a vessel, -sailed away on the sea, and never stopped nor halted till they came to -the Kingdom of the White Strand, in the eastern world. There they stayed -for seven years, goaling and sporting with the people. - -The king of that country wished to keep them forever, because they were -strong men, and had risen to be great champions. - -The youngest son remained at home all the time, growing to be as good -a man as his brothers. One day he went out to look at a large field of -wheat which his mother had, and found it much injured. - -“Well, mother,” said he when he came in, “all our field is destroyed by -something. I don’t know for the world what is it. Something comes in, -tramples the grain and eats it.” - -“Watch the field to-night, my son, and see what is devouring our grain.” - -“Well, mother, boil something for me to eat to give me strength and good -luck for the night.” - -Mor baked a loaf, and boiled some meat for her son, and told him to watch -well till the hour of night, when perhaps the cattle would be before him. - -He was watching and looking there, till all at once, a little after -midnight, he saw the field full of cattle of different colors,—beautiful -colors, blue, and red, and white. He was looking at them for a long time, -they were so beautiful. The young man wanted to drive the beasts home -with him, to show his mother the cattle that were spoiling the grain. He -had them out of the field on the road when a herder stood before him, and -said, “Leave the cattle behind you.” - -“I will not,” said Mor’s son; “I will drive them home to my mother.” - -“I will not let them with you,” said the herder. - -“I’ll carry them in spite of you,” replied Mor’s son. - -He had a good strong green stick, and so had the herder; the two faced -each other, and began to fight. The herder was too strong for Mor’s son, -and he drove off the cattle into the sea. - -“Oh,” said the herder, as he was going, “your mother did not boil your -meat or bake your loaf rightly last night; she gave too much fire to the -loaf and the meat, took the strength out of them. You might do something -if your mother knew how to cook.” - -When Mor’s son went home, his mother asked, “Did you see any cattle, my -son?” - -“I did, mother; the field was full of them. And when I was bringing the -herd home with me to show you, a man stood there on the road to take the -beasts from me; we fought, and when he beat me and was driving the cattle -into the sea, what did he say but that you boiled the meat and baked the -loaf too much last night. To-night, when you boil my meat, do not give it -half the fire; leave all the strength in the meat and the loaf.” - -“I will,” said the mother. - -When night came, the dinner was ready. The young man ate twice as much -of the meat and the loaf as the evening before. About the same hour, -just after midnight, he went to the field, for he knew now what time the -cattle would be in it. The field was full of the same cattle of beautiful -colors. - -Mor’s son drove the beasts out, and was going to drive them home, when -the herder, who was not visible hitherto, came before him and said, “I -will not let the cattle with you.” - -“I will take them in spite of you,” replied Mor’s son. - -The two began to fight, and Mor’s son was stronger this time. - -“Why do you not keep your cattle out of my wheat?” asked he of the herder. - -“Because I know very well that you are not able to take them with you.” - -“If I am not able to take the cattle, you may have them and the wheat as -well,” said Mor’s son. - -The herder was driving the cattle one way, and Mor’s son was driving them -the opposite way; and after they had done that for a while, they faced -each other and began to fight again. - -Mor’s son was doubly angry at the herder this night for the short -answers that he gave. They fought two hours; then the herder got the -upper hand. Mor’s son was sorry; and the herder, as he drove the cattle -to the sea, called out, “Your mother gave too much fire to the meat and -the loaf; still you are stronger to-night than you were last night.” - -Mor’s son went home. - -“Well, my son,” asked the mother, “have you any news of the cattle and -the herder?” - -“I have seen them, mother.” - -“And what did the herder do?” - -“He was too strong for me a second time, and drove the cattle into the -sea.” - -“What are we to do now?” asked the mother. “If he keeps on in this way, -we’ll soon be poor, and must leave the country altogether.” - -“The herder said, as he drove the cattle away, ‘Your mother gave too much -fire to the meat and the loaf; still you are stronger to-night than you -were last night.’ Well, mother, if you gave too much fire to my dinner -last night, give but little to-night, and I will leave my life outside or -have the cattle home with me this time. If I do not beat him, he may have -the wheat as well as the cattle after to-night.” - -Mor prepared the dinner; and this time she barely let the water on the -meat begin to bubble, and to the bread she gave but one roast. - -He ate and drank twice as much as the day before. The dinner gave him -such strength that he said, “I’ll bring the cattle to-night.” - -He went to the field, and soon after midnight it was full of cattle of -the same beautiful colors; the grain was spoiled altogether. He drove -the cattle to the road, and thought he had them. He got no sight of the -herder till every beast was outside the field, and he ready to drive them -home to his mother. Then the herder stood before him, and began to drive -the cattle toward the sea. - -“You’ll not take them this time,” said Mor’s son. - -“I will,” said the herder. - -They began to fight, caught each other, dragged, and struggled long, and -in the heel of the battle Mor’s son was getting the better of the herder. - -“I think that you’ll have the upper hand of me this time,” said the -herder; “and ’tis my own advice I blame for it. You’ll take the cattle -to-night in spite of me. Let me go now, and take them away with you.” - -“I will,” said Mor’s son. “I will take them to the house, and please my -mother.” - -He drove the cattle home, and said to his mother, “I have the cattle here -now for you, and do whatever you wish with them.” - -The herder followed Mor’s son to the house. - -“Why did you destroy all my grain with your cattle?” asked Mor. - -“Let the cattle go with me now, and I promise that after to-night your -field of wheat will be the best in the country.” - -“What are we to do?” asked Mor of the son. “Is it to let the cattle go -with him for the promise he gives?” - -“I will do what you say, mother.” - -“We will give him the cattle,” said Mor. - -“Well,” said the son to the herder, “my mother is going to give you the -cattle for the promise that our grain will be the best in the country -when ’tis reaped. We ought to be friends after the fighting; and now take -your cattle home with you, though you vexed and hurt me badly.” - -“I am very grateful to you,” said the herder to Mor’s son, “and for your -kindness you will have plenty of cattle and plenty of wheat before you -die, and seeing that you are such a good man I will give you a chance -before I leave you. The King of Mayo has an only daughter; the fairies -will take her from him to-morrow. They will bring her through Daingean, -on the shoulders of four men, to the fairy fort at Cnoc na Hown. Be at -the cross-roads about two o’clock to-morrow night. Jump up quickly, put -your shoulder under the coffin, the four men will disappear and leave the -coffin on the road; do you bring what’s in the coffin home with you.” - -Mor’s son followed the herder’s directions. He went toward Daingean in -the night, for he knew the road very well. After midnight, he was at -the cross-roads, waiting and hidden. Soon he saw the coffin coming out -against him, and the four men carrying it on their shoulders. - -The young man put his shoulder under the coffin; the four dropped it that -minute, and disappeared. Mor’s son took the lid off the coffin; and what -did he find lying inside but a beautiful woman, warm and ruddy, sleeping -as if at home in her bed. He took out the young woman, knowing well that -she was alive, and placing her on his back, left the coffin behind at the -wayside. - -The woman could neither walk nor speak, and he brought her home to his -mother. Mor opened the door, and he put the young woman down in the -corner. - -“What’s this you brought me? What do I want with the like of her in the -house?” - -“Never mind, mother; it may be our luck that will come with her.” - -They gave her every kind of drink and nourishing food, for she was very -weak; when daylight came, she was growing stronger, and could speak. The -first words she said were, “I am no good to you in the way that I am now; -but if you are a brave man, you will meet with your luck to-morrow night. -All the fairies will be gathered at a feast in the fort at Cnoc na Hown; -there will be a horn of drink on the table. If you bring that horn, and I -get three sips from it (if you have the heart of a brave man you will go -to the fort, seize the horn, and bring it here), I shall be as well and -strong as ever, and you will be as rich yourself as any king in Erin.” - -“I have stood in great danger before from the like of them,” replied -Mor’s son. “I will make a trial of this work, too.” - -“Between one and two o’clock in the night you must go to the fort,” said -the young woman, “and you must carry a stick of green rowan wood in your -hand.” - -The young man went to the fairy fort, keeping the stick carefully and -firmly in his hand. At parting, the young woman warned him, saying, “They -can do you no harm in the world while you have the stick, but without the -stick there is no telling what they might do.” - -When Mor’s son came to Cnoc na Hown, and went in through the gate of the -fairy fort, he saw a house and saw many lights flashing in different -places. In the kitchen was a great table with all sorts of food and -drink, and around it a crowd of small men. When he was making toward the -table, he heard one of the men say,— - -“Very little good will the girl be to Mor’s son. He may keep her in the -corner by his mother. There will be neither health nor strength in her; -but if she had three drinks out of this horn on the table here, she would -be as well as ever.” - -He faced them then, and, catching the horn, said, “She will not be long -without the drink!” - -All the little men looked at one another as he hurried through the door -and disappeared. He had the stick, and they could not help themselves; -but all began to scold one another for not having the courage to seize -him and take the horn from him. - -Mor’s son reached home with the horn. “Well, mother,” said he, “we have -the cure now;” and he didn’t put the horn down till the young woman had -taken three drinks out of it, and then she said,— - -“You are the best champion ever born in Erin, and now take the horn back -to Cnoc na Hown; I am as well and hearty as ever.” - -He took the horn back to the fairy fort, placed it on the table, and -hurried home. The fairies looked at one another, but not a thing could -they do, for the stick was in his hand yet. - -“The woman is as well as ever now,” said one of the fairies when Mor’s -son had gone, “and we have lost her;” and they began to scold one another -for letting the horn go with him. But that was all the good it did them; -the young woman was cured. - -Next day the young woman said to Mor’s son, “I am well now, and I will -give you a token to take to my father and mother in Mayo.” - -“I will not take the token,” said he; “I will go and seek out your -father, and bring back some token to you first.” - -He went away, searched and inquired till he made out the king’s castle; -and when he was there, he went around all the cattle and went away home -to his mother at Tivorye with every four-footed beast that belonged to -the king. - -“Well, mother,” said he, “it is the luck we have now; and we’ll have the -whole parish under stock from this out.” - -The young woman was not satisfied yet, and said, “You must go and carry a -token to my father and mother.” - -“Wait awhile, and be quiet,” answered Mor’s son. “Your father will send -herders to hunt for the stock, and these men will have token enough when -they come.” - -Well, sure enough, the king’s men hunted over hills and valleys, found -that the cattle had been one day in such a place and another day in -another place; and they followed on till at length and at last they came -near Mor’s house, and there they saw the cattle grazing above on the -mountain. - -There was no house in Dun Quin at that time but Mor’s house, and there -was not another in it for many a year after. - -“We will send a man down to that house,” said the herders, “to know can -we get any account of what great champion it was that brought the cattle -all this distance.” - -What did the man see when he came near the house but his own king’s -daughter. He knew the young woman, and was struck dumb when he saw her, -and she buried two months before at her father’s castle in Mayo. He had -no power to say a word, he forgot where he was, or why he was sent. At -last he turned, ran up to the men above on the mountain, and said, “The -king’s daughter is living below in that house.” - -The herders would not believe a word he said, but at last three other men -went down to see for themselves. They knew the king’s daughter, and were -frightened; but they had more courage, and after a while asked, “Where is -the man that brought the cattle?” - -“He is sleeping,” said the king’s daughter. “He is tired after the long -journey; if you wish, I will wake him.” - -She woke Mor’s son, and he came out. - -“What brought you here?” asked he of the men. - -“We came looking for our master’s cattle; they are above on the mountain, -driven to this place by you, as it seems. We have travelled hither and -over till we found them.” - -“Go and tell your master,” said Mor’s son, “that I brought the cattle; -that Lear is my father, and Mor is my mother, and that I have his -daughter here with me.” - -“There is no use in sending them with that message,” said the young -woman; “my father would not believe them.” - -“Tell your master,” said Mor’s son, “that it is I who brought the cattle, -and that I have his daughter here in good health, and ’tis by my bravery -that I saved her.” - -“If they go to my father with that message, he will kill them. I will -give them a token for him.” - -“What token will you give?” - -“I will give them this ring with my name and my father’s name and my -mother’s name written inside on it. Do not give the ring,” said she to -the men, “till ye tell my father all ye have seen; if he will not believe -you, then give the ring.” - -Away went the men, and not a foot of the cattle did they take; and if all -the men in Mayo had come, Mor’s son would not have let the cattle go with -them, for he had risen to be the best champion in Erin. The men went home -by the straightest roads; and they were not half the time going to the -king’s castle that they were in finding the cattle. - -On the way home, one man said to the others, “It is a great story we have -and good news to tell; the king will make rich men of us for the tidings -we are taking him.” - -When they reached the king’s castle, there was a welcome before them. - -“Have ye any news for me after the long journey?” asked the king. - -“We found your daughter with a man in Tivorye in the southwest of Erin, -and all your cattle are with the same man.” - -“Ye may have found my cattle, but ye could not get a sight of my -daughter.” - -“If you do not believe us in this way, you will, in another. We may as -well tell you all.” - -“Ye may as well keep silent. I’ll not believe a word of what ye say about -my daughter.” - -“I will give you a token from your daughter,” said one of the men, -pulling out a purse. He had the purse rolled carefully in linen. (And he -did well, for the fairies cannot touch linen, and it is the best guard in -the world against them. Linen thread, too, is strong against the fairies. -A man might travel all the fairy forts of the world if he had a skein of -flax thread around his neck, and a steel knife with a black handle in his -pocket.) He took out the ring, and gave it to the king. The king sent for -the queen. She came. He put the ring in her hand and said, “Look at this, -and see do you know it.” - -“I do indeed,” said she; “and how did you come by this ring?” - -The king told the whole story that the men had brought. - -“This is our daughter’s ring. It was on her finger when we buried her,” -said the queen. - -“It was,” said the king, “and what the men say must be true.” He would -have killed them but for the ring. - -On the following morning, the king and queen set out with horses, and -never stopped till they came to Tivorye (Mor’s house). The king knew the -cattle the moment he saw them above on the mountain, and then he was -sure of the rest. They were sorry to find the daughter in such a small -cabin, but glad that she was alive. The guide was sent to the house to -say the king and queen were coming. - -“Your father and mother are coming,” said he to the king’s daughter. - -She made ready, and was standing in the door before them. The father and -mother felt weak and faint when they looked at her; but she ran out, -took them by the hands, and said, “Have courage; I am alive and well, no -ghost, and ye ought to thank the man who brought me away from my enemies.” - -“Bring him to us,” said they; “we wish to see him.” - -“He is asleep, but I will wake him.” - -“Wake him,” said the father, “for he is the man we wish to see now.” - -The king’s daughter roused Mor’s son, and said, “My father and mother are -above in the kitchen. Go quickly, and welcome them.” - -He welcomed them heartily, and he was ten times gladder to see them than -they were to see him. They inquired then how he got the daughter, and -she buried at home two months before. And he told the whole story from -first to last: How the herder from the sea had told him, and how he had -saved her at Cnoc na Hown. They had a joyful night in the cabin after the -long journey, and anything that would be in any king’s castle they had -in Mor’s house that night, for the king had plenty of everything with -him from the castle. Next morning the king and queen were for taking the -daughter home with them; but she refused firmly, and said,— - -“I will never leave the man who saved me from such straits. I’ll never -marry any man but him, for I’m sure that he is the best hero ever reared -in Erin, after the courage that he has shown.” - -“We will never carry you away, since you like him so well; and we will -send him twice as many cattle, and money besides.” - -They brought in the priest of whatever religion was in it at the time (to -be sure, it was not Catholic priests were in Erin in those days), and -Mor’s son and the king’s daughter were married. The father and mother -left her behind in Tivorye, and enjoyed themselves on the way home, they -were that glad after finding the daughter alive. - -When Mor’s son was strong and rich, he could not be satisfied till he -found his two brothers, who had left home years before, and were in the -kingdom of the White Strand, though he did not know it. He made up a fine -ship then, and got provisions for a day and a year, went into it, set -sail, and went on over the wide ocean till he came to the chief port of -the King of the White Strand. He was seven days on the water; and when he -came in on the strand, the king saw him, and thought that he must be a -brave man to come alone on a ship to that kingdom. - -“That must be a great hero,” said he to his men. “Let some of the best of -you go down and knock a trial out of him before he comes to the castle.” - -The king was so in dread of the stranger that out of all the men he -selected Mor’s two elder sons. They were the best and strongest men he -had, and he sent them to know what activity was in the new-comer. They -took two hurleys for themselves and one for the stranger, and a ball. - -The second brother challenged the stranger to play. When the day was -closing, the stranger was getting the upper hand. They invited him to the -king’s castle for the night, and the elder brother challenged him to play -a game on the following day. - -“How did the trial turn out?” asked the king of the elder brother. - -“I sent my brother to try him, and it was the strange champion that got -the upper hand.” - -Mor’s son remained at the castle that night, and found good welcome and -cheer. He ate breakfast next morning, and a good breakfast it was. They -took three hurleys then and a ball, and went to the strand. Said the -eldest brother to the second, “Stop here and look at us, and see what the -trial will be between us.” - -They gave the stranger a choice of the hurleys, and the game began. It -couldn’t be told who was the better of the two brothers. The king was in -dread that the stranger would injure himself and his men. In the middle -of the day, when it could not be determined who was the better man, the -elder brother said, “We will try wrestling now, to know which of us can -win that way.” - -“I’m well satisfied,” said Mor’s son. - -They began to wrestle. The elder brother gave Mor’s son several knocks, -and he made several turns on the elder. - -“Well, if I live,” said the elder, “you are my brother; for when we used -to wrestle at home, I had the knocks, and you had the turns. You are my -younger brother, for no man was able to wrestle with me when I was at -Tivorye but you.” - -They knew each other then, and embraced. Each told his story. - -“Come home with me now,” said the youngest brother, “and see our mother. -I am as rich as any king, and can give you good entertainment.” - -The three went to the King of the White Strand, and told him everything. -The eldest and second brother asked leave of him to go home to see their -father and mother. The king gave them leave, and filled their vessel with -every kind of good food, and the two promised to come back. - -The three brothers set sail then, and after seven days came in on the -strand near Tivorye. The two found their brother richer than any king -in any country. They were enjoying themselves at home for a long time, -having everything that their hearts could wish, when one day above -another they saw a vessel passing Dun Quin, and it drew up at the quay in -Daingean harbor. Next day people went to the ship; but if they did, not a -man went on board, for no man was allowed to go. - -There was a green cat on deck. The cat was master of the vessel, and -would not let a soul come near it. A report went out through the town -that the green cat would allow no one to go near the ship, and for three -weeks this report was spreading. No one was seen on the vessel but the -cat, and he the size of a big man. - -Mor’s sons heard of the ship and the green cat at Daingean, and they -said, “Let us have a day’s pleasure, and go to the ship and see the cat.” - -Mor bade them stay at home. “Don’t mind the ship or the cat,” said she, -“and follow my advice.” But the sons would not follow her advice, nor be -said by her, and away they went, in spite of all she could do. - -When the cat saw them coming, he knew very well who were in it. He jumped -out on the shore, stood on two legs, and shook hands with the three -brothers. He was as tall himself as the largest man, and as friendly as -he could be. The three brothers were glad to receive an honor which no -one else could get. - -“Come down now to the cabin and have a trial of my cooking,” said the cat. - -He brought them to the cabin, and the finest dinner was on the table -before them,—meat and drink as good as ever they tasted either in Tivorye -or the kingdom of the White Strand. - -When the cat had them below in the cabin, and they eating and drinking -with great pleasure and delight, he went on deck, screwed down the -hatches, raised the sails, and away went the vessel sailing out of the -harbor; and before the three brothers knew where they were, the ship was -miles out on the ocean, and they thought they were eating dinner at the -side of the quay in Daingean. - -“We’ll go up now,” said they when their dinner was eaten, “thank the cat, -and go on shore for ourselves.” - -When on deck, they saw water on all sides, and did not know in the world -where they were. The cat never stopped till he sailed to his own kingdom, -which was the kingdom of the White Strand, for who should the cat be but -the King of the White Strand. He had come for the two brothers himself, -for he knew that they would never come of their own will, and he could -not trust another to go for them. The king needed them, for they were the -best men he had. In getting back the two, he took the third, and Mor was -left without any son. - -Mor heard in the evening that the ship was gone, and her own three sons -inside in it. - -“This is my misfortune,” cried she. “After rearing my three sons, they -are gone from me in this way.” She began to cry and lament then, and to -screech wonderfully. - -Mor never knew who the cat was, or what became of her sons. The wife of -Mor’s youngest son went away to her father in Mayo, and everything she -had went with her. Mor’s husband, Lear, had died long before, and was -buried at Dunmore Head. His grave is there to this day. Mor became half -demented, and died soon after. - -If women are scolding at the present time, it happens often that one says -to another, “May your children go from you as Mor’s sons went with the -enchanted cat!” - - - - -SAUDAN OG AND THE DAUGHTER OF THE KING OF SPAIN; YOUNG CONAL AND THE -YELLOW KING’S DAUGHTER. - - -Ri Na Durkach (the King of the Turks) lived many years in Erin, where he -had one son, Saudan Og. When this son grew up to be twenty years old, he -was a prince whose equal was hard to be found. - -The old king was anxious to find a king’s daughter as wife for his son, -and began to inquire of all wayfarers, rich and poor, high and low, where -was there a king’s daughter fit for his son, but no one could tell him. - -At last the king called his old druid. “Do you know,” asked he, “where to -find a king’s daughter for Saudan Og?” - -“I do not,” said the druid; “but do you order your guards to stop all -people passing your castle, and inquire of them where such a woman may -be.” - -As the druid advised, the king commanded; but no man made him a bit the -wiser. - -A year later, an old ship captain walked the way, and the guards brought -him to the king. - -“Do you know where a fitting wife for my son might be found?” asked the -king. - -“I do,” said the captain; “but my advice to you, and it may be a good -one, is to seek a wife for your son in the land where he was born, and -not go abroad for her. You can find plenty of good women in Erin.” - -“Well,” said the king, “tell me first who is the woman you have in mind.” - -“If you must know,” said the old captain, “the daughter of the King of -Spain is the woman.” - -Straightway the king had a notice put up on the high-road to bring no -more tidings to the castle, as he had no need of them. - -When Saudan Og saw this notice, he knew that his father had the tidings, -but would not give them. Next morning he went to the father and begged -him to tell. “I know,” said he, “that the old captain told you.” - -The king would say nothing for he feared that his son might fall into -trouble. - -“I will start to-morrow,” said Saudan Og at last, “in search of the -woman; and if I do not find her, I will never come back to you, so it is -better to tell me at once.” - -“The daughter of the King of Spain is the woman,” said the father; “but -if you take my advice, you’ll stay at home.” - -On the following day, Saudan Og dressed himself splendidly, mounted a -white steed, and rode away, overtaking the wind before him; but the wind -behind could not overtake him. He travelled all that was dry of Erin, and -came to the seashore; so he had nowhere else to travel on land, unless he -went back to his father. He turned toward a wood then, and saw a great -ash-tree: he grasped the tree, and tore it out with its roots; and, -stripping the earth from the roots, he threw the great ash into the sea. -Leaving the steed behind him, he sat on the tree, and never stopped nor -stayed till he came to Spain. When he landed, he sent word to the king -that Saudan Og wished to see him. - -The answer that Saudan got was not to come till the king had his castle -prepared to receive such a great champion. - -When the castle was ready, the King of Spain sent a bellman to give -notice that every man, woman, or child found asleep within seven days -and nights would lose their heads, for all must sing, dance, and enjoy -themselves in honor of the high guest. - -The king feasted Saudan Og for seven days and nights, and never asked -him where was he going or what was his business. On the evening of the -seventh day, Saudan said to the king, “You do not ask me what brought me -this way, or what is my business.” - -“Were you to stay twenty years I would not ask. I’m not surprised that a -prince of your blood and in full youthful beauty should travel the world -to see what is in it.” - -“It was not to see the world that I came,” said Saudan Og, “but hearing -that you have a beautiful daughter, I wished her for wife; and if I do -not get her with your consent, I will take her in spite of you.” - -“You would get my daughter with a hundred thousand welcomes,” said the -king; “but as you have boasted, you must show action.” - -The king then sent a messenger to three kings—to Ri Fohin, Ri Laian, -and Conal Gulban—to help him. “If you will not come,” said he, “I am -destroyed, for Saudan Og will take my daughter in spite of me.” - -The kings made ready to sail for Spain. When Conal Gulban was going, he -called up his three sons and said, “Stay here and care for the kingdom -while I am gone.” - -“I will not stay,” said the eldest son. “You are old and feeble: I am -young and strong; let me go in place of you.” - -The second son gave a like answer. The youngest had his father’s name, -Conal, and the king said to him, “Stay here at home and care for the -kingdom while I am gone, since your brothers will not obey me.” - -“I will do what you bid me,” said Conal. - -“Now I am going,” said the old king; “and if I and your brothers never -return, be not bribed by the rich to injure the poor. Do justice to all, -so that rich and poor may love you as they loved your father before you.” - -He left young Conal twelve advisers, and said, “If we do not return in -a day and a year, be sure that we are killed; you may then do as you -like in the kingdom. If your twelve advisers tell you to marry a king’s -daughter of wealth and high rank, it will be of help to you in defending -the kingdom. You will be two powers instead of one.” - -The day and the year passed, and no tidings came of Conal’s two brothers -and father. At the end of the day and the year, the twelve told him they -had chosen a king’s daughter for him, a very beautiful maiden. When the -twelve spoke of marriage, Conal let three screeches out of him, that -drove stones from the walls of old buildings for miles around the castle. - -Now an old druid that his father had twenty years before heard the three -screeches, and said, “Young Conal is in great trouble. I will go to him -to know can I help him.” - -The druid cleared a mountain at a leap, a valley at a hop, twelve miles -at a running leap, so that he passed hills, dales, and valleys; and in -the evening of the same day, he struck his back against the kitchen door -of Conal’s castle just as the sun was setting. - -When the druid came to the castle, young Conal was out in the garden -thinking to himself, “My father and brothers are in Spain; perhaps they -are killed.” The dew was beginning to fall, so he turned to go, and -saw the old man at the door. The druid was the first to speak; but not -knowing Conal, he said,— - -“Who are you coming here to trouble the child? It would be fitter for you -to stay in your own place than to be trying to wake young Conal with your -screeches.” - -“Are you,” asked Conal, “the druid that my father had here years ago?” - -“I am that old druid; but are you little Conal?” - -“I am,” said Conal, and he gave the druid a hundred thousand welcomes. - -“I was in the north of Erin,” said the druid, “when I heard the three -screeches, and I knew that some one was troubling you, and your father -in a foreign land. My heart was grieved, and I came hither in haste. I -hear that your twelve advisers have chosen a princess, and that you are -to marry to-morrow. Put out of your head the thought of that princess; -she is not your equal in rank or power. Be advised by me, as your father -was. The right wife for you is the daughter of the Yellow King, Haughty -and Strong. If the king will not give her, take her by force, as your -fathers before you took their queens.” - -Conal was roused on the following morning by his advisers, who said, -“Make ready and go with us to the king’s daughter we have chosen.” - -He mounted his steed, and rode away with the twelve till they came to -a cross-road. The twelve wished to turn to one side; and when Conal -saw this, he put spurs to his horse, took the straight road, and never -stopped till he put seven miles between himself and the twelve. Then he -turned, hurried back to the cross-road, came up to the adviser whom he -liked best, and, giving him the keys of the castle, said,— - -“Go back and rule till I or my father or brothers return. I give you the -advice that I myself got: Never let the poor blame you for taking bribes -from the rich; live justly, and do good to the poor, that the rich and -the poor may like you. If you twelve had not advised me to marry, I might -be going around with a ball and a hurley, as befits my age; but now I -will go out in the world and seek my own fortune.” - -He took farewell of them then, and set his face toward the Yellow King’s -castle. A long time before it was prophesied that young Conal, son of -Gulban, would cut the head off the Yellow King, so seven great walls -had been built around the castle, and a gate to each wall. At the first -gate, there were seven hundred blind men to obstruct the entrance; at the -second, seven hundred deaf men; at the third, seven hundred cripples; at -the fourth, seven hundred sensible women; at the fifth, seven hundred -idiots; at the sixth, seven hundred people of small account; at the -seventh, the seven hundred best champions that the Yellow King had in his -service. - -All these walls and defenders were there to prevent any man from taking -the Yellow King’s daughter; for it had been predicted that the man who -would marry the daughter would take the king’s head, and that this man -would be Conal, son of Conal Gulban. - -The only sleep that the guards at the seven gates had was half an hour -before sunrise and half an hour after sunset. During these two half -hours, a plover stood on the top of each gate; and if any one came, the -bird would scream, and wake all the people in one instant. - -The Yellow King’s daughter was in the highest story of the castle, and -twelve waiting-maids serving her. She was so closely confined that she -looked on herself as a prisoner; so one morning early she said to the -twelve maids, “I am confined here as a criminal,—I am never free even -to walk in the garden; and I wish in my heart that some powerful young -king’s son would come the way to me. I would fly off with him, and no -blood would be shed for me.” - -It was about this time that young Conal came, and, seeing all asleep, -put spurs to his steed, and cleared the walls at a bound. If the birds -called out, he had the gates cleared and was in before the champions were -roused; and when he was inside, they did not attack him. - -He let his horse out to graze near the castle, where he saw three poles, -and on each one of two of them a skull. - -“These are the heads of two king’s sons who came to win the Yellow King’s -daughter,” thought Conal, “and I suppose mine will be the third head; but -if I die, I shall have company.” - -At this time the twelve waiting-maids cast lots to know who was to walk -in the yard, and see if a champion had come who was worthy of the -princess. The maid on whom the lot fell came back in a hurry, saying, “I -have seen the finest man that I ever laid eyes on. He is beautiful, but -slender and young yet. If there is a man born for you, it is that one.” - -“Go again,” said the Yellow King’s daughter, “and face him. Do not speak -to him for your life till he speaks to you; say then that I sent you, and -that he is to come under my window.” - -The maid went and crossed Conal’s path three times, but he spoke not; she -crossed a fourth time, and he said, “I suppose it is not for good that -you cross my path so early?” - -(It is thought unlucky to meet a woman first in the morning.) - -“My mistress wishes you to go under her window.” - -Conal went under the window; and the king’s daughter, looking down, fell -deeply in love with him. “I am too high, and you are too low,” said the -Yellow King’s daughter. “If we speak, people will hear us all over the -castle; but I’ll take some golden cord, and try can I draw you up to me, -that we may speak a few words to each other.” - -“It would be a poor case for me,” said young Conal, “to wait till you -could tie strings together to raise me.” He stuck his sword in the earth -then, and, making one bound, went in at the window. The princess embraced -him and kissed him; she knew not what to give him to eat or to drink, or -what would please him most. - -“Have you seen the people at the seven gates?” asked the Yellow King’s -daughter. - -“I have,” answered Conal. - -“They are all awake now, and I will go down and walk through the gates -with you; seeing me, the guards will not stop us.” - -“I will not do that. It will never be said of young Conal of Erin that he -stole his wife from her father. I will win you with strength, or not have -you.” - -“I’m afraid there is too much against you,” said the Yellow King’s -daughter. - -These words enraged Conal, and, making one bound through the window, he -went to the pole of combat, and struck a blow that roused the old hag in -the eastern world, and shook the castle with all the land around it. The -Yellow King was sleeping at the time; the shake that he got threw him out -of his bed. He fell to the floor with such force that a great lump came -out on his forehead; he was so frightened that he said to the old druid -who ran in to help him, “Many a year have I lived without hearing the -like of that blow. There must be a great champion outside the castle.” - -The guard was sent to see if any one was left alive near the castle. -“For,” said the king, “such a champion must have killed all the people at -the gates.” The guard went, saw no one dead, but every one living, and a -champion walking around, sword in hand. - -The guard hurried back, and said to the king, “There is a champion in -front of the castle, handsome, but slender and young.” - -“Go to him,” said the king, “and ask how many men does he want for the -combat.” The guard went out and asked. - -“I want seven hundred at my right hand, seven hundred at my left, seven -hundred behind me, and as many as all these out in front of me. Let them -come four deep through the gates: do you take no part in this battle; if -I am victorious, I will see you rewarded.” - -The guard told the king how many men the champion demanded. Before the -king opened the gates for his men, he said to the chief of them, “This -youth must be mad, or a very great champion. Before I let my men out, I -must see him.” - -The king walked out to young Conal, and saluted him. Conal returned the -salute. “Are you the champion who ordered out all these men of mine?” -asked the king. - -“I am,” said young Conal. - -“There is not one among them who would not kill a dozen like you,” said -the king. “Your bones are soft and young. It is better for you to go out -as you came in.” - -“You need not mind what will happen me,” answered Conal. “Let out the -men; the more the men, the quicker the work. If one man would kill me in -a short time, many will do it in less time.” - -The men were let out, and Conal went through them as a hawk goes through -a flock of birds; and when one man fell before him, he knocked the next -man, and had his head off. At sunset every head was cut from its body. -Next he made a heap of the bodies, a heap of the heads, and a heap of -the weapons. Young Conal then stretched himself on the grass, cut and -bruised, his clothes in small pieces from the blows that had struck him. - -“It is a hard thing,” said Conal, “for me to have fought such a battle, -and to lie here dying without one glimpse of the woman I love; could I -see her even once, I would be satisfied.” - -Crawling on his hands and knees, he dragged himself to the window to tell -her it was for her he was dying. The princess saw him, and told him to -lie there till she could draw him up to her and care for him. - -“It is a hard thing if I have to wait here till strings and cords are -fastened together to raise me,” said he, and, making one bound from where -he was lying on the flat of his back, he went up to her window; she -snatched at him, and pulled him into the chamber. - -There was a magic well in the castle; the Yellow King’s daughter bathed -him in the water of it, and he was made whole and sound as before he went -to battle. “Now,” said she, “you must fly with me from this castle.” - -“I will not go while there is anything that may be cast on my honor in -time to come,” answered Conal. - -Next day he struck the pole of combat with double the force of the first -time, so that the king got a staggering fit from the shock that it gave -him. - -The Yellow King had no forces now but the deaf, the blind, the cripples, -the sensible women, the idiots, and the people of small account. So out -went the king in his own person. He and young Conal made the hills, -dales, and valleys tremble, and clear spring wells to rise out of hard, -gravelly places. Thus they fought for three days and two nights. On the -evening of the third day, the king asked Conal for a time to rest and -take food and drink. - -“I have never begun any work,” said Conal, “without finishing it. Fight -to the end, then you can rest as long as you like.” - -So they went at it again, and fought seven days and seven nights without -food, drink, or rest, and each trying to get the advantage of the other. -On the seventh evening, Conal swept the head off the king with one blow. - -“’Tis your own skull that will be on the pole in place of mine, and I’ll -have the daughter,” said Conal. - -The Yellow King’s daughter came down and asked, “Will you go with me now, -or will you take the kingdom?” - -“I will go,” answered Conal. - -“You did not go to the battle?” asked Conal of the guard. - -“I did not.” - -“Well for you that you did not. Now,” said Conal to the princess, -“whomever of the maids you like best, the guard may marry, and they will -care for this kingdom till we return.” - -The guard and maid were married, and put in charge of the kingdom. The -following morning young Conal got his steed ready and set out for home -with the princess. As they were riding along near the foot of a mountain, -Conal grew very sleepy, and said to the princess, “I’ll go down now and -take a sleep.” - -The place was lonely,—hardly two houses in twenty miles. The Yellow -King’s daughter advised Conal: “Take me to some habitation and sleep -there; this place is too wild.” - -“I cannot wait,—I’m too drowsy and weary after the long battle; but if -I might sleep a little, I could fight for seven days and seven nights -again.” He dismounted, and she sat on a green mossy bank. Putting his -head on her lap, he fell asleep, and his steed went away on the mountain -side grazing. - -Conal had slept for three days and two nights with his head in the lap -of the Yellow King’s daughter, when on the evening of the third day the -princess saw the largest man she had ever set eyes on, walking toward -her through the sea and a basket on his back. The sea did not reach to -his knees; a shield could not pass between his head and the sky. This -was the High King of the World. This big man faced up to where Conal and -his bride were; and, taking the tips of her fingers, he kissed her three -times. “Bad luck to me,” said the King of the World, “if the young woman -I am going for were beyond the ditch there I would not go to her. You -are fairer and better than she.” - -“Where were you going?” asked the princess. “Don’t mind me, but go on.” - -“I was going for the Yellow King’s daughter, but will not go a step -further now that I see you.” - -“Go your way to her, for she is the finest princess on earth; I am a -simple woman, and another man’s wife.” - -“Well, pain and torments to me if I go beyond this without taking you -with me!” - -“If this man here were awake,” said the Yellow King’s daughter, “he would -put a stop to you.” She was trying all this time to rouse Conal. - -“It is better for him to be as he is,” said the High King; “if he were -awake, it’s harm he’d get from me, and that would vex you.” - -When she saw that he would take her surely, she bound him not to make her -his wife for a day and a year. - -“This is the worst promise that ever I have made,” said the High King, -“but I will keep it.” - -“If this man here were awake, he would stop you,” said the princess. - -The High King of the World thrust the tip of his forefinger under the -sword-belt of Conal, and hurled him up five miles in the air. When Conal -came down, he let out three waves of blood from his mouth. - -“Do you think that is enough?” asked the king of the princess. - -“Throw him a second time,” said the Yellow King’s daughter. - -He threw him still higher, and Conal put out three greater waves. “Is -that enough?” - -“Try him a third time.” He threw him still higher this time. Conal put -out three greater waves, but waked not. - -While the High King was throwing up Conal, the princess was writing a -letter telling all,—that she knew not whither she was going, that she had -bound the High King of the World not to make her his wife for a day and a -year, “and,” said she, “I’m sure that you will find me in that time.” - -The king took her in his arms, and away he went walking in the sea, -throwing fish into his basket as he travelled through the water. - -Conal slept a hero’s sleep of seven days and nights, and woke four days -after his bride had been stolen. He rubbed his eyes, and, glancing toward -the mountain side, saw neither steed nor wife, and said, “No wonder that -I cannot see wife nor horse when I’m so sleepy; what am I to do?” - -Not far away were some small boys, and they herding cows. The boys began -to make sport of Conal for sleeping seven days and nights. “I do not -blame you for laughing,” said Conal (ever since, when there is a great -sleeper, people say that he sleeps like Conal on the side of Beann -Edain), “but have you tidings of my wife and my steed; where are they, or -has any man taken them?” - -A boy older and wiser than the others said, “Your horse is on the -mountain side feeding; and every day he came hither and sniffed you, and -you sleeping, and then went away grazing for himself. Four days ago the -greatest giant ever seen by the eye of man walked in through the ocean; -he tossed you three times in the air. Every time we thought you’d be -broken to dust; and the lady you had, wrote something and put it under -your belt.” - -Conal read the letter, and knew that, in spite of her, the Yellow King’s -daughter had been carried away. He then preferred battle to peace, and -asked the boys was there a ship that could take him to sea. - -“There is no right ship in the place, but there is an old vessel wrecked -in a cove there beyond,” said the oldest boy. - -The boys went with Conal, and showed him the vessel. - -“Put your backs to her now, and help me,” said Conal. - -The boys laughed, thinking that two hundred men could not move such a -vessel. Conal scowled, and then they were in dread of him, and with one -shove they and Conal put the ship in the sea; but the water was going in -and out through her. Conal knew not at first what to do, as there was no -timber near by, but he killed seven cows, fastened the hides on the ship, -and made it proof against water. When the boys saw the cows slaughtered, -they began to cry, saying, “How can we go home now, and our cows killed?” - -“There is not a cow killed,” said Conal, “but you will get two cows in -place of her.” He gave two prices for each cow of the seven, and said to -the boys, “Go home now, and tell what has happened.” - -Conal sailed away for himself; and when his ship was in the ocean, he let -her go with the wind. On the third afternoon, he saw three islands, and -on the middle island a fine open strand, with a great crowd of people. He -threw out three anchors, two at the ocean side and one at the shore side, -so that the ship would not stir, no matter what wind blew, and, planting -his sword in the deck, he gave one bound and went out on the strand -seven miles distant. He saluted a good-looking man, and asked, “Why are -so many people here? What is their business?” - -“Where do you live? Of what nation are you that you ask such a question?” - -“I am a stranger,” said Conal, “just come to this island.” - -The islander showed Conal a man sitting on the beach as large as twelve -of the big men of the island. “Do you see him?” - -“I do,” said Conal. - -“There are three brothers of us on these three islands; that man is our -youngest brother, and he has grown so strong and terrible that we are in -dread he will drive us from our share of the islands, and that is why -we are here to-day. My eldest brother and I have come with what men we -have to this middle island, which belongs to our youngest brother. We -are to play ball against all his forces; if we beat them, we shall think -ourselves safe. Now, which side will you take, young champion?” - -“If I go on your side, some may say that I fear your men; and if I go -with your younger brother, you and your elder brother may say that I fear -your strong brother’s forces. Bring all the men of the three islands. I -will play against them.” - -“Well,” asked the stranger, “what wager will you lay?” - -“I’ll wager,” said Conal, “those two islands out there on the ocean side.” - -“They are ours already,” said the man. - -“Bad luck to you! Why claim everything?” said Conal. “Well, I’ll lay -another wager. If I lose, I’ll stand in the middle of the strand, and -every man of the three islands may give me a blow of the hurley; and if I -win, I am to have a blow on every man who played against me. But first, I -must have my choice of the hurleys; all must be thrown in a heap. I will -take the one I like best.” - -This was done, and Conal took the largest and strongest hurley he could -find. The ball was struck about the middle of the strand; and there was a -goal at each end of it, and these goals were fourteen miles apart. Conal -took the ball with hurley, hand and foot, and never let it touch ground -till he put it through the goal. “Is that a fair inning?” asked he of the -other side. - -Some said it was foul, for he kept the ball in the air all the time. - -“Well, I’ll make a second trial; I will put it through the opposite -goal.” He struck the ball in the middle of the strand, and sent it toward -the other goal with such force that whoever tipped it never drew breath -again, and every man whom it passed was driven sixty feet to one side or -the other. Conal was always within a few yards of the ball, and he put -it through the goal seven miles distant from the middle of the strand -with two blows. - -“Is that a fair inning?” asked Conal. - -“It would be hard to say that it is not,” said one man, and no man -gainsaid him. - -“Let all stand now in ranks two deep, till I get my blow on each man of -you.” - -All the men were arranged two deep; and when Conal came up, the foremost -man sprang behind the one in the rear of him, and that one behind the man -at his side, and so on throughout. None would stand to receive Conal’s -blow. - -Away rushed every man, woman, and child, and never stopped till they were -inside in their houses. First of all, ran the brothers of the islands. - -When they reached the castle, they began to lament because they had -insulted the champion, and knew not who he was or whence he had come. - -The three brothers had one sister; and when she saw them lamenting and -grieving, she asked: “What trouble is on you?” - -“We fled from the champion, and the people followed us.” - -“None of you invited the champion to the castle,” said the sister; “now -he will fall into such a rage on the strand that in one hour he will not -leave a person alive on the islands. If I had some one to go with me, I -would invite him, and the people would be spared.” - -“I will go with you,” said her chief maid. - -Away they went, walking toward the strand; and when they had come near, -they threw themselves on their knees before Conal. He asked who they were -and what brought them. - -“My brothers sent me to beg pardon for them, and invite you to the -castle.” - -“I will go,” said Conal; “and if you had not come, I would not have left -a man alive on the three islands.” Conal went with the princess, and saw -at the castle a very old and large man; and the old man rose up before -him and said, “A hundred thousand welcomes to you, young Conal from Erin.” - -“Who are you who know me, and I never before on this island?” asked Conal. - -“My name is Donach the Druid, from Erin. I was often in your father’s -house, and it was a good place for rich or poor to visit, for they were -alike there; and now I hope you will take me home to be buried among my -own people. It was God who drove you hither to this island to take me -home.” - -“And I will do that,” said Conal, “if I go there myself. Tell me now how -you came to this place.” - -“I was taken,” said Donach, “out on the wild arm of the wind, and was -thrown in on this island. I am here ever since. I am old now, and I wish -to be home in my own place in Erin.” - -Now young Conal, the sister, and three brothers sat down to dinner. When -dinner was over, and they had eaten and drunk, they were as happy as if -they had lived a thousand years together. The three brothers asked Conal -where was he going, and what was his business. Conal did not say that -he was in search of his wife, but he said that he was going to his own -castle and kingdom. The old druid, two of the brothers, and the sister -said, “We will go with you, and serve you till you come to your kingdom.” - -They got a boat and took him to the ship. He weighed anchor, and sailed -away. For two or three days they saw nothing wonderful. The fourth day -they came to a great island; and as they neared it, they saw three -champions inside, and the three fighting with swords and spears. Young -Conal was surprised to see three fighting at the same time. - -“Well,” said he, “it is nothing to see two champions in combat, but ’tis -strange to see three. I will go in and see why they are fighting.” He -threw out his chains, and made his ship fast; then he made a rush from -the stern of the vessel to the bow, and as he ran, he caught Donach the -Druid and carried him, and with one leap was in on the strand, seven -miles from the ship. - -Young Conal faced the champions, and, saluting the one he thought best, -asked the cause of their battle. The champion sat down, and began. “I -will tell you the reason,” said he. “Seven miles from this place there -stands a castle; in that castle is the most beautiful woman that the eye -of man has ever seen, and the three of us are in love with her. She says -she will take only the best man; and we are striving to know who is best, -but no man of us three can get the upper hand of another. We can kill -every man who comes to the island, but no man of us can kill another of -the three.” - -When Conal heard this he sprang up, and told the champions to face him -and he would see what they could do. The three faced him, and went at -him. Soon he swept the heads off two of them, but the third man was -pressing hard on Conal. His name was the Short Dun Champion; but in the -end Conal knocked him with a blow, and no sooner had he him knocked -than Donach the Druid had him tied with strong cords and strings of -enchantment. Then young Conal spoke to Donach the Druid and said, “Come -to this champion’s breastbone and split it, take out his heart and his -liver, and give them to my young hound to eat;” and turning to the Short -Dun Champion, he asked, “Have you ever been so near a fearful death as -you are at this moment?” - -“’Tis hard for me to answer you,” said he, “for ’tis firmly I am bound by -your Druid, bad luck to him.” - -“Unbind the champion,” said Conal, “till he tells us at his ease was he -ever nearer a fearful death than he is at this moment.” - -“I was,” said the champion to Conal. “Sit down there on that stool. I -will sit here and tell you. I did not think much of your torture, for I -knew that when my heart and liver were taken, I should be gone in that -moment. Once I had a longer torture to suffer. Not many months ago, I was -sailing on my ship in mid-ocean when I saw the biggest man ever seen on -earth, and he with a beautiful woman in his hand. The moment I saw that -woman I was in love with her, and I sailed toward the High King of the -World, for it was he that was in it; but if I did, he let my ship go out -in full sail between his two legs, and travelled on in another direction. -I turned the ship again, and went after him. I climbed to the topmast, -and stood there. I came up to the King of the World, for wind and wave -were with me, and, being almost as high as the woman in his hand, I made -a grasp at her; he let my ship out between his legs, but if he did, I -took the woman with me and kissed her three times. This enraged the High -King. He came to my ship, bound and tied me with strong hempen cords, -then, putting a finger under me, he tossed me out on the sea and let -my ship drift with the wind. I had some enchantment of my own, and the -sea did not drown me. When little fish came my way, I swallowed them, -and thus I got food. I was in this state for many days, and the hempen -cords began to rot and weaken. Through good luck or ill, I was thrown -in on this island. I pulled the cords, and struggled with them till one -hand was free; then I unbound myself. I came to shore where the island -is wildest. A bird called Nails of Daring had a nest in a high, rugged -cliff. This bird came down, and, seizing me, rose in the air. Then she -dropped me. I fell like a ball, and struck the sea close to land. I -feigned death well, and was up and down with the waves that she might not -seize me a second time, but soon she swooped down and placed her ear near -me to know was I living. I held my breath, and she, thinking me dead, -flew away. I rose up, and ran with all speed to the first house I found. -Now, was I not nearer a worse death than the one to which you condemned -me? Nails of Daring would have given me a frightful and slow death, and -you wished to give me a quick one.” - -“Short Dun Champion,” said Conal, “the woman you saw with the High King -was my wife. It was luck that brought me in your way, and it was luck -that Donach the Druid tied you in such a fashion. Now you must guide me -to the castle of the High King.” - -“Come, now, druid, bind my hands and feet, take my heart and liver and -give them to young Conal’s hound whelp, rather than take me to that king. -I got dread enough before from him.” - -“Believe me, all I want of you now is to guide my ship; you will come -back in safety and health,” said young Conal. - -“I will go with you and guide you, if you put me beneath your ship’s -ballast when you see him nearing us, for fear he will get a glimpse of -me.” - -“I will do that,” said Conal. - -Now they went out to the ship, and steered away, with the Short Dun -Champion as pilot. They were the fifth day at sea when he steered the -ship toward the castle of the High King. “That,” said the Short Dun -Champion, pointing to a great building on an island, “is the castle of -the High King of the World; but as good a champion as you are, you cannot -free your wife from it. That castle revolves; and as it goes around it -throws out poison, and if one drop of that poison were to fall on you the -flesh would melt from your bones. But the King of the World is not at -home now, for to-morrow the day and the year will be up since he stole -the wife from you. I have some power of enchantment and I will bring the -woman to you in the ship.” - -The Short Dun Champion went with one leap from the deck of the ship -to the strand, and, caring for no man, walked straight to the castle -where the Yellow King’s daughter was held. The castle had an opening -underneath, and the Short Dun Champion, keeping the poison away by his -power, passed in, found the princess, and wrapping her in the skirt of an -enchanted cloak that he had, took her out, and running to the strand was -in on the deck of the ship with one bound. - -The moment the princess set eyes on Conal, she gave such a scream that -the High King heard her, and he off in the Western World inviting all the -great people to his wedding. He started that minute for the castle, and -did not wait to throw fish in his basket as he went through the sea. When -he came home, the princess was not there before him. “Where has my bride -gone, or has some one stolen her?” asked he. - -“A man who has a ship in the harbor came and stole the lady.” - -“A thousand deaths! What shall I do, and all the high people on the way -to the wedding?” - -He seized a great club and killed half his servants, then rushed to the -strand, and seeing the ship still at anchor, shouted for battle. - -When the Short Dun Champion heard the king’s voice, he screamed to be put -under the ballast. He was put there and hidden from sight. “If I whistle -with my fingers,” asked young Conal, “will you come to me?” - -“I will, if I were to die the next moment,” said the Short Dun Champion. - -Conal told Donach the Druid to stand at the bows of the ship, then, -walking to the stern, he was so glad at having his wife on the vessel, -and he going to fight with the High King, that he made a run, seized the -druid, and carried him with one leap to the strand, eleven miles distant. - -The High King demanded his wife. - -“She is not your wife, but mine,” said young Conal. “I won her with my -sword, and you stole her away like a thief, and I sleeping. Though she -is mine, I did not flee when I took her away from you.” - -“It is time for battle,” said the king, and the two closed in combat. -The king, being so tall, had the advantage. “I might as well make him -shorter,” thought Conal, and with one blow he cut the two legs off the -king at the knee joints. The king fell. No sooner was he down than the -druid had him tied with hard cords of enchantment. Conal whistled through -his finger. The Short Dun Champion, hearing the whistle, screamed to be -freed from the ballast. The men took him out. He went in on the strand -with one bound, and when he came up to where the High King was lying, -Conal said, “Cut this man at the breastbone, take out his heart with his -liver, and give them as food to my hound whelp.” - -“He is well bound by your druid; but firmly as he is bound, I am in dread -to go near him to do this.” - -Conal then drew his own sword, and with a blow swept the head off the -High King. Then Conal, Donach the Druid, and the Short Dun Champion went -to the ship and sailed homeward. On their way, where should they sail but -along the coast of Spain? While they were sailing, Conal espied three -great castles, and not far from them a herd of cattle grazing. - -“Will one of you go and inquire why these three castles are built near -together?” asked Conal of the two island brothers. - -“I will go,” said the elder. - -He went on shore to the herdsman and asked, “Why are those three castles -so near one another?” - -“I will tell you,” said the herdsman; “but you must come first and touch -my finger-tips.” - -No sooner had the champion done this, than the man drew a rod of -enchantment, struck him a blow, and turned him to stone. - -Conal saw this from the ship, and asked, “Who will go in now?” - -“I will go,” said the second brother. “I have the best right.” He went -and met the same fate as his brother. - -“I will go this time,” said Conal. - -The Yellow King’s daughter, Donach the Druid, and the Short Dun Champion -seized Conal to keep him from going. - -“If I do not live but a moment, I must go and knock satisfaction out of -the herdsman for what he has done to my men,” cried out Conal. So he -went, and walking up to the herdsman, asked the same questions as the two -brothers. - -“Come here and touch my finger tips.” - -Conal walked up to the herdsman, caught his fingers, then ran under the -rod and seized the herdsman; but if he did, the herdsman had him that -moment on the flat of his back. But Conal was up, and had the herdsman -down, and, drawing his sword, said, “I’ll have your head now unless you -tell me why these three castles are here close together.” - -“I will tell you, but do you remember, young Conal, when in our father’s -castle how I used to get the first blow on you?” - -“Are you my brother?” asked Conal. - -“I am,” said the herdsman. - -“Why did you kill my men?” - -“If I killed them, I can raise them;” and going to the two brothers, he -struck each a blow, and they rose up as well and strong as ever. - -“Well,” said the brother to Conal, “Saudan Og arrived in Spain the day -before we did, and he had one-third of the kingdom taken before us. We -went against him the following day, and kept him inside that third, and -we have neither gained nor lost since. The King of Spain had a castle -here; my father and the King of Leinster built a second castle near that; -Saudan Og built the third near the two, for himself and his men, and that -is why the three castles are here. We are ever since in battle; Saudan -has the one-third, and we the rest of Spain.” - -Conal arrayed himself as a champion next morning, and went to Saudan’s -castle. He struck a blow on the pole of combat that shook the whole -kingdom, and that day he killed Saudan and every man of his forces. - -Conal’s eldest brother married the daughter of the King of Spain. He -took the second brother with him, married him to the sister of the two -island brothers, and gave him the three islands. He went home then, gave -the kingdom of the Yellow King to the Short Dun Champion, and had the -two island brothers well married to king’s daughters in Erin. All lived -happily and well; if they did not, may we! - - - - -THE BLACK THIEF AND KING CONAL’S THREE HORSES. - - -There was a king once in Erin who had a beautiful queen, and the queen’s -heart was as good as her looks. Every one loved her, but, above all, the -poor people. There wasn’t a needy man or woman within a day’s journey of -the castle who was not blessing the beautiful queen. On a time this queen -fell ill suddenly, and said to the king, “If I die and you marry a second -wife, leave not my three sons to a strange woman’s rule. Send them away -to be reared till they come to age and maturity.” - -The queen died soon after. The king mourned for her one year and a -second; then his chief men and counsellors urged him to seek out a new -queen. - -The king built a castle in a distant part of his kingdom, and put his -three sons there with teachers and servants to care for them. He married -a second wife then; and the two lived on happily till the new wife had a -son. The young queen never knew that the king had other children than -her son, or that there was a queen in the kingdom before her. - -On a day when the king was out hunting in the mountains, the queen went -to walk near the castle, and as she was passing the cottage of a greedy -old henwife, she stumbled and fell. - -“May the like of that meet you always!” said the henwife. - -“Why do you say that?” asked the queen, who overheard her. - -“It is all one to you what I say. It is little you care for me or the -like of me. It wasn’t the same with the queen that was here before you. -There wasn’t a week that she did not give support to poor people, and she -showed kindness to every one always.” - -“Had the king a wife before me?” asked the queen. - -“He had, indeed; and I could tell enough to keep you thinking for a day -and a year, if you would pay me.” - -“I will pay you well if you tell all about the queen that was in it -before me.” - -“If you give me one hundred speckled goats, one hundred sheep, and one -hundred cows I will tell you.” - -“I will give you all those,” said the queen, “if you tell everything.” - -“The queen that was here at first had three sons; and before the king -married you, he prepared a great castle, and the sons are in that castle -now with teachers and men taking care of them. When the three are of age, -your son will be without a place for his head.” - -“What am I to do to keep my son in the kingdom?” asked the queen. - -“Persuade the king to bring his three sons to the castle, then play -chess with them. I will give you a board with which you can win. When -you have won of the three young men, put them under bonds to go for the -three steeds of King Conal for you to ride three times around all the -boundaries of the kingdom. Many and many is the champion and hero who -went for King Conal’s horses; but not a man of them was seen again, and -so it will be with these three. Your son will be safe at home, and will -be king himself when his time comes.” - -The queen went home to the castle, and if ever she had a head full of -plans it was that time. She began the same night with the king. - -“Isn’t it a shame for you to keep your children away from me, and I -waiting this long time for you to bring them home to us?” - -“How am I keeping my children from you?” asked the king. “Haven’t you -your own son and mine with you always?” - -“You have three sons of your own. You were married before you saw me. -Bring your children home. I will be as fond of them as you are.” - -No matter what the king said, the queen kept up her complaining with -sweet words and promises, and never stopped till the king brought his -sons to the castle. - -The king gave a great feast in honor of the young men. After the feast -the queen played chess for a sentence with the eldest. She played twice; -won a game and lost one. Next day she played one game with the second -son. On the third day, she played with the youngest; won one game and -lost one. - -On the fourth day, the three were in the queen’s company. - -“What sentence do you put on me and my brothers?” asked the eldest. - -“I put you and your brothers under sentence not to sleep two nights in -the same house, nor to eat twice off the same table, till you bring me -the three steeds of King Conal, so that I may ride three times around the -kingdom.” - -“Will you tell me,” asked the eldest son, “where to find King Conal?” - -“There are four quarters in the world; I am sure it is in one of these -that he lives,” said the queen. - -“I might as well give you sentence now,” said the eldest brother. “I put -you under bonds of enchantment to stand on the top of the castle and stay -there without coming down, and watch for us till we come back with the -horses.” - -“Remove from me your sentence; I will remove mine,” said the queen. - -“If a young man is relieved of the first sentence put on him, he will -never do anything good,” said the king’s son. “We will go for the horses.” - -Next day the three brothers set out for the castle of King Conal. They -travelled one day after another, stopping one night in one place and the -next in another, and they were that way walking till one evening, when -whom should they meet but a limping man in a black cap. The man saluted -them, and they returned the salute. - -“What brought you this road, and where are you going?” asked the stranger. - -“We are going to the castle of King Conal to know can we bring his three -horses home with us.” - -“Well,” said the man, “my house is nearby, and the dark night is coming; -stay with me till morning, and perhaps I can help you.” - -The young men went with the stranger, and soon came to his house. After -supper the man said, “It is the most difficult feat in the world to steal -King Conal’s three horses. Many a good man went for them, and never came -back. Why do you go for those horses?” - -“Our father is a king in Erin, and he married a second time. Our -stepmother bound us to bring the three horses, so she may ride three -times around our father’s kingdom.” - -“I will go with you,” said the man. “Without me, you would lose your -lives; together, we may bring the horses.” - -Next morning the four set out, and went their way, walking one day after -another, till at long last they reached the castle of King Conal at -nightfall. - -On that night, whatever the reason was, the guards fell asleep at the -stables. The stranger and the three young men made their way to the -horses; but if they did, the moment they touched them the horses let -three screeches out of them that shook the whole castle and woke every -man in the country around it. - -The guards seized the young men with the stranger, and took the four to -King Conal. - -The king was in a great room on the ground-floor of his castle. In front -of him was an awfully big pot full of oil, and it boiling. - -“Well,” said the king when he saw the stranger before him, “only that the -Black Thief is dead, I’d say you were that man.” - -“I am the Black Thief,” said the stranger. - -“We will know that in time,” said the king; “and who are these three -young men?” - -“Three sons of a king in Erin.” - -“We’ll begin with the youngest. But stir up the fire there, one of you,” -said King Conal to the attendants; “the oil is not hot enough.” And -turning to the Black Thief, he asked, “Isn’t that young man very near his -death at this moment?” - -“I was nearer death than he is, and I escaped,” said the Black Thief. - -“Tell me the story,” said the king. “If you were nearer death than he is, -I will give his life to that young man.” - -“When I was young,” said the Black Thief, “I lived on my land with -ease and plenty, till three witches came the way, and destroyed all my -property. I took to the roads and deep forests then, and became the most -famous thief that ever lived in Erin. This is the story of the witches -who robbed and tried to kill me:— - -“There was a king not long ago in Erin, and he had three beautiful -daughters. When they grew up to be old enough for marriage, they were -enchanted in the way that the three became brazen-faced, old-looking, -venomous hags every night, and were three beautiful, harmless young women -every day, as before. - -“I was living for myself on my land, and had laid in turf enough for -seven years, and I thought it the size of a mountain. I went out at -midnight, and what did I see but the hags at my reek; and they never -stopped till they put every sod of the turf into three creels on their -backs, and made off with it. - -“The following season I brought turf for another seven years, and the -next midnight the witches stole it all from me; but this time I followed -them. They went about five miles, and disappeared in a broad hole twenty -fathoms deep. I waited, then looked down, and saw a great fire under a -pot with a whole bullock in it. There was a round stone at the mouth of -the hole. I used all my strength, rolled it down, broke the pot, and -spoiled the broth on the witches. - -“Away I ran then, but was not long on the road when I saw the three -racing after me. I climbed a tree to escape from them. The witches came -in a rage, stopped under the tree, and looked up at me. The eldest rested -awhile, then made a sharp axe of the second, and a venomous hound of -the third, to destroy me. She took the axe herself then, gave one blow -of it, and cut one-third of the tree; she gave a second blow, and cut -another third; she had the axe raised a third time when a cock crowed, -and there before my eyes the axe turned into a beautiful woman, the hag -who had raised it into a second, and the venomous hound into a third. The -three walked away then, harmless and innocent as any young women in Erin. -Wasn’t I nearer death that time than this young man?” - -“Oh, you were,” said the king; “I give him his life, and it’s his brother -that’s near death now. He has but ten minutes to live.” - -“Well, I was nearer death than that young man,” said the Black Thief. - -“Tell how it was. If you convince me, I’ll give him his life, too.” - -“After I broke their pot, the witches destroyed my property night after -night, and I had to leave that place and find my support on the roads and -in forests. I was faring well enough till a year of hunger and want came. -I went out once into a great wood, walked up and down to know could I -find any food to take home to my wife and my children. - -“I found an old white horse and a cow without horns. I tied the tails of -the two to each other, and was driving them home for myself with great -labor; for when the white horse pulled backward, the cow would pull -forward, and when the horse tried to go on, the cow wouldn’t go with him. -They were that way in disagreement till they drew the night on themselves -and on me. I had a bit of flint in my pocket, and put down a fire. I -could not make my way out of the wood in the night-time, and sat down by -the fire. I was not long sitting when thirteen cats, wild and enormous, -stood out before me. Of these, twelve were each the bulk of a man; the -thirteenth, a red one, the master of the twelve, was much larger. They -began to purr on the opposite side of the fire, and make a noise like the -rumbling of thunder. At last the big red cat lifted his head, opened his -wide eyes, and said to me, ‘I’ll be this way no longer; give me something -to eat.’” - -“I have nothing to give you,” said I, “unless you take that white horse -below there and kill him.” - -“He went down then, and made two halves of the horse, left half to the -twelve, and ate the other half himself. They picked every bone, and were -not long at it. - -“The thirteen came up again, sat opposite me at the fire, and were -purring. The big red cat soon spoke a second time, ‘I’ll not be long this -way. Give me more food to satisfy my hunger.’ - -“‘I have nothing to give unless you take the cow without horns,’ replied -I. - -“He made two halves of the cow, ate one-half himself, and left the other -to the twelve. While they were eating the cow, I took off my coat, for I -knew what was coming, wrapped it around a block which I made like myself, -and then climbed a tree quickly. The red cat came up to the fire a third -time, opened his great eyes, looked toward my coat, and said, ‘I’ll not -be long this way; give me more food.’ - -“My coat gave no answer. The big cat sprang at it, struck the block with -his tail, and found it was wood. - -“‘Ah,’ said he, ‘you are gone; but whether above ground or under ground, -we will find you.’ - -“He put six cats above and six under ground to find me. The twelve cats -were gone in a breath. The big red cat sat there waiting; and when the -other twelve had run through all Erin, above ground and under ground, and -come back to the fire, he looked up, saw me, and cried, ‘Ah, there you -are, you deceiver. You thought to escape, but you will not. Come, now,’ -said he to the cats, ‘and gnaw down this tree.’ - -“The twelve sprang at the tree under me, and they were not long cutting -it through. Before it fell, I escaped to another tree near by, and they -attacked that, gnawing it down. I sprang to a third. We were that way, -I escaping and they cutting, till near daybreak, when I was on the last -tree next the open country. When the tree was half cut, what should come -the way but thirteen terrible wolves,—twelve, and a thirteenth above -them, their master. They fell upon the cats, and fought desperately a -good while. At length the twelve on each side were stretched, but the two -chiefs were fighting each other yet. At last the wolf nearly took the -head off the cat with one snap; the cat whirled in falling, struck the -wolf with the sharp hook in his tail, made two halves of his skull, and -the two fell dead, side by side. - -“I slipped down then, but the tree shook in the way that I was in dread -it would tumble beneath me, but it didn’t. Now, wasn’t I nearer death -that time than this young man?” - -“Oh, you were,” said King Conal. “He’s not near death at all, for I give -his life to him; but if the two have escaped, we’ll put the third man in -the pot; and have you ever seen any one nearer death than he is?” - -“I was nearer myself,” said the Black Thief. - -“If you were, I will give his life to this young man as well as his -brothers.” - -“I had apprentices in my time,” said the Black Thief. “Among them was -one, a young man of great wit, and he pleased me. I gave no real learning -to any but this one; and in the heel of the story he was a greater man -than myself,—in his own mind. There was a giant in the other end of the -kingdom; he lived in a mountain den, and had great wealth gathered in -there. I made up my mind to go with the apprentice, and take that giant’s -treasures. We travelled many days till we reached the mountain den. We -hid, and watched the ways of the giant. He went out every day, brought -back many things, but often men’s bodies. At last we went to the place in -his absence. There was only one entrance, from the top. I was lowering -the young man with a rope, but when half-way to the bottom he called out -as if in pain. I drew him up. ‘I am in dread,’ said he, ‘to go down in -that place. Go yourself. I will do the work here for you.’ - -“I went down, found gold and precious things in plenty, and sent up what -one man could carry. ‘I will go out of this now,’ thought I, ‘before -the giant comes on me.’ I called to the apprentice; no answer. I called -again; not a word from him. At last he looked down and said,— - -“‘You gave me good learning, and I am grateful; I will gain my own living -from this out. I hope you’ll spend a pleasant night with the giant.’ - -“With that, he made off with himself, and carried the treasure. Oh, but -I was in trouble then! How was I to bring my life home with me? How was -I to escape from the giant? I looked, but found no way of escape. In one -corner of the giant’s kitchen were bodies brought in from time to time. -I lay down with these, and seemed dead. I was watching. After a while I -heard a great noise at the entrance, and soon the giant came in carrying -three bodies; these he threw aside with the others. He put down a great -fire then, and placed a pot on it: he brought a basket to the bodies, and -began to fill it; me he threw in first, and put six bodies on the top -of me. He turned the basket bottom upward over the pot, and six bodies -fell in. I held firmly to my place. The giant put the basket aside in a -corner bottom upward,—I was saved that time. When the supper was ready, -the giant ate the six bodies, and then lay down and slept soundly. I -crept from under the basket, went to the entrance; a tree trunk, standing -upright in the wall at one end of it, was turned around. There were steps -in its side from bottom to top; this was the giant’s ladder. Whenever the -giant wished to go up, he turned the tree till the steps came outside; -and when on top, he turned it till the smooth side was out in the way no -one could go down in his absence. When he wished to go down, he turned -the steps out; and when at the bottom, he turned them in again in the -way no one could follow him. This time he forgot to turn the tree, and -that gave me the ladder. I went up without trouble; and, by my hand, I -was glad, for I was much nearer death at the giant’s pot than this man at -yours.” - -“You were, indeed, very near death,” said King Conal, “and I give his -life to the third man. The turn is on you now; the three young men are -safe, and it’s you that will go into the pot.” - -“Must I die?” asked the Black Thief. - -“You must, indeed,” said King Conal, “and you are very near death.” - -“Near as I am,” said the Black Thief, “I was nearer.” - -“Tell me the story; and if you were ever nearer death than you are at -this minute, I will give your life to you.” - -“I set out another day,” said the Black Thief, “and travelled far. I came -at last to a house, and went into it. Inside was a woman with a child on -her knee, a knife in her hand, and she crying. Twice she made an offer of -the knife at the child to kill it. The beautiful child laughed, and held -out its hands to her. - -“‘Why do you raise the knife on the child,’ asked I, ‘and why are you -crying?’ - -“‘I was at a fair,’ said the woman, ‘last year with my father and mother; -and while the people were busy each with his own work, three giants came -in on a sudden. The man who had a bite of bread in his hand did not put -the bread to his mouth, and the man who had a bite in his mouth did not -swallow it. The giants robbed this one and that, took me from my father -and mother, and brought me to this place. I bound them, and they promised -that none of the three would marry me before I was eighteen years of age. -I’ll be that in a few days, and there is no escape for me now unless I -raise hands on myself. - -“‘Yesterday the giants brought this child; they said it was the son of -some king, and told me to have it cooked and prepared in a pie for their -supper this evening.’ - -“‘Spare the child,’ said I. ‘I have a young pig that I brought to roast -for myself on the road; take that, and prepare it instead of the child.’ - -“‘The giants would know the pig, and kill me,’ said the woman. - -“‘They would not,’ said I; ‘there is only a small difference between the -flesh of a young pig and a child. We will cut off the first joint of the -left little finger. If they make a remark, show them that.’ - -“She cooked the pie, and I watched outside for the giants. At last I saw -the three coming. She hid the child in a safe place aside; and I went to -the cellar, where I found many dead bodies. I lay down among them, and -waited. When the giants came home, the eldest ate the pie, and called -to the woman, ‘That would be very good if we had enough of it.’ Then he -turned to his second brother, and sent him down to the cellar to bring -a slice from one of the bodies. The brother came down, took hold of one -body, then another, and, catching me, cut a slice from the end of my -back, and went up with it. He was not long gone when he came down again, -raised me on his back, and turned to take me with him. He had not gone -many steps when I sent my knife to his heart, and there he fell on his -face under me. I went back, and lay in my old place. - -“The chief giant, who had tasted my flesh and was anxious for more of -it, now sent the youngest brother. He came, saw the middle brother lying -there, and cried out,— - -“‘Oh, but you are the lazy messenger, to be sleeping when sent on an -errand!’ - -“With that, he raised me on his back, and was going, when I stabbed him -and stretched him on the ground not far from his brother. - -“The big giant waited and waited, grew angry, took his great iron club -with nine lumps and nine hooks on it. He hurried down to the cellar, saw -his two brothers, shook them, found them dead. I had no chance of life -but to fight for it; I rose and stood a fair distance in front of the -giant. He ran toward me, raised the club, and brought it down with what -strength there was in him. I stepped aside quickly; the club sank in the -earth to the depth of a common man’s knee. While the giant was drawing -the club with both hands, I stabbed him three times in the stomach, and -sprang away to some distance. He ran forward a second time, and came -very near hitting me; again the club sank in the ground, and I stabbed -him four times, for he was weaker from blood loss, and was a longer time -freeing the club. The third time the club grazed me, and tore my whole -side with a sharp iron hook. The giant fell to his knees, but could -neither rise nor make a cast of the club at me; soon he was on his elbow, -gnashing his teeth and raging. I was growing weaker, and knew that I was -lost unless some one assisted me. The young woman had come down, and -was present at the struggle. ‘Run now,’ said I to her, ‘for the giant’s -sword, and take the head off him.’ She ran quickly, brought the sword, -and as brave as a man took the head off the giant. - -“‘Death is not far from me now,’ said I. - -“‘I will carry you quickly to the giant’s caldron of cure, and give you -life,’ said the woman. - -“With that, she raised me on her back, and hurried out of the cellar. -When she had me on the edge of the caldron, the death faint was on me, I -was dying; but I was not long in the pot when I revived, and soon was as -well as ever. - -“We searched the whole house of the giants, found all their treasures. I -gave some to the woman, kept some myself, and hid the remainder. I took -the woman home to her father and mother. She kept the child, which was -well but for the tip of its little finger. Now wasn’t I nearer death that -time than I was when I began this story?” - -“You were, indeed,” said King Conal; “and even if you were not, I would -not put you in the pot, for if you had not been in the house of the three -giants that day there would be no sign of me now in this castle. I was -that child. Look here at my left little finger. My father searched for -you, and so did I when I grew up, but we could not find you. We made out -only one thing, that it was the Black Thief who saved me. Men told me -that the Black Thief was dead, and I never hoped to see you. A hundred -thousand welcomes! Now we’ll have a feast. The three young men will get -the three horses for your sake, and take them home after we have feasted -together. You will stay with me now for the rest of your life.” - -“I must go with the young men as far as my own house,” said the Black -Thief; “then I’ll come back to you.” - -King Conal made a feast the like of which had never been in his kingdom. -When the feast was over, he gave the three horses to the young men, and -said at parting, “When you have done the work with the horses, let them -go, and they will run home to me; no man could stop them.” - -“We will do that,” said the brothers. - -They set out then with them, stopped one night with the Black Thief at -his house, and after that travelled home to their father, and stood in -front of the castle. The stepmother was above, watching for them. She was -glad when she saw them, and said, “Ye brought the horses, and I am to -have them.” - -“If we were bound to bring the horses,” said the elder brother, “we were -not bound to give them to you.” - -With that, he turned the horses’ heads from the castle, and let them go. -They ran home to King Conal. - -“I will go down now,” said the queen, “and it is time for me.” - -“You will not go yet,” said the youngest; “I have a sentence which I had -no time to give when we were going. I put you under sentence to stay -where you are till you find three sons of a king to go again to King -Conal for the horses.” - -When she heard that sentence, she dropped dead from the castle. - - - - -THE KING’S SON FROM ERIN, THE SPRISAWN, AND THE DARK KING. - - -There was a king in Erin long ago who was called King of Lochlinn, and -his wife died. He had two sons. The elder of the two was Miach Lay; the -second was Manus. Miach Lay was a fine champion, and trained in every art -that befitted a king’s son. - -One day the father called Miach Lay to his presence, and said, “It is -time for you to marry, and I have chosen for you a maiden of great beauty -and high birth.” - -“I am willing to marry,” said Miach Lay. - -The king and his son then left the castle, and went to the house of the -young woman’s father, and there they spent seven days and seven nights. -On their way home, the king said to his son, “How do you like the young -lady?” - -“I like her well, but I’ll not marry her.” - -“Oh, my shame!” said the father. “How can I ever face those people a -second time?” - -“I cannot help that,” said Miach Lay. - -The king was greatly confused. After another while he said to his son, “I -have another maiden chosen for you, and it is well for us to go to her -father’s, and settle the match.” - -“I am willing,” said Miach Lay. - -They went away together, and never stopped nor stayed till they reached -the house of the young lady’s father. They were welcomed there warmly, -and spent seven days and seven nights, and were better attended each day -than the day before. - -“Well, my son,” asked the father, “how do you like this match?” - -“Well, and very well,” said Miach Lay; “but I will not marry this lady -either. She is ten times better than the first; and if I had married the -first, I could not marry this one, and so I will not marry the second any -more than the first lady.” - -“Oh, my shame!” said the father. “I can never show my face to these -people again.” - -After another while the king told Miach Lay that he had a better lady -than ever selected, and asked him to go with him to arrange the marriage. - -“I am willing,” answered the son. - -The two went to the father of the maiden; they spent seven days and seven -nights at his house, and were fully satisfied with everything. They were -on the way home a third time. “Well,” said the king, “you have no reason -to refuse this time.” - -“Well, and very well, do I like the match,” said Miach Lay; “but I will -not marry this lady. If I had married the first lady, I should have had -no chance of getting the second, and the second is ten times better than -the first; if I had married the second lady, I should have had no chance -of this one, and she is twenty times better than the second.” - -“I have lost all patience with you,” said the king, “and I turn the back -of my hand to you from this out.” - -“I’m fully satisfied,” said Miach Lay, so they came home, and passed -that night without conversation. The following morning, when Miach Lay -rose, he said to his father, “I am for leaving the house now; will you -prepare for me the best ship that you have, and put in it a good store of -provisions for a long voyage?” - -The vessel was prepared, and fully provisioned for a day and a year. The -king’s son went on board, sailed out of the harbor, and off to sea. He -never stopped sailing till he entered a harbor in the kingdom of Greece. -There was a guard there on watch at the harbor with a keen eye on all -ships that were passing or coming. The King of Greece was at war in that -time with the King of Spain, and knew not what moment his kingdom would -be invaded. - -The guard saw the vessel coming when she was so small to the eye that he -could not tell was it a bird or a vessel that he was looking at. He took -quick tidings to the castle; and the king ordered him to go a second time -and bring tidings. When he reached the sea, the ship was inside, in the -harbor. - -“Oh,” said the king, when the guard ran to him a second time, “that is a -wonderful vessel that was so far away a few minutes ago as not to be told -from a bird, and is now sailing into harbor.” - -“There is but one man to be seen on board,” said the guard. - -In front of the king’s castle was the landing-place, the only one of -the harbor; and even there no one went beyond the shore without passing -through a gate where every man had to give an account of himself. There -was a chosen champion guarding the gate, who spoke to Miach Lay, and -asked, “Who are you, and from what country?” - -“It is not the custom for a man of my people to answer a question like -that till he is told first what country he is in, and who asks the -question.” - -“It was I asked the question,” said the champion; “and you must tell me -who you are, first of all.” - -“I will not tell you,” said Miach Lay. With that, he drew his ship nearer -land till it grounded; then, taking an oar, he put the blade end in the -sand, and sprang to shore. He asked then the champion at the gate to let -him pass, but the champion refused. Miach Lay raised his hand, gave him -a blow on the ear, and sent him backward spinning like a top, till he -struck the pillar of the gate and broke his skull. As Miach Lay had no -thought to kill the man, he was grieved, and, delaying a short time, went -to the castle of the king, not knowing what country he was in or what -city. - -When he came to the castle, he knelt down in front of it. The people in -the castle saw a young champion with bared head outside; the king came -out, and asked what trouble was on him. Miach Lay told of all that had -happened at the harbor, and how he had killed the champion at the gate -without wishing it. - -“Never mind that,” said the king. - -“I did not intend to kill or harm him at all,” said Miach Lay; “he wanted -to know who I was, and from what country. By the custom of my land, I -cannot tell that till I know where I am, and who are the people among -whom I am travelling.” - -“Do you know now where you are?” - -“I do not,” answered Miach Lay. - -“You are in front of the castle of the King of Greece, and I am that -king.” - -“I am the son of the King of Lochlinn from Erin,” said Miach Lay, “and -have come this way to seek my fortune.” - -The King of Greece welcomed him then, took the young champion by the -hand, and did not stop till he brought him to where all the princes and -nobles were assembled; he was rejoiced at his coming, for, being at war, -he expected aid from this champion. - -“Will you remain with me for a day and a year,” asked the king, “and -perform what service I ask of you?” - -“I will,” said Miach Lay. - -Manus, the second son of the King of Lochlinn, stopped going to school -when Miach Lay, his elder brother, left home, and, after a time, the -father wished him to marry. As the elder son had acted, so did the -second; he refused to marry each of the three maidens whom the king had -chosen, and left his father at last. - -Manus was watching when his brother sailed away, and noticed the course -of the vessel, so now he sailed the same way. - -Miach Lay was gaining favor continually; and just as the day and the year -of his service were out to a month, the king’s guard saw a vessel sailing -in swiftly. He ran with tidings to the king, and added, “There is only -one man on board.” - -The king and the nobles said it was best not to let him land till he gave -an account of himself. Miach Lay was sent to the landing-place to get -account of him. - -He was not long at the landing-place when the vessel came within hailing, -and Miach Lay asked the one man on board who was he and from what land he -came. The man would not tell, as it was not the custom in his country. -“But,” said he, “I want something to eat.” - -“There is plenty here,” said Miach Lay; “but if there is, you will get -none of it,—you would better be sailing away.” - -“I have enough of the sea; I’ll come in.” - -He put down the blade of his oar, and sprang ashore. No sooner had he -touched land than he was grappled by Miach Lay. As neither man knew -the other, they were in hand grips all day. They were nearly equal in -strength, but at last Miach Lay was getting the worst of it. He asked -Manus for a truce. - -“I will grant you that,” said Manus; “but you do not deserve it, for you -began the battle.” - -They sat apart then, and Miach Lay asked, “How long can you hold out?” - -“It is getting stronger and braver I am,” replied Manus. - -“Not so with me. I could not hold out five minutes longer,” said Miach -Lay. “My bones were all falling asunder, and I thought the earth was -trembling beneath me. Till this day I thought to myself, ‘There is no -champion I cannot conquer.’ Now tell me your name and your country.” - -“I am from Erin and a son of the King of Lochlinn,” said Manus. - -“Oh,” said Miach Lay, “you are my brother.” - -“Are you Miach Lay?” inquired Manus. - -“I am.” - -They embraced each other, and sat down then to eat. Miach Lay was so -tired that he could taste nothing, but Manus ate his fill. Then they went -arm in arm to the castle. The king and all the nobles of Greece had seen -the combat from the castle, and were surprised to see the men coming -toward them in such friendliness, and all went out to know the reason. -The king asked Miach Lay, “How is all this?” - -“This man is my brother,” said Miach Lay. “I left him at home in Erin, -and did not know him at the harbor till after the combat.” - -The king was well pleased that he had another champion. The following day -Manus saw the king’s daughter, and fell in love with her and she with -him. Then the daughter told the king if she did not get Manus as husband, -the life would leave her. - -The king called Miach Lay to his presence, and asked, “Will you let your -brother marry my daughter?” - -“If Manus wishes to marry her, I am willing and satisfied,” answered -Miach Lay. He asked his brother, and Manus said he would marry the king’s -daughter. - -The marriage was celebrated without delay, and there was a wedding feast -for three days and three nights; and the third night, when they were -going to their own chamber, the king said, “This is the third husband -married to my daughter, and after the first night no tidings could be had -of the other two, and from that time to this no one knows where they are.” - -Miach Lay was greatly enraged that the king had permitted the marriage -without mentioning this matter first. - -“I will do to-night,” said the king, “what has never been done hitherto; -I will place sentries all around the grounds, and my daughter and Manus -will not lodge in the castle at all, but in one of the houses apart from -it.” - -“I’ll watch myself,” said Miach Lay; “and if it is the devil that is -taking the husbands, I’ll not let him take my brother.” - -Sentries were stationed in all parts; a house was prepared in the -courtyard. Miach Lay stood on guard at the entrance all the time. Soon -after midnight a gust of wind blew through the yard; it blew Miach Lay to -the ground, and he fainted. When he recovered, he rushed to search for -his brother, but he was not in his chamber. He then roused the king’s -daughter, and asked, “Where is my brother?” - -“I cannot tell where he is,” said she: “it is you who were on guard; it -is you who should know where to find him.” - -“I will have your head, wicked woman, unless you give tidings of my -brother.” - -“Do not take my head; it would not serve you. I have no account of what -happened to your brother.” - -Miach Lay then refrained from touching her, and waited till morning. The -king came in the morning to see was Manus well; and when Miach Lay saw -him, he ran at him to destroy him, but the king fled away. After a while, -when the household was roused, the king’s daughter was brought in and -asked where was her husband, or could she give any account of him. - -“I cannot tell,” replied she; “but one day before I was married the first -time, something came to my chamber window in the form of a black bee, -and asked would I let it in. I said that I would not. The bee remained -outside all the day, watching to see could it enter my chamber. I did not -let it come in; before going away in the evening, the black bee said, -‘Well, I will worry the heart in you yet.’” - -The king’s old druid, who was present, slapped his knee with his hand, -and said,“I know the story now; that was Ri Doracha (the Dark King). He -is a mighty magician, and it is he who has taken the husbands.” - -“I will travel the world till I find my lost brother,” said Miach Lay. - -“I will go with you, and take all my forces,” said Red Bow, the son of -the King of Greece. - -“I need no assistance,” said Miach Lay. “If I myself cannot find him, I -think that no man can; but if you wish to come, you are welcome.” - -Miach Lay went to his vessel; and Red Bow chose the best ship from all -that his father had, and went on board of it. The two ships sailed away -together. In time they neared land; and on reaching the mouth of the -harbor, they saw a third ship sailing toward them as swiftly as the wind -blew, and it was not long till it came alongside. There was only one man -on board; he hailed Miach Lay, and asked, “Where are you going?” - -“It would not be the custom of my country for me to tell you what you ask -till you tell me who you are yourself, and where your own journey lies.” - -“I know myself,” said the warrior, “where you are going; you are in -search of the Dark King, and I myself would like to see him.” - -With that, he took a bundle of branches he had on deck, and blew them -overboard. Then every rod and twig of the bundle became an enormous log -of wood, so that the harbor was covered with one raft of timber, and then -he sailed away without waiting. - -After much struggling with the logs, shoving them hither and over, Miach -Lay was able by pushing with oars to make room for his vessel, and at -last came to land. Red Bow and his men were cast into deep sleep by the -man on the vessel that had sailed away. - -After Miach Lay landed, he passed through a great stretch of wild -country, and, drawing near a large forest, saw rising up a small, slender -smoke far in among trees. He made for the place where the smoke was, and -there he discovered a large, splendid castle in the depth of the forest, -but could find no sign of an entrance. - -When Miach Lay had stood outside some time, a young woman looked through -the window, hailed him, and said, “You are a stranger, and will find no -lodgings in these parts; but if I could at all, I would let you come in -here.” - -“Open the window if you are able,” said Miach Lay. - -The window had hinges, and she opened it in the middle; he stepped -backward nine yards, and went in at one bound to the chamber. - -“You are welcome,” said she, and soon she had dinner prepared for him. -When he had eaten, she inquired who was he, from what place had he come, -and what brought him that way. - -He told her all that had happened to him from the first; and when he had -finished, he said, “I know not where to find my brother.” - -“You are not far from him now,” said she; “’tis in this country he is -living, and the land he is in bounds our land.” - -When they had talked long, she said, “You are tired and need rest, so -sleep in this chamber.” She went then to her own place. The following -morning his breakfast was ready before him; and after he had eaten, the -young woman said, “I suppose you will be thankful if I tell you where to -find the castle of the Dark King.” - -“I shall, indeed,” said he. Then she gave him full directions how to -go. He took his sword then, and sprang out as he had sprung in, in the -evening, and went in the direction which she told him to take. About -midday he met a man, who hailed him, and asked, “Who are you, and from -what country?” - -“’Tis not the custom for a man of my country to answer that question till -told where he is, and to whom he is speaking.” - -“I know who you are and whither you are going. You are going to the -castle of the Dark King, and here he is before you; now show your daring.” - -They made at each other; and if they did, they made soft ground hard and -hard ground soft, they made high places low and low places high, they -brought cold spring water through dry, gravelly places, and if any one -were to come from the Eastern to the Western World, it is to look at -these two he should come. - -They were this way till evening, and neither had the better of the other. -Miach Lay was equal to the Dark King; but the Dark King, having magic, -blew a gust of wind at Miach Lay which knocked him flat on the earth, -and left him half dead. Then the Dark King took Miach Lay’s sword, and -went away. When he recovered, Miach Lay regretted his sword more than all -else, and went back to the castle where he had spent the night before. He -was barely able to go in at the window. - -“How have you fared this day?” asked the young woman. - -He told her of all that had happened. - -“Be not grieved; you will meet him another time,” said the young woman. - -“What is the use? I have no sword now.” - -“If ’tis a sword you need, I will bring you a blade far better than the -one which the Dark King took from you.” - -After breakfast next morning she brought him her father’s sword, which -he grasped in his hand, and shook. Miach Lay bade farewell to the young -woman, and sprang out through the window. Knowing the way better this -time, he hastened forward, and met the Dark King just where he met him -before. - -“Did not yesterday tire you?” asked the king. - -“No,” said Miach Lay. - -“Your journey is useless,” said the king. - -“We shall see,” answered Miach Lay, and they made at each other; and -terrible as the battle was on the first day, it was more terrible on the -second; but when the Dark King thought it time to go home, he blew a gust -of wind which threw Miach Lay to the earth, and left him senseless. The -Dark King did not take the sword this time. - -After the Dark King had gone, another man came the way, who was called -Sprisawn Wooden Leg.[2] - -“Well, my good man, you are nearly dead,” said the Sprisawn. - -“I am,” said Miach Lay, rousing up. - -“You are his equal but for the magic. I watched the combat these two -days, and you would have overcome him but for his magic; he will finish -you to-night if he finds you. He has three magic tricksters who are -leaving his house at this moment. They have a spear which the rear man of -the three hurls forward, the trickster in front catches the spear in the -heel of his foot, and in turn hurls it with all his force forward; those -behind rush ahead of the front man, and in turn catch the spear in their -heels. No matter how far nor how often the spear is thrown forward, there -is always a man there before it to catch it. They are rushing hither a -long distance apart.” - -The Sprisawn saw the tricksters approach, and told Miach Lay that they -were coming. When they came within a spear-cast, one of them hurled the -spear at Miach Lay; it went through his heart, passed out through his -body, and killed him. - -When the Sprisawn saw Miach Lay lying dead, he fell to weeping and -wailing; and so loud was his wail that every one heard it throughout the -whole kingdom. Red Bow was sleeping yet in the harbor; but so loud was -the wail of the mourning Sprisawn that it roused him from the slumber -which the Dark King had put on him. He landed at once with his forces, -and made on toward the wailing. When they came to the place, and saw -Miach Lay lying dead, they themselves began to wail; they asked the -Sprisawn then, “Are there any means by which we might raise him to life?” - -“There are,” replied the Sprisawn. “The Dark King is rejoicing now in his -castle with the King of Mangling, and the Gruagach of Shields. They are -drinking each other’s health from a horn, and the Dark King is telling -the other two that Miach Lay was the best man that ever stood in front of -him; and if he could drink from that horn, he would rise up as well as he -ever was.” - -“I with my men will go for that horn,” said Red Bow. - -“Not you nor all the men like you living on earth could bring that horn -from the castle of the Dark King,” replied the Sprisawn. “That castle -is surrounded by three walls. Each wall is four feet in thickness and -twenty feet high. Each wall has a gate as high and as thick as the wall -is itself. How could you pass through those walls? Remain here and watch -over this body; I will bring the horn hither myself.” - -Off went the Sprisawn, and he had more control over magic than even the -Dark King. When he arrived at the castle, he struck the gate with the -heel of his wooden foot and it opened before him; the second and third -gate opened too, in like manner, when he struck them. In he went to the -room where the king and his two friends were drinking. There he found -them raising toasts to each other. He was himself invisible. As soon as -they rested the horn on the table, he snatched it and made off for the -place where Miach Lay was lying dead. Then Red Bow and his men raised up -the dead man, and poured down his throat some of the wine or whatever -liquor was held in the horn. - -After a time Miach Lay opened his eyes, and yawned. They were all so -delighted that they raised three shouts of joy. - -“Come on with me now,” said the Sprisawn, “to the castle of the Dark -King. We will have a trial of strength with him. I will take the Dark -King in hand myself. Do you, Miach Lay, take the King of Mangling, and -you, Red Bow, take the Gruagach of Shields.” - -“This will be very good for us to keep,” said Red Bow, when he saw the -virtue of the horn. - -“No,” said the Sprisawn; “it is good for the man who owns it, and I will -return it.” - -The Sprisawn, who could travel as swiftly as his own thought, vanished -with the horn, placed it on the table from which he had snatched it, and -came back to the others. No one had missed the horn; when they turned -to use it, it was there on the table before them, in the chamber of the -Dark King. Miach Lay and his friends went on together, and never stopped -till they stood in the chamber where the Dark King was sitting with his -friends. The gates had remained open since the Sprisawn opened them. When -the Dark King saw the dead man alive, standing in his chamber before him, -he said, “Never a welcome to you, you miserable creature with the wooden -foot. What brought you hither, or how did you come?” - -“I have come to you with combat,” said the Sprisawn; “and now do you -choose the manner of fighting.” - -In the castle were three chambers, in each chamber a cross-beam as high -from the floor as a man’s throat; in the middle of each cross-beam was a -hole, through this hole passed a chain, at each end of the chain was an -iron loop; above the hole and lengthwise with the beam was a sword with -a keen edge on it. Each pair of champions was to take one room of the -three, and each man of them was to place a loop on his own neck; each -then was to pull the other to the hole if he could, and then pull till -the sword cut his head off. - -The Sprisawn and the Dark King took one room, Miach Lay and the King of -Mangling another, Red Bow and the Gruagach of Shields took the third. - -The first pair were not long at each other, as the Sprisawn was greatly -anxious for the other two, and with the second pull that he gave he had -the head off the Dark King. He ran then to see how it fared with Miach -Lay. Miach Lay was tired and nearly beaten. - -“Come out of that for me,” said the Sprisawn. “What playing is it you -have with him?” - -“Fully satisfied am I to give this place to you,” said Miach Lay, raising -the loop; and the Sprisawn put it quickly on his own neck. - -With the first pull the Sprisawn gave he had the head off the King of -Mangling. They ran then to Red Bow, whose head was within two feet of the -sword. - -“Go on out of this,” said the Sprisawn, putting the loop on his own neck. -The Gruagach, by reason of having Red Bow so near the beam, was himself -at a distance, but at the first pull which the Sprisawn gave he drew the -Gruagach within a foot of the beam. Fearing that if he killed the third -man there would be no one to give an account of those carried off by the -Dark King, the Sprisawn offered the Gruagach his life if he told him -where Manus and the other two husbands of the king’s daughter were. - -“If I tell you that,” said the Gruagach, “the Dark King will knock the -head off me.” - -“If you saw the head of the Dark King would you tell me?” - -“I would.” - -The Sprisawn sent Miach Lay for the head of the Dark King; he brought it. - -“Is that his head?” asked the Sprisawn. - -“It is,” said the Gruagach. - -“Well, tell me now.” - -“Were I to tell you,” said the Gruagach, “the King of Mangling would -knock the head off me.” - -“If you saw his head would you tell me?” - -“I would.” - -The head of the King of Mangling was brought. - -“Is this the head?” - -“It is.” - -“Well, tell me, or you’ll lose your own head.” - -“Near this castle is a lake,” said the Gruagach, “and under its water is -an enchanted steel tower, with high walls three feet in thickness; around -that tower on the outside a long serpent has wound herself closely from -the bottom to the top. This serpent is called the Worm of Nine Eyes. -Inside in the tower are the three men.” - -“And how can we come at them?” asked the Sprisawn. - -“Whoever wants to free them,” said the Gruagach, “must stand on the shore -of the lake and shout to the serpent, calling her the Worm of Nine Eyes. -Hearing this, the serpent will unwind, and with lashing will drive all -the water of the lake in showers through the country and flood the whole -land. The basin of the lake will be dry then, and the serpent will rush -at the man who uttered the insult and try to devour him. The serpent must -be killed, and the champion must run to the tower; if he can break in, he -will rescue the three men.” - -“Is that all?” asked the Sprisawn. - -“It is,” said the Gruagach. “I have no further account of the matter; -that is all I know.” - -“Then you’ll lose your head, too,” said the Sprisawn; and with one pull -of the chain he swept the head off the Gruagach. The three champions went -to the lake then. Miach Lay and Red Bow wished to help the Sprisawn, but -he forced them to remain behind, saying that they would be swept away by -the waters if they went. - -The Sprisawn, coming to the bank of the lake, shouted: “Worm of Nine -Eyes!” No sooner did the serpent hear the name than she uncoiled from the -tower, lashed the lake, and sent the water over the country. When the -lake bed was dry the serpent rushed toward the Sprisawn with open mouth. -When the Sprisawn saw the serpent he took his sword in both hands and -held it crosswise in front of his face, and when the serpent was coming -to swallow him so great was the force with which she rushed forward and -sucked the air to draw him in, that the Sprisawn split her in two from -the mouth to the tail, dividing the back from the belly, and the two -pieces fell apart like the two halves of a split log of timber. - -Miach Lay and Red Bow came then to the Sprisawn and went to the tower, -but if they did, they could not go in. - -“Oh,” said the Sprisawn, “if you had all the arms in the world you could -not break through that tower.” He went himself to the door then, and -striking it slightly with his wooden foot, for fear of killing the men -inside by too hard a blow, he burst in the door. The three men inside -came out, and Miach Lay embraced his own brother. All were glad, and -all started for home, but had not gone far when the other two men began -to dispute whose would the king’s daughter be. The first husband said -his claim was strongest; the second said his was. The Sprisawn tried to -settle the quarrel, but could not. “I would advise you,” said he, “to -leave the matter to the first man you meet.” - -All agreed to do this. - -The Sprisawn now left them and vanished as if he had never been with -them. They had not gone far when they met a man. “Well met,” said they; -“we are glad to see you.” - -“What is the trouble that is on you?” asked the man. - -“So and so,” said they, telling him the whole story; “and now you are to -be our judge.” - -“I will do my best,” said the man, “if each one will be satisfied with my -decision.” - -“We will,” said they. - -“Now let each man tell his story.” - -Each man told his story to the end. - -“Who rescued you?” asked he. - -“Miach Lay and his forces,” said they. - -“Had not this man and his forces come, you would have been there till -this time?” - -“We should,” said the three. - -“If so,” said the man, “my decision is that the first and second husband -should each be thankful, go to his own people, and get another wife for -himself; and that the daughter of the King of Greece belongs to the -brother of the man who rescued all three.” - -The two princes went away toward their own homes, and the man remained, -and who was he when he took his own form again but the Sprisawn. They -went then to the castle where the young lady had entertained Miach Lay, -and whose castle was it but the Sprisawn’s; the young woman was his -daughter. After resting there for some days, the Sprisawn asked Miach Lay -would he marry his daughter. Miach Lay was willing and glad, and remained -there. - -Manus and Red Bow returned to the King of Greece. Manus lived in Greece -happily, and so did his children. - -The two brothers did well not to marry any woman their father found for -them, for they would not have had the grand ladies that they had in the -end, and Miach Lay had the dominions of the Dark King, as well as those -of the Sprisawn, and they were very rich kingdoms. - - - - -THE AMADAN MOR AND THE GRUAGACH OF THE CASTLE OF GOLD. - - -On a time in Erin the King of Leinster resolved to make war on the King -of Munster, and sent him a message to be ready for battle on a day -mentioned. They raised flags for combat when the day came, and stood face -to face. The forces closed in battle, and were at one another then till -the King of Leinster and his men killed all the warriors of the King of -Munster and the king himself. - -After the King of Munster and all his champions were slain, the King of -Leinster thought it better to live in Munster than in his own kingdom, so -he took possession of Munster and went to live in the king’s castle. - -The wife of the King of Munster fled in haste to a forest, a thing easily -done, for all Erin was under forests in that time. The queen had a son in -the forest, and after a time she had no clothes for herself or the child. -Hair came out on them as on wild beasts of the wilderness. The child was -thriving and growing; what of him did not grow in the day grew threefold -at night, till at last there was no knowing what size was he. - -The queen was seven years without leaving the place around her hut in the -forest. In the eighth year she went forth from the forest and saw her -husband’s castle and open kingdom, and began to weep and lament. There -was a great crowd of people around the castle where she had herself lived -in past years. She went to see what was happening. It was a summer of -great want, and the king was giving out doles of meal to people daily, -and the man who was giving the meal gave her a dole also. He was greatly -surprised when he saw her, and in the evening he was telling the king -that he had never seen such a sight in his life; she was all covered with -hair like a beast of the forest. - -“She will come again to-morrow,” said the king; “then do you inquire what -sort is she, and where is her place of abode.” - -She went next day to the castle; the man in charge gave her meal. After -she had gone he followed her, and when he was coming near she sat down at -the roadside from shame. - -“Fear me not,” said the man. “I wish to know if you are of the dead or -the living, and what sort are you.” - -“I am a living person, though I may seem like one from the dead.” - -“Where do you live?” - -“I have no house or home save a small hut in the forest, and I have the -look of a beast because I eat fruits and leaves of trees and grass of the -earth.” - -The man told the king, and the king said, “Tell the woman to-morrow that -I will give her a house of some kind to live in.” - -The king gave the strange woman a house, and she went to live with her -son in it. The son was seven years old at that time, and not able to walk -or speak, although he was larger than any giant. His mother had called -him Micky, and soon he was known as Micky Mor (Big Micky). - -She was there for awhile in the house with her son, and she taking doles -of food like any poor person. One fine summer day she was sitting at the -doorstep, and she began to weep and lament. - -“What is the cause of your crying?” asked the boy, who had never spoken -before till that moment. - -“God’s help be with us,” said the mother. “It is time for you to get -speech. Thank God you are able to talk now.” - -“It is never too late, mother.” - -“That is right, my child,” said she, “it is better late than never.” - -“Tell me, mother, why do you cry in this way and lament?” - -“It is no use for me to tell you, my child; three men have just gone back -to the strand, and once I was able to give the like of them a good warm -dinner.” - -“Well, mother, you must go and invite them to dinner this time.” - -“What have I to give them to eat, my poor child?” - -“If you have nothing to give them but only to be talking till morning, -you will have to go and invite them.” - -When she was ready he said: “Mother, before you go tie my two hands to -the beam that is here in the house above the hearth, that I may not fall -in the fire while you are absent.” - -Before the mother went out she passed a rope under his arms, tied him to -the cross-beam, and put a stool under his feet. He kicked the stool away; -he had to pull and drag himself to swing, the fire was catching his feet, -the beam was cracking from his weight and the swinging. The sinews of his -legs stretched, he got his footing then, and walked to the door. - -“Thanks be to God,” said the mother, when she came back. “It is curious -how your talk and your walk came to you on the one day.” - -“It is nearly always the case that ’tis together talk and walk come to -a child; but now it is time for us to be providing something for the -friends that are coming to-night.” - -He went away then and asked the man who brought turf out of the reeks to -the king’s castle to give him as much as would make fire for himself and -his mother for the night. - -“Go away,” said the man; “I will not give you a sod of turf. Go to the -king and get an order; then I will give you turf in plenty.” - -“I would not be tiring myself going for an order, but I will have plenty -in spite of you.” - -Micky took away then a great basket of turf and no thanks to the man. - -“Well, mother,” said he, “here is turf enough for you, and make down a -good fire.” - -He went to the mill and said to the miller: “My mother sent me for flour. -There will be three at the house to-night, and what will not be used will -be brought to you in the morning.” - -“You stump of a fool, why should I give you flour? Go to my master, the -king; if he gives an order, I will give you flour in plenty.” - -Micky caught the miller. “I will put you,” said he, “in one of the -hoppers of the mill unless you make away with yourself out of this.” - -The miller ran away in dread that Micky would kill him. Micky laid hold -of a strong, weighty chain, and tied a great sack of flour and put it on -his back. When the sack was across his back he could not pass through the -doorway, and knew not what to do. - -“It would be a shame for me to say of the first load I put on my back -that I left that same after me.” He stepped backward some paces and made -such a rush that he carried out the frame of the door with him. - -“Well, mother,” said he, “we have fire and flour enough now, and let you -be making loaves for the visitors.” - -He went next to the woman in charge of the milk-house. “It is hither my -mother sent me for a firkin of butter. There are three strangers above -in our house. What will be left of the butter I will bring back in the -morning, and all my own help and assistance to you for a week to come.” - -“Be out of my milk-house, you stump of a fool,” said the woman. “What -assistance can you give to pay for my milk and butter?” - -“Let you be out of this, my good woman,” said Micky, “or I will not -leave much life in you from this day out.” - -She went away in a hurry, and he carried a firkin of butter home on his -shoulder. - -“Now, mother,” said he, “you have bread, fire, butter, and all things you -need. If we had a bit of meat, that would be all that we care for.” - -He went away then and never stopped nor stayed till he reached the place -where all the king’s fine fat sheep were. He caught up one and brought it -home on his shoulder. - -Next day the turf-keeper, the miller, the dairywoman, and the shepherd -went to complain to the king of what Micky had done. - -“It is not luck we asked for the first day we drew him on us,” said the -king. - -The king started and never stopped nor stayed till he went to his old -druid. “Such a man as we have brought on us,” said the king. “Tell me now -how to put an end to him.” - -“There is,” said the druid, “a black mad hound in a wood beyond the -mountain. Tell Micky that you lost that hound one day in the hunt, and to -bring her and he will be well paid for his trouble.” - -The king sent for Micky, and told him all as the druid advised. - -“Will you send any man with me to show me the road?” - -“I will,” said the king. - -Micky and the man were soon travelling along the road toward the -mountain. When Micky thought it too slow the man was walking, he asked, -“Have you any walk better than that?” - -“Why, then, I have not,” said the man, “and I am tired, and it is because -I have such a good walk that I was sent with you.” - -Micky took up his guide, put him under his arm, with the man’s head near -his own breast, and they began to talk as Micky moved forward. When they -came near the wood, the man said, “Put me down, and beware of the hound. -Be not rash with her, or she may harm you.” - -“If she is a hound belonging to a king or a man of high degree, it must -be that she has training and will come with me quietly. If she will not -come gently, I will make her come in spite of her.” - -When he went into the wood the hound smelt him and rushed at his throat -to tear him to pieces. He hurled her off quickly, and then she made a -second drive at him, and a fierce one. - -“Indeed,” said Micky, “you are an impudent hound to belong to a king;” -and, taking a long, strong tree branch, he gave her a blow on the flank -that raised her high in the air. - -After that blow the hound ran away as fast as her legs could carry her, -and Micky made after her with all the speed of his own legs to catch -her. On account of the blow she was losing breath fast, and he was -coming nearer and nearer, till at length he ran before her and drove her -in against the ditch. When she tried to go one way he shook the branch -before her, and when she tried to rush off in another direction, he shook -it there too, till he forced her into the road, and then she was mild and -quiet and came with him as gently as any dog. - -When he was near home some one saw Micky and the mad hound with him. A -messenger ran and told the king he was coming and the mad hound walking -with him. The king gave orders to close every door in the castle. He was -in dread that the hound would devour every one living. - -When the hound was brought before the closed door of the castle the king -put his head out the window and said, “That hound has been so long astray -that she is of no use to me now; take her to your mother, and she will -mind the house for her.” - -Micky took the hound home, and she was that tame and watchful that not a -hen, nor a duck, nor a goose belonging to the king’s castle could come -near the house. - -The king went to the druid a second time, and asked, “What can I do to -kill Micky Mor?” - -“There is a raging wild boar in the woods there beyond that will tear him -to pieces,” said the druid. “Tell Micky Mor that one of the servants, -when coming from the town, lost a young pig, that the pig is in that -wood, and to bring him.” - -The king sent for the boy, and said, “One of my men lost a young pig -while coming from the town; it is in that wood there beyond. If you’ll go -to the wood and bring the pig hither, I’ll pay you well when you come.” - -“I will go,” said the boy, “if you will send some one to show me the wood -where the pig is.” - -The king sent a man, but not the man who went the first time with Micky -Mor, for that man said, “I am tired, and haven’t the strength to go.” -They went on then, walking toward the wood. This guide grew tired like -the first man, for the wood was far distant from the castle of the king. -When he was tired, the boy put him under his arm, and the two began to -chat away as they journeyed. When near the wood, the man begged and said, -“Micky Mor, put me down now: it is a mad boar that is in the wood; and if -you are not careful, he will tear you to pieces.” - -“God help you!” said Micky; “’tis the innocent man you are to let such a -small thing put dread on you.” - -“I will leave you,” said the guide: “I cannot help you; you are able to -fight the battle yourself.” - -Away went the man; and when Micky Mor entered the wood, the wild boar was -facing him, and the beast foaming from both sides of the mouth. As the -guide had warned him to be on his guard, Micky gave one spring out of -his body, and came to the boar with such a kick that his leg went right -into the mouth of the beast, and split his jaw back to the breast. The -wild boar dropped lifeless, and the boy was going home, leaving the great -beast behind him. He stopped then, and said to himself, “If I go back -without the boar, the king will not believe that I met him at all.” He -turned back, caught the wild boar by the hind legs, and threw him across -his shoulders. - -The king thought, “As he brought the mad hound the first day, he may -bring the wild boar to me this time.” He placed guards on all roads -leading to the castle. - -The guards saw Micky coming with the boar on his back. Thinking the boar -alive, they ran hither and over, closed every door, window, hole, or -place that a mouse might pass through, for fear the wild boar would tear -them to pieces. - -The youth went up to the castle, and struck the door; the king put his -head out the window, and asked, “Can it be that you have the wild boar?” - -“I have him; but if I have, he is dead.” - -“As he is dead, you might take him home to your mother; and, believe me, -he will keep you in meat for a long while.” - -The king went to the druid again. - -“I have no advice for you this time,” said the druid, “but one: he is of -as good blood as yourself; and the best thing you can do is to give him -your daughter to marry.” - -This daughter was the king’s only child, and her name was Eilin Og. The -king sent for the youth then, and said, “I will give you my daughter to -marry.” - -“It is well,” said Micky Mor; “if you give her in friendship, I will take -her.” - -Micky Mor made himself ready; they gave him fine clothes, and he seemed -fit to marry any king’s daughter. After the marriage he was a full week -without going to see his own mother. - -When he went to her at the end of the week, she cried out, “What is -keeping you away from me a whole week?” - -“Dear mother,” said he, “it is I that have met with the luck. I got the -king’s daughter to marry.” - -“Go away out of my sight, and never come near me again!” - -“Why so, mother, what ails you? Could I get a better wife than a king’s -daughter?” - -“My dear son, if she is a king’s daughter, you are a king’s son, so you -are as high as she.” - -“If I am a king’s son, why have you and I been so poor?” - -She told him then that the king had killed his father and all his forces, -and that the whole castle and kingdom had belonged to his father. - -“Why did you not tell me that long ago?” - -“I would never have told you,” said she, “but that you have married the -murderer’s daughter.” - -Away went the son when he heard what his mother said, and the eyes -going out of his head with wild rage, and he saying that he would kill -every one living about the king’s castle. The people in the castle saw -him coming, and thought from his looks that his mother had said some -strong words to him, and they closed every door and window against him. -The young man put his shoulder to the door of the castle, and it flew -in before him. He never stopped nor stayed till he went to the highest -chamber of the castle to the king and queen, killing every one that came -in his way. “Pardon me! Spare me!” cried the king. - -“I will never kill you between my own two hands; but I’ll give you the -chance that you gave my own father while the spear was going from the -hand to his breast.” With that, he caught the king, and threw him out -through the window. When he had all killed who did not flee before -him, he could find no sight of his own wife, though he looked for her -everywhere. - -“Well, mother,” said he when he went home, “I have all killed before me, -but I cannot find my own wife.” - -The mother went with him to search for the wife, and they found her in a -box. When they opened the box, she screamed wildly. - -“Sure, you know well that I did not marry you to kill you; have no fear.” - -She was glad to have her life. Micky Mor then moved into the castle, and -had his father’s kingdom and property back again. After awhile he went to -walk one day with his wife, Eilin Og. While he was walking for himself, -the sky grew so dark that it seemed like night, and he knew not where to -go; but he went on till he came at last to a roomy dark glen. When he was -inside in the glen, the greatest drowsiness that ever came over a man -came over him. - -“Eilin Og,” said he, “come quickly under my head, for sleep is coming on -me.” - -“It is not sleep that is troubling you, but something in this great -gloomy glen, where you were never before in your life.” - -“Oh, Eilin Og, come quickly under my head.” - -She came under his head, and he got a short nap of sleep. When he woke, -hunger and thirst came on him greater than ever came upon any man ever -born. Then a vessel came to him filled with food, and one with drink. - -“Taste not the drink, take not a bite of the food, in this dark glen, -till you know what kind of a place is it.” - -“Eilin Og, I must take one drink. I’ll drink it whomsoever it vexes.” - -He took a draught hard and strong from the vessel; and that moment the -two legs dropped off Micky Mor from the knees down. - -When Eilin Og saw this, she fell to wailing and weeping. - -“Hold, hold, Eilin Og! silence your grief; a head or a leg will not be in -the country unless I get my two legs again.” - -The fog now dispersed, and the sky became clear. When he saw the sky -clear, he knew where to go; and he put his knife and spear and wife on -the point of his shoulder. Then his strength and activity were greater, -and he was swifter on his two knees than nine times nine other men that -had the use of their whole legs. - -While he was going on, he saw huntsmen coming toward him. A deer passed -him. He threw the spear that he had in his hand; it went through -the deer, in one side and out through the other. A white dog rushed -straightway after the deer. Micky Mor caught the deer and the dog, and -kept them. - -Now a young Gruagach, light and loose, was the first of the huntsmen to -follow the white dog. “Micky Mor,” said he, “give me the white dog and -the deer.” - -“I will not,” said Micky. “For it is myself that did the slaughter, -strong and fierce, that threw the spear out of my right hand and put it -through the two sides of the deer; and whoever it be, you or I, who has -the strongest hand, let him have the white dog and the deer.” - -“Micky Mor,” said Eilin Og, “yield up the white dog and the deer.” - -“I will,” said he, “and more if you ask; for had I obeyed you in the -glen, the two legs from the knees down would not have gone from me.” - -The hunter, who was the Gruagach of Dun an Oir, was so glad to get his -white dog and deer that he said, “Come with me, Micky Mor, to my castle -to dinner.” - -The three were then passing along by the strand of Ard na Conye to the -Gruagach’s castle, when whom should they meet but a champion who began to -talk with the men; but, seeing Eilin Og, he stopped on a sudden and asked -Micky Mor, “Who is this woman with you? I think there is not another of -such beauty in all the great world.” - -“That is my wife, Eilin Og,” said Micky Mor. - -“It is to find her that I am here, and to take her in spite of herself or -her father,” said the champion. - -“If you take her, you will take her in spite of me,” said Micky Mor; “but -what champion are you with such words?” - -“I am Maragach of the Green Gloves from Great Island. I have travelled -the world twice, and have met no man to match me. No weapons have hurt my -skin yet or my body. Where are your arms of defence in this great world, -Micky Mor?” - -“I have never wished for a weapon but my own two fists that were born -with me.” - -“I name you now and forever,” said Maragach, “the Big Fool (Amadan Mor).” - -“Not talk of the mouth performs deeds of valor, but active, strong bones. -Let us draw back now, and close with each other. We shall know then who -is the best man; and if there is valor in you, as you say, you dirty -little Maragach, I will give you a blow with strength that will open your -mouth to the bone.” - -They went toward each other then threateningly, and closed like two -striking Balors or two wild boars in the days of the Fenians, or two -hawks of Cold Cliff, or two otters of Blue Pool. They met in close, -mighty struggle, with more screeching than comes from a thousand. They -made high places low, and low places high. The clods that were shot away -by them, as they wrestled, struck out the eye of the hag in the Eastern -World, and she spinning thread at her wheel. - -Now Maragach drew his sword strong, keen-edged, and flawless; this sword -always took with the second blow what it did not cut with the first; but -there was no blow of it that time which the Big Fool did not dodge, and -when the sun was yellow at setting, the sword was in small bits, save -what remained in the hand of the champion. That moment the Fool struck -the champion a blow ’twixt neck and skull, and took the head off his body. - -The three went on then to the castle of Dun an Oir (Castle of Gold), and -had a fine dinner. During the dinner they were discoursing and telling -tales; and the Gruagach’s wife took greatly to heart the looks that her -husband was giving Eilin Og, and asked, “Which is it that you will have, -Negil Og’s daughter or the wife of the Big Fool?” - -Said Eilin Og to the Gruagach’s wife, “This man’s name is not the Big -Fool in truth or in justice, for he is a hero strong and active; he -is master of all alive and of every place. All the world is under his -command, and I with the rest.” - -“If he is all this, why did he let the legs go from him?” asked the -Gruagach’s wife. - -Eilin Og answered, “I have said that he has high virtues and powers; and -only for the drink that was brought him in the dark lonely glen, he would -not have let the legs go from him.” - -The Gruagach was in dread that the Big Fool might grow angry over their -talks, and that enchantment would not get the upper hand of strength, and -said, “Give no heed to woman’s talk, Micky Mor, but guard my castle, my -property, and my wife, while I go to the Dun of the Hunt and return.” - -“If any man comes in in spite of me,” said Micky Mor, “while you are -absent, believe me, he will not go out in spite of me till you return.” - -The Gruagach went off then, and with the power of his enchantment put a -heavy sleep on Micky Mor. - -“Eilin Og,” said he, “come quickly under my head, for over-strong sleep -has come on me.” - -Eilin Og came under his head, and he got a short nap of sleep. The -Gruagach returned soon in a different form altogether, and he took a kiss -from his own wife. - -“Oh,” said Eilin Og to her husband, “you are in your sleep, and it is to -my grief that you are in it, and not at the right time.” - -Micky Mor heard her, and he, between sleeping and waking, gave one leap -from his body when he heard Eilin Og’s words, and stopped at the door. -It would have been a greater task to break any anvil or block made by -blacksmith or wood-worker, than to force the Big Fool from the door. - -“Micky Mor,” said the Gruagach, disguised, “let me out.” - -“I will not let you out till the Gruagach of Dun an Oir comes home, and -then you will pay for the kiss that you took from his wife.” - -“I will give you a leg swift and strong as your own was; it is a leg I -took from the Knight of the Cross when he was entering his ship.” - -“If you give me one of my legs swift and strong as ever, perhaps I may -let you go out.” - -That moment the Fool got the leg. He jumped up then, and said, “This is -my own leg, as strong and as active as ever. - -“The other leg now, or your head!” said Micky Mor. - -The Gruagach gave him the other leg, blew it under him with power of -enchantment. Micky Mor jumped up. “These are my own legs in strength and -activity. You’ll not go out of this now till the Gruagach comes, and you -pay for the kiss you took from his wife.” - -“I have no wish to knock a trial out of you,” said the Gruagach, and he -changed himself into his own form again. “You see who I am; and I am the -huntsman who took your legs with the drink that you got from the cup, and -I am your own brother born and bred.” - -“Where were you,” asked the Big Fool, “when my father was killed with all -his men?” - -“I was in the Eastern World at that time, learning enchantment and magic.” - -“If you are my brother,” said the Big Fool, “we will go with each other -forevermore. Come with me now to such a wood. We will fight there four -giants who are doing great harm to our people these many years.” - -“Dear brother,” said the Gruagach, “there is no use for us to go against -the four giants; they are too powerful and strong for us, they will kill -us.” - -“Let me fight with three of them,” said Micky Mor, “and I’ll not leave a -foot or a hand of them living on earth; you can settle one.” - -The Gruagach had his great stallion of the road brought from the stable -for himself and his brother to ride. When they led him out, the stallion -gave three neighs,—a neigh of lamentation, a neigh of loyalty, and a -neigh of gladness. - -This stallion had the three qualities of Fin MacCool’s slim bay steed,—a -keen rush against a hill, a swift run on the level, a high running leap; -three qualities of the fox,—the gait of a fox gay and proud, a look -straight ahead taking in both sides and turning to no side, neat in his -tread on the road; three qualities of a bull,—a full eye, a thick neck, a -bold forehead. - -They rode to the forest of the giants; and the moment they entered, the -giants sniffed them, and one of them cried out, “I find the smell of men -from Erin, their livers and lights for my supper of nights, their blood -for my morning dram, their jawbones for stepping-stones, and their shins -for hurleys. We think you are too big for one bite and too small for two -bites, and sooner or later we’ll have you out of the way.” - -The Big Fool and three of the giants made at one another then; and he -didn’t leave a hand nor a foot of the three alive. He stood looking then -at his brother and the other giant. The young Gruagach was getting too -much from the giant; and he called out, “Dear born brother, give me some -aid, or the giant will put me out of the world.” - -“I will give him,” said the Big Fool, “a blow of my fist that will drive -his head through the air.” - -He ran to him then, gave the giant one blow under the jawbone, and sent -his head through the air. It is not known to man, woman, or child to this -day where the head stopped, or did it stop in any place. - - - - -THE KING’S SON AND THE WHITE-BEARDED SCOLOG. - - -Not in our time, nor the time of our fathers, but long ago, there lived -an old king in Erin. This king had but the one son, and the son had risen -up to be a fine strong hero; no man in the kingdom could stand before him -in combat. - -The queen was dead, and the king was gloomy and bitter in himself because -old age was on him. The strength had gone from his limbs, and gladness -from his heart. No matter what people said, they could not drive sorrow -from him. - -One day the king called up his son, and this is what he said to him, “You -are of age to marry. We cannot tell how long I’ll be here, and it would -cheer and delight me to see your wife; she might be a daughter to me in -my last days.” - -“I am willing to obey you,” said the son; “but I know no woman that I -care for. I have never seen any one that I would marry.” - -With that, the old king sent for a druid, and said, “You must tell where -my son can find the right bride for himself. You must tell us what woman -he should marry.” - -“There is but one woman,” said the druid, “who can be the right wife for -your son, and she is the youngest daughter of the white-bearded scolog; -she is the wisest young woman in the world, and has the most power.” - -“Where does her father live, and how are we to settle it?” asked the king -of the druid. - -“I have no knowledge of the place where that scolog lives,” said the -druid, “and there is no one here who knows. Your son must go himself, and -walk the world till he finds the young woman. If he finds her and gets -her, he’ll have the best bride that ever came to a king’s son.” - -“I am willing to go in search of the scolog’s daughter,” said the young -man, “and I’ll never stop till I find her.” - -With that, he left his father and the druid, and never stopped till he -went to his foster-mother and told her the whole story,—told her the wish -of his father, and the advice the old druid had given him. - -“My three brothers live on the road you must travel,” said the -foster-mother; “and the eldest one knows how to find that scolog, but -without the friendship of all of them, you’ll not be able to make the -journey. I’ll give you something that will gain their good-will for you.” - -With that, she went to an inner room, and made three cakes of flour and -baked them. When the three were ready, she brought them out, and gave -them to the young man. - -“When you come to my youngest brother’s castle,” said she, “he will rush -at you to kill you, but do you strike him on the breast with one of the -cakes; that minute he’ll be friendly, and give you good entertainment. -The second brother and the eldest will meet you like the youngest.” - -On the following morning, the king’s son left a blessing with his -foster-mother, took one for the road from her, and went away carrying the -three cakes with him. He travelled that day with great swiftness over -hills and through valleys, past great towns and small villages, and never -stopped nor stayed till he came in the evening to a very large castle. In -he went, and inside was a woman before him. - -“God save you!” said he to the woman. - -“God save yourself!” said she; “and will you tell me what brought you the -way, and where are you going?” - -“I came here,” said the king’s son, “to see the giant of this castle, and -to speak with him.” - -“Be said by me,” replied the woman, “and go away out of this without -waiting for the giant.” - -“I will not go without seeing him,” said the king’s son. “I have never -set eyes on a giant, and I’ll see this one.” - -“I pity you,” said the woman; “your time is short in this life. You’ll -not be long without seeing the giant, and it’s not much you’ll see in -this world after setting eyes on him; and it would be better for you to -take a drink of wine to give you strength before he comes.” - -The king’s son had barely swallowed the wine when he heard a great noise -beyond the castle. - -“Fee, faw, foh!” roared some one, in a thundering voice. - -The king’s son looked out; and what should he see but the giant with a -shaggy goat going out in front of him and another coming on behind, a -dead hag above on his shoulder, a great hog of a wild boar under his left -arm, and a yellow flea on the club which he held in his right hand before -him. - -“I don’t know will I blow you into the air or put my foot on you,” said -the giant, when he set eyes on the king’s son. With that, he threw his -load to the ground, and was making at his visitor to kill him when the -young man struck the giant on the breast with one of the three cakes -which he had from the foster-mother. - -That minute the giant knew who was before him, and called out, “Isn’t it -the fine welcome I was giving my sister’s son from Erin?” - -With that, he changed entirely, and was so glad to see the king’s son -that he didn’t know what to do for him or where to put him. He made a -great feast that evening; the two ate and drank with contentment and -delight. The giant was so pleased with the king’s son that he took him -to his own bed. He wasn’t three minutes in the bed when he was sound -asleep and snoring. With every breath that the giant took in, he drew -the king’s son into his mouth and as far as the butt of his tongue; with -every breath that he sent out, he drove him to the rafters of the castle, -and the king’s son was that way going up and down between the bed and the -roof until daybreak, when the giant let a breath out of him, and closed -his mouth; next moment the king’s son was down on his lips. - -“What are you doing to me?” cried the giant. - -“Nothing,” said the king’s son; “but you didn’t let me close an eye all -the night. With every breath you let out of you, you drove me up to the -rafters; and with every breath you took in, you drew me into your mouth -and as far as the butt of your tongue.” - -“Why didn’t you wake me?” - -“How could I wake you when time failed me to do it?” - -“Oh, then, sister’s son from Erin,” said the giant, “it’s the poor -night’s rest I gave you; but if you had a bad bed, you must have a good -breakfast.” - -With that, the giant rose, and the two ate the best breakfast that could -be had out of Erin. - -After breakfast, the king’s son took the giant’s blessing with him, and -left his own behind. He travelled all that day with great speed and -without halt or rest, till he came in the evening to the castle of the -second giant. In front of the door was a pavement of sharp razors, edges -upward, a pavement which no man could walk on. Long, poisonous needles, -set as thickly as bristles in a brush, were fixed, points downward, under -the lintel of the door, and the door was low. - -The king’s son went in with one start over the razors and under the -needles, without grazing his head or cutting his feet. When inside, he -saw a woman before him. - -“God save you!” said the king’s son. - -“God save yourself!” said the woman. - -The same conversation passed between them then as passed between himself -and the woman in the first castle. - -“God help you!” said the woman, when she heard his story. “’Tis not -long you’ll be alive after the giant comes. Here’s a drink of wine to -strengthen you.” - -Barely had he the wine swallowed when there was a great noise behind -the castle, and the next moment the giant came in with a thundering and -rattling. - -“Who is this that I see?” asked he, and with that, he sprang at the -stranger to put the life out of him; but the king’s son struck him on the -breast with the second cake which he got from his foster-mother. That -moment the giant knew him, and called out, “A strange welcome I had for -you, sister’s son from Erin, but you’ll get good treatment from me now.” - -The giant and the king’s son made three parts of that night. One part -they spent in telling tales, the second in eating and drinking, and the -third in sound, sweet slumber. - -Next morning the young man went away after breakfast, and never stopped -till he came to the castle of the third giant; and a beautiful castle -it was, thatched with the down of cotton grass, the roof was as white -as milk, beautiful to look at from afar or near by. The third giant was -as angry at meeting him as the other two; but when he was struck in the -breast with the third cake, he was as kind as the best man could be. - -When they had taken supper together, the giant said to his sister’s son, -“Will you tell me what journey you are on?” - -“I will, indeed,” said the king’s son; and he told his whole story from -beginning to end. - -“It is well that you told me,” said the giant, “for I can help you; and -if you do what I tell, you’ll finish your journey in safety. At midday -to-morrow you’ll come to a lake; hide in the rushes that are growing -at one side of the water. You’ll not be long there when twelve swans -will alight near the rushes and take the crests from their heads; with -that, the swan skins will fall from them, and they will rise up the most -beautiful women that you have ever set eyes on. When they go in to bathe, -take the crest of the youngest, put it in your bosom next the skin, take -the eleven others and hold them in your hand. When the young women come -out, give the eleven crests to their owners; but when the twelfth comes, -you’ll not give her the crest unless she carries you to her father’s -castle in Ardilawn Dreeachta (High Island of Enchantment). She will -refuse, and say that strength fails her to carry you, and she will beg -for the crest. Be firm, and keep it in your bosom; never give it up till -she promises to take you. She will do that when she sees there is no help -for it.” - -Next morning the king’s son set out after breakfast, and at midday he was -hidden in the rushes. He was barely there when the swans came. Everything -happened as the giant had said, and the king’s son followed his counsels. - -When the twelve swans came out of the lake, he gave the eleven crests -to the older ones, but kept the twelfth, the crest of the youngest, and -gave it only when she promised to carry him to her father’s. The moment -she put the crest on her head, she was in love with the king’s son. When -she came in sight of the island, however much she loved him when they -started from the lakeside, she loved him twice as much now. She came to -the ground at some distance from the castle, and said to the young man at -parting,— - -“Thousands of kings’ sons and champions have come to give greeting to -my father at the door of his castle, but every man of them perished. -You will be saved if you obey me. Stand with your right foot inside the -threshold and your left foot outside; put your head under the lintel. If -your head is inside, my father will cut it from your shoulders; if it is -outside, he will cut it off also. If it is under the lintel when you cry -‘God save you!’ he’ll let you go in safety.” - -They parted there; she went to her own place and he went to the scolog’s -castle, put his right foot inside the threshold, his left foot outside, -and his head under the lintel. “God save you!” called he to the scolog. - -“A blessing on you!” cried the scolog, “but my curse on your teacher. -I’ll give you lodgings to-night, and I’ll come to you myself in the -morning;” and with that he sent a servant with the king’s son to a -building outside. The servant took a bundle of straw with some turf and -potatoes, and, putting these down inside the door, said, “Here are bed, -supper, and fire for you.” - -The king’s son made no use of food or bed, and he had no need of them, -for the scolog’s daughter came soon after, spread a cloth, took a small -bundle from her pocket, and opened it. That moment the finest food and -drink were there before them. - -The king’s son ate and drank with relish, and good reason he had after -the long journey. When supper was over, the young woman whittled a small -shaving from a staff which she brought with her; and that moment the -finest bed that any man could have was there in the room. - -“I will leave you now,” said she; “my father will come early in the -morning to give you a task. Before he comes, turn the bed over; ’twill be -a shaving again, and then you can throw it into the fire. I will make you -a new bed to-morrow.” - -With that, she went away, and the young man slept till daybreak. Up he -sprang, then turned the bed over, made a shaving of it, and burned it. -It was not long till the scolog came, and this is what he said to the -king’s son, “I have a task for you to-day, and I hope you will be able to -do it. There is a lake on my land not far from this, and a swamp at one -side of it. You are to drain that lake and dry the swamp for me, and have -the work finished this evening; if not, I will take the head from you -at sunset. To drain the lake, you are to dig through a neck of land two -miles in width; here is a good spade, and I’ll show you the place where -you’re to use it.” - -The king’s son went with the scolog, who showed the ground, and then left -him. - -“What am I to do?” said the king’s son. “Sure, a thousand men couldn’t -dig that land out in ten years, and they working night and day; how am I -to do it between this and sunset?” - -However it was, he began to dig; but if he did, for every sod he threw -out, seven sods came in, and soon he saw that, in place of mending his -trouble, ’twas making it worse he was. He cast aside the spade then, sat -down on the sod heap, and began to lament. He wasn’t long there when the -scolog’s daughter came with a cloth in her hand and the small bundle in -her pocket. - -“Why are you lamenting there like a child?” asked she of the king’s son. - -“Why shouldn’t I lament when the head will be taken from me at sunset?” - -“’Tis a long time from this to sunset. Eat your breakfast first of all; -see what will happen then,” said she. Taking out the little bundle, she -put down before him the best breakfast a man could have. While he was -eating, she took the spade, cut out one sod, and threw it away. When she -did that, every spadeful of earth in the neck of land followed the first -spadeful; the whole neck of land was gone, and before midday there wasn’t -a spoonful of water in the lake or the swamp,—the whole place was dry. - -“You have your head saved to-day, whatever you’ll do to-morrow,” said -she, and she left him. - -Toward evening the scolog came, and, meeting the king’s son, cried out, -“You are the best man that ever came the way, or that ever I expected to -look at.” - -The king’s son went to his lodging. In the evening the scolog’s daughter -came with supper, and made a bed for him as good as the first one. Next -morning the king’s son rose at daybreak, destroyed his bed, and waited to -see what would happen. - -The scolog came early, and said, “I have a field outside, a mile long -and a mile wide, with a very tall tree in the middle of it. Here are two -wedges, a sharp axe, and a fine new drawing knife. You are to cut down -the tree, and make from it barrels to cover the whole field. You are to -make the barrels and fill them with water before sunset, or the head will -be taken from you.” - -The king’s son went to the field, faced the tree, and gave it a blow with -his axe; but if he did, the axe bounded back from the trunk, struck him -on the forehead, stretched him on the flat of his back, and raised a lump -on the place where it hit him. He gave three blows, was served each time -in the same way, and had three lumps on his forehead. He was rising from -the third blow, the life almost gone from him, and he crying bitterly, -when the scolog’s daughter came with his breakfast. While he was eating -the breakfast, she struck one little chip from the tree; that chip became -a barrel, and then the whole tree turned into barrels, which took their -places in rows, and covered the field. Between the rows there was just -room for a man to walk. Not a barrel but was filled with water. From a -chip she had in her hand, the young woman made a wooden dipper, from -another chip she made a pail, and said to the king’s son,— - -“You’ll have these in your two hands, and be walking up and down between -the rows of barrels, putting a little water into this and a little into -that barrel. When my father comes, he will see you at the work and invite -you to the castle to-night, but you are not to go with him. You will -say that you are content to lodge to-night where you lodged the other -nights.” With that, she went away, and the king’s son was going around -among the barrels pouring a little water into one and another of them, -when the scolog came. - -“You have the work done,” said he, “and you must come to the castle for -the night.” - -“I am well satisfied to lodge where I am, and to sleep as I slept since I -came here,” said the young man, and the scolog left him. - -The young woman brought the supper, and gave a fresh bed. Next morning -the scolog came the third time, and said, “Come with me now; I have a -third task for you.” With that, the two went to a quarry. - -“Here are tools,” said the scolog, pointing to a crowbar, a pickaxe, a -trowel, and every implement used in quarrying and building. “You are to -quarry stones to-day, and build between this and sunset the finest and -largest castle in the world, with outhouses and stables, with cellars and -kitchens. There must be cooks, with men and women to serve; there must -be dishes and utensils of every kind and furniture of every description; -not a thing is to be lacking, or the head will go from you this evening -at sunset.” - -The scolog went home; and the king’s son began to quarry with crowbar and -pickaxe, and though he worked hard, the morning was far gone when he had -three small pieces of stone quarried. He sat down to lament. - -“Why are you lamenting this morning?” asked the scolog’s daughter, who -came now with his breakfast. - -“Why shouldn’t I lament when the head will be gone from me this evening? -I am to quarry stones, and build the finest castle in the world before -sunset. Ten thousand men couldn’t do the work in ten years.” - -“Take your breakfast,” said the young woman; “you’ll see what to do after -that.” - -While he was eating, she quarried one stone; and the next moment every -stone in the quarry that was needed took its place in the finest and -largest castle ever built, with outhouses and cellars and kitchens. A -moment later, all the people were there, men and women, with utensils -of all kinds. Everything was finished but a small spot at the principal -fireplace. - -“The castle is ready,” said the scolog’s daughter; “your head will stay -with you to-day, and there are no more tasks before you at present. Here -is a trowel and mortar; you will be finishing this small spot at the fire -when my father comes. He will invite you to his castle to-night, and you -are to go with him this time. After dinner, he will seat you at a table, -and throw red wheat on it from his pocket. I have two sisters older than -I am; they and I will fly in and alight on the table in the form of three -pigeons, and we’ll be eating the wheat; my father will tell you to choose -one of his three daughters to marry. You’ll know me by this: there will -be a black quill in one of my wings. I’ll show it; choose me.” - -All happened as the scolog’s daughter said; and when the king’s son was -told to make his choice in the evening, he chose the pigeon that he -wanted. The three sprang from the table, and when they touched the floor, -they were three beautiful women. A dish priest and a wooden clerk were -brought to the castle, and the two were married that evening. - -A month passed in peace and enjoyment; but the king’s son wished to go -back now to Erin to his father. He told the wife what he wanted; and this -is what she said to him, “My father will refuse you nothing. He will -tell you to go, though he doesn’t wish to part with you. He will give you -his blessing; but this is all pretence, for he will follow us to kill us. -You must have a horse for the journey, and the right horse. He will send -a man with you to three fields. In the first field are the finest horses -that you have ever laid eyes on; take none of them. In the second field -are splendid horses, but not so fine as in the first field; take none of -these either. In the third field, in the farthest corner, near the river, -is a long-haired, shaggy, poor little old mare; take that one. The old -mare is my mother. She has great power, but not so much as my father, who -made her what she is, because she opposed him. I will meet you beyond the -hill, and we shall not be seen from the castle.” - -The king’s son brought the mare; and when they mounted her, wings came -from her sides, and she was the grandest steed ever seen. Away she flew -over mountains, hills, and valleys, till they came to the seashore, and -then they flew over the sea. - -When the servant man went home, and the scolog knew what horse they had -chosen, he turned himself and his two daughters into red fire, and shot -after the couple. No matter how swiftly the mare moved, the scolog -travelled faster, and was coming up. When the three reached the opposite -shore of the sea, the daughter saw her father coming, and turned the -mare into a small boat, the king’s son into a fisherman, and made a -fishing-rod of herself. Soon the scolog came, and his two daughters with -him. - -“Have you seen a man and a woman passing the way riding on a mare?” asked -he of the fisherman. - -“I have,” said the fisherman. “You’ll soon overtake them.” - -On went the scolog; and he never stopped till he raced around the whole -world, and came back to his own castle. - -“Oh, then, we were the fools,” said the scolog to his daughters. “Sure, -they were the fisherman, the boat, and the rod.” - -Off they went a second time in three balls of red fire; and they -were coming near again when the scolog’s youngest daughter made a -spinning-wheel of her mother, a bundle of flax of herself, and an old -woman of her husband. Up rushed the scolog, and spoke to the spinner, -“Have you seen a mare pass the way and two on her back?” asked he. - -“I have, indeed,” said the old woman; “and she is not far ahead of you.” - -Away rushed the scolog; and he never stopped till he raced around the -whole world, and came back to his own castle a second time. - -“Oh, but we were the fools!” said the scolog. “Sure, they were the old -woman with the spinning-wheel and the flax, and they are gone from us -now; for they are in Erin, and we cannot take our power over the border, -nor work against them unless they are outside of Erin. There is no use in -our following them; we might as well stay where we are.” - -The scolog and his daughters remained in the castle at Ardilawn of -Enchantment; but the king’s son rode home on the winged mare, with his -wife on a pillion behind him. - -When near the castle of the old king in Erin, the couple dismounted, and -the mare took her own form of a woman. She could do that in Erin. The -three never stopped till they went to the old king. Great was the welcome -before them; and if ever there was joy in a castle, there was joy then in -that one. - - - - -DYEERMUD ULTA AND THE KING IN SOUTH ERIN. - - -There was a king in South Erin once, and he had an only daughter of -great beauty. The daughter said that she would marry no man but the man -who would sail to her father’s castle in a three-masted ship, and the -castle was twenty miles from deep water. The father said that even if -the daughter was willing, he’d never give her to any man but the man who -would come in a ship. - -Dyeermud Ulta was the grandson of a great man from Spain who had settled -in Erin, and he lived near Kilcar. Dyeermud heard of the daughter of the -king in South Erin, and fixed in his mind to provide such a ship and go -to the castle of the king. - -Dyeermud left home one day, and was walking toward Killybegs, thinking -how to find such a ship, or the man who would make it. When he had gone -as far as Buttermilk Cliff, he saw a red champion coming against him in a -ship that was sailing along over the country like any ship on the sea. - -“What journey are you on?” asked the red champion of Dyeermud; “and where -are you going?” - -“I am going,” answered Dyeermud, “to the castle of a king in South -Erin to know will he give me his daughter in marriage, and to know if -the daughter herself is willing to marry me. The daughter will have no -husband unless a man who brings a ship to her father’s castle, and the -king will give her to no other.” - -“Come with me,” said the red man. “Take me as comrade, and what will you -give me.” - -“I will give you what is right,” said Dyeermud. - -“What will you give me?” - -“I will give you the worth of your trouble.” - -Dyeermud went in the ship, and they sailed on till they came to Conlun, -a mile above Killybegs. There they saw twelve men cutting sods, and a -thirteenth eating every sod that they cut. - -“You must be a strange man to eat what sods twelve others can cut for -you,” said Dyeermud; “what is your name?” - -“Sod-eater.” - -“We are going,” said the red man, “to the castle of a king in South Erin. -Will you come with us?” - -“What wages will you give me?” - -“Five gold-pieces,” said the red man. - -“I will go with you.” - -The three sailed on till they came to the river Kinvara, one mile below -Killybegs, and saw a man with one foot on each bank, with his back toward -the sea and his face to the current. The man did not let one drop of -water in the river pass him, but drank every drop of it. - -“Oh,” said the red man, “what a thirst there is on you to drink a whole -river! How are you so thirsty?” - -“When I was a boy, my mother used to send me to school, and I did not -wish to go there. She flogged and beat me every day, and I cried and -lamented so much that a black spot rose on my heart from the beating; -that is why there is such thirst on me now.” - -“What is your name, and will you go with us?” - -“My name is Gulping-a-River. I will go with you if you give me wages.” - -“I will give you five gold-pieces,” said the red man. - -“I will go with you,” said Gulping-a-River. - -They sailed on then to Howling River, within one mile of Dun Kinealy. -There they saw a man blowing up stream with one nostril, and the other -stopped with a plug. - -“Why blow with one nostril?” asked the red man. - -“If I were to blow with the two,” replied the stranger, “I would send you -with your ship and all that are in it up into the sky and so far away -that you would never come back again.” - -“Who are you, and will you take service with me?” - -“My name is Greedy-of-Blowing, and I will go with you for wages.” - -“You will have five gold-pieces.” - -“I am your man,” said Greedy-of-Blowing. - -They sailed away after that to Bunlaky, a place one mile beyond Dun -Kinealy; and there they found a man crushing stones with the end of his -back, by sitting down on them suddenly. - -“What are you doing there?” asked the red man. - -“My name is Ironback,” answered the stranger. “I am breaking stones with -the end of my back to make a mill, a bridge, and a road.” - -“Will you come with us?” asked the red man. - -“I will for just wages,” said Ironback. - -“You will get five gold-pieces.” - -“I will go in your company,” said Ironback. - -They went on sailing, and were a half a mile below Mount Charles when -they saw a man running up against them faster than any wind, and one leg -tied to his shoulder. - -“Where are you going, and what is your hurry? Why are you travelling on -one leg?” asked the red man. - -“I am running to find a master,” said the other. “If I were to go on my -two legs, no man could see me or set eyes on me.” - -“What can you do? I may take you in service.” - -“I am a very good messenger. My name is Foot-on-Shoulder.” - -“I will give you five gold pieces.” - -“I will go with you,” said the other. - -The ship moved on now, and never stopped till within one mile of Donegal -they saw, at a place called Kilemard, a man lying in a grass field with -his cheek to the earth. - -“What are you doing there?” asked the red man. - -“Holding my ear to the ground, and hearing the grass grow.” - -“You must have good ears. What is your name; and will you take service -with me?” - -“My name is Hearing Ear. I will go with you for good wages.” - -“You will have five gold-pieces.” - -“I am your man,” said Hearing Ear. - -They went next to Laihy, where they found a man named Fis Wacfis (Wise -man, Son of Knowledge), and he sitting at the roadside chewing his thumb. - -“What are you doing there?” asked the red man. - -“I am learning whatever I wish to know by chewing my thumb.” - -“Take service with me, and come on the ship.” - -He went on the same terms as the others, and they never stopped nor -halted till they came to the castle of the king. They were outside the -walls three days and three nights before any man spoke a word to them. At -last the king sent a messenger to ask who were they and what brought them. - -“I have come in a ship for your daughter, and my name is Dyeermud Ulta,” -was the answer the king got. - -The king was frightened at the answer, though he knew himself well enough -that it was for the daughter Dyeermud had come in the ship, and was -greatly in dread that she would be taken from him. He went then to an old -henwife that lived near the castle to know could he save the daughter, -and how could he save her. - -“If you’ll be said by me,” said the henwife, “you’ll bid them all come to -a feast in the castle. Before they come, let your men put sharp poisoned -spikes under the cushions of the seats set apart for the company. They -will sit on the spikes, swell up to the size of a horse, and die before -the day is out, every man of them.” - -Hearing Ear was listening, heard all the talk between the king and the -henwife, and told it. - -“Now,” said Fis Wacfis to Dyeermud, “the king will invite us all to a -feast to-morrow, and you will go there and take us. It is better to send -Ironback to try our seats, and sit on them, for under the cushion of each -one will be poisoned spikes to kill us.” - -That day the king sent a message to Dyeermud. “Will you come,” said he, -“with your men, to a feast in my castle to-morrow? I am glad to have such -guests, and you are welcome.” - -“Very thankful am I,” said Dyeermud. “We will come to the feast.” - -Before the company came, Ironback went into the hall of feasting, looked -at everything, sat down on each place, and made splinters of the seats. - -“Those seats are of no use,” said Ironback; “they are no better than so -many cabbage stalks.” - -The king had iron seats brought in, strong ones. There was no harm to -Dyeermud and his company from that feast. - -Away went the king to the henwife, and told how the seats had been -broken. “What am I to do now?” asked he. - -“Say that to get your daughter they must eat what food is in your castle -at one meal.” - -Next day Dyeermud went to the castle, and asked, “Am I to have your -daughter now?” - -“You are not,” said the king, “unless your company will eat what food is -in my castle at one meal.” - -“Very well,” said Dyeermud; “have the meal ready.” - -The king gave command to bring out the hundred and fifty tons of -provisions in the castle all prepared and ready for eating. - -Dyeermud came with his men, and Sod-eater began; and it was as much as -all the king’s servants could do to bring food as fast as he ate it, and -he never stopped till there wasn’t a pound of the hundred and fifty tons -left. - -“Is this all you have to give me?” asked Sod-eater. “I could eat three -times as much.” - -“Oh, we have no more,” said the servants. - -“Where is our dinner?” asked Dyeermud. - -The king had nothing for the others, and he had nothing for himself. -All had to go away hungry, and there was great dissatisfaction in the -castle, and complaining. - -The king had nothing to do now but to go to the henwife a third time for -advice in his trouble. - -“You have,” said she, “three hundred and fifty pipes of wine. If his -company cannot drink every drop of the wine, don’t give him the daughter.” - -Next day Dyeermud went to the castle. “Am I to have the daughter now?” -asked he of the king. - -“I will not give my daughter,” said the king, “unless you and your -company will drink the three hundred and fifty pipes of wine that are in -my castle.” - -“Bring out the wine,” said Dyeermud; “we’ll come to-morrow, and do the -best we can to drink it.” - -Dyeermud and his men went next day to where the wine was. Gulping-a-River -was the man for drinking, and they let him at it. After he got a taste, -he was that anxious that he broke in the head of one pipe after another, -and drank till there wasn’t a drop left in the three hundred and fifty -pipes. All the wine did was to put thirst on Gulping-a-River; and he was -that mad with thirst that he drank up the spring well at the castle, and -all the springs in the neighborhood, and a loch three miles distant, so -that in the evening there wasn’t a drop of water for man or beast in the -whole place. - -What did the king do but go to the henwife the fourth time. - -“Oh,” said she, “there is no use in trying to get rid of him this way; -you can make no hand of Dyeermud by eating or drinking. Do you send him -now to the Eastern World to get the bottle of cure from the three sons -of Sean [pronounced Shawn,—John] Mac Glinn, and to have it at the castle -before noon to-morrow.” - -“Am I to get the daughter now?” asked Dyeermud of the king. - -“You’ll not get my daughter,” said the king, “unless you have for me here -to-morrow the bottle of cure which the three sons of Sean Mac Glinn have -in the Eastern World.” - -Dyeermud went to his ship with the king’s answer. - -“Let me go,” said Foot-on-Shoulder. “I will bring you the bottle in -season.” - -“You may go,” said Dyeermud. - -Away went Foot-on-Shoulder, and was at the sea in a minute. He made a -ship of his cap, a mast of his stick, a sail of his shirt, and away with -him sailing over the sea, never stopping nor halting till he reached the -Eastern World. - -In five hours, he came to a castle where the walls of defence were -sixty-six feet high and fifty-five feet thick. Sean Mac Glinn’s three -sons were playing football on the top of the wall. - -“Send down the bottle of cure to me,” said Foot-on-Shoulder, “or I’ll -have your lives.” - -“We will not give you the bottle of cure; and if you come up, it will be -as hard to find your brains five minutes after as to find the clay of a -cabin broken down a hundred years ago.” - -Foot-on-Shoulder made one spring, and rose six feet above the wall. They -were so frightened at the sight of what he did, and were so in dread of -him that they cried, “You’ll get what you want, only spare us,—leave us -our lives. You are the best man that we have ever seen coming from any -part; you have done what no man could ever do before this. You’ll get the -bottle of cure; but will you send it back again?” - -“I will not promise that,” said Foot-on-Shoulder; “I may send it, and I -may not.” - -They gave him the bottle, he went his way to his ship, and sailed home -to Erin. Next morning the henwife dressed herself up as a piper, and, -taking a rod of enchantment with her, went away, piping on a hill which -Foot-on-Shoulder had to cross in coming to the castle. She thought he -would stop to listen to the music she was making, and then she would -strike him with the rod, and make a stone of him. She was piping away -for herself on the hill like any poor piper making his living. Hearing -Ear heard the music, and told Dyeermud. Fis Wacfis chewed his thumb at -Dyeermud’s command, and found out that the piper was the king’s henwife, -and discovered her plans. - -“Oh,” said Fis Wacfis to Dyeermud, “unless you take her out of that, she -will make trouble for us.” - -“Greedy-of-Blowing, can you make away with that old woman on the hill?” -asked Dyeermud. - -“I can indeed,” said Greedy-of-Blowing. - -With that, he ran to the foot of the hill; and with one blast from both -nostrils, he sent the old hag up into the sky, and away she went sailing -so that neither tale nor word of her ever came back. - -Foot-on-Shoulder was at the ship outside the castle walls half an hour -before noon, and gave the bottle of cure to Dyeermud. Dyeermud went that -minute to the castle, and stood before the king. - -“Here is the bottle of cure which I got from the three sons of Sean Mac -Glinn in the Eastern World. Am I to get the daughter now?” - -“I’ll send you my answer to the ship,” said the king. - -Where should the king go now in his trouble but to find the henwife. -She was not at home. He sent men to look for the old woman; no tidings -of her that day. They waited till the next day; not a sight of her. The -following morning the king sent servants and messengers to look for the -henwife. They searched the whole neighborhood; could not find her. He -sent all his warriors and forces. They looked up and down, searched the -whole kingdom, searched for nine days and nights, but found no trace of -the henwife. - -The king consented at last to give the daughter to Dyeermud, and he had -to consent, and no thanks to him, for he couldn’t help himself. The -daughter was glad and willing; she loved Dyeermud from the first, but the -father would not part with her. - -The wedding lasted a day and a year, and when that time was over, -Dyeermud went home on the ship to Kilcar, and there he paid all his men -their wages, and they went each to his own place. - -The red man stayed sometime in the neighborhood, and what should he do -one day but seize Dyeermud’s wife, put her in the ship, and sail away -with her. When going, she put him under injunction not to marry her for a -day and a year. - -Now Dyeermud, who was hunting when the red man stole his wife, was in -great grief and misery, for he knew not where the red man lived nor where -he should travel to find him. At last he sent a message of inquiry to the -King of Spain; and the king’s answer was, “Only two persons in the whole -world know where that man lives, Great Limper, King of Light, and Black -Thorn of Darkness. I have written to these two, and told them to go to -you.” - -The two men came in their own ship through the air to Kilcar, to -Dyeermud, and talked and took counsel. - -“I do not know where the red man can be,” said Black Thorn, “unless in -Kilchroti; let us go to that place.” - -They sailed away in their ship, and it went straight to the place they -wanted. They had more power than the red man, and could send their ship -anywhere. - -In five days and nights they were at Kilchroti. They went straight to the -house, and no one in the world could see the red man’s house there but -these two. Black Thorn struck the door, and it flew open. The red man, -who was inside, took their hands, welcomed them heartily, and said, “I -hope it is not to do me harm that ye are here.” - -“It is not to harm you or any one that we are here,” replied they. “We -are here only to get what is right and just, but without that, we will -not go from this.” - -“What is the right and just that ye are here for?” asked the red man. - -“Dyeermud’s wife,” replied Black Thorn, “and it was wrong in you to take -her; you must give her up.” - -“I will fight rather than give her,” said the red man. - -“Fighting will not serve you,” said Black Thorn, “it is better for you to -give her to us.” - -“Ye will not get her without seven tons of gold,” said the red man. “If -ye bring me the gold, I will give her to you. If ye come without it, -ye’ll get fight from me.” - -“We will give you the gold,” said Great Limper, “within seven days.” - -“Agreed,” said the red man. - -“Come to the ship,” said Great Limper to Black Thorn. - -They went on board, and sailed away. - -“I was once on a ship which was wrecked on the coast of Spain with -forty-five tons of gold. I know where that gold is; we will get it,” said -Great Limper. - -The two sailed to where the gold was, took seven tons of it, and on the -sixth day they had it in Kilchroti, in front of the red man’s house. They -weighed out the gold to him. They went then to find Dyeermud’s wife. She -was behind nine doors; each door was nine planks in thickness, and bolted -with nine bars of iron. The red man opened the doors; all went in, and -looked at the chamber. The woman went out first, next the red man; and, -seizing the door, he thought to close it on Great Limper and Black Thorn, -but Black Thorn was too quick for him, and before the red man could close -the door he shot him, first with a gold and then with a silver bullet. - -The red man fell dead on the threshold. - -“I knew he was preparing some treachery,” said Black Thorn. “When we -weighed the gold to him, he let such a loud laugh of delight out of him.” - -They took the woman and the gold to Dyeermud; they stayed nine days and -nights with him in Kilcar, eating, drinking, and making merry. They -drank to the King of Spain, to all Erin, to themselves, and to their -well-wishers. You see, I had great work to keep up with them these nine -days and nights. I hope they will do well hereafter. - - - - -CUD, CAD, AND MICAD, THREE SONS OF THE KING OF URHU. - - -There was a king once in Urhu, and he had three sons. The eldest was -three, the second two, the youngest one year old. Their names were Cud, -Cad, and Micad. The three brothers were playing one day near the castle, -which was hard by the seashore; and Cud ran in to his father, and said, -“I hope you will give me what I ask.” - -“Anything you ask that I can give you will get,” said the father. - -“’Tis all I ask,” said Cud, “that you will give me and my brothers one of -your ships to sail in till evening.” - -“I will give you that and welcome, but I think you and they are too weak -to go on a ship.” - -“Let us be as we are; we’ll never go younger,” said Cud. - -The king gave the ship. Cud hurried out, and, catching Cad and Micad, -one under each of his arms, went with one spring to the best ship in -the roadstead. They raised the sails then, and the three brothers did -as good work as the best and largest crew. They left the harbor with -the fairest wind a ship ever had. The wind blew in a way that not a -cable was left without stretching, an oar without breaking, nor a helm -without cracking with all the speed the ship had. The water rose in three -terrible ridges, so that the rough gravel of the bottom was brought to -the top, and the froth of the top was driven down to the bottom of the -sea. The sight of the kingdom of the world soon sank from the eyes of the -brothers; and when they saw nothing but blue sea around them, a calm fell -on the water. - -Cud was going back and forth on the deck, sorry for what was done; and a -good right he had to be sorry, but he was not sorry long. He saw a small -currachan (boat) a mile away, and went with one spring from his ship to -the currachan. The finest woman in the world was sleeping in the bottom -of the boat. He put a finger under her girdle, and went back with a -spring to the ship. When he touched his own deck, she woke. - -“I put you under bonds and the misfortune of the world,” cried she, “to -leave me where you saw me first, and to be going ever and always till you -find me again.” - -“What name am I to call you when I go in search of you?” - -“The Cat of Fermalye, or the Swan of Endless Tales,” said the woman. - -He took her with one spring to the little boat, and with another spring -went back to his own ship. Whatever good wind they had coming, they had -it twice better going home. In the evening the ship was anchored among -the others again. The brothers went ashore in a boat. When Cud came in, -his father put out a chair for him, and gave him great welcome. Cud sat -down; but as he did, he broke three rungs in the chair, two ribs in -himself, and a rafter in the roof of the castle. - -“You were put under bonds to-day,” said the father. - -“I was,” said Cud. - -“What bonds?” - -“To be going ever and always till I find the Cat of Fermalye, or the Swan -of Endless Tales.” - -Himself and his father spent that night together, and they were very -sad and downhearted. As early as the dawn came, Cud rose and ate his -breakfast. - -“Stay with me; I’ll give you half my kingdom now, and all when I die,” -said the father. - -“I cannot stay under bonds; I must go,” replied Cud. - -Cud took the ship he liked best, and put supplies for a day and seven -years in her. - -“Now,” said the father, “ask for something else; anything in the world I -can give, I will give you.” - -“I want nothing but my two brothers to go with me.” - -“I care not where they go if yourself leaves me,” said the king. - -The three brothers went aboard the ship; and if the wind was good the -first day, it was better this time. They never stopped nor rested till -they sailed to Fermalye. The three went on shore, and were walking the -kingdom. They had walked only a short piece of it when they saw a grand -castle. They went to the gate; Cud was just opening it when a cat came -out. The cat looked at Cud, bowed to him, and went her way. They saw -neither beast nor man in the castle, or near it; only a woman at the -highest window, and she sewing. - -“We’ll not stop till we go as far as the woman,” said Cud. - -The woman welcomed them when they came to her, put out a gold chair to -Cud and a wooden chair to each of his brothers. - -“’Tis strange,” said Micad, “to show so much greater respect to one than -the other two.” - -“No cause for wonder in that,” said the woman. “I show respect to this -one, for he is my brother-in-law.” - -“We do not wonder now, but where is his wife?” - -“She went out a cat when ye came in.” - -“Oh, was that she?” cried Cud. - -They spent the night with good cheer and plenty of food, the taste of -honey in every bit they ate, and no bit dry. As early as the day dawned, -the three rose, and the sister-in-law had their breakfast before them. - -“Grief and sorrow, I’m in dread ’tis bad cooking ye have on the ship. -Take me with you; you’ll have better food.” - -“Welcome,” said Cud. “Come with us.” - -Each of the others welcomed her more than Cud. The four went on board; -the brothers raised sails, and were five days going when they saw a ship -shining like gold and coming from Western waters. - -“That ship has no good appearance,” said Cud. “We must keep out of -danger;” and he took another course. Whatever course he took, the other -ship was before him always, and crossing him. - -“Isn’t it narrow the ocean is, that you must be crossing me always?” -shouted Cud. - -“Do not wonder,” cried a man from the other ship; “we heard that the -three sons of the King of Urhu were sailing on the sea, and if we find -them, it’s not long they’ll be before us.” - -The three strangers were the three sons of the King of Hadone. - -“If it is for these you are looking,” said Cud, “you need go no farther.” - -“It is to find you that we are here,” said the man on the shining ship, -“to take you on a visit to our own kingdom for a day and seven years. -After that, we will go for the same length of time to your kingdom.” - -“You will get that and welcome,” said Cud. - -“Come on board my ship,” said the eldest son of the King of Hadone: -“we’ll make one company; your ship is not much to look at.” - -“Of the food that our father gave us,” said Cud, “there is no bit dry, -and we have plenty on board. If it is dry food that you have in that big -ship, leave it and come to us.” - -The sons of the King of Hadone went to the small ship, and let the big -one go with the wind. When Cud saw that they let their own ship go, he -made great friends of them. - -“Have you been on sea ever before?” asked he of the eldest of the -strangers. - -“I am on sea since I was of an age to walk by myself,” replied he. - -“This is my first voyage,” said Cud. “Now as we are brothers and -friends, and as you are taking us to visit your kingdom, I’ll give you -command of my ship.” - -The king’s son took this from Cud willingly, and steered home in a -straight course. - -When the sons of the King of Hadone were leaving home, they commanded all -in the kingdom, big and little, small and great, weak and strong, to be -at the port before them when they came back with the sons of the King of -Urhu. “These,” said they, “must never be let out alive on the shore.” - -In the first harbor the ship entered, the shore was black and white with -people. - -“Why are all those people assembled?” asked Cud. - -“I have no knowledge of that,” said the king’s son; “but if you’ll let -your two brothers go with me and my brothers, we’ll find out the reason.” - -They anchored the ship, put down a long-boat, and Cad and Micad went into -it with the three sons of the King of Hadone. Cud and his sister-in-law -stayed behind on the ship. Cud never took his eyes off his brothers as -they sat in the boat. He watched them when near the shore, and saw them -both killed. With one bound he sprang from the bowsprit to land, and went -through all there as a hawk through small birds. Two hours had not passed -when the head was off every man in the kingdom. Whatever trouble he had -in taking the heads, he had twice as much in finding his brothers. When -he had the brothers found, it failed him to know how to bury them. At -last he saw on the beach an old ship with three masts. He pulled out the -masts, drew the ship further on land, and said to himself, “I will have -my brothers under this ship turned bottom upward, and come back to take -them whenever I can.” - -He put the bodies on the ground, turned the ship over them, and went his -way. - -The woman saw all the slaughter. “Never am I to see Cud alive,” thought -she, and fell dead from sorrow. - -Cud took the woman to shore, and put her under the ship with his -brothers. He went to his ship then, sailed away alone, and never stopped -till he came to the kingdom where lived Mucan Mor Mac Ri na Sorach. Cud -went ashore, and while walking and looking for himself, he came to a -castle. He was wondering at the pole of combat, such a terribly big one, -and he gave a small blow to it. The messenger came out, and looked up and -down to know could he find the man who gave the blow. Not a soul could he -see but a white-haired young child standing near the pole. He went into -the castle again. - -“Who struck the pole?” asked Mucan Mor. - -“I saw no one but a small child with white hair; there is no danger from -him.” - -Cud gave a harder blow. - -“That blow is harder,” said Mucan Mor, “than any child can give. Go and -see who is in it.” - -The man searched high and low, and it failed him to find any one but the -child. - -“It would be a wonder if you are the one, you little child, that struck -the blow.” - -“What harm,” said the little child, “if I gave the pole a touch?” - -“Mucan Mor is going to dinner soon,” said the messenger; “and if you vex -him again, ’tis yourself that he’ll eat in place of the dinner.” - -“Is dinner ready?” asked Cud. - -“It is going to be left down,” was the answer he got. - -When the man went in, Cud gave the pole a hard blow, and didn’t leave -calf, foal, lamb, kid, or child awaiting its birth, or a bag of poor oats -or rye, that didn’t turn five times to the left, and five to the right -with the fright that it got. He made such a noise and crash that dishes -were broken, knives hurled around, and the castle shaken to its bottom -stone. Mucan Mor himself was turned five times to the left and five to -the right before he could put the soles of his feet under him. When he -went out, and saw the small child, he asked, “Was it you that struck the -pole?” - -“I gave it a little tip,” said Cud. - -“You are a child of no sense to be lying so, and it is yourself that I’ll -eat for my supper.” - -He thought he had only to take Cud into the castle, and roast him on the -spit. He went to catch the child; but if he did, the child faced him, and -soon they were fighting like two bulls in high grass. When it was very -late in the day, Mucan Mor rose up in a lump of fog, and Cud didn’t know -where he had gone. - -All Cud had to do was to go to the forest, and gather twigs for a fire -to keep himself warm until morning. It wasn’t many twigs he had gathered -when twelve swans came near him. - -“Love me!” said he. “I believe ye are the blessed birds that came from my -father’s kingdom to be food to relieve me in need.” - -“Sorry am I that I have ever looked on you or you on me,” said one of the -swans; and the twelve rose and flew away. - -Cud gathered the twigs for the fire, and dried the blood in his wounds. -In the morning, Mucan Mor struck his own pole of combat. He and Cud -faced each other, and fought till late in the day, when Mucan Mor rose -as a lump of fog in the air. Cud went to the forest as before to gather -twigs. It was few he had gathered when the twelve swans came again. - -“Are ye the blessed birds from my own kingdom?” asked he. - -“No,” said one of the swans; “but I put you under bonds not to turn me -away as you did last night.” - -“As you put me under bonds,” said Cud, “I will not turn you away.” - -The twelve began to gather twigs, and it wasn’t long till they had a -great fire made. One of the twelve sat at the fire then with Cud, and -said, “There is nothing in the world to kill Mucan Mor but a certain -apple. For the last three days I have been looking for that apple. I -found it to-day, and have it here for you. To-morrow you’ll be getting -the upper hand of Mucan Mor earlier than other days. He has no power to -rise as a fog until a given hour. When the time comes, he’ll raise his -two hands and be striving to go in the air. If you strike him then in the -right side in the ribs with the apple, you’ll make a green stone of him. -If you do not, he’ll come down and make a green stone of you.” - -Cud took the apple, and had great thanks for the swan. She left down the -best food then before him. She had the food with her always. Glad was -he, for he was greatly in want of it after the fast of two days. She put -her own wing and head over his head and sheltered him till day break. -There wasn’t a wound on him next morning that wasn’t cured. As early as -the day dawned she roused him. - -“Be up now,” said she, “and have the soles of your feet under you.” - -He went first to the pole and struck a blow that took three turns out of -the stomach of Mucan Mor and three more out of his brain, before he could -stand on the soles of his feet, so great was the dread that came on him. - -They fought the third day, and it wasn’t very late when Cud was getting -the upper hand. Mucan Mor raised his two arms toward the sky, striving to -escape in a fog from his enemy. Cud struck him then with the apple, and -made a green stone of him. Hardly had he Mucan Mor killed when he saw an -old hag racing up; she took one hill at a step and two at a leap. - -“Your face and your health to you,” said the hag, when she stood before -Cud. “I am looking at you for three days, fighting without food or drink. -I hope that you’ll come with me now.” - -“It’s long that you were thinking of asking me,” said he. - -“I hope you’ll not refuse me,” said the hag. - -“I will not,” replied Cud. - -“Give me your hand,” said the hag, “and I’ll help you to walk.” - -He took the hag’s hand. There wasn’t a jump that she gave while she had a -grip of his hand but he thought she was dragging the arm from him. - -“Curses on you for an old hag! Is it little I have gone through that you -treat me in this way?” - -“I have a cloth about my shoulders. Go into that, and I will carry you,” -said the hag. - -There wasn’t a joint in the hag’s back that wasn’t three inches long. -When she had him on her back there wasn’t a leap that she gave that the -joints of her backbone were not going into Cud’s body. - -“Hard luck to you for a hag, after all I have gone through to have me -killed at last.” - -“You have not far to go now,” said she; and after a few leaps she was at -the end of her journey. She took him into a grand castle. The best table -of food that he had ever set eyes on was left down there before him. - -“Sit there, now, son of the King of Urhu; eat and drink.” - -“I have never taken food without company,” said Cud, “and I will not take -it this time.” - -“Will you eat with me?” - -“Bad luck to you for a hag, I will not.” - -She opened a door and let in twelve pigs, and one pig, the thirteenth, -without a head. - -“Will you take food with these, son of the King of Urhu?” - -“Indeed, then, old hag, bad as you are yourself, I’d rather eat with you -than with these, and I’ll not eat with you.” - -She put them back, opened another door and let out twelve of the -rustiest, foulest, ugliest old hags that man could set eyes on. - -“Will you take food with these?” asked she. - -“Indeed, then, I will not.” - -She hurried them back, opened a door, and brought out twelve beautiful -young women. - -“Will you take food with these?” - -“These are fit to take food with any one,” said Cud. - -They sat down and ate with good-will and pleasure. When they had the -dinner eaten the hag opened the door, and the twelve went back to their -own chamber. - -“I’ll get great blame,” said the old hag, “for all the delay I’ve had. -I’ll be going now.” - -“What trouble is on you that you’ll be blamed for your delay?” - -“Those twelve pigs that you saw,” said the hag, “are twelve sons of -mine, and the pig without a head is my husband. Those twelve foul, yellow -hags that you saw are my twelve daughters. The twelve beautiful women who -ate with you are my daughters’ attendants.” - -“Why are your twelve sons and your husband pigs, and your twelve -daughters yellow old hags?” - -“The Awus in that house there beyond has them enchanted and held in -subjection. There isn’t a night but I must go with a gold apple to him.” - -“I will go with you to-night,” said Cud. - -“There is no use in going,” said the hag. - -They were talking a long time before she would let him go. She went -first, and he followed. She knocked, and they opened the door. Cud was -in with her that instant. One Awus rose and put seven bolts and seven -locks on the door. Cud rose and put on seven locks and seven bolts more. -All began to laugh when they saw Cud doing this. The old chief, who was -standing at the hearth, let such a roar out of him that Cud saw the heart -inside in his body. - -“Why are you laughing?” asked Cud. - -“We think you a nice bit of meat to roast on the spit. Rise up,” said he -to a small attendant, “and tie that fellow.” - -The attendant rose and tried to tie Cud, but soon Cud had him down and -tied. - -“Bad luck to you, ’tis sorry I am that I ever lost food on the like of -you,” said the old chief to the small attendant. “Rise up,” said he to a -big attendant, “and tie him.” - -The big one rose up, and whatever time the small one lasted, the big one -didn’t last half that length. Cud drew strings from his pocket and began -tying the Awuses. He caught the old Awus by the shins, dragged him down, -and put his knee on him. - -“You are the best champion ever I have seen,” said the old Awus. “Give me -quarter for my soul; there is never a place where you need it but my help -will attend you with bravery. I’ll give you also my sword of light that -shines in the dark, my pot of cure that makes the dead alive, and the rod -of enchantment to help the pot of cure.” - -“Where can I find them?” asked Cud. - -“In a hole in the floor under the post of my bed. You cannot get them -without help.” - -“It cannot be but I can do anything that has been done ever in your -house,” said Cud. - -With that he went to the bed, and whatever work he had in his life he -never found a harder task than to move the post of the bed; but he found -the sword of light, the pot of cure, and the rod of enchantment. He came -to the Awus with the sword in one hand, and the two other things in the -other hand. - -“The head off you now if you don’t take this hag and her family from -under enchantment. Make men and women of her sons and daughters, a king -of her husband, and a queen of herself in this kingdom, while water is -running, and grass is growing, and you are to go to them with a gold -apple every evening and morning as long as you live or any one lives who -comes after you to the end of all ages.” - -“I will do that,” said the Awus. - -He gave the word, and the hag was as fine a queen as she was before. She -and Cud went back to the castle. The twelve pigs were twelve young men, -and the thirteenth without a head was the king. She opened the chamber of -the twelve yellow hags, and they were as beautiful as ever. All were very -grateful to Cud for the good turn he had done them. - -“I had one son,” said the queen; “while he was here he gave the old Awus -enough to do.” - -“Where is he now?” inquired Cud. - -“In the Eastern World, in a field seven miles in length, and seven in -width, and there isn’t a yard of that field in which a spike is not -standing taller than a man. There is not a spike, except one, without a -king’s son or a champion on it, impaled through his chin.” - -“What name had your son?” - -“Gold Boot.” - -“I promise to bring Gold Boot here to you, or leave my own head on the -spike.” - -As early as the day rose Cud was ready, and away he went walking, and -very little food had he with him. About midday he was at the enchanted -field, in the Eastern World. He was walking till he came to Gold Boot. -When he touched the body, the foot gave him a kick that sent him seven -acres and seven ridges away, and put three bunches of the blood of his -heart out of him. - -“I believe what your mother said, that when you were living you were -strong, and the strength you have now to be in you.” - -“Don’t think we are dead,” said Gold Boot; “we are not. It is how we are -enchanted and unable to rise out of this.” - -“What put you in it?” asked Cud. - -“A man will come out by and by with pipes, making music, and he’ll bring -so much sleep on you that he’ll put you on that empty spike, and the -field will be full. If you take my advice you will not wait for him.” - -“My grief and my sorrow! I will never stir till I see all that is here,” -replied Cud. - -It wasn’t long he was waiting when the piper came out, and the very first -sound that he heard Cud ran and caught the pipes; whatever music the man -was making, Cud played seven times better. - -When Cud took the pipes, the piper ran crying into the castle where the -wizard was. - -“What is on you?” asked the wizard. - -“A man caught my pipes, and he is a twice better player than what I am.” - -“Never mind that, take these with you; these are the pipes that won’t be -long in putting sleep on him.” - -When Cud heard the first note of these pipes, he struck the old ones -against a stone, and ran and caught the new pipes. The piper rushed to -the wizard; the old man went out, threw himself on his knees, and begged -mercy. - -“Never give him mercy,” said Gold Boot, “till he burns the hill that is -standing out opposite him.” - -“You have no pardon to get till you set that hill there on fire,” -answered Cud. - -“That is as bad for me as to lose my head,” said the wizard. - -“That same is not far from you unless you do what I bid,” replied Cud. - -Sooner than lose his head he lighted the hill. When the hill began to -burn, all the men except Gold Boot came from under enchantment as sound -as ever, and rose off the spikes. Every one was making away, and no one -asking who let him out. The hill was on fire except one spot in the -middle of it. Gold Boot was not stirring. “Why did you not make him set -all the hill on fire?” asked he. - -“Why did you not set the whole hill on fire?” demanded Cud of the wizard. - -“Is it not all on fire?” - -“Do you see the centre is not burning yet?” - -“To see that bit on fire,” said the wizard, “is as bad for me as to lose -the head itself.” - -“That same is not far from you,” said Cud. - -“Sooner than lose the head I will light it.” - -That moment he lighted the hill, and Cud saw the very woman he saw the -first day sleeping in the little boat come toward him from the hill. He -forgot that he had seen Gold Boot or the enchanted hag and her sons. The -wizard, seeing this, stopped the centre fire, and Gold Boot was left on -the spike. Cud and the woman embraced till they smothered each other with -kisses and drowned each other with tears. After that they neither stopped -nor stayed till they reached his little ship and sailed away on it; they -never delayed till they came to where his two brothers and sister-in-law -were under the boat. Cud took out the three bodies, put a drop of the -cure on each one, and gave each a blow of the rod. They rose up in good -health and sound vigor. All entered the ship and sailed toward Urhu. - -They had only the sailing of one day before them, when Cud recollected -his promise to bring Gold Boot to his mother. - -“Take the wife to Fermalye,” said he to his brothers. “I must go for Gold -Boot; the king will give you food till I come. If you were to go to our -own father he’d think that it is dead I am.” - -Cud drew out his knife, cut a slip from a stick; this he threw into the -sea. It became a ship, and away he sailed in that ship, and never stopped -till he entered the harbor next the enchanted field. When he came to -Gold Boot he gave him a drop of cure and a blow of the rod. He rose from -the spike, well and strong. The two embraced then, went to the ship, and -sailed away. They had not gone far when such a calm came that they cast -anchor near shore, and Gold Boot began to get dinner. It wasn’t long he -was at it when they saw food at the foot of a tree on the shore. - -“Who would be getting trouble with cooking, and such food as that on the -shore?” said Gold Boot. - -“Don’t mind that food,” replied Cud. - -“Whatever I think of I do,” said Gold Boot. - -He went to shore with one jump, caught the food, sprang back, and laid it -down for himself and Cud. When this was done there was food seven times -better on the land again. - -“Who would taste of this, and that table over there?” cried Gold Boot. - -“Never mind it,” said Cud. “If the man who owns this table was sleeping -when you took it, he is not sleeping now.” - -“Whatever I think of I must do,” replied Gold Boot. - -“If you did that before, I will do it now,” said Cud, and he sprang to -land. He looked up in the tree, and there he saw a man ready to take the -life from him. - -“Grief and sorrow!” said the man. “I thought it was Gold Boot again. Take -this table, with welcome, but I hope you’ll invite me to dinner.” - -“I will, indeed,” said Cud; “and what name am I to give you?” - -“The Wet Mantle Champion.” - -Cud took one end of the table and the champion the other. Out they went -to the ship with one bound. They sat down then together with Gold Boot -at the table. When dinner was over, the wind rose, and they sailed on, -never delaying till they came to the castle of Gold Boot’s father, where -there was a great welcome before them, and thanks beyond estimate. - -“I will give you half my kingdom while I live and all of it when I die,” -said the king, “and the choice of my twelve daughters.” - -“Many thanks to you,” replied Cud; “the promise of marriage is on me -already, but perhaps Wet Mantle is not married or promised.” - -“I am not,” said Wet Mantle. - -“You must have my chance,” said Cud. - -Wet Mantle took Cud’s place, and the king sent for a big dish priest, and -a great wooden clerk. They came, and the couple were married. When the -three days’ wedding was over, Cud went away alone. While sailing near -land he saw a castle by the sea, and as he drew near he wondered more and -more. A raven was going in and out at the uppermost window, and each time -bringing out something white. Cud landed, walked up from the strand, and -went to the top of the castle. He saw a woman there, and the whole room -full of white pigeons. She was throwing them one by one from a loft to -the raven. - -“Why do you throw those to the raven?” asked Cud of the woman. - -“The raven is an enchanted brother of mine, who comes to this castle once -in seven years. I can see him only while I am throwing him pigeons. I get -as many pigeons as possible, to keep him with me while I can.” - -“Keep him for a while yet,” said Cud. - -He rushed to the ship, took his rod, and ran to the loft where the woman -was. “Entice him in further,” said Cud. - -Cud struck the raven a blow, and he rose up as fine a champion as ever -was seen. - -“Your blow on me was good,” said the champion, “and ’tis work you have -now before you. Your two brothers are killed and under seven feet of -earth in Fermalye. Your wife and her sister are to their knees in foul -water and filth in the stable, and are getting two mouthfuls of water, -and two of bread in the day till they die.” - -Cud did not wait to hear more of the story. Away he went, and never -stopped till he came to Fermalye. When he was coming to the castle all -the children he met he was throwing at each other, he was so vexed. He -took the wife and sister out of the stable, then dug up the brothers and -brought them to life with the rod. The five made no delay after that, but -went to the ship and sailed to Urhu. When near land he raised white flags -on every mast. - -“A ship is coming!” cried a messenger, running to the king. “I am -thinking it is Cud that is in it.” - -“That’s what I will never believe,” said the king, “till he puts his hand -into my hand.” - -Since Cud left home, the father and mother had never risen from the -fireside, but were sitting there always and crying. When the ship was -three miles from land, Cud ran from the stern to the stem, sprang to -land, ran into the castle, gave one hand to his mother, and the other to -his father. - -It wasn’t one boat, but boats, that went out to the ship for the brothers -and the women. When they came, all spent the night with great pleasure -in the castle. Next day the king sent seven score of ships and one ship -to sea to bring supplies for the wedding. When the ships came back laden -from foreign parts, he sent messengers to invite all the people in the -kingdom. They were coming till they blackened the hills and spotted the -valleys. I was there myself, and we spent nine nights and nine days in -great glee and pleasure. - - - - -CAHAL, SON OF KING CONOR, IN ERIN, AND BLOOM OF YOUTH, DAUGHTER OF THE -KING OF HATHONY. - - -There was a king in Hathony long ago who had an old castle by the sea. -This king went out walking one day along the clean, smooth strand, and, -while walking, the thought rose in him to take a sail near the shore. He -stepped into his boat with attendants and men, and was sailing about in -enjoyment and pleasure, when a wind came with a mist of enchantment, and -drove the boat away through the sea with the king and his men. - -They were going before the wind, without a sight of sky or sea; no man in -the boat could see the man who sat next to him. They were that way moving -in the mist without knowledge of where they were, or where they were -going, and the boat never stopped till it sailed into a narrow harbor in -a lonely place without house or habitation. - -The king left the boat well fastened at the shore, and went his way, -walking till he came to a castle, and what castle should it be but the -castle of King Conor, in Erin. - -King Conor received the King of Hathony with great hospitality and -welcome. - -When the two had spent some days in company, they became great friends, -and made a match between their two children. The King of Hathony had a -daughter called Bloom of Youth, who was nine years of age, and King Conor -had a son ten years old, named Cahal. - -When the King of Hathony wished to go back to his own land, King Conor of -Erin gave a ship to him, and the king sailed away with good wishes and -with supplies for a day and a year. - -Bloom of Youth grew up in such beauty that she had not her equal in -Hathony or in other lands, and Cahal, King Conor’s son, became such a -hero that no man knew was the like of him in any place. - -On a day Cahal said to his father, “Make up some treasure for me and -stores for my ship. I must leave home now and be travelling through the -world till I know is there a better man than myself in it.” - -“It is, indeed, time for you to be going,” said King Conor, “for in -three years you are to marry Bloom of Youth, the daughter of the King -of Hathony, and you should be making out the place now where her father -lives.” - -Next morning Cahal took what treasures his father gave him, and -provisions, went to his ship and raised sails. Away he went on his -voyage, sailing over the sea in one way and another, in this direction -and that. He sailed one year and three-quarters of a second year, but -found no man to give tale or tidings of the King of Hathony. - -Once on a gloomy day he was sailing along through the waves, when a -strong north wind rose, and blew with such force that he let his ship go -with it. - -Three days and nights the ship went before the north wind, and on the -fourth day, in the morning, it was thrown in on a rocky coast. - -Cahal saved his life and his sword, and went away walking through the -country. On the evening of the fifth day he came to an old castle near -the seashore, and said to himself, “I will not go in here to ask for -lodgings like any poor traveller.” With that he walked up and put a blow -on the pole of combat that made the whole castle tremble. - -Out rushed the messenger. “What brought you here, and what do you want?” -asked he of King Conor’s son. - -“I want men to meet me in combat, seven hundred champions on my right -hand, seven hundred on my left, seven hundred behind me, and the same -number in front of me.” - -The man ran in and gave the message to the king. - -“Oh,” said the King of Hathony, “that is my son-in-law from Erin;” and -out he went. - -“Are you the son of King Conor?” asked the king. - -“I am,” said Cahal. - -“A hundred thousand welcomes to you,” said the king. - -“Thankful am I for the welcomes, and glad to receive them,” said Cahal. -“I had great trouble in coming; it is not easy to find you.” - -“It is not easy to find any man unless you know the road to his house,” -said the king. - -There was great feasting that night and entertainment for Cahal. Next -day the king said, “Your bride, my daughter, is gone these two months. -Striker, son of the King of Tricks, came to my castle and stole her away -from me.” - -“My word for it, he will not keep her unless he is a better man than I -am,” said Cahal. - -“I am sure of that,” said the king, “and I said so.” - -“My own ship was wrecked on your coast, and now you must give me another -in place of it,” said Cahal. - -“I will,” said the king, “and a good one; but you can do nothing on sea -against Striker.” - -“I am more used to the sea now than to land, I am so long on it,” -answered Cahal. - -“If you were born on the water and had lived every day of your life on -it, you could do nothing at sea against Striker. There is not a man -living who can face him at sea.” - -Nothing would satisfy Cahal but to go against Striker by sea; so he took -the ship which the king gave and sailed away, sailed week after week till -he was within a day’s journey of Striker’s castle. Striker thrust his -head up through the top of the castle then, and let a blast out through -his mouth that sent Cahal’s ship back twice the distance it had come. - -King Conor’s son sailed forward again, and again Striker blew him back as -far as he had the first time. - -Cahal sailed now to the castle of the King of Hathony. - -“I said that you could do nothing against Striker on sea. If you wish to -get the upper hand of him I will tell you what to do. Take this bridle -and shake it behind the castle; whatever beast comes to you take that -one, and ride away against Striker.” - -When Cahal shook the bridle, out came the smallest and ugliest beast in -the stables, a lean, shaggy mare. - -“Oh, then, bad luck to you for coming,” said the king’s son, “and so many -fine steeds in the stables.” - -“That is the pony my daughter used to ride, that is the best horse in -the stables; take her. She is not easy to ride though, for she is full -of tricks and enchantment, but if you are the right man she’ll not throw -you. She goes on water as well as land, and you will be at your enemy’s -castle to-day.” - -Cahal mounted, and away went the mare. She crossed one hill at the first -leap, three at the second, then twelve hills and valleys at the third -leap; went over land and sea, and never stopped till she was in front of -Striker’s castle, two hours before sunset. - -Cahal sprang from the mare, and struck the pole of combat. - -“What do you want?” asked the attendant, running out. - -“I want seven hundred champions in combat at my right side, seven hundred -at my left, seven hundred behind me, and seven hundred out before my -face.” - -The attendant went in, and out came the twenty-eight hundred against -Cahal. - -He went at the champions, and before sunset he had them in three heaps, a -heap of their bodies, a heap of their heads, and a heap of their weapons. - -Next morning Cahal struck the pole again. - -“What do you want this time?” asked the attendant. - -“Seven thousand champions against me for every hundred that I had -yesterday.” - -Out came the champions in thousands. As they were coming Cahal was going -through them, and before the day was ended he had them in three heaps -without leaving a man, a heap of their heads, a heap of their bodies, and -a heap of their weapons. - -He struck the pole on the third morning, and before the attendant had -time to open his mouth, Cahal shouted, “Send out every man in the place. -I may as well spend one day on them all as to be calling for champions -occasionally.” - -The forces of Striker, son of the King of Tricks, were coming as fast as -ever they could make their way through the gates. They were rushing at -Cahal like showers of hail on a stormy day, but they could neither kill -him nor get the upper hand. They could neither defend themselves nor hurt -him, and Cahal never stopped till he had them all in a heap at one side. - -Cahal struck the pole on the fourth day. - -“What do you want now?” asked the attendant. - -“Striker, son of the King of Tricks, in combat before me.” - -Out came Striker, and fell upon Cahal. The two fought seven days and six -nights without stopping or resting, then Striker called for a truce and -got it. He went into his castle, healed himself in his caldron of cure, -ate enough, slept, and was as fresh as ever next morning. They spent -three days and two nights in combat after that without rest. - -Striker called for cessation a second time and got it. On the eleventh -morning a goldfinch perched opposite Cahal and said, “Bad luck to you for -a foolish young man to be giving your enemy rest, time to eat, drink, and -cure himself, and you lying outside at the foot of the wall in hunger and -cold. Keep him working till he yields. Give him no rest till you snatch -from his breast the pin which he has in the left side of it.” - -They were struggling four days and nights without rest or cessation till -the fifth morning, when Cahal snatched the pin from the bosom of Striker. - -“Oh, spare my life!” cried Striker. “I’ll be your servant in every place, -only spare me.” - -“I want nothing of you,” said Cahal, “but this: Send out my bride to -me; you took her from her father, the King of Hathony, and she was to -be my wife soon when you took her. Send her to me, and put no fog or -enchantment on us while we are on the way home.” - -“You ask more than I can give,” said Striker, “for Wet Mantle, the hero, -took that maiden from me two months ago. When going, she put him under -bonds not to molest her for two days and two years.” - -“Where can I find Wet Mantle?” - -“That is more than I can tell; but put your nose before you and follow -it.” - -“That’s a short answer, and I would take your life for three straws on -account of it; but I’ll let some other man have his chance to take the -head off you.” - -Cahal mounted his mare then, and was travelling over seas and dry -land,—travelling a long time till he came at last to Wet Mantle’s castle. -He struck the pole of combat, and out came the messenger. - -“Who are you, and what do you want?” - -“Seven hundred at my right hand, seven hundred at my left, seven hundred -behind me, and seven hundred before my face.” - -“That’s more men than you can find in this place,” said the messenger. -“Wet Mantle lives here in his own way, without forces or company; he -keeps no man but me, and is very well satisfied.” - -“Go then,” said Cahal, “and tell him to come out himself to me.” - -Wet Mantle came out, and the two fought seven days and six nights. Wet -Mantle called for a truce then and got it. The hero went to his castle, -cured himself, and was as fresh the eighth morning as the first. They -began to fight, and the struggle continued three days and two nights. -Wet Mantle called for a truce, and received it the second time. On the -eleventh morning he was well again, and ready for the struggle. - -“Oh, then, it is foolish and simple you are, and small good in your -travelling the world,” cried a goldfinch to Cahal. “Why are you out here -in hunger and cold, and he cured and fresh in his castle? Give him no -rest the next time, but fight till you tire him and take the mantle from -him. He’ll be as weak as a common man then, for it is in the mantle his -strength is.” - -On the eleventh morning they began for the third time and fought fiercely -all day. In the evening Wet Mantle called for a rest. - -“No,” said Cahal, “you’ll get no rest. There is no rest for either of us. -You must fight till you or I yield.” - -They fought on till the following evening. Wet Mantle called for rest a -second time. - -“No rest till this battle is ended,” cried Cahal. - -They held on all that night venomously, and were fighting at noon of the -following day. Then Cahal closed on his enemy, and tore the mantle from -his body. - -The hero without his mantle had no more strength than a common man. - -“You are the best champion that ever I have met,” said he to Cahal. “I -will give you all that you ask, but don’t kill me.” - -“I have no wish to kill or to hurt you, though good treatment is not what -you deserve from me. You caused me great trouble and hardship searching -and travelling, not knowing where to find you. I want nothing of you but -my bride, and your promise not to put fog or magic on us or harm us until -we reach Erin in safety.” - -“That is more than I can promise,” said Wet Mantle. - -“Why so?” asked Cahal. - -“The gruagach, Long Sweeper, took that maiden from me, and she put him -under bonds not to molest her, or come near her for three days and three -years.” - -“Where can I find Long Sweeper?” - -“That is more than I can tell,” said Wet Mantle. “The world is wide, you -have free passage through it, and you can be going this way and that -till you find him; he lives in a very high castle, and he is a tall man -himself; he has a very long broom, and when he likes he sweeps the sky -with that broom three times in the morning, and the day that he sweeps, -there is no man in the world that can contradict him or conquer him.” - -Cahal went riding his pony from the north to the south, from the east to -the west, and west to east, three years and two days. At daylight of the -third day he saw a tall castle in the ocean before him. So tall was the -castle that he could not tell the height of it, and a man on the summit -twice as tall as the castle itself, and he with a broom sweeping the sky. - -“Ah,” said Cahal to himself, “I have you at last.” - -He rode forward then to the castle, and struck the pole of combat. - -“What do you want?” asked the messenger. - -“I want men to meet me in combat.” - -“Well, that is what you’ll not get in this place. There is no man living -on this island but Long Sweeper and myself. The Black Horseman came from -the Western World three months ago, and killed every man, gave Long -Sweeper great hardship and trouble, and after terrible fighting got the -upper hand of him.” - -“Well, if he has no men, let him come out himself, for I’ll never leave -the spot till I knock satisfaction out of Long Sweeper for the trouble he -gave me before I could find him.” - -Long Sweeper came out, and they began to fight; they fought for seven -days and six nights. Toward evening of the seventh day Long Sweeper -called for rest and got it. He went into his high castle, ate, drank, -healed himself in his caldron of cure, and slept well and soundly, while -Cahal had to rest as best he was able on the ground beyond the wall. The -eighth morning Long Sweeper went up on his castle and swept the sky back -and forth three times, and got such strength that no man on earth could -overcome him that day. - -They fought three days and two nights, and fought all the time without -rest. Long Sweeper called for rest then and got it, and was cured and -refreshed as before. Next morning he mounted the castle, swept the sky -three times with his broom, and was ready for combat. - -Before Long Sweeper came, the goldfinch perched in front of Cahal and -said, “Misfortune to you, son of King Conor in Erin; ’tis to a bad place -you came with your life to lose it, and isn’t it foolish of you to give -your enemy rest, while yourself has nothing to lie on but the earth, and -nothing to put in your mouth but cold air? Give neither rest nor truce to -your enemy. He will be losing strength till three days from now. If he -gets no chance to sweep the sky, he’ll be no better than a common man.” - -That evening Long Sweeper called for rest. - -“No,” said Cahal, “you’ll get no rest from me. We must fight till either -one or the other yields.” - -“That’s not fair fighting.” - -“It is not, indeed. I am ten days and nights without food, drink, or -rest, while you have had them twice. We have not fought fairly so far, -but we will hereafter. You must remain as you are now till one of us is -conquered.” - -They were fighting till noon, the thirteenth day. “I am beaten,” said -Long Sweeper. “Whatever I have I am willing to give you, but spare my -life, for if there is a good hero in the world you are he.” - -“I want nothing of you,” said Cahal, “but to send out to me my bride, -Bloom of Youth, daughter of the King of Hathony, the maiden you took from -Wet Mantle. You have caused me great hardship and trouble, but I’ll let -some one else take your life, or may you live as you are.” - -“I cannot send out your bride,” said Long Sweeper, “for she is not in my -castle. The Black Horseman took her from me three months ago.” - -“Where am I to find that man?” - -“I might tell you to put your nose before you and walk after it, but I -will not; I will give you a guide. Here is a rod; whichever way the rod -turns, follow it till you come to the Western World, where the Black -Horseman lives.” - -Cahal mounted his mare, made off with the rod in his hand, and rode -straight to the Black Horseman’s castle. The messenger was in front of -the castle before him. - -“Tell your master to send out champions against me, or to come himself,” -said Cahal. - -That moment the Black Horseman himself was on the threshold. “I am here -all alone,” said he to Cahal. “I have lost all my wealth, all my men, all -my magic. I am now in a poor state, though I was living pleasantly and in -greatness after the conflict in which I got the better of Long Sweeper. -It’s rich and strong I was after parting with that man, and I was waiting -here to marry when White Beard from the Western World came, made war on -me, and continued it for a day and a year; then he left me poor and -lonely, as I am at this moment.” - -“Well,” said Cahal, “you have caused me great labor and hardship; but -I ask nothing of you except to send out my bride, Bloom of Youth, to -me, and not to bring fog or magic on her or on me till we reach home in -safety.” - -“White Beard took your bride from me, and he cannot marry her for four -days and four years, for she put him under bond not to do so. I will -tell you now how to find her. Do you see that broad river in front of -us? It flows from the Northern to the Southern World, and there is no -way to cross it unless a good hero does so by springing from one bank to -the other. When White Beard took the maiden from me, they walked to the -brink of the river; he placed the woman then on his shoulder and sprang -over the river to the west. ‘Let me down, now,’ said the woman. ‘I will -not,’ replied White Beard, ‘I have such regard for you that I will show -you every place on the road.’ He did not let her down till he showed -her everything between the river and the castle. ‘You may come down,’ -said he, when they entered the castle (she could see everything from his -shoulder, but nothing from the ground). When coming down she thrust a -sleeping pin that she had in the head of the old man, and he fell fast -asleep standing there. She has whatever she wishes to eat or to drink in -the castle. All is in a mist of enchantment. She can see nothing outside -the castle, but everything within. That was my home at one time. I was -born and reared in that castle, and lived in it till White Beard drove -me away with magic and violence. I came to this place and lived here a -time without trouble, till I took Bloom of Youth from Long Sweeper. I was -waiting to marry her, when White Beard came, destroyed all my forces, -took away my enchantment, carried off Bloom of Youth, and left me here -without strength or defence. But one thing is left me, and that I will -give you. Here is a torch. When you cross the river, light it. You’ll -find the road, and no one has found it since I was there. When you light -the torch follow the road to an old cottage, at one side from the castle. -In this cottage is a henwife, who has lived there since my childhood. She -will show the way to the castle and back to her cottage. From there you -may journey homeward in safety, by lighting the torch a second time, and -keeping it till you ride out of the castle’s enchantment. This is all I -have to tell you.” - -Cahal rode briskly to the river, rode across, lighted his torch on the -other side, saw a narrow bright road, but nothing on either side. The -road was a long one, but he came to the end of it at the door of the -henwife’s old cottage. Cahal greeted the henwife. - -“A hundred thousand welcomes,” said the old woman. “You are here from my -master, the Black Horseman, or you could not be in it. Can I help you in -any way?” - -“I want nothing of you but to show me the way to the castle of White -Beard, where my bride is, and then bring me back to this place.” - -“Follow me,” said the henwife, “and leave your horse here.” - -She took Cahal by the hand and went forward till she came to the castle -and entered it. There Cahal saw the finest woman that ever he had met -in the world. “Well,” said he to himself, “I am not sorry, after all my -troubles and hardships, if you are the woman I am to marry.” - -“A greeting to you, young hero,” said the woman. “Who are you who have -been able to come to this castle, and why are you here?” - -“My name is Cahal, son of King Conor, in Erin. I am long travelling and -fighting to find and to rescue my bride, Bloom of Youth, daughter of the -King of Hathony. Who are you, fair lady?” asked Cahal. - -“I am the daughter of the King of Hathony. The day before I was taken -by Striker, son of the King of Tricks, my father told me that the son of -King Conor, in Erin, was betrothed to me. You, I suppose, are that man?” - -“I am,” said Cahal. “Come with me now, I will free you; but what are we -to do with White Beard?” - -“Leave him as he is. There is no knowing what he would do should we rouse -him.” - -The two went with the henwife to her cottage. Cahal lighted the torch a -second time, mounted the mare, put Bloom of Youth in front, rode first to -Hathony, and then home to Erin. - -King Conor made a great feast of welcome for Cahal and his bride. There -were seven hundred guests at the short table, eight hundred at the long -table, nine hundred at the round table, and a thousand in the grand hall. -I was there and heard the whole story, but got no present except shoes of -paper and stockings of buttermilk, and these a herder stole from me in -crossing the mountains. - - - - -COLDFEET AND THE QUEEN OF LONESOME ISLAND. - - -Once upon a time, and a long time ago it was, there lived an old woman -in Erin. This old woman’s house was at the northeast corner of Mount -Brandon. Of all the friends and relatives that ever she had in the -world there was but one left, her only son, Sean,[3] nicknamed Fuarcosa -(Coldfeet). - -The reason that people called the boy Coldfeet was this: When a child he -was growing always; what of him did not grow one hour grew another; what -did not grow in the day grew in the night; what did not grow in the night -grew in the day; and he grew that fast that when seven years old he could -not find room enough in his mother’s house. When night came and he was -sleeping, whatever corner of the house his head was in, it was out of -doors that his feet were, and, of course, they were cold, especially in -winter. - -It was not long till his legs as well as his feet were out of the house, -first to the knees, and then to the body. When fifteen years old it was -all that he could do to put his head in, and he lived outdoors entirely. -What the mother could gather in a year would not support the son for a -day, he was that large and had such an appetite. - -Coldfeet had to find his own food, and he had no means of living but to -bring home sheep and bullocks from whatever place he met them. - -He was going on in this way, faring rather ill than well, when one day -above another he said, “I think I must go into the great world, mother. I -am half starving in this place. I can do little good for myself as I am, -and no good at all for you.” - -He rose early next morning, washed his face and hands, asked assistance -and protection of God, and if he did not, may we. He left good health -with his mother at parting, and away he went, crossing high hills, -passing low dales, and kept on his way without halt or rest, the clear -day going and the dark night coming, taking lodgings each evening -wherever he found them, till at last he came to a high roomy castle. - -He entered the castle without delaying outside, and when he went in, the -owner asked was he a servant in search of a master. - -“I am in search of a master,” said Coldfeet. - -He engaged to herd cows for small hire and his keeping, and the time of -his service was a day and a year. - -Next morning, when Coldfeet was driving the cattle to pasture, his master -was outside in the field before him, and said, “You must take good care -of yourself, for of all the herders who took service with me never a -man but was killed by one or another of four giants who live next to my -pastures. One of these giants has four, the next six, the third eight, -and the fourth twelve heads on him.” - -“By my hand!” said Coldfeet, “I did not come here to be killed by the -like of them. They will not hurt me, never fear.” - -Coldfeet went on with the cattle, and when he came to the boundary he put -them on the land of the giants. The cows were not long grazing when one -of the giants at his castle caught the odor of the strange herder and -rushed out. When coming at a distance he shouted, “I smell the blood of a -man from Erin; his liver and lights for my supper to-night, his blood for -my morning dram, his jawbones for stepping-stones, his shins for hurleys!” - -When the giant came up he cried, “Ah, that is you, Coldfeet, and wasn’t -it the impudence in you to come here from the butt of Brandon Mountain -and put cattle on my land to annoy me?” - -“It isn’t to give satisfaction to you that I am here, but to knock -satisfaction out of your bones,” said Coldfeet. - -With that the giant faced the herder, and the two went at each other and -fought till near evening. They broke old trees and bent young ones; they -made hard places soft and soft places hard; they made high places low and -low places high; they made spring wells dry, and brought water through -hard, gray rocks till near sunset, when Coldfeet took the heads off the -giant and put the four skulls in muddy gaps to make a dry, solid road for -the cows. - -Coldfeet drove out his master’s cattle on a second, third, and fourth -morning; each day he killed a giant, each day the battle was fiercer, but -on the fourth evening the fourth giant was dead. - -On the fifth day Coldfeet was not long on the land of the dead giants -when a dreadful enchanted old hag came out against him, and she raging -with anger. She had nails of steel on her fingers and toes, each nail of -them weighing seven pounds. - -“Oh, you insolent, bloodthirsty villain,” screamed she, “to come all -the way from Brandon Mountain to kill my young sons, and, poor boys, -only that timber is dear in this country it’s in their cradles they’d be -to-day instead of being murdered by you.” - -“It isn’t to give satisfaction to you that I’m here, you old witch, but -to knock it out of your wicked old bones,” said Coldfeet. - -“Glad would I be to tear you to pieces,” said the hag; “but ’tis -better to get some good of you first. I put you under spells of heavy -enchantment that you cannot escape, not to eat two meals off the one -table nor to sleep two nights in the one house till you go to the Queen -of Lonesome Island, and bring the sword of light that never fails, the -loaf of bread that is never eaten, and the bottle of water that is never -drained.” - -“Where is Lonesome Island?” asked Coldfeet. - -“Follow your nose, and make out the place with your own wit,” said the -hag. - -Coldfeet drove the cows home in the evening, and said to his master, -“The giants will never harm you again; all their heads are in the muddy -gaps from this to the end of the pasture, and there are good roads now -for your cattle. I have been with you only five days, but another would -not do my work in a day and a year; pay me my wages. You’ll never have -trouble again in finding men to mind cattle.” - -The man paid Coldfeet his wages, gave him a good suit of clothes for the -journey, and his blessing. - -Away went Coldfeet now on the long road, and by my word it was a strange -road to him. He went across high hills and low dales, passing each night -where he found it, till the evening of the third day, when he came to a -house where a little old man was living. The old man had lived in that -house without leaving it for seven hundred years, and had not seen a -living soul in that time. - -Coldfeet gave good health to the old man, and received a hundred thousand -welcomes in return. - -“Will you give me a night’s lodging?” asked Coldfeet. - -“I will indeed,” said the old man, “and is it any harm to ask, where are -you going?” - -“What harm in a plain question? I am going to Lonesome Island if I can -find it.” - -“You will travel to-morrow, and if you are loose and lively on the road -you’ll come at night to a house, and inside in it an old man like myself, -only older. He will give you lodgings, and tell where to go the day -after.” - -Coldfeet rose very early next morning, ate his breakfast, asked aid of -God, and if he didn’t he let it alone. He left good health with the old -man, and received his blessing. Away with him then over high hills and -low dales, and if any one wished to see a great walker Coldfeet was the -man to look at. He overtook the hare in the wind that was before him, and -the hare in the wind behind could not overtake him; he went at that gait -without halt or rest till he came in the heel of the evening to a small -house, and went in. Inside in the house was a little old man sitting by -the fire. - -Coldfeet gave good health to the old man, and got a hundred thousand -welcomes with a night’s lodging. - -“Why did you come, and where are you going?” asked the old man. “Fourteen -hundred years am I in this house alone, and not a living soul came in to -see me till yourself came this evening.” - -“I am going to Lonesome Island, if I can find it.” - -“I have no knowledge of that place, but if you are a swift walker you -will come to-morrow evening to an old man like myself, only older; he -will tell you all that you need, and show you the way to the island.” - -Next morning early Coldfeet went away after breakfast, leaving good -health behind him and taking good wishes for the road. He travelled this -day as on the other two days, only more swiftly, and at nightfall gave a -greeting to the third old man. - -“A hundred thousand welcomes,” said the old man. “I am living alone in -this house twenty-one hundred years, and not a living soul walked the way -in that time. You are the first man I see in this house. Is it to stay -with me that you are here?” - -“It is not,” said Coldfeet, “for I must be moving. I cannot spend two -nights in the one house till I go to Lonesome Island, and I have no -knowledge of where that place is.” - -“Oh, then, it’s the long road between this and Lonesome Island, but I’ll -tell where the place is, and how you are to go, if you go there. The road -lies straight from my door to the sea. From the shore to the island no -man has gone unless the queen brought him, but you may go if the strength -and the courage are in you. I will give you this staff; it may help you. -When you reach the sea throw the staff in the water, and you’ll have a -boat that will take you without sail or oar straight to the island. When -you touch shore pull up the boat on the strand; it will turn into a staff -and be again what it now is. The queen’s castle goes whirling around -always. It has only one door, and that on the roof of it. If you lean on -the staff you can rise with one spring to the roof, go in at the door, -and to the queen’s chamber. - -“The queen sleeps but one day in each year, and she will be sleeping -to-morrow. The sword of light will be hanging at the head of her bed, the -loaf and the bottle of water on the table near by. Seize the sword with -the loaf and the bottle, and away with you, for the journey must be made -in a day, and you must be on this side of those hills before nightfall. -Do you think you can do that?” - -“I will do it, or die in the trial,” said Coldfeet. - -“If you make that journey you will do what no man has done yet,” said -the old man. “Before I came to live in this house champions and hundreds -of king’s sons tried to go to Lonesome Island, but not a man of them had -the strength and the swiftness to go as far as the seashore, and that is -but one part of the journey. All perished, and if their skulls are not -crumbled, you’ll see them to-morrow. The country is open and safe in the -daytime, but when night falls the Queen of Lonesome Island sends her wild -beasts to destroy every man they can find until daybreak. You must be in -Lonesome Island to-morrow before noon, leave the place very soon after -midday, and be on this side of those hills before nightfall, or perish.” - -Next morning Coldfeet rose early, ate his breakfast, and started at -daybreak. Away he went swiftly over hills, dales, and level places, -through a land where the wind never blows and the cock never crows, and -though he went quickly the day before, he went five times more quickly -that day, for the staff added speed to whatever man had it. - -Coldfeet came to the sea, threw the staff into the water, and a boat was -before him. Away he went in the boat, and before noon was in the chamber -of the Queen of Lonesome Island. He found everything there as the old -man had told him. Seizing the sword of light quickly and taking the -bottle and loaf, he went toward the door; but there he halted, turned -back, stopped a while with the queen. It was very near he was then to -forgetting himself; but he sprang up, took one of the queen’s golden -garters, and away with him. - -If Coldfeet strove to move swiftly when coming, he strove more in going -back. On he raced over hills, dales, and flat places where the wind never -blows and the cock never crows; he never stopped nor halted. When the -sun was near setting he saw the last line of hills, and remembering that -death was behind and not far from him, he used his last strength and was -over the hilltops at nightfall. - -The whole country behind him was filled with wild beasts. - -“Oh,” said the old man, “but you are the hero, and I was in dread that -you’d lose your life on the journey, and by my hand you had no time to -spare.” - -“I had not, indeed,” answered Coldfeet. “Here is your staff, and many -thanks for it.” - -The two spent a pleasant evening together. Next morning Coldfeet left his -blessing with the old man and went on, spent a night with each of the -other old men, and never stopped after that till he reached the hag’s -castle. She was outside before him with the steel nails on her toes and -fingers. - -“Have you the sword, the bottle, and the loaf?” asked she. - -“I have,” said Coldfeet; “here they are.” - -“Give them to me,” said the hag. - -“If I was bound to bring the three things,” said Coldfeet, “I was not -bound to give them to you; I will keep them.” - -“Give them here!” screamed the hag, raising her nails to rush at him. - -With that Coldfeet drew the sword of light, and sent her head spinning -through the sky in the way that ’tis not known in what part of the world -it fell or did it fall in any place. He burned her body then, scattered -the ashes, and went his way farther. - -“I will go to my mother first of all,” thought he, and he travelled till -evening. When his feet struck small stones on the road, the stones never -stopped till they knocked wool off the spinning-wheels of old hags in the -Eastern World. In the evening he came to a house and asked lodgings. - -“I will give you lodgings, and welcome,” said the man of the house; “but -I have no food for you.” - -“I have enough for us both,” said Coldfeet, “and for twenty more if they -were in it;” and he put the loaf on the table. - -The man called his whole family. All had their fill, and left the loaf as -large as it was before supper. The woman of the house made a loaf in the -night like the one they had eaten from, and while Coldfeet was sleeping -took his bread and left her own in the place of it. Away went Coldfeet -next morning with the wrong loaf, and if he travelled differently from -the day before it was because he travelled faster. In the evening he came -to a house, and asked would they give him a night’s lodging. - -“We will, indeed,” said the woman, “but we have no water to cook supper -for you; the water is far away entirely, and no one to go for it.” - -“I have water here in plenty,” said Coldfeet, putting his bottle on the -table. - -The woman took the bottle, poured water from it, filled one pot and then -another, filled every vessel in the kitchen, and not a drop less in the -bottle. What wonder, when no man or woman ever born could drain the -bottle in a lifetime. - -Said the woman to her husband that night, “If we had the bottle, we -needn’t be killing ourselves running for water.” - -“We need not,” said the man. - -What did the woman do in the night, when Coldfeet was asleep, but take -a bottle, fill it with water from one of the pots, and put that false -bottle in place of the true one. Away went Coldfeet next morning, without -knowledge of the harm done, and that day he travelled in the way that -when he fell in running he had not time to rise, but rolled on till the -speed that was under him brought him to his feet again. At sunset he was -in sight of a house, and at dusk he was in it. - -Coldfeet found welcome in the house, with food and lodgings. - -“It is great darkness we are in,” said the man to Coldfeet; “we have -neither oil nor rushes.” - -“I can give you light,” said Coldfeet, and he unsheathed the sword -from Lonesome Island; it was clear inside the house as on a hilltop in -sunlight. - -When the people had gone to bed Coldfeet put the sword into its sheath, -and all was dark again. - -“Oh,” said the woman to her husband that night, “if we had the sword we’d -have light in the house always. You have an old sword above on the loft. -Rise out of the bed now and put it in the place of that bright one.” - -The man rose, took the two swords out doors, put the old blade in -Coldfeet’s sheath, and hid away Coldfeet’s sword in the loft. Next -morning Coldfeet went away, and never stopped till he came to his -mother’s cabin at the foot of Mount Brandon. The poor old woman was -crying and lamenting every day. She felt sure that it was killed her son -was, for she had never got tale or tidings of him. Many is the welcome -she had for him, but if she had welcomes she had little to eat. - -“Oh, then, mother, you needn’t be complaining,” said Coldfeet, “we have -as much bread now as will do us a lifetime;” with that he put the loaf on -the table, cut a slice for the mother, and began to eat himself. He was -hungry, and the next thing he knew the loaf was gone. - -“There is a little meal in the house,” said the mother. “I’ll go for -water and make stirabout.” - -“I have water here in plenty,” said Coldfeet. “Bring a pot.” - -The bottle was empty in a breath, and they hadn’t what water would make -stirabout nor half of it. - -“Oh, then,” said Coldfeet, “the old hag enchanted the three things before -I killed her and knocked the strength out of every one of them.” With -that he drew the sword, and it had no more light than any rusty old blade. - -The mother and son had to live in the old way again; but as Coldfeet was -far stronger than the first time, he didn’t go hungry himself, and the -mother had plenty. There were cattle in the country, and all the men -in it couldn’t keep them from Coldfeet or stop him. The old woman and -the son had beef and mutton, and lived on for themselves at the foot of -Brandon Mountain. - -In three quarters of a year the Queen of Lonesome Island had a son, the -finest child that sun or moon could shine on, and he grew in the way that -what of him didn’t grow in the day grew in the night following, and what -didn’t grow that night grew the next day, and when he was two years old -he was very large entirely. - -The queen was grieving always for the loaf and the bottle, and there was -no light in her chamber from the day the sword was gone. All at once she -thought, “The father of the boy took the three things. I will never sleep -two nights in the one house till I find him.” - -Away she went then with the boy,—went over the sea, went through the land -where wind never blows and where cock never crows, came to the house of -the oldest old man, stopped one night there, then stopped with the middle -and the youngest old man. Where should she go next night but to the woman -who stole the loaf from Coldfeet. When the queen sat down to supper the -woman brought the loaf, cut slice after slice; the loaf was no smaller. - -“Where did you get that loaf?” asked the queen. - -“I baked it myself.” - -“That is my loaf,” thought the queen. - -The following evening she came to a house and found lodgings. At supper -the woman poured water from a bottle, but the bottle was full always. - -“Where did you get that bottle?” - -“It was left to us,” said the woman; “my grandfather had it.” - -“That is my bottle,” thought the queen. - -The next night she stopped at a house where a sword filled the whole -place with light. - -“Where did you find that beautiful sword?” asked the queen. - -“My grandfather left it to me,” said the man. “We have it hanging here -always.” - -“That is my sword,” said the queen to herself. - -Next day the queen set out early, travelled quickly, and never stopped -till she came near Brandon Mountain. At a distance she saw a man coming -down hill with a fat bullock under each arm. He was carrying the beasts -as easily as another would carry two geese. The man put the bullocks in a -pen near a house at the foot of the mountain, came out toward the queen, -and never stopped till he saluted her. When the man stopped, the boy -broke away from the mother and ran to the stranger. - -“How is this?” asked the queen; “the child knows you.” She tried to take -the boy, but he would not go to her. - -“Have you lived always in this place?” asked the queen. - -“I was born in that house beyond, and reared at the foot of that mountain -before you. I went away from home once and killed four giants, the first -with four, the second with six, the third with eight, and the fourth with -twelve heads on him. When I had the giants killed, their mother came -out against me, and she raging with vengeance. She wanted to kill me at -first, but she did not. She put me under bonds of enchantment to go to -the castle of the Queen of Lonesome Island, and bring the sword of light -that can never fail to cut or give light, the loaf of bread that can -never be eaten, and the bottle of water that can never be drained.” - -“Did you go?” asked the queen. - -“I did.” - -“How could you go to Lonesome Island?” - -“I journeyed and travelled, inquiring for the island, stopping one night -at one place, and the next night at another, till I came to the house of -a little man seven hundred years old. He sent me to a second man twice as -old as himself, and the second to a third three times as old as the first -man. - -“The third old man showed me the road to Lonesome Island, and gave me a -staff to assist me. When I reached the sea I made a boat of the staff, -and it took me to the island. On the island the boat was a staff again. - -“I sprang to the top of the queen’s turning castle, went down and entered -the chamber where she was sleeping, took the sword of light, with the -loaf and the bottle, and was coming away again. I looked at the queen. -The heart softened within me at sight of her beauty. I turned back and -came near forgetting my life with her. I brought her gold garter with me, -took the three things, sprang down from the castle, ran to the water, -made a boat of the staff again, came quickly to mainland, and from that -hour till darkness I ran with what strength I could draw from each bit of -my body. Hardly had I crossed the hilltop and was before the door of the -oldest old man when the country behind me was covered with wild beasts. -I escaped death by one moment. I brought the three things to the hag who -had sent me, but I did not give them. I struck the head from her, but -before dying she destroyed them, for when I came home they were useless.” - -“Have you the golden garter?” - -“Here it is,” said the young man. - -“What is your name?” asked the queen. - -“Coldfeet,” said the stranger. - -“You are the man,” said the queen. “Long ago it was prophesied that a -hero named Coldfeet would come to Lonesome Island without my request or -assistance, and that our son would cover the whole world with his power. -Come with me now to Lonesome Island.” - -The queen gave Coldfeet’s old mother good clothing, and said, “You will -live in my castle.” - -They all left Brandon Mountain and journeyed on toward Lonesome Island -till they reached the house where the sword of light was. It was night -when they came and dark outside, but bright as day in the house from the -sword, which was hanging on the wall. - -“Where did you find this blade?” asked Coldfeet, catching the hilt of the -sword. - -“My grandfather had it,” said the woman. - -“He had not,” said Coldfeet, “and I ought to take the head off your -husband for stealing it when I was here last.” - -Coldfeet put the sword in his scabbard and kept it. Next day they reached -the house where the bottle was, and Coldfeet took that. The following -night he found the loaf and recovered it. All the old men were glad to -see Coldfeet, especially the oldest, who loved him. - -The queen with her son and Coldfeet with his mother arrived safely in -Lonesome Island. They lived on in happiness; there is no account of their -death, and they may be in it yet for aught we know. - - - - -LAWN DYARRIG, SON OF THE KING OF ERIN, AND THE KNIGHT OF TERRIBLE VALLEY. - - -There was a king in his own time in Erin, and he went hunting one day. -The king met a man whose head was out through his cap, whose elbows and -knees were out through his clothing, and whose toes were out through his -shoes. - -The man went up to the king, gave him a blow on the face, and drove three -teeth from his mouth. The same blow put the king’s head in the dirt. When -he rose from the earth the king went back to his castle, and lay down -sick and sorrowful. - -The king had three sons, and their names were Ur, Arthur, and Lawn -Dyarrig. The three were at school that day and came home in the evening. -The father sighed when the sons were coming in. - -“What is wrong with our father?” asked the eldest. - -“Your father is sick on his bed,” said the mother. - -The three sons went to their father and asked what was on him. - -“A strong man that I met to-day gave me a blow in the face, put my head -in the dirt, and knocked three teeth from my mouth. What would you do to -him if you met him?” asked the father of the eldest son. - -“If I met that man,” replied Ur, “I would make four parts of him between -four horses.” - -“You are my son,” said the king. “What would you do if you met him?” -asked he then, as he turned to the second son. - -“If I had a grip on that man I would burn him between four fires.” - -“You, too, are my son. What would you do?” asked the king of Lawn Dyarrig. - -“If I met that man I would do my best against him, and he might not stand -long before me.” - -“You are not my son. I would not lose lands or property on you,” said the -father. “You must go from me, and leave this to-morrow.” - -On the following morning the three brothers rose with the dawn; the -order was given Lawn Dyarrig to leave the castle, and make his own way -for himself. The other two brothers were going to travel the world to -know could they find the man who had injured their father. Lawn Dyarrig -lingered outside till he saw the two, and they going off by themselves. - -“It is a strange thing,” said he, “for two men of high degree to go -travelling without a servant.” - -“We need no one,” said Ur. - -“Company wouldn’t harm us,” said Arthur. - -The two let Lawn Dyarrig go with them then as a serving-boy, and set out -to find the man who had struck down their father. They spent all that day -walking, and came late to a house where one woman was living. She shook -hands with Ur and Arthur, and greeted them. Lawn Dyarrig she kissed and -welcomed, called him son of the King of Erin. - -“’Tis a strange thing to shake hands with the elder and kiss the -younger,” said Ur. - -“This is a story to tell,” said the woman; “the same as if your death -were in it.” - -They made three parts of that night. The first part they spent in -conversation, the second in telling tales, the third in eating and -drinking, with sound sleep and sweet slumber. As early as the day dawned -next morning, the old woman was up and had food for the young men. When -the three had eaten she spoke to Ur, and this is what she asked of him, -“What was it that drove you from home, and what brought you to this -place?” - -“A champion met my father, took three teeth from him, and put his head -in the dirt. I am looking for that man to find him alive or dead.” - -“That was the Green Knight from Terrible Valley. He is the man who took -the three teeth from your father. I am three hundred years living in -this place, and there is not a year of the three hundred in which three -hundred heroes fresh, young, and noble have not passed on the way to -Terrible Valley, and never have I seen one coming back, and each of them -had the look of a man better than you. And now, where are you going, -Arthur?” - -“I am on the same journey with my brother.” - -“Where are you going, Lawn Dyarrig?” - -“I am going with these as a servant,” said Lawn Dyarrig. - -“God’s help to you, it’s bad clothing that’s on your body,” said the -woman; “and now I will speak to Ur. A day and a year since a champion -passed this way; he wore a suit as good as was ever above ground. I had a -daughter sewing there in the open window. He came outside, put a finger -under her girdle, and took her with him. Her father followed straightway -to save her, but I have never seen daughter or father from that day to -this. That man was the Green Knight of Terrible Valley. He is better than -all the men that could stand on a field a mile in length and a mile -in breadth. If you take my advice you’ll turn back and go home to your -father.” - -’Tis how she vexed Ur with this talk, and he made a vow to himself to go -on. When Ur did not agree to turn home, the woman said to Lawn Dyarrig, -“Go back to my chamber, you’ll find in it the apparel of a hero.” - -He went back, and there was not a bit of the apparel that he did not go -into with a spring. - -“You may be able to do something now,” said the woman, when Lawn Dyarrig -came to the front. “Go back to my chamber and search through all the old -swords. You will find one at the bottom; take that.” - -He found the old sword, and at the first shake that he gave he knocked -seven barrels of rust out of it; after the second shake, it was as bright -as when made. - -“You may be able to do well with that,” said the woman. “Go out now to -that stable abroad, and take the slim white steed that is in it. That one -will never stop nor halt in any place till he brings you to the Eastern -World. If you like, take these two men behind you; if not, let them walk. -But I think it is useless for you to have them at all with you.” - -Lawn Dyarrig went out to the stable, took the slim white steed, mounted, -rode to the front, and catching the two brothers, planted them on the -horse behind him. - -“Now, Lawn Dyarrig,” said the woman, “this horse will never stop till he -stands on the little white meadow in the Eastern World. When he stops, -you’ll come down and cut the turf under his beautiful right front foot.” - -The horse started from the door, and at every leap he crossed seven hills -and valleys, seven castles with villages, acres, roods, and odd perches. -He could overtake the whirlwind before him seven hundred times before the -whirlwind behind could overtake him once. Early in the afternoon of the -next day he was in the Eastern World. When he dismounted, Lawn Dyarrig -cut the sod from under the foot of the slim white steed in the name of -the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and Terrible Valley was down under him -there. What he did next was to tighten the reins on the neck of the steed -and let him go home. - -“Now,” said Lawn Dyarrig to the brothers, “which would ye rather be -doing, making a basket or twisting gads (withes)?” - -“We would rather be making a basket; our help is among ourselves,” -answered they. - -Ur and Arthur went at the basket and Lawn Dyarrig at twisting the gads. -When Lawn Dyarrig came to the opening with the gads, all twisted and made -into one, they hadn’t the ribs of the basket in the ground yet. - -“Oh, then, haven’t ye anything done but that?” - -“Stop your mouth,” said Ur, “or we’ll make a mortar of your head on the -next stone.” - -“To be kind to one another is the best for us,” said Lawn Dyarrig. “I’ll -make the basket.” - -While they’d be putting one rod in the basket he had the basket finished. - -“Oh, brother,” said they, “you are a quick workman.” - -They had not called him brother since they left home till that moment. - -“Who will go in the basket now?” asked Lawn Dyarrig, when it was -finished, and the gad tied to it. - -“Who but me?” said Ur. “I am sure, brothers, if I see anything to -frighten me ye’ll draw me up.” - -“We will,” said the other two. - -He went in, but had not gone far when he cried to pull him up again. - -“By my father and the tooth of my father, and by all that is in Erin dead -or alive, I would not give one other sight on Terrible Valley!” cried he, -when he stepped out of the basket. - -“Who will go now?” asked Lawn Dyarrig. - -“Who will go but me?” answered Arthur. - -Whatever length Ur went, Arthur didn’t go the half of it. - -“By my father and the tooth of my father, I wouldn’t give another look at -Terrible Valley for all that’s in Erin dead or alive!” - -“I will go now,” said Lawn Dyarrig, “and as I put no foul play on you, I -hope ye’ll not put foul play on me.” - -“We will not, indeed,” said they. - -Whatever length the other two went, Lawn Dyarrig didn’t go the half of -it till he stepped out of the basket and went down on his own feet. It -was not far he had travelled in Terrible Valley when he met seven hundred -heroes guarding the country. - -“In what place here has the Green Knight his castle?” asked he of the -seven hundred. - -“What sort of a sprisawn goat or sheep from Erin are you?” asked they. - -“If we had a hold of you, that’s a question you would not put the second -time; but if we haven’t you, we’ll not be so long.” - -They faced Lawn Dyarrig then and attacked him; but he went through them -like a hawk or a raven through small birds. He made a heap of their feet, -a heap of their heads, and a castle of their arms. - -After that he went his way walking, and had not gone far when he came to -a spring. “I’ll have a drink before I go farther,” thought he. With that -he stooped down and took a drink of the water. When he had drunk he lay -on the ground and fell asleep. - -Now there wasn’t a morning that the lady in the Green Knight’s castle -didn’t wash in the water of that spring, and she sent a maid for the -water each time. Whatever part of the day it was when Lawn Dyarrig fell -asleep, he was sleeping in the morning when the girl came. She thought it -was dead the man was, and she was so in dread of him that she would not -come near the spring for a long time. At last she saw he was asleep, and -then she took the water. Her mistress was complaining of her for being so -long. - -“Do not blame me,” said the maid. “I am sure that if it was yourself that -was in my place you’d not come back so soon.” - -“How so?” asked the lady. - -“The finest hero that a woman ever laid eyes on is sleeping at the -spring.” - -“That’s a thing that cannot be till Lawn Dyarrig comes to the age of a -hero. When that time comes he’ll be sleeping at the spring.” - -“He is in it now,” said the girl. - -The lady did not stay to get any drop of the water on herself, but ran -quickly from the castle. When she came to the spring she roused Lawn -Dyarrig. If she found him lying, she left him standing. She smothered -him with kisses, drowned him with tears, dried him with garments of -fine silk, and with her own hair. Herself and himself locked arms and -walked into the castle of the Green Knight. After that they were inviting -each other with the best food and entertainment till the middle of the -following day. Then the lady said,— - -“When the Green Knight bore me away from my father and mother, he brought -me straight to this castle, but I put him under bonds not to marry me for -seven years and a day, and he cannot; still I must serve him. When he -goes fowling he spends three days away, and the next three days at home. -This is the day for him to come back, and for me to prepare his dinner. -There is no stir that you or I have made here to-day but that brass head -beyond there will tell of it.” - -“It is equal to you what it tells,” said Lawn Dyarrig, “only make ready a -clean, long chamber for me.” - -She did so, and he went back into it. Herself rose up then to prepare -dinner for the Green Knight. When he came she welcomed him as every day. -She left down his food before him, and he sat to take his dinner. He was -sitting with knife and fork in hand when the brass head spoke. “I thought -when I saw you taking food and drink with your wife that you had the -blood of a man in you. If you could see that sprisawn of a goat or sheep -out of Erin taking meat and drink with her all day, what would you do?” - -“Oh, my suffering and sorrow!” cried the knight. “I’ll never take another -bite or sup till I eat some of his liver and heart. Let three hundred -heroes fresh and young go back and bring his heart to me, with the liver -and lights, till I eat them.” - -The three hundred heroes went, and hardly were they behind in the chamber -when Lawn Dyarrig had them all dead in one heap. - -“He must have some exercise to delay my men, they are so long away,” said -the knight. “Let three hundred more heroes go for his heart, with the -liver and lights, and bring them here to me.” - -The second three hundred went, and as they were entering the chamber, -Lawn Dyarrig was making a heap of them, till the last one was inside, -where there were two heaps. - -“He has some way of coaxing my men to delay,” said the knight. “Do you go -now, three hundred of my savage hirelings, and bring him.” - -The three hundred savage hirelings went, and Lawn Dyarrig let every -man of them enter before he raised a hand, then he caught the bulkiest -of them all by the two ankles and began to wallop the others with him, -and he walloped them till he drove the life out of the two hundred and -ninety-nine. The bulkiest one was worn to the shin bones that Lawn -Dyarrig held in his two hands. The Green Knight, who thought Lawn Dyarrig -was coaxing the men, called out then, “Come down, my men, and take -dinner!” - -“I’ll be with you,” said Lawn Dyarrig, “and have the best food in the -house, and I’ll have the best bed in the house. God not be good to you -for it, either.” - -He went down to the Green Knight and took the food from before him and -put it before himself. Then he took the lady, set her on his own knee, -and he and she went on eating. After dinner he put his finger under her -girdle, took her to the best chamber in the castle, and remained there -till morning. Before dawn the lady said to Lawn Dyarrig,— - -“If the Green Knight strikes the pole of combat first, he’ll win the -day; if you strike first, you’ll win, if you do what I tell you. The -Green Knight has so much enchantment that if he sees it is going against -him the battle is, he’ll rise like a fog in the air, come down in the -same form, strike you, and make a green stone of you. When yourself and -himself are going out to fight in the morning, cut a sod a perch long in -the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; you’ll leave the sod on the -next little hillock you meet. When the Green Knight is coming down and is -ready to strike, give him a blow with the sod; you’ll make a green stone -of him.” - -As early as the dawn Lawn Dyarrig rose and struck the pole of combat. The -blow that he gave did not leave calf, foal, lamb, kid, or child waiting -for birth, without turning them five times to the left and five times to -the right. - -“What do you want?” asked the knight. - -“All that’s in your kingdom to be against me the first quarter of the -day, and yourself the second quarter.” - -“You have not left in the kingdom now but myself, and it is early enough -for you that I’ll be at you.” - -The knight faced him, and they went at each other and fought till late in -the day. The battle was strong against Lawn Dyarrig when the lady stood -in the door of the castle. - -“Increase on your blows and increase on your courage,” cried she. “There -is no woman here but myself to wail over you, or to stretch you before -burial.” - -When the knight heard the voice, he rose in the air like a lump of fog. -As he was coming down, Lawn Dyarrig struck him with the sod on the right -side of his breast, and made a green stone of him. - -The lady rushed out then, and whatever welcome she had for Lawn Dyarrig -the first time, she had twice as much now. Herself and himself went into -the castle and spent that night very comfortably. In the morning they -rose early, and collected all the gold, utensils, and treasures. Lawn -Dyarrig found the three teeth of his father in a pocket of the Green -Knight, and took them. He and the lady brought all the riches to where -the basket was. “If I send up this beautiful lady,” thought Lawn Dyarrig, -“she may be taken from me by my brothers; if I remain below with her, she -may be taken from me by people here.” He put her in the basket, and she -gave him a ring so that they might know each other if they met. He shook -the gad, and she rose in the basket. - -When Ur saw the basket he thought, “What’s above let it be above, and -what’s below let it stay where it is.” - -“I’ll have you as wife forever for myself,” said he to the lady. - -“I put you under bonds,” said she, “not to lay a hand on me for a day and -three years.” - -“That itself would not be long even if twice the time,” said Ur. - -The two brothers started home with the lady; on the way Ur found the head -of an old horse with teeth in it and took them, saying, “These will be my -father’s three teeth.” - -They travelled on, and reached home at last. Ur would not have left a -tooth in his father’s mouth, trying to put in the three that he had -brought; but the father stopped him. - -Lawn Dyarrig, left in Terrible Valley, began to walk around for himself. -He had been walking but one day when whom should he meet but the lad -Shortclothes, and he saluted him. “By what way can I leave Terrible -Valley?” asked Lawn Dyarrig. - -“If I had a grip on you that’s what you wouldn’t ask of me a second -time,” said Shortclothes. - -“If you have not touched me you will before you are much older.” - -“If I do, you will not treat me as you did all my people and my master.” - -“I’ll do worse to you than I did to them,” said Lawn Dyarrig. - -They caught each other then, one grip under the arm and one grip on -the shoulder. ’Tis not long they were wrestling when Lawn Dyarrig had -Shortclothes on the earth, and he gave him the five thin tyings dear and -tight. - -“You are the best hero I have ever met,” said Shortclothes; “give me -quarter for my soul,—spare me. When I did not tell you of my own will, I -must tell in spite of myself.” - -“It is as easy for me to loosen you as to tie you,” said Lawn Dyarrig, -and he freed him. The moment he was free, Shortclothes said,— - -“I put you under bonds, and the misfortune of the year to be walking and -going always till you go to the northeast point of the world, and get -the heart and liver of the serpent which is seven years asleep and seven -years awake.” - -Lawn Dyarrig went away then, and never stopped till he was in the -northeast of the world, where he found the serpent asleep. - -“I will not go unawares on you while you are asleep,” said Lawn Dyarrig, -and he turned to go. When he was going, the serpent drew him down her -throat with one breath. - -Inside he found three men playing cards in her belly. Each laughed when -he looked at Lawn Dyarrig. - -“What reason have you for laughing?” asked he. - -“We are laughing with glee to have another partner to fill out our -number.” - -Lawn Dyarrig did not sit down to play. He drew his sword, and was -searching and looking till he found the heart and liver of the serpent. -He took a part of each, and cut out a way for himself between two ribs. -The three card-players followed when they saw the chance of escape. - -Lawn Dyarrig, free of the serpent, never stopped till he came to -Shortclothes, and he was a day and three years on the journey, and doing -the work. - -“Since you are not dead now,” said Shortclothes, “there is no death -allotted to you. I’ll find a way for you to leave Terrible Valley. Go and -take that old bridle hanging there beyond and shake it; whatever beast -comes and puts its head into the bridle will carry you.” - -Lawn Dyarrig shook the bridle, and a dirty, shaggy little foal came and -put head in the bridle. Lawn Dyarrig mounted, dropped the reins on the -foal’s neck, and let him take his own choice of roads. The foal brought -Lawn Dyarrig out by another way to the upper world, and took him to -Erin. Lawn Dyarrig stopped some distance from his father’s castle, and -knocked at the house of an old weaver. - -“Who are you?” asked the old man. - -“I am a weaver,” said Lawn Dyarrig. - -“What can you do?” - -“I can spin for twelve and twist for twelve.” - -“This is a very good man,” said the old weaver to his sons. “Let us try -him.” - -The work they would be doing for a year he had done in one hour. When -dinner was over the old man began to wash and shave, and his two sons -began to do the same. - -“Why is this?” asked Lawn Dyarrig. - -“Haven’t you heard that Ur, son of the king, is to marry to-night the -woman that he took from the Green Knight of Terrible Valley?” - -“I have not,” said Lawn Dyarrig; “but as all are going to the wedding, I -suppose I may go without offence.” - -“Oh, you may,” said the weaver. “There will be a hundred thousand -welcomes before you.” - -“Are there any linen sheets within?” - -“There are,” said the weaver. - -“It is well to have bags ready for yourself and two sons.” - -The weaver made bags for the three very quickly. They went to the -wedding. Lawn Dyarrig put what dinner was on the first table into the -weaver’s bag, and sent the old man home with it. The food of the second -table he put in the eldest son’s bag, filled the second son’s bag from -the third table, and sent the two home. - -The complaint went to Ur that an impudent stranger was taking all the -food. - -“It is not right to turn any man away,” said the bridegroom; “but if that -stranger does not mind he will be thrown out of the castle.” - -“Let me look at the face of the disturber,” said the bride. - -“Go and bring the fellow who is troubling the guests,” said Ur, to the -servants. - -Lawn Dyarrig was brought right away, and stood before the bride, who -filled a glass with wine and gave it to him. Lawn Dyarrig drank half the -wine, and dropped in the ring which the lady had given him in Terrible -Valley. - -When the bride took the glass again the ring went of itself with one leap -to her finger. She knew then who was standing before her. - -“This is the man who conquered the Green Knight, and saved me from -Terrible Valley,” said she to the King of Erin; “this is Lawn Dyarrig, -your son.” - -Lawn Dyarrig took out the three teeth, and put them in his father’s -mouth. They fitted there perfectly, and grew into their old place. The -king was satisfied; and as the lady would marry no man but Lawn Dyarrig -he was the bridegroom. - -“I must give you a present,” said the bride to the queen. “Here is a -beautiful scarf which you are to wear as a girdle this evening.” - -The queen put the scarf around her waist. - -“Tell me now,” said the bride to the queen, “who was Ur’s father?” - -“What father could he have but his own father, the King of Erin?” - -“Tighten, scarf,” said the bride. - -That moment the queen thought that her head was in the sky, and the lower -half of her body down deep in the earth. - -“Oh, my grief and my woe!” cried the queen. - -“Answer my question in truth, and the scarf will stop squeezing you. Who -was Ur’s father?” - -“The gardener,” said the queen. - -“Whose son is Arthur?” - -“The king’s son.” - -“Tighten, scarf,” said the bride. - -If the queen suffered before, she suffered twice as much this time, and -screamed for help. - -“Answer me truly, and you’ll be without pain; if not, death will be on -you this minute. Whose son is Arthur?” - -“The swine-herd’s.” - -“Who is the king’s son?” - -“The king has no son but Lawn Dyarrig.” - -“Tighten, scarf.” - -The scarf did not tighten, and if the bride had been commanding it for a -day and a year it would not have tightened, for the queen told the truth -that time. When the wedding was over, the king gave Lawn Dyarrig half his -kingdom, and made Ur and Arthur his servants. - - - - -BALOR ON TORY ISLAND. - - -Long ago Ri Balor lived on Tory Island, and he lived there because it was -prophesied that he was never to die unless he’d be killed by the son of -his only daughter. - -Balor, to put the daughter in the way that she’d never have a son, went -to live on Tory, and built a castle on Tor Mor, a cliff jutting into the -ocean. He put twelve women to guard the daughter, and all around the -castle he had cords fixed, and every one of them tied to bells, so that -no man could come in secret. If any man touched a cord all the bells -would ring and give notice, and Balor would seize him. - -Balor lived that way, well satisfied. He was full sure that his life was -out of danger. - -Opposite on the mainland, at Druim na Teine (hill of fire), lived a -smith, Gavidin, who had his forge there. The smith owned a cow called -Glas Gavlen, and she was his enchanted step-sister. - -This cow was called Gavlen because she was giving milk, and she the fifth -year without a calf. Glas Gavlen was very choice of food; she would eat -no grass but the best. But if the cow ate much good grass there was no -measuring the milk she gave; she filled every vessel, and the milk was -sweet and rich. - -The smith set great value on Glas Gavlen, and no wonder, for she was the -first cow that came to Erin, and at that time the only one. - -The smith took care of the cow himself, and never let her out of his -sight except when working in his forge, and then he had a careful man -minding her. - -Balor had an eye on Glas Gavlen, and wanted to bring her to Tory for his -own use, so he told two agents of his, Maol and Mullag, who were living -near Druim na Teine, to get the cow for him. The smith would not part -with Glas Gavlen for any price, so there was no way left but to steal -her. There was no chance for stealing till one time when three brothers, -named Duv, Donn, and Fin, sons of Ceanfaeligh (Kinealy), went to the -forge to have three swords made. - -“Each man of you is to mind the cow while I am working,” said the smith, -“and if he loses her I’ll take the head off him.” - -“We will agree to that,” said the brothers. - -Duv and Donn went with Glas Gavlen on the first day and the second, -and brought her back to the smith safely. When his turn came Fin took -the cow out on the third day, but when some distance from the forge he -bethought himself and ran back to tell the smith not to make his sword -so heavy as those of his brothers. The moment he was inside in the forge -Maol and Mullag, Balor’s men, stole the cow, and away they went quickly, -driving her toward Baile Nass. When they came to the brow of the slope, -where the sand begins, they drew her down to the water’s edge by the -tail, and put her into a boat which they had there prepared and ready. - -They sailed toward Tory, but stopped at Inis Bofin (island of the white -cow) and put the cow out on land. She drank from a well there, which is -called since that time Tobar na Glaise (well of the gray cow). After that -they sailed on, and landed the same day at Port na Glaise, on Tory Island. - -When Fin came out of the forge he saw nothing of Glas Gavlen,—neither -trace nor sign of her. He ran back then with the evil tidings to the -smith. - -“If you fail to bring her back to me within three days,” said Gavidin, -“I’ll take the head off you, according to our bargain. I made the sword -to oblige you, and you promised to bring the cow or give your head.” - -Away with Fin then, travelling and lamenting, looking for Glas Gavlen. He -went toward Baile Nass and came to a place on the strand where a party of -men were playing ball. He inquired of them about the cow, but they began -to make game of him, he looked so queer in himself, and was so sad. At -last one of the players, whose name was Gial Duv (Black Jaw), came up to -Fin and spoke to him: “Stand aside till the game is over, and I’ll talk -to you. This is a party of players that you should not interfere with; -they are lucht sidhe [people of the mounds, fairies]. I know what your -trouble is. I will go with you, and do my best to bring the cow. I know -where she is, and if I cannot bring her, no one can.” - -They searched down as far as Maheroerty, and went then to Minlara, where -a boat was found. They sailed away in the boat, and reached Tory that -night a few hours after Maol and Mullag. - -“Go now,” said Gial Duv to Fin, “and ask Balor what would release the -cow, and what can you do to earn her. I’ll stay here till you come back -to me.” - -Fin went to Balor and asked the question. - -“To get the cow,” said Balor, “you must eat seven green hides while one -inch of a rush-light is burning, and I’ll light it myself.” - -Fin returned and told Gial Duv. “Go,” said Gial, “and tell him you will -try to do that. He will put you in a room apart with the hides and take -the rush himself. Cut the hides quickly, and if you can cut them I’ll -make away with them. I’ll be there with you, invisible.” - -All this was done. Fin cut the hides and Gial Duv put them away. The -moment the rush-light was burned Balor came in, and there wasn’t a hand’s -breadth of the hides left. - -“I have the seven hides eaten,” said Fin. - -“Come to me to-morrow. My daughter will throw the cow’s halter. If she -throws it to you the cow will be yours.” - -Fin was let out of the room then. - -“Now,” said Gial Duv, “I’ll take you to Balor’s daughter. There is a -wall between the castle and the rest of the island, and I’ll take you -over it. There are cords along the wall everywhere, and whoever tries to -pass over will touch them and sound all the bells in the place. I will -raise you above them all and take you in without noise. You will go first -to Balor’s daughter; she will be pleased with you and like you. After -that you will see all the other women, and do you be as intimate with -them as with Balor’s daughter, so that they will not tell that you were -in it, and be sure to tell the daughter to throw you the cow’s halter -to-morrow.” - -Fin was taken into the castle by Gial Duv without noise, and he did all -that Gial directed. Next day Fin went to Balor and asked for the cow. - -“Well, come with me. Let my daughter throw the halter. If she throws it -to you the cow will be yours.” - -They went. She threw the halter at Fin, and Balor was very angry. “Oh, -daughter,” cried he, “what have you done?” - -“Don’t you know,” said she, “that there is a false cast in every woman’s -hand? There is a crooked vein in my arm, and I could not help it; that’s -what gave the halter to Fin.” - -Balor had to give the cow and forgive the daughter. Fin took Glas Gavlen -to the mainland that day and gave her to the smith. - -Before the year was out Gial Duv went to Fin and said, “Make ready and -come with me to Tory; if you don’t Balor will find out what happened when -you were on the island, and kill his own daughter, with the twelve women -and all the children.” - -The two went to Tory that evening, and when the children were born the -women gave twelve of them to Fin in a blanket, and one, Balor’s grandson, -by himself in a separate cloth. Fin took his place in the boat with the -twelve on his back, and one at his breast. The blanket was fastened -at his throat with a dealg (thorn); the thorn broke (there was a great -stress on it, for the weather was rough), and the twelve children fell in -the water at Sruth Deilg and became seals. - -“Oh!” cried Gial, “the children are lost. Have you Balor’s grandson?” - -“I have,” answered Fin. - -“That is well. We don’t care for the others while we have him.” - -They brought the child to the mainland, where a nurse was found, but the -child was not thriving with her. - -“Let us return to Tory with the boy,” said Gial Duv. “There is nothing -that Balor wishes for so much as trees. He has tried often to make trees -grow on the island, but it was no use for him. Do you promise that you’ll -make a grand forest on Tory if he’ll let some of the women nurse the -child. Tell him that your wife died not long ago. Balor will say, ‘How -could we find a nurse here when there is no woman on the island who has -a child of her own?’ You will say that ’tis a power this child has that -whatever woman touches him has her breast full of milk. I will put you in -with the women in the evening, and do you tell them what is wanted. The -mother is to take the child first when you go in to-morrow, and she will -hand him quickly to another and that one to a third, and so on before any -can be stopped.” - -Fin gave the child to Balor’s daughter before her father could come near -her; she gave him to one of the women, and he was passed on till all -twelve had had him. It was found that all had milk, and Balor consented -to let the child be nursed. - -Gial Duv made a large fine forest of various trees. For two years Balor -was delighted; he was the gladdest man, for all he wanted was trees and -shelter on Tory Island. - -The child was in good hands now with his mother and the twelve women, -and when able to walk, Fin used to bring him out in the daytime. Once he -kept him and went to the mainland. The next day a terrible wind rose, and -it didn’t leave a tree standing on Tory. Balor knew now that the forest -was all enchantment and deceit, and said that he would destroy Fin and -all his clan for playing such a trick on him. Balor sent his agents and -servants to watch Fin and kill him. - -Fin was warned by Gial Duv, and took care of himself for a long time, -but at last they caught him. It was his custom to hunt in Glen Ath, for -there were many deer and much game there in those days, and Fin was very -fond of hunting; but he shunned all their ambushes, till one evening when -they were lying in wait for him in the bushes by a path which he was -travelling for the first time. They leaped up when he was near, caught -him, and bound him. - -“Take the head off me at one blow,” said he, “and be done with it.” - -They put his head on a stone and cut it off with one blow. In this way -died Fin MacKinealy, the father of Balor’s grandson. This grandson was -a strong youth now. He was a young man, in fact, and his name was Lui -Lavada (Lui Longhand). He was called Lavada because his arms were so long -that he could tie his shoes without stooping. Lui did not know that he -was Balor’s grandson. He knew that his father had been killed by Balor’s -men, and he was waiting to avenge him. - -A couple of years later there was a wedding on the mainland, and it was -the custom that no one was to begin to eat at a wedding till Maol and -Mullag should carve the first slices. They did not come this time in -season, and all the guests were impatient. - -“I’ll carve the meat for you,” said Balor’s grandson. With that he carved -some slices, and all present began to eat and drink. - -After a while Maol and Mullag came, and they were in a great rage because -the people were eating, drinking, and enjoying the wedding feast without -themselves. - -When all had finished eating and drinking, and were ready to go home, -Maol said, “The bride will go with me.” - -The bride began to cry when she heard that, and was in great distress. -Lui Lavada asked what trouble was on her, and the people told him, that -since Balor’s two deputies were ruling on the mainland it was their -custom at weddings that Maol, the first in authority, should keep company -with the bride the first evening, and Mullag the second evening. - -“It’s time to put a stop to that,” said Lui Lavada, Balor’s grandson. -With that he walked up to the two and said, “Ye’ll go home out of this as -ye are.” - -Maol answered with insult, and made an offer to strike him. Lui caught -Maol then and split his tongue; he cut a hole in each of his cheeks, and -putting one half of the tongue through the left cheek, and the other -through the right, he thrust a sliver of wood through the tips of each -half. He took Mullag then and treated him in like manner. - -The people led the two down to the seashore after that. Lui put Maol -in one boat and Mullag in another, and let them go with the wind, which -carried them out in the ocean, and there is no account that any man saved -them. - -Balor swore vengeance on the people for destroying his men, and -especially on Lui Lavada. He had an eye in the middle of his forehead -which he kept covered always with nine shields of thick leather, so that -he might not open his eye and turn it on anything, for no matter what -Balor looked at with the naked eye he burned it to ashes. He set out in a -rage then from Tory, and never stopped till he landed at Baile Nass and -went toward Gavidin’s forge. The grandson was there before him, and had a -spear ready and red hot. - -When Balor had eight shields raised from the evil eye, and was just -raising the ninth, Lui Lavada sent the red spear into it. Balor pursued -his grandson, who retreated before him, going south, and never stopped -till he reached Dun Lui, near Errigal Mountain. There he sat on a rock, -wearied and exhausted. While he was sitting there, everything came to -his mind that he did since the time that his men stole Glas Gavlen from -Gavidin Gow. “I see it all now,” said he. “This is my grandson who has -given the mortal blow to me. He is the son of my daughter and Fin -MacKinealy. No one else could have given that spear cast but him.” With -that Balor called to the grandson and said, “Come near now. Take the -head off me and place it above on your own a few moments. You will know -everything in the world, and no one will be able to conquer you.” - -Lui took the head off his grandfather, and, instead of putting it on his -own head, he put it on a rock. The next moment a drop came out of the -head, made a thousand pieces of the rock, and dug a hole in the earth -three times deeper than Loch Foyle,—the deepest lake in the world up to -that time,—and so long that in that hole are the waters of Gweedore Loch, -they have been there from that day to this. - - * * * * * - -The above tale I wrote down on the mainland, where I found also another -version, but inferior to this. On Tory itself I found two versions, both -incomplete. Though differing in particulars, the argument is the same -in all. Balor is represented as living on Tory to escape the doom which -threatens him through a coming grandson; he covets the cow Glas Gavlen, -and finally gains her through his agents. - -The theft of the cow is the first act in a series which ends with the -death of Balor at Gweedore, and brings about the fulfilment of the -prophecy. In all the variants of the tale Balor is the same unrepentant, -unconquerable character,—the man whom nothing can bend, who tries to -avenge his own fate after his death by the destruction of his grandson. -The grandson does not know whom he is about to kill. He slays Balor to -avenge his father, Fin MacKinealy, according to the vendetta of the time. - - - - -BALOR OF THE EVIL EYE AND LUI LAVADA HIS GRANDSON. - - -Long ago there were people in Erin called Firbolgs; and they lived -undisturbed many years, till a king called Balor Beiman came from Lochlin -with great forces, made war on the Firbolgs, killed their king, and drove -themselves out of Erin. - -The Firbolgs went to Spain; and there they were looking for means of -support, but could find none, unless what they got for work in carrying -mortar. - -They carried mortar, and lived that way till at long last the Spaniards -said, “These people are too many in number; let us drive them out of the -country.” So the Spaniards drove out the Firbolgs, and they came back to -Erin. In Erin they attacked Balor and his Lochlin men, but were defeated -with loss a second time. When they left Erin again, the Firbolgs went to -the lands of Gallowna, and there they lived undisturbed and unharmed. - -When the Firbolgs were driven out of Erin the second time, Balor Beiman -summoned his chief men, and said to them, “I will go back to Lochlin now -and live there in quiet. I am too old to fight with new enemies. I will -leave my sons here with you to rule in place of myself; and do ye obey -them, and be as brave under them as ye were under me.” - -With that Balor left Erin, sailed away, and never stopped till he reached -home in Lochlin. - -At that time there was a smith in Erin named Gaivnin Gow, and he had a -cow called Glas Gownach. The smith had a magic halter with which he used -to tie the cow every night. - -Glas Gownach travelled three provinces of Erin every day, and came home -in the evening; the halter had power over her, and she went always to the -halter in the evening if left to herself. - -The cow gave milk to every one on her journey each day,—no matter how -large the vessels were that people brought, or how many, she filled them; -there was no lack of milk in Erin while that cow was in it. She was sent -to give food and comfort to all, and she gave it, but especially to poor -people. - -Balor Beiman had his eye on the cow, and, when going back to Lochlin from -Erin, he watched his chance and stole the halter. Gaivnin Gow saw the -theft, but too late to prevent it. Balor escaped with the halter, and -made off to Lochlin. - -Gaivnin Gow ran quickly to Glas Gownach, caught her by the tail, and held -her that way till evening, when he drove her home carefully, and shut her -up in the forge behind the bellows, where he milked her. - -Gaivnin Gow stopped work in his forge now, and did nothing but mind the -cow. He went out in the morning, followed her through every place, and -brought her back in the evening. He held her tail all the day, and never -let go his hold of her till he had her fastened behind the bellows. - -The people got milk as before from Glas Gownach wherever she went through -the country; but the smith got no milk till he had the cow enclosed in -the forge. - -The widow of the king of the Firbolgs took a new husband in the land of -Gallowna, and had seven sons there. When the eldest, Geali Dianvir, had -grown up, she said to him, “I will give you ships now, and go you to Erin -with warriors and good champions to know can we get satisfaction of those -people who hunted us out of our country like hares or foxes.” - -The son took the ships, and sailed away with champions and heroes, and -never stopped till he sailed into Caola Beag (Killybegs, in Donegal). He -landed in that place, left his ships safely fastened, and went forward -travelling. He never stopped on his way nor halted till he came to a -place called Blan Ri. He halted in that place, for before him were three -armies fighting. - -When they saw the new forces coming, the armies stopped fighting. - -“Why are ye fighting here with three armies?” asked Dianvir; “what is the -cause of your struggle?” - -The leader of one army said, “We are brothers; our father died not long -since; he was king of three provinces, and I think it my right to be king -in his place.” - -The leader of the second army, the middle brother, said, “I have as much -right to be king after my father as he has.” - -The third brother said, “I have as much right to be king as either of -them.” - -Neither of the three was willing to yield his claim, or obey one of the -others; but they were all ready to fight while their strength lasted. - -“Your trouble can be settled easily,” said Dianvir; “if ye are willing.” - -“Settle it, and do us a service,” said the eldest brother. - -“I will; but ye must take my judgment and obey it.” - -“We will,” said all the brothers. “We will accept your decision, and do -what you tell us.” - -“Listen, then,” said Dianvir: “you, the eldest, will be king for this -year. You, the second, will be king in his place the second year; and -you, the youngest brother, will be king the third year. The fourth year, -you, the eldest brother, will be king again for a year; and so it will go -on, and you and your two brothers will be spending time happily all your -lives.” - -The three brothers agreed, and were glad. The eldest was king that first -year. Dianvir went his way; but he had hardly gone out of their sight -when the youngest of the three brothers said, “That man will make trouble -for us yet; my advice is to follow him, and put an end to himself and his -men before they can harm us.” - -“Oh,” said the eldest, “sure ye would not kill the man who gave us good -counsel and settled our difficulty?” - -“No matter what he did,” said the youngest; “he will give you trouble yet -if ye let him go. Follow him, put an end to him, or he will put an end to -us.” - -They sent men after Dianvir. As Dianvir was a stranger in Erin he had no -knowledge of the roads: when a lake was before him he was long going -around it; when he came to a deep river he was long finding a ford. - -Dianvir’s men were cut off, most of them fell, and he himself fell with -others. A small number escaped to the ships, took one of them, and sailed -to the land of Gallowna. They told the queen the whole story, told how -they had been treated with treachery. - -“I will have satisfaction for my son,” said the mother. “I will have it -without waiting long.” With that she had ships and boats prepared, and -went herself with her other sons, and strong forces, to take vengeance on -the brothers. The queen and her forces were six weeks sailing hither and -over, driven by strong winds, when one morning a sailor at the topmast -cried, “I see land!” - -“Is it more or less of it that you see?” asked the queen. - -“I see land, the size of a pig’s back,” said the sailor, “and a black -back it is.” - -They sailed three days and nights longer, and on the fourth morning they -were near shore, and landed in Bantry (White Strand). The queen fixed -her house at Ardneevy, and prepared for action; but instead of the three -brothers it was the sons of Balor she had against her. - -War began, and the Lochlin men were getting the upper hand the first -days. At some distance from their camp was a well of venom, and into this -well they dipped their swords and spears before going to battle, and the -man of the enemy who was barely grazed by a weapon dipped in the well -was as badly off as the man whose head was taken from him. There was no -chance now for the queen’s forces, so she called her sons and said to -them, “We’ll be destroyed to the last one unless we find help against -this venom. Go to the Old Blind Sage, and ask advice of him.” - -The sons went to the sage, and the advice they got was this,— - -“There is a well of venom not far from the camp of the Lochlin men. -Before going to battle they dip their swords and spears in that water, -and the enemy who is touched by those weapons that day is killed as -surely as if the head had been swept from him. Ye are to get twenty -measures of the milk of Glas Gownach, and pour it into that well in the -night-time; the milk will be going down in the well and the poison will -be rising and going out till it flows away and is lost altogether. Take, -then, a hundred swords and spears to Gaivnin Gow, the smith, to put -temper on their points and edges. He will do this if ye follow the cow -all day for him and bring her home safely in the evening.” - -The queen’s sons did what the sage advised. The venom went from the well -when the cow’s milk was poured into it. From that night out the weapons -of the Lochlin men were common swords and spears. - -When the queen’s sons went with the swords and spears to Gaivnin Gow, -he said, “I cannot work for you. I am minding this cow, Glas Gownach, -that travels three provinces of Erin every day; I must go with her -wherever she goes, bring her home, and put her behind the bellows in the -forge every night. If the cow goes from me I am lost, with my wife and -children. We have no means of support but her milk.” - -“I am as good a man as you,” said the best of the brothers; “I will mind -the cow, and bring her back in the evening.” - -The smith let the cow go with him at last, and went to work at the swords -and spears. The young man followed the cow faithfully, all day, brought -her back in the evening, left her outside the forge, and went in himself. -The smith had the swords and spears tempered. - -“Where is the cow Glas Gownach?” asked Gaivnin Gow. - -“Outside at the door.” - -“Bad luck to you, she is gone from me now, gone forever!” - -They went out. Not a trace of Glas Gownach. She had gone to Balor Beiman -in Lochlin, for he had the halter. - -There was a great battle on the following day, the queen fell and her -sons, except two. Balor’s sons were all killed, and the Lochlin men -driven away. - -Balor rose up in anger when the news came to Lochlin. “I’ll have -satisfaction for my sons,” said he. “I will burn all Erin!” - -Besides his two eyes Balor had a third one, an evil eye, in the middle -of his forehead, with the power to burn everything in the world that it -looked upon. Over this eye he kept seven steel shields, and a lock on -each one of them. - -“I will destroy Erin, and no man can stop me,” said Balor; “for no man -can kill me but the son of my daughter. She has no son, and if she had -itself, he could kill me only with the red spear made by Gaivnin Gow, and -it cast into my eye the moment I raise the last shield from it, when I am -standing on Muin Duv[4] [Black Back] to burn Erin.” - -One day the two brothers were talking, and Cian, the youngest son of the -queen of the Firbolgs, said to his only living brother, “We have done -great harm to Gaivnin Gow. It is by us that the cow went from him, and we -should bring her back.” - -“That is more than we can do,” said the second brother, “unless we get -help from Bark an Tra, the druid.” - -The two brothers went to Bark an Tra, and Cian told their story. - -“The work is a hard one; I don’t know can you do it,” said the druid; -“but you can try; I will help you. The cow is with Balor Beiman, in -Lochlin. He stole her halter when he went from Erin; and she followed it -the day your brother left her outside the forge. No man can bring the cow -with him unless he has the halter, and it is hard to get that. - -“Balor Beiman can be killed only by the son of his daughter; he has -her behind seven locked doors. No living person sees the daughter but -himself. He sees her every day, takes food and drink to her. To bring -back the cow you must make the acquaintance of Balor’s daughter. I will -give you a cloak of darkness; put it over you, and make your way to -Lochlin. When Balor goes to see his daughter, you go with him. He opens -one door, goes in and locks it, opens the second, goes in and locks -that, and so on. When he is inside in his daughter’s chamber the seven -doors are locked behind him.” - -Cian put on the cloak of darkness, and no man could see him; he went to -Lochlin then, and followed Balor to his daughter’s chamber. He waited -till the night when she was sleeping, went then to her bedside, and put -his hand on her heavily. - -She screamed, saying, “Some one is in the chamber.” - -Balor came, very angry and with an evil face, to see who was in it. He -searched the chamber through, searched many times, found no one. Failing -to find any one, he returned to his own place and went to bed. Cian came -again and put a heavier hand on Balor’s daughter. She roared out that -some one was in the chamber. Balor came, searched, and looked several -times, and went away. The third time the young man put a still heavier -hand on the maiden, and she screamed louder. Balor searched this time -more carefully, found no man, and said, “Oh, you are a torment; it’s -dreaming you are. You are hoping for some one to be in the world to -destroy me, but that is what never will be. If I hear another scream here -I will take the head off you surely.” - -No sooner was Balor gone this time, and the seven doors locked, than the -young man came again, and put a heavier hand than ever on the maiden. She -did not scream then; she was in dread of her father, but said slowly, -“Are you a living man or a ghost?” - -“I am so and so,” said Cian, “the best champion in the world, and I have -come here to win you.” He talked on till he pleased her, they agreed -then. He spent three days in her company. On the fourth day he followed -Balor out of the chamber, and away with him back to Erin. He went to Bark -an Tra, the druid. - -“Were you in Lochlin with Balor?” - -“I was.” - -“How did you behave?” - -“So and so,” said Cian. - -“You must be there again at the right time.” - -Cian was back in Lochlin at the right time, unseen in his cloak of -darkness, and brought away a child with him to Erin. The child was not -thriving for three years, hardly lived, and was puny. - -“The child is not doing well,” said Cian to the druid. - -“The child will do well yet,” answered Bark an Tra. “Take him now to -Lochlin as far as Balor; the child will not thrive till his grandfather -calls him by name.” - -Cian went to Balor. “Well,” said Balor, “who are you and what journey are -you on?” - -“I am a poor man looking for service.” - -“What child is that you have with you?” - -“My own child,” said Cian; “my wife is dead.” - -“What can you do?” asked Balor. - -“I am the best gardener in the world.” - -“I have a better gardener than you,” said Balor. - -“You have not. What can your gardener do?” - -“The tree that he plants on Monday morning has the finest ripe apples in -the world on Saturday night.” - -“That’s nothing. The tree that I plant in the morning I’ll pluck from it -in the evening the finest ripe apples you have ever set eyes on.” - -“I do not like to have any child near my castle,” said Balor; “but I will -keep you for a time, even with the child, if your wages are not too great -for me.” - -“I will work a day and a year for the cow.” - -Balor agreed to the terms, and took Cian. Balor spoke no word to the -child, good or bad, and the boy was not thriving. One day Cian was -bringing to Balor a lot of fine apples from one of his trees; he stumbled -on the threshold, and the apples fell to the floor. All the people -present ran to gather the apples, the child better than others. He worked -so nimbly that he picked up two-thirds of all that had fallen, though a -whole crowd was picking as well as himself. - -“Tog leat Lui Lavada [Take away with you Little Long Hand],” cried Balor. - -“Oh, he has the name now,” said Cian. - -Cian worked his time out then, and said, “I will take my pay another day.” - -“You may take it when you like,” said Balor. - -Cian took his son to Erin; the child grew wonderfully after that, and was -soon of full strength. - -Cian went to the druid. - -“The time is near,” said the druid, “when Balor will stand on Muin Duv. -He’ll raise his eye-shields; and if the red spear is not put in his eye -when the last shield is raised, all Erin will be burned in one flash. Go -now and ask Balor Beiman for your wages; say that you want the cow Glas -Gownach, for we want her and must have her. He will refuse, dispute, and -quarrel, give bad names. You will say that he must pay you, must give the -cow or go to judgment. He will go to judgment rather than give the cow; -and do you choose his daughter as judge; she will give the cow to you.” - -“I will go to judgment,” said Balor, when Cian insisted on getting the -cow. “What judgment will you have?” - -“My case is a true one,” said Cian. “I ask no judge but the one yourself -will take. I ask no judge but your own daughter.” - -“Let her be the judge,” said Balor. - -Cian put on his cloak of darkness, and, going to the daughter, explained -his case to her. Next day Balor went in and told her all the story of the -cow Glas Gownach. - -“I must have nine days to think the matter over,” said Balor’s daughter. - -She got the time, then she asked three days more. On the thirteenth -morning Balor went to her and said, “The judgment must be made to-day.” - -“Well,” said the daughter, “go out now and stand before the window, you -and the gardener, and to whomever the halter comes from me he’ll have the -cow.” - -When they stood in front of the window, she threw the halter to Cian. - -“How could you do that?” cried out Balor. - -“Oh, father, they say there is always a crooked cast in a woman’s hand. I -threw toward you; but it’s to the gardener the halter went.” - -Balor let the cow go. He was very angry, but could not help himself. -“You have Glas Gownach; but I’ll have satisfaction in my own time,” cried -he, as Cian went away. - -“We have troubled you greatly with our work,” said Cian to Gaivnin Gow; -“but here is the cow for you, and with her the halter. You can stay at -home now and rest; you need follow her no longer.” - -Cian went that night to the druid, and said, “I have the cow back in -Erin.” - -“It is well that you have,” answered the druid. “In five days from -this Balor will be here to burn Up Erin. He will stand on Muin Duv at -daybreak. He will raise all the shields from his eye; and unless a spear -made by Gaivnin Gow is hurled into his eye by his grandson that instant, -he will have all Erin in flames. You must bring Gaivnin Gow and the forge -with you to Muin Duv, have the spear made, and all things prepared there; -and your son must be ready to throw the red spear at the right moment.” - -Gaivnin Gow came. They brought the forge, the spear, and all that was -needed, put them behind a rock on the side of Muin Duv. On the fifth -morning, at daylight, Balor was on the top of Muin Duv; and the instant -the last shield reached his upper eyelid Lui Lavada struck him with the -spear, and Balor fell dead. - - - - -ART, THE KING’S SON, AND BALOR BEIMENACH, TWO SONS-IN-LAW OF KING UNDER -THE WAVE. - - -The King of Leinster was at war for twenty years, and conquered all -before him. He had a son named Art; and, when the wars were over, this -son was troubled because he could find no right bride for himself. No -princess could suit him or his father; for they wanted an only daughter. -In this trouble they went to the old druid. - -“Wait,” said the druid, “till I read my book of enchantment; and then I -will tell you where to find such a woman.” - -He read his book, but could find no account of an only daughter of the -right age and station. At last the druid said to the king, “Proclaim over -all Erin that if any man knows of such a princess he is to come to this -castle and tell you.” - -The king did as the druid advised. At long last a sailor walked the way, -and went to the king. “I know,” said he, “of the woman you wish.” - -“Who is she?” asked the king. - -“The only daughter of the King of Greece, and she is beautiful. But it is -better to keep your son at home than to send him abroad; for there is no -man who could not find a good wife in Erin.” - -Art would not listen to this advice, but said, “I will go and get that -one.” - -Next morning he made ready, took farewell of his father, and away he -went on his journey. He rode a fine steed to the seashore; there he took -a ship, and nothing more is told of him till he touched land in Greece. -The King of Greece received Art with great welcome, gave a feast of seven -days in his honor, and sent heralds through the city declaring that any -man who would fall asleep till the end of the seven days would have the -head swept off his body. - -Silk and satin were spread under Art’s feet, and respect of every kind -shown him. He was entertained seven days, and at last, when the king -didn’t ask him what journey he was on, he said, “It is a wonder to me -that you do not ask what brought me, and why I am travelling.” - -“I am not surprised at all,” said the king. “A good father’s son like -you, and a man of such beauty, ought to travel all nations, and see every -people.” - -“I am not travelling to show myself nor to see people. Men told me that -you have an only daughter. I want her in marriage, and ’tis for her sake -that I am here.” - -“I have never heard news I liked better,” said the king; “and if my -daughter is willing, and her mother is satisfied, you have my blessing.” - -Art went to the queen and told her the cause of his coming. - -“If the king and my daughter are satisfied,” replied she, “that is the -best tale that man could bring me.” - -Art went to the princess, and she said, “If my father and mother are -willing, your words are most welcome to me; but there is one obstacle -between us,—I can marry no man but the man who will bring me the head of -the Gruagach of Bungling Leaps.” - -“Where is he to be found?” asked Art. - -“If ’twas in the east he was, I would direct you to the west; and if -’twas in the west he was, I would send you to the east: but not to harm -you would I do this, for thousands of men have gone toward that gruagach, -and not a man of them has ever come back.” - -“Your opinion of me is not very high. I must follow my nose and find the -road.” - -Next morning Art took farewell of the king, and went his way travelling -to know could he find the gruagach. At that time gruagachs and heroes -lived in old castles. Art inquired and inquired till he heard where the -gruagach lived. - -At last he came to the castle, and shouted outside; but if he did it was -no use for him, he got no answer. Art walked in, found the gruagach on -the flat of his back, fast asleep and snoring. The gruagach had a sword -in his hand. Art caught the sword, but could not stir it from the grasp -of the gruagach. - -“’Tis hard to say,” thought he, “that I could master you awake, if I can -do nothing to you in your slumber; but it would be a shame to strike a -sleeping man.” - -He hit the gruagach with the flat of his sword below the knee, and woke -him. The gruagach opened his eyes, sat up, and said, “It would be fitter -for you to be herding cows and horses than to be coming to this place to -vex me.” - -“I am not here to give excuse or satisfaction to you,” said Art, “but to -knock satisfaction out of your flesh, bones, and legs, and I’ll take the -head off you if I can.” - -“It seems, young man, that it is a princess you want; and she will not -marry you without my head.” - -“That is the truth.” - -“What is your name?” asked the gruagach; “and from what country do you -come?” - -“My name is Art, and I am son of the King of Leinster, in Erin.” - -“Your name is great, and there is loud talk of you, but your size is not -much; and if the princess were in question between us, I would think as -little of putting that small hill there on the top of the big one beyond -it as of killing you. For your father’s sake, I would not harm you; your -father is as good a man for a stranger to walk to as there is in the -world; and for that reason go home and don’t mind me or the princess, for -your father and mother waited long for you, and would be sorry to lose -you.” - -“Very thankful am I,” said Art, “for your kind speech; but as I came -so far from home, and want the princess, I’ll knock a trial out of you -before I leave this place.” - -Next morning the two faced each other, and fought like wild bulls, wild -geese, or wolves, fought all day with spears and swords. Art was growing -weak, and was not injuring the gruagach till evening, when he thought, -“Far away am I from father, mother, home, and country.” With that he got -the strength of a hundred men, gave one blow to the gruagach under the -chin, and sent his head spinning through the air. That moment the body -went down through the earth. - -When the body disappeared, Art thought the head would come down like any -other thing; but the earth opened, and the head flew into the earth and -vanished. - -“I will go back to the castle of the King of Greece,” thought Art, “and -tell him the whole story.” - -On the way to the castle, and while passing a cabin, a big old man came -out of the cabin, and cried, “Welcome, Art, son of the King of Leinster. -It is too far you are going to-night. Stay with me, if you like my -entertainment.” - -“Very thankful am I,” said Art, “and glad to stay with you. It is weak -and tired I am.” - -When he went in, the old man stripped him, put him first into a caldron -of venom, and then into a caldron of cure, and he was as well as ever. - -“Would go against the gruagach to-morrow?” asked the old man. - -“I would if I knew where to find him.” - -“You will find him where he was to-day; but he will be twice as strong -to-morrow, since you vexed him to-day.” - -After breakfast Art went to the castle, and found the gruagach asleep, as -the first time, struck him with the flat of his sword, but so hard that -he saw stars. - -“Art, son of the King of Leinster, you are not satisfied yet; but you -will suffer.” - -“I am not satisfied,” said Art. “I’ll have your head or you will have -mine.” - -“Go home to your father and mother; don’t trouble me: that is my advice.” - -“I am thankful to you,” said Art, jestingly; “but I’ll take a trial of -you.” - -They fought as before. The gruagach had twice the strength of the first -day; and Art was knocking no quarters out of him, but suffering from -every blow, his flesh falling and his blood flowing. - -“I am not to last long,” thought Art, “unless I can do something.” He -remembered his father and mother then, and how far he was from home; that -moment the strength of two hundred men came to him. With one blow he -swept off the gruagach’s head and sent it twice as far into the sky as on -the first day; the body sank through the earth. Art stood at the place -where the body had vanished. - -When the head was coming down, and was near, he caught it and held it -firmly by the hair; then, cutting a withe, he thrust it through the ears -and, throwing the head over his shoulder, started for the castle of the -King of Greece; but before reaching the old man’s cabin, he met three men -and with them a headless body. - -“Where are ye going?” asked Art. - -“This body lost its head in the eastern world, and we are travelling the -earth to know can we find a head to match it.” - -“Do you think this one would do?” asked Art of one of the men. - -“I don’t know,” said he; “it is only for us to try.” - -The moment the head was put on the body, men, head, and body went down -through the earth. - -Art went to the old man, and told him of all that had happened. - -“You were very foolish,” said the old man, “to do what you did. Why did -you not keep the head and bring it to me? I would tell you what to do.” -The old man cured Art’s wounds, and after supper he asked, “Will you -fight the gruagach again?” - -“I will.” - -“Well, if you have the luck to knock the head off him a third time, never -part with it till you come to me.” - -Art went a third time to the gruagach, struck him with the flat of his -sword, and knocked ferns out of his eyes. - -“Oh, ho! Art, son of the King of Leinster, you are not satisfied yet, it -seems. To-day will tell all. You’ll fall here.” - -They went at each other with venom; and each sought the head of the other -so fiercely that each hair on him would hold an iron apple. The gruagach -had the upper hand till evening. Art thought of home then, of the young -princess, and of the mean opinion that she had of him, and gave such a -blow that the gruagach’s head vanished in the sky. The body went through -the earth, and Art stood as before at the place where it sank till he saw -the head coming; he seized it, cut two withes, passed them through the -ears, threw the head over his shoulder, and went toward the old man’s -cabin. He was within one mile of the house, when he saw, flying from the -southeast, three ravens, and each bird seemed the size of a horse. At -that time a terrible thirst came on him; he put the gruagach’s head on -the ground, and stooped to drink from a spring near the wayside; that -moment one of the ravens swept down and carried off the head. - -“I am in a worse state now than ever,” said Art, lamenting. - -He went to the cabin of the old man, who received him well, and cured -him, and said, “You may go home now, since you did not keep the head when -you had it; or you may go into a forest where there is a boar, and that -boar is far stronger and fiercer than the gruagach: but if you can kill -the boar, you will win yet, if you do what I tell you. When the boar is -dead, open the body and hide in it. The three ravens will come after -awhile to eat; you can catch one of them, and hold it till the others -bring the head.” - -Art went away to the forest. He was not long in it when the boar caught -the scent of him, and ran at him, snapped at his body, and took pieces -out of it. Art defended himself till evening, and was more losing than -gaining, when he remembered home and that princess who thought so little -of his valor. He got the strength of four hundred men then, and made two -even halves of the boar. When Art tried to draw his sword, it was broken -at the hilt: and he let three screeches out of him that were heard all -over the kingdom. He could not prepare the carcass, so he went to the old -man with the sword hilt. - -“A hundred thousand welcomes to you,” said the old man; “and you deserve -them. You are the best man I have seen in life.” - -“I do not deserve the welcomes,” said Art; “’Tis badly the day has gone -with me: my sword is broken.” - -“I will give you a better one,” said the old man, taking him to a room -where there was nothing but swords. “Here are swords in plenty; take your -choice of them.” - -Art tried many, but broke one after another. At last he caught an old -rusty blade, and shook it. The sword screeched so fiercely that it was -heard in seven kingdoms, and his father and mother heard it in Erin. - -“This blade will do,” said Art. - -“Come, now, and we’ll prepare the boar,” said the old man. - -The two went and dressed the boar in the way to give Art room within the -body, and a place to seize the raven. The old man went to a hilltop, at a -distance, and sat there till he heard the three ravens coming, and they -cawing as before. “Oh, it is ye that are coming!” thought he. The birds -came to the ground, and walked about, till at last one of them began to -peck at the carcass. Art caught that one quickly by the neck; the bird -struggled and struggled. - -“You might as well stop,” said Art; “you’ll not go from me. This fellow’s -head, or the head ye took yesterday,” said Art to the other two. - -“Kill not our brother,” cried they; “we’ll bring the head quickly.” - -“He has but two hours to live, unless ye bring here the head ye took from -me.” - -The ravens were not gone one hour when the gruagach’s head was in Art’s -hands, and the raven was free. - -“Come home with me now,” said the old man. Art went with him. “Show this -head to the princess,” said the old man; “but do not give it to her; -bring it back here to me.” - -Art went to the king’s castle, and, showing the head to the princess, -said, “Here is the head which you wanted; but I will not marry you.” He -turned away then, went to the old man, and gave him the head. The old man -threw the head on a body which was lying in the cabin; the head and the -body became one, and just like the old man. - -“Now, Art, king’s son from Erin, the gruagach was my brother, and for the -last three hundred years he was under the enchantment of that princess, -the only daughter of the King of Greece. The princess is old, although -young in appearance; my brother would have killed me as quickly as he -would you; and he was to be enchanted till you should come and cut the -head off him, and show it to the princess, and not marry her, and I -should do as I have done. My brother and I will stay here, take care of -our forests, and be friends to you. Go you back to Erin: a man can find a -good wife near home, and need not look after foreign women.” - -Art went to Erin, and lived with his father and mother. One morning he -saw a ship coming in, and only one man on board, the Red Gruagach, and -he having a golden apple on the end of a silver spindle, and throwing the -apple up in the air and catching it on the spindle. - -The Red Gruagach came to Art, and asked, “Will you play a game with me?” - -“I have never refused to play,” said Art; “but I have no dice.” - -The gruagach took out dice; they played. Art won. “What is your wish?” -asked the gruagach. - -“Get for me in one moment the finest woman on earth, with twelve -attendant maidens and thirteen horses.” - -The Red Gruagach ran to his ship, and brought the woman with her maidens; -the horses came bridled and saddled. When Art saw the woman, he fell in -love, took her by the hand, and went to the castle. They were married -that day. The Red Gruagach would not sail away; he stayed near the castle -and watched. Art’s young wife knew this, and would not let her husband -leave the castle without her. - -Two or three months later she fell ill, and sent for the old king. “You -must guard Art, and keep him safe,” said she, “till I recover.” - -Next morning the king was called aside for some reason, and Art went out -of the castle that moment. At the gate he met the gruagach, who asked -him to play. They played with the gruagach’s dice, and Art lost. - -“Give your sentence,” said he to the gruagach. - -“You will hear it too soon for your comfort. You are to bring me the -sword of light, and the story of the man who has it.” - -Art’s wife saw the king coming back. “Where is Art?” asked she. - -“Outside at the gate.” - -She sprang through the door, though sick, but too late. - -“You are not a husband for me now, you must go from me,” said she to -Art. “The man who has the sword of light is my sister’s husband; he has -the strength of thousands in him, and can run with the speed of wild -beasts. You did not know me, did not know that I was not that gruagach’s -daughter; you did not ask me who I was. Now you are in trouble, you must -go. Sit on the horse that I rode, and that the gruagach gave you, take -the bridle in your right hand, and let the horse go where he pleases; -he will face the ocean, but a road will open before him, and he will -never stop till he comes to my father’s castle. My father is King Under -the Wave. The horse will stop at steps in front of the castle; you will -dismount then. My father will ask where you got that steed, and you will -say you got him when you won him and the daughter of King Under the Wave -from the Red Gruagach.” - -Next morning Art took farewell of his wife and his father and mother, -started, and never stopped nor dismounted till he came to the steps -outside the castle-yard where horsemen used to mount and dismount. He -came down then. - -“Where did you get that horse?” asked King Under the Wave; “and where is -the rider who left my castle on his back?” - -“I won him and the daughter of King Under the Wave from the Red Gruagach.” - -“Ah, ’tis easily known to me that it was the Foxy Gruagach who stole my -child. Now, who are you, and where are you going?” - -“I am Art, son of the King of Leinster, in Erin.” - -King Under the Wave gave a hundred thousand welcomes to Art then, and -said, “You are the best king’s son that has ever lived; and if my -daughter was to go from me, I am glad that it is to you she went. It is -for the fortune that you are here, I suppose?” - -“I am not here for a fortune; but I am in heavy trouble. I am in search -of the sword of light.” - -“If you are going for that sword, I fear that you will not be a -son-in-law of mine long. It is the husband of another daughter of mine -who has the sword of light now; and while he has it, he could kill -the whole world. But I like you better, and will send servants to the -stable to get you the worst horse for to-night; you will need the best -afterward. Balor Beimenach, this son-in-law of mine, will grow stronger -each time you go to his castle. One of my men will ride with you, and -show you where Balor lives, and show you the window of the room where -he sleeps. You will turn your horse’s back to the window, and call out, -‘Are you asleep, Balor Beimenach?’ He will reply, and call out, ‘What do -you want?’ You will answer, ‘The sword of light and the story of Balor -Beimenach.’ Put spurs to your horse that instant, and ride away, with -what breath the horse has. I will have the twelve gates of this castle -open before you, to know will you bring the life with you. Balor is -bound not to cross a gate or a wall of this castle without my request, -or to follow any man through a gate or over a wall of mine. He must stop -outside.” - -On the following day, Art and a serving-man rode away; the man pointed -out Balor’s castle, and the window of his bedchamber. In the evening, Art -rode up to the window, and shouted, “Are you asleep, Balor Beimenach?” - -“Not very soundly. What do you want?” - -“The sword of light and the story of Balor Beimenach.” - -“Wait, and you will get them!” - -Art put spurs to his horse, and shot away. Balor Beimenach was after him -in a flash. Art’s horse was the worst in the stables of King Under the -Wave, though better than the best horse in another kingdom. Still Balor -was gaining on him, and when he came near the castle, he had not time to -reach the gate. He spurred over the wall; but if he did, Balor cut his -horse in two behind the saddle, and Art fell in over the wall with the -front half. - -Balor was raging; he went to his castle, but slept not a wink,—walked his -chamber till morning to know would Art come again. - -Next evening, Art rode to the window on a better horse, and called out, -“Balor Beimenach, are you asleep?” and raced away. Balor followed, and -followed faster. Art could not reach the gate before him, so he spurred -his horse over the wall. Balor cut this one in two just at the saddle. -Art tumbled down from the wall with his life. - -This enraged Balor more than the first escape; he slept not a wink that -night, but was walking around the whole castle and cursing till morning. - -King Under the Wave gave Art the best horse in his stable, for the third -night, and said, “This is your last chance with horses. I hope you will -escape; but I’m greatly in dread that Balor will catch you. Now put this -horse to full speed before you shout, and you will have some chance if -your horse runs with what speed there is in him.” - -Art obeyed the king. But Balor killed that horse as he had the other two, -and came nearer killing Art; for he cut a piece of the saddle behind him, -and Art came very near falling outside the wall; but he fell in, and -escaped with his life. - -“Well,” said King Under the Wave, on the fourth day, “no horse that ever -lived could escape him the fourth time. Every vein in his body is wide -open from thirst for blood; he would use every power that is in him -before he would let you escape. But here is where your chance is. Balor -has not slept for three nights; he will be sound asleep this time; the -sword of light will be hanging above his head near his grasp. Do you slip -into the room, and walk without noise; if you can touch the sword, you -will have all Balor’s strength, and then he will give you the story.” - -Art did as the king directed. He slipped into the room, saw the sword of -light hanging just above Balor’s head. He went up without noise till he -caught the hilt of the sword; and that moment it let out a screech that -was heard throughout the dominions of King Under the Wave, and through -all Erin. - -Balor woke, and was very weak when he saw Art. The moment Art touched the -hilt of the sword, he had all the strength that Balor had before. The -screech that the sword gave put Balor in such fear that he fell to the -floor, struck his face against the bed-post, and got a great lump on his -forehead. - -“Be quiet,” said Art; “the sword is mine, and now I want the story.” - -“Who are you?” asked Balor, “and what land are you from? It seems that -you are a friend of my father-in-law; for he is shielding and aiding you -these four nights.” - -“I am a friend of his, and also his son-in-law. I wish to be your friend -as well.” - -“What is your name?” asked Balor. - -“Art, son of the King of Leinster, in Erin.” - -“I would rather you had the sword than any other man save myself.” - -Balor rose, and went to his wife, and said, “Come with me to your -father’s castle.” - -King Under the Wave gave a great feast, and when the feast was over -Balor Beimenach took Art aside, and told him this story: “I was married -to my wife but a short time, and living in that castle beyond, when I -wanted to go to a fair. When not far from the castle, I found I had left -my whip behind, and went back for it. For years there had lived in my -castle a cripple. On returning I found that my wife had disappeared with -this cripple. I went after them in a rage. When I reached her, she struck -me with a rod of enchantment, and made a white horse of me. She gave me -then to a servant, who was to take grain to a mill with me. I had no -saddle on my back, only a chain to cut and gall me. Though a horse, I had -my own knowledge. I wanted freedom. The boy who drove me misused me, and -beat me. I broke his leg with a kick, and ran away among wild hills to -pasture. I had the best grass, and lived for a time at my ease; but my -wife heard of me, and had me brought home. She struck me again with her -rod of enchantment, made a wolf of me. I ran away to rocky places. The -wolves of the mountains bit and tore me; but at last they grew friendly. -I took twelve of these with me, and we killed my wife’s cattle, day and -night. She collected hunters and hounds, who killed six of the wolves. -The other six and I were more harmful than ever. A second party killed -the other six, and I was alone. They surrounded me; there was no escape -then. I saw among the hunters my own father-in law. I ran to King Under -the Wave, fell down before him, looked into his face; he pitied and saved -me, took me home with him. - -“My wife was at her father’s that day, and knew me. She begged the king -to kill me; but he would not; he kept me. I served him well, and he -loved me. I slept in the castle. One night a great serpent came down -the chimney, and began to crawl toward the king’s little son, sleeping -there in the cradle. I saw the serpent, and killed it. My wife was at her -father’s castle that night, and rose first on the following morning. She -saw the child sleeping, and the serpent lying dead. She took the child to -her own chamber, rubbed me with blood from the serpent, and told the king -that I had eaten the child. ‘I begged you long ago to kill that wolf,’ -said she to her father; ‘if you had followed my advice you would not be -without your son now.’ She turned and went out. - -“Right there on a table was the rod of enchantment, which my wife had -forgotten. I sprang toward the king; he was startled, and struck me with -the rod, without knowing its power. I became a man, was myself again, -and told the king my whole story. We went to my wife’s chamber; there the -king found his son living and well. King Under the Wave gave command then -to bring seven loads of turf with seven barrels of pitch, make one pile -of them, and burn his daughter and the cripple on the top of the pile. - -“‘Grant me one favor,’ cried I. ‘I will,’ said the king. ‘Spare your -daughter; she may live better now.’ ‘I will,’ said the king; ‘but they -will burn the cripple.’ - -“That is my story for you. Go now, and tell it to the Red Gruagach; -keep the sword in your hand while telling the story; and when you have -finished, throw the sword into the air, and say, ‘Go to Balor Beimenach!’ -It will come to me. When you need the sword, send me word; I will throw -it to you; and we’ll have the strength of thousands between us.” - -Art gave a blessing to all, and mounted his wife’s steed; the road -through the sea opened before him. The wife received him with a hundred -thousand welcomes. After that he went to the Red Gruagach, and, -holding the sword of light in his hand, told the story. When the story -was finished, he threw the sword in the air, and said, “Go to Balor -Beimenach.” - -“Why did you not give me the sword?” cried the Red Gruagach, in a rage. - -“If I was bound to bring the sword, I was not bound to give it to you,” -answered Art. “And now leave this place forever.” - -Art lived happily with his wife, and succeeded his father. - - - - -SHAWN MACBREOGAN AND THE KING OF THE WHITE NATION. - - -There was a very rich man once who lived near Brandon Bay, and his name -was Breogan. - -This Breogan had a deal of fine land, and was well liked by all people -who knew him. One morning as he was walking on the strand for himself, he -found, above the highest tide, a little colt, barely the size of a goat; -and a very nice colt he was. - -“Oh, what a beautiful little beast!” said Breogan; “he doesn’t belong to -any one in this country. He is not mine; but still and all I’ll take him. -If an owner comes the way, sure he can prove his claim, if he is able.” - -Breogan carried the colt to the stable, and fed him as well as any beast -that he had. The colt was thriving well; and when twelve months were -passed, it was a pleasure to look at him. Breogan put him in a stable by -himself after that, and kept him three years. At the end of the third -year, it isn’t a little colt he was, but a grand, fiery steed. Breogan -invited all his friends and neighbors to a feast and a great merrymaking. -“This will be a good time,” thought he, “to find a man to ride the -strange colt.” - -There was a splendid race-course on the seashore. The appointed day came, -and all the people were assembled. The horse was brought out, bridled -and saddled, and led to the strand. The place was so crowded that a pin -falling from the sky would not fall on any place but the head of some -person old or young, some man, woman, or child that was there at the -festival. - -For three days the women of the village were cooking food for all that -would come; there was enough ready, and to spare. Breogan strove to come -at a man who would ride the horse; but not a man could he find. The horse -was so fiery that all were in dread of him. - -Not to spoil sport for the people, Breogan made up his mind to ride -himself. As soon as the man mounted, and was firm in the saddle, the -horse stood on his hind-legs, rose with a leap in the air, and away with -him faster than any wind, first over the land, and then over the sea. The -horse never stopped till he came down on his fore-feet in Breasil, which -is a part of Tir nan Og (the Land of the Young). - -Breogan found himself now in the finest country man could set eyes on. He -rode forward, looking on all sides with delight and pleasure, till out -before him he saw a grand castle, and a beautiful gate in front of it, -and the gate partly open. - -“Well,” thought he, “I’ll go in here for a bit, to know are there people -living inside.” With that he tied the bridle to one of the bars of the -gate, and left the horse, thinking to come back in a short time. He went -to the door of the castle, and knocked on it. A woman came and opened the -door to him. - -“Oh, then, a hundred thousand welcomes to you, Breogan from Brandon,” -said she. - -He thanked her, and was greatly surprised when he heard her calling him -by name. She brought him then to a parlor; and, though he had fine rooms -in his own house, he hardly knew at first how to sit in this parlor, it -was that grand and splendid. He wasn’t long sitting, when who should come -in but a young woman, a beauty; the like of her he had never seen before -in his life. She was first in every way, in good looks as well as in -manners. She sat down at his side, and welcomed him. - -Breogan remained in the castle a few hours, eating, drinking, talking, -and enjoying himself. At long last he thought, “I must be going;” and -then he said so. - -The first woman laughed. “Well, now, my good friend,” said she, “of all -the men that ever came to this place,—and it’s many a man that came here -in my time,—there never was a worse man to care for his horse than what -you are. Your poor beast is tied to a bar of the gate outside since you -came, and you have never as much as thought that he was dry or hungry; -and if I had not thought of him, it’s in a bad state he’d be now. How -long do you think you are in this castle?” - -“Oh, then, I am about seven hours in it.” - -“You are in this country just seven years,” said the woman. “The beauty -and comfort of this Land of the Young is so great that the life of twelve -months seems the length of one hour in another place.” - -“If I am here that long, I must be going this minute,” said Breogan. - -“Well,” said the woman, “if you are going, I must ask you one question. -There will be a child in this castle; and as you are the father, ’tis you -that should name it. Now what will the name be?” - -“If ’tis a son, you’ll call him Shawn, the son of Breogan, from Brandon -in Erin. You’ll rear him for seven years. At the end of that time give -him your blessing and the means of making a journey to Erin. Tell him who -I am; and if he is anything of a hero, he’ll not fail to make me out.” - -Breogan left his blessing with the women, went to the gate, and found his -horse standing there, tied in the same way that he left him. He untied -the beast, mounted, and away through the air with him, leaving Breasil -behind, and never stopped nor halted till he came down about a mile from -his own house, near Brandon, exactly seven years from the day that he -left it. Seeing on the strand a great number of people, he wondered why -they were in it, and what brought them together. A large, fine-looking -man was passing the way, and Breogan called out to him: “What are these -people all doing that I see on the strand?” asked he. - -“You must be a stranger,” said the man, “not to know what these people -are here for.” - -“I am no stranger,” said Breogan; “but I went out of the country a few -years before this, and while I was gone there were changes.” - -“If a man leaves his own country for a short time itself,” said the -other, “he will find things changed when he comes again to it. I will -tell you why these people are here. We had in this place a fine master, -and it’s good and kind he was to us. He went out to the strand one day, -walking, and found a little colt above the high tide. He took the colt -home, reared and fed him three years. Then this man gathered the people -to give them a feast, and to know could he find some one to ride the -horse. When no one would venture, he mounted himself; and all saw how the -horse rose in the air, made a leap over the harbor, and then away out of -sight. We think that he fell, and was drowned in the sea; for neither -Breogan nor the horse was seen ever after. We are sorry for the man, -because he was kind to us; but ’tis equal what became of the horse. After -waiting seven years, Breogan’s wife is to be married this evening to some -great man from the North. We don’t know what kind is he. He may destroy -us, or drive us out of our houses.” - -Breogan thanked the man for his words, and hurried on toward his own -house. The servants saw him coming, knew him, and cried, “Here comes the -master!” and there was a great stir up and down in the house. Next minute -the wife heard the news; and out she ran to meet her husband. Any man -would think she was glad to see Breogan. “Why are all the people here -to-day?” asked he of the wife. - -“And was not it this day seven years that you put the country behind -you, wherever you went? You left dinner here ready; and the dinner is in -the same state it was the day you went away from me. I thought it better -to send for the people again, and eat the dinner in memory of you that -prepared it.” - -The husband said nothing. The people ate the dinner; and every man, -woman, and child went home satisfied. - -At the end of another seven years, Breogan made a great dinner again. All -was ready; a great crowd of people were present. The day being fine, you -could see far in every direction. - -“Look, now,” said Breogan, to one of his men who had very good eyesight. -“Look out toward the water, to know can you see any one coming. Seven -years ago to-day, I came home from Breasil, in the Land of the Young; and -my son, if I have one, is to be here to-day. He ought to be coming by -this time.” - -The man looked out as well as he could. “I see a boat with one mast -coming toward us,” said he; “and it’s sailing faster than any boat I have -ever set eyes on. In the boat I can see only one young man; and very -young he is too.” - -“Oh, that is he,” said Breogan. - -The boat came in at full sail; and it wasn’t long till the youth was -standing before his father. “Who are you?” asked Breogan. - -“My name is Shawn MacBreogan.” - -“If that is your name, sit down here at dinner; for you are my son.” - -When the feast was over, the people went home. When Breogan’s wife found -out who the boy was, she wouldn’t give the breadth of a ha’penny piece of -his body for a fortune, she was that fond of him. - -Things went on well till one day when Breogan and his son were out -hunting. The day being warm, they sat down to rest; and the son said to -the father, “Since I came to you in Erin, you seem vexed in yourself. I -have not asked what trouble is on you, or is there anything amiss with -you.” - -“All things are well with me but one thing,” said Breogan. “There is -some understanding between my wife and a man in the north of Erin. I’m -in dread of my life; for while I was in Breasil she saw this man, and -the day I came home they were going to be married. Since then I have not -slept soundly in bed; for messages are passing between them.” - -“Very well, father, I’ll put an end to that soon,” said Shawn. He rose on -the following morning, caught his hurley in his right hand, and his ball -in the left. He threw up the ball, then struck it with the hurley, and -was driving it that way before him till he reached the north of Erin, and -never let his ball touch the ground even one time. He inquired for his -father’s opponent. When he found out the house, he knocked at the door. -“Is your master inside?” asked he. - -“He is,” said the servant. - -“Go,” said Shawn, “and tell him that I want him, and not to delay, as I -must be at dinner in Brandon this evening.” - -The master of the house came out, and, seeing a boy there before him, -thought it strange that he should speak rudely to a man like himself. “If -you don’t beg my pardon this minute, I’ll take the head off you,” said -the man. - -“Well,” said Shawn, “I am not here to beg pardon of you nor of any man; -but I came to have satisfaction for the trouble you put on my father, and -I far away from him.” - -“Who is your father?” - -“My father is Breogan of Brandon.” - -Out the man went; and the two stood on a fine green plain, and began to -fight with swords, cutting each other’s flesh. They were not long at -the swords when Shawn said, “It is getting late, and I must be at home -before dinner to-day, as I promised; there is no use in delaying.” With -that he rose out of his body, and gave the man a blow between the head -and shoulders that put the head a mile from the body. Shawn caught the -head before it touched earth; then, grasping it by the hair, he left the -body where it fell, took his hurley in his right hand, threw his ball -in the air, and drove it far to the south with the hurley; and he drove -it across Erin in that way, the ball never touching ground from the far -north of Erin to Brandon. Holding the ball and hurley in his hand, he -went into the house, and laid the head at his father’s feet. - -“Now, my dear father,” said he, “here is the head of your enemy; he’ll -trouble you no more from this out.” - -When Breogan’s wife saw the head, she was cut to the heart and troubled; -though she would not let any man know it. One day when the father and son -came home from killing ducks, she was groaning, and said she was ready to -die. - -“Is there any cure for you here or there in the world?” asked Shawn. - -“There is no getting the cure that would heal me; there is no cure but -three apples from the white orchard in the White Nation.” - -“Well,” said the boy, “I promise you not to eat the third meal at the one -table, nor sleep the second night in the one bed, till I get three apples -from the White Nation.” - -The father was very angry when they came out of the bed-room. “Sure,” -said he, “it would be enough for you to risk your life for your own -mother.” - -“Well, I must go now,” said Shawn; “the promise is given; I’ll not break -my word.” So away with him on the following morning; and on that day’s -journey he came to a glen, and in it a house. In the house there was no -living creature but a white mare with nine eyes. - -“A hundred thousand welcomes to you, Shawn MacBreogan from Brandon. You -must be tired and hungry after the day’s journey,” cried the mare. “Go in -now to the next room, and take supper, and strengthen yourself.” - -He went to the next room, and inside in it was a table, and on the table -was everything that the best king could wish for. He ate, drank, and went -then and gave a hundred thousand thanks for the supper. He stood near the -fire for a while; then the mare said, “Come here, and lie under my head; -wonder at nothing you see, and let no word out of you.” - -He did as the mare said. About dusk three seals came in, and went to the -supper-room. They threw off their sealskins, and became three as fine -young men as one could look at. - -“I wish Shawn MacBreogan from Brandon were here to-night. I’d be glad to -see him, and give him a present, and have his good company,” said one of -the three. - -“I’d be glad to see him, too,” said the second; “and I’d give him a -present.” - -“So would I,” said the third. - -“Go to them now,” said the mare; “enjoy their company. In the morning -you’ll ask for the presents.” - -He went out among them. - -“A hundred thousand welcomes to you, Shawn MacBreogan,” cried the young -men; “and ’tis glad we are to see you.” - -They drank wine then, sang songs, and told tales, and never slept a wink -all the night. Before sunrise they went as seals; and when going Shawn -said,“I hope you will not forget the presents you promised last evening.” - -“We will not,” said the eldest. “Here is a cloak for you. While it is on -you, you’ll be the finest man in the world to look at.” - -“Here is a ball,” said the second. “If you throw it in the air, and wish -for anything you like, you will have it before the ball comes to the -ground.” - -The third gave a whistle: “When you blow this,” said he, “every enemy -that hears it will lie down asleep, and be powerless; and, besides, -you’re to have the white mare to ride.” - -He took the gifts. - -“Give me a feed of grain before we start,” said the mare. “No man has sat -on me without being turned into froth and blown away, or else thrown and -killed. This will not happen to you; still I must throw you three times: -but I’ll take you to a soft place where you’ll not be killed.” - -Shawn mounted her then, and she tossed him. She threw him very far the -first time. He was badly shocked, but recovered. The second and third -times it was easier. The fourth time he mounted for the journey. It was -not long till he came to the seashore. On the third day he was in sight -of land in the White Nation. The mare ran over the water and swiftly, -without trouble; no bird ever went with such speed. - -When Shawn came near the castle, he stopped before a house at the edge of -the town, and asked a lodging of the owner, an old man. - -“I’ll give you that,” said the old man, “and welcome, and a place for -your horse.” After supper Shawn told his errand. - -“I pity you,” said the man. “I am in dread you’ll lose your life; but -I’ll do what I can for you. No man has ever been able to get one of -those apples; and if a stranger is caught making up to them, the king -takes his head without mercy or pardon. There is no kind of savage beast -in the world but is guarding the apples; and there is not a minute in the -night or the day when some of the beasts are not watching.” - -“Do you know what virtue is in the apples?” asked Shawn. - -“I do well,” said the old man; “and it’s I that would like to have one -of them. If a man is sick, and eats even one bite of an apple, he’ll be -well; if old, he’ll grow young again, and never know grief from that out; -he will always be happy and healthy. I’ll give you a pigeon to let loose -in the orchard; she will go flying from one tree to another till she -goes to the last one. All the beasts will follow her; and while they are -hunting the pigeon, you will take what you can of the apples: but I hope -you will not think it too much to give one to me.” - -“Never fear,” said Shawn, “if I get one apple, you’ll have the half of -it; if two, you’ll have one of them.” - -The old man was glad. Next morning at daybreak Shawn took the pigeon, -mounted the mare, and away with him then to the orchard. When the pigeon -flew in, and was going from tree to tree with a flutter, the beasts -started after her. Shawn sprang in on the back of the mare, left her, and -went to climb the first tree that he met for the apples; but the king’s -men were at him before he could touch a single apple, or go back to the -mare. They caught him, and took him to the king. The mare sprang over the -wall, and ran to the house of the old man. Shawn told the king his whole -story, said that his father was Breogan of Brandon, and his mother the -Princess of Breasil in the Land of the Young. - -“Oh,” said the king, “you are the hero that I am waiting for this long -time. A fine part of my kingdom is that island beyond; but ’tis taken by -a giant who holds it with an army of hirelings. Clear that island of the -giant and his men, bring me his head, and you’ll have the apples.” - -Shawn went to the old man, then to the mare, and told her. - -“You can do that without trouble,” said she; “you have the power needed -to do it.” - -Shawn took his breakfast, then sat on the mare, and rode toward the -island. Just before the mare touched the land, Shawn sounded the whistle; -and every one who heard it was asleep the next instant. Shawn took his -sword then, swept the head off the giant, and before evening there -wasn’t a man alive on the island except Shawn himself. He tied the -giant’s head to the saddle-bow, mounted the mare, and was ready to start, -when she spoke to him: “Be careful not to look back toward the island -till you come down from my back.” With that she swept on, and soon they -were nearing the castle. While crossing the yard, Shawn thought, “I have -the island cleared; the head is safe on me; and the apples are mine.” -With that he forgot the mare’s words, and turned to look back at the -island; but as he did, he fell from the saddle, and where should he fall -but down on a dust-heap. A son of the comb woman, a youth who fed dogs -and small animals, was lying there at the time, and he sickly and full of -sores. Shawn’s cloak slipped from his shoulders, and fell on this dirty, -foul fellow; that moment he sprang up the finest-looking man in the -kingdom. He fastened the cloak on his shoulders, mounted the white mare, -and rode to the castle. The king was that glad when he looked at the head -of the giant that he didn’t know where to put the counterfeit hero who -brought it. - -“How did you clear the island?” asked the king; “and was it a hard task -to take the head off the giant?” - -“Oh, then,” said the dog-feeder, “there was never such a battle in the -world as the battle to-day on that island between myself and the giant -with his forces; and ’tis well I earned what will come to me.” - -“You’ll get good pay,” said the king; “I promised you apples from my -white orchard; but I’ll give you more, I’ll give you my youngest daughter -in marriage, and that island for her portion. My daughter will not be of -age to marry for a year and a day. Till that time is out, you’ll live -with me here in the castle.” - -Believe me, the dog-feeder was a great man in his own mind that evening. - -There was one woman in the yard who saw the deception, and that was the -henwife. She knew well what the dog-feeder was, and ’tis often she said, -“He’s the greatest liar on earth, and kind mother for him.” She drew -Shawn into her own house, and he sick and full of sores, just like the -dog-feeder, not a man in the world would have known him. She nursed and -tended Shawn. On the sixth day he was able to speak; but he lay in great -weakness, and covered with sores. - -“How am I to be cured?” asked he of the henwife. - -“I know,” answered she; “I spoke to a wise woman to-day, and got the -right cure for you.” With that the henwife went down to a spring that -belonged to the king’s youngest daughter, and pulled up nine rushes -growing near it. Three of these she threw away, and kept six of them. She -cut the white from the green parts, crushed them in water, gave Shawn -some of the water to drink, and rubbed the rest on his body. A week was -not gone, when he was as sound and well as ever. - -Shawn heard now the whole story of the dog-feeder’s lies and prosperity. -He took service himself in the castle; and a few days after that the king -gave a hunt, and invited all the guests in the castle to go with him. -Shawn had to go as a basket-boy, and carry provisions like any servant. -Toward evening, when the company were on a wild moor twenty miles from -the castle, a thick mist fell, and all were afraid that their lives would -be gone from them. - -“I can take you to a castle,” said Shawn. - -“Take us,” said the king. - -“I will if you will give me your daughter to marry.” - -“She is promised to another,” said the king. - -“I have the best right to her,” said Shawn. “It was I cleared the island.” - -“I don’t believe you,” said the king. - -“We’ll be lost, every man of us,” said the chief hunter; “give him the -promise, he may be dead before the day of the wedding.” - -The king gave his promise. The basket-boy stepped behind a great rock, -threw up the ball, and wished for the finest castle on earth. Before the -ball touched the ground the king, the guests, and attendants were in a -castle far finer than any they had looked on in daylight or seen in a -dream. The best food and drink of all kinds were in it, shining chambers -and beds of silk and gold. When all had eaten and drunk their fill, they -fell asleep to sweet music, and slept soundly till morning. At daybreak -each man woke up, and found himself lying on the wild moor, a tuft of -rushes under his head, and the gray sky above him. Glad to see light, -they rose and went home. - -Now the henwife told the king’s daughter the story of Shawn, who had -cleared out the island, and the comb-woman’s son, the deceiver. When the -year was ended, and the day came for the marriage, the king’s daughter -said she would marry no man but the man who would ride the white mare -with nine eyes (the mare could either kill or make froth of a man). The -comb-woman’s son was the first man to mount; but the cloak fell from him, -and he vanished in froth blown away by the wind, and no one saw sight of -him from that day to this. Sixteen king’s sons tried to ride the white -mare, and were killed every man of them; but their bodies were found. -Shawn, who had taken the cloak, sat on the mare, and rode three times -past the castle. At the door the mare knelt for him to come down. - -The king’s daughter would have jumped through her window, and killed -herself, if her maids had not held her. She rushed down the stairs, -kissed Shawn, and embraced him. The wedding began then. It lasted for a -day and a year, and the last was the best day of all. - -When the wedding was over, Shawn remembered the mare, and went to the -stable. She had not been fed, and a white skin was all that was left of -her. When Shawn came to the mare’s place, three young men and two women -were playing chess in it. - -“Oh, I forgot the mare from the first day of the wedding till this -moment,” said Shawn; and he began to cry. - -“Why are you crying?” asked the elder of the two women. - -He told the reason. - -“You needn’t cry,” said the woman; “I can revive her.” With that she took -the skin, put it on herself; and that minute she was the white mare. -“Would you rather see me a white mare as I am now, or the woman that I -was a minute ago?” - -“The woman,” said Shawn. - -She took off the skin, and was a woman again. She told him then how the -king, her father, made three seals of her brothers and a white mare of -herself, to be in those forms till a hero should come who could clear -out the island. “You cleared the island,” said she; “and we are all free -again.” - -The king gave the island to his son-in-law, and as many apples from the -orchard as he wished. The first thing that Shawn did was to take an apple -to the old man who gave him lodgings when he came to the White Nation. -At the first bite he swallowed, the old man was twenty-one years of age, -young and hearty, and so happy that it would do any man good to have one -look at him. - -Shawn and his young wife lived another day and a year with her father, -and then they went to visit his father in Brandon. From pretending to be -sick, Breogan’s wife became sick in earnest, and died. Breogan himself -was now old and dissatisfied. - -“The least I can do,” thought Shawn, “is to give him an apple.” He gave -him the apple. Breogan ate it, was twenty-one years of age; and if ever a -man was glad in Erin, ’twas he was. - -Shawn left the father young and happy at Brandon, and went back himself -with his wife to the island. - - - - -THE COTTER’S SON AND THE HALF SLIM CHAMPION. - - -Once upon a time there was a poor cotter in Erin, and he had three sons. -Whether it was well or ill that he reared them, he reared them, and then -died. When their father was dead and buried, the three sons lived with -their mother for a day and a year; and at the end of that time the eldest -brother said, “I will go to seek my fortune in the world.” - -He took his mother’s blessing with him, and went away on the following -morning. - -The two sons and the mother lived on together for another day and a year, -when the second son said, “I will go out to seek my fortune.” - -He went away like the first brother. - -The mother and the youngest son lived on together for a day and a year, -and then the mother died. When she was buried, the youngest of the -three brothers, whose name was Arthur, went out in the world to seek -his fortune. He travelled, and was walking always for a day and a year -without finding a master, till on the afternoon of the last day of the -year he took service with a hill. - -On the last day of Arthur’s service with the hill, the Half Slim Champion -came in the afternoon, and asked would he play a game of cards. - -“If you win,” said the champion, “you will have a castle with lands and -cattle of all kinds; if you lose, you will do me a service.” - -“I will play,” answered Arthur. - -With that they sat down to play; and Arthur won. Now, Arthur had lands -and a castle, cattle of all kinds, and wealth in abundance. - -The Half Slim Champion went his way; and Arthur lived for a day and a -year on his lands. On the last day of the year, the champion came in the -afternoon, and with him was the most beautiful lady that man could set -eyes on. “Will you play a second game?” asked the champion. “If you lose, -you will do me a service; if you win, I give you this lady as wife.” - -“I will play with you,” said Arthur. - -They played, and Arthur won. - -Arthur lived with his wife in the castle for a day and a year; and on the -last afternoon, the champion came the way leading a hound. - -They played the third time, and Arthur won the hound. The champion went -his way; and again Arthur lived for a day and a year with his wife in -the castle in ease, in plenty, and in great delight. - -On the afternoon of the last day, the champion came the fourth time. -Arthur’s wife saw him at a distance, and said to her husband, “My advice -is to play no more with that champion. Remain as you are, and keep out of -harm’s way.” - -But Arthur would not listen to the wife, nor be said by her. He went out -to play with the champion, and lost. - -“I put you under bonds,” said the champion, “not to sleep two nights in -the same bed, nor eat two meals off the same table; but to be walking -through the world, and searching always till you find the birth that has -never been born, and that never will be.” - -The champion turned, walked away, and disappeared. Arthur went home in -grief; and when he sat down the chair that was under him broke into -pieces. - -“I told you,” said the wife, “not to play with him. What has he put on -you?” - -“To be walking and searching, ever and always, through the world till I -find the birth that has never been born, and never will be.” - -“Take the hound with you,” said the wife, “and go first to the castle of -the son of the King of Lochlin. Take service with him; you may learn -something there.” - -Away went Arthur next morning, and the hound with him. They were long on -the road, lodging one time at a house, and another time where the night -found them, till at last a great castle was in sight. When the hound saw -the castle, he grew so wild with delight that he broke his chain, and -rushed away. But if he did, Arthur followed; and when the hound sprang -into the castle, Arthur was at his side. - -“It was lucky for you,” cried the son of the King of Lochlin, “to come in -with the hound. Without that you’d have been done for. Who are you, and -where are you going?” - -“I am a man in search of a master.” - -“I am seeking a man,” said the king’s son. “Will you take service with -me?” - -“I will,” answered Arthur. - -He hired for a day and a year, and wages according to service. - -Arthur went to work on the following morning, and his first task was to -bring fagots from the forest. When he went to the forest, he found half -of it green, and the other half dry. Nothing was growing in the dry part; -all was withered and dead. Arthur collected dry fagots, and brought them -to the castle. In the evening he spoke to the king’s son, and this is -what he asked of him, “Why is half of your forest green, and the other -half withered and dry?” - -“A day and seven years ago,” said the king’s son, “a terrible serpent -came the way, and took half of my forest for herself. In that part she is -living till this time,—that is the green part. She knocked the life out -of my half,—that is the dry part.” - -“Why do you not take wood from the green part?” asked Arthur. - -“Neither you nor all who ever came before you could do that,” said the -son of the king. Next morning Arthur went out for fagots the second time. -He stopped before the largest green tree to be found in the forest, and -was cutting away at it. The moment the serpent saw this, she came out, -and called, “Why are you cutting my timber?” - -“I am cutting it because I am sorry to see you as you are,” said Arthur, -“without a roof over you or a shelter of any kind. I wish to build a -house to protect you.” - -When the serpent heard this, she was glad and thankful to Arthur. When -he had two wedges in the tree, and it partly cut, he said, “If yourself -would only come over now, and put your tail in the cut and help me, we -could throw down this tree.” - -She went to him then, and put her tail in the cut. Arthur knocked out the -wedges, and left her tail in the tree. She begged and cried, screaming, -“The tree is killing me; the tree is killing me! Let me free! Let me out -of this!” - -“It wasn’t to let you out that I put you in,” replied Arthur. - -What he did then was to jump behind her, and vex her until he got her in -the way that, out of rage and great strength, she tore up the tree with -its roots, and seven acres and seven ridges of land with it. Arthur was -vexing the serpent until she rushed into the dry part of the forest, and -was fastened among the trees; then he cut down dry trees, and piled them -on the serpent and on the green tree till they were the size of a hill. -In the evening he drove her to the castle before him, with all the hill -of dry wood on her. When a maid was going from the castle for water, and -saw this, she ran in with the story that Arthur was coming home with the -serpent, and all the dry wood of the forest above on her back. - -When the people inside heard this, they were in dread that she’d kill -them all, and they rushed out to run away. There was one girl in the -castle who heard the tidings too late, or was slow in preparing, for when -she was ready, the serpent was at the door. - -“Where are the people of the castle?” asked Arthur. - -“All made away, and took their lives with them,” said she. - -“Run now and call them back,” said Arthur. - -“I’m in dread to go out. I will not go unless you take the head off the -serpent.” - -Arthur swept the head off the serpent. The girl ran after the people, and -brought them back. Arthur piled all the wood near the castle. The king’s -son was delighted to have so much fuel, and was so glad that he took -Arthur to his bed to sleep that night with him. - -“It’s a wonder,” said Arthur, “such a good king’s son as you to be -without a wife.” - -“I had a wife,” said the king’s son; “but the giant with five heads, five -necks, and five lumps on his heads, came and took her to the Eastern -World.” - -“Why did you not take her from him?” - -“Neither I, nor you, nor all that ever came before us could do that.” - -On the following morning Arthur rose, washed his face, rubbed his eyes, -and said to the king’s son, “I am going to the Eastern World to bring -back your wife.” Away he went; but the king’s son would not believe that -any man living could bring back the wife. - -When Arthur came to the castle of the giant in the Eastern World, the -giant himself was not in it, only the wife of the King of Lochlin’s son, -who said, “There is no use in your delaying in this place; you’ll be -killed, if you stay till the giant comes home.” - -“I’ll never leave this castle till I see the giant; and when I go home -you’ll go with me.” - -It wasn’t long till Arthur heard the great voice of the giant. As he came -toward the castle the bottom of the forest was rising to the top, and the -top of the forest was going to the bottom. In front of the giant went a -shaggy goat, and another behind him. In his hand was a club with a yellow -flea on the end of it; on one shoulder he carried a dead hag, and on the -other a great hog of a wild boar. - -“Fu fa my beard!” cried the giant. “I catch the smell of a lying rogue -from Erin, too big for one bite and too small for two. I don’t know -whether to blow him away through the air, or put him under my feet.” - -“You filthy giant, ’tis not to give satisfaction to you, or the like of -you, that I came, but to knock satisfaction out of you.” - -“I want only time till morning to give you what you came for,” said the -giant. - -It was daybreak when Arthur was up and struck the pole of combat. There -wasn’t a calf, kid, lamb, foal, or child awaiting birth that didn’t turn -five times to the right and five times to the left from the strength of -the blow. - -“What do you want?” asked the answering man. - -“Seven hundred against me, and then seven hundred to every hundred of -these, till I find the man who can put me down.” - -“You fool of the world, it would be better for you to hide under a leaf -than to stand before the giant.” - -The giant came out to Arthur; and the two went at each other like two -lions of the desert or two bulls of great growth, and fought with rage. -They made the softest places hardest, and the hardest places softest; -they brought spring wells up through dry slate rocks, and great tufts of -green rushes through their own shoe-strings. The wounds that they made on -each other were so great that little birds flew through them, and men of -small growth could crawl through on their hands and knees. - -It was dark and the end of the day, when Arthur cried out, “It is a bad -thing for me, filthy giant, to have a fine day spent on you!” - -With that he gave him one blow on the five necks, and sent the five -heads flying through the air. After a while the heads were coming down, -croning (singing the coronach), Arthur caught them, and struck the -giant’s breast with them; the body and heads fell dead on the ground. The -wife of the son of the King of Lochlin ran out now, smothered Arthur with -kisses, washed him with tears, and dried him with a cloak of fine silk; -she put her hand under his arm, and they went to the castle of the giant. -The two had good entertainment, plenty to eat, and no bit dry. They made -three parts of that night,—one part for conversation, one for tales, and -one for soft sleep. - -When they rose in the morning, the woman said, “It is a poor thing for us -to go and leave here behind all the gold the giant had.” - -“Let us not be in so great a hurry; we’ll find a cure for that,” said -Arthur. - -They went out, found three ships belonging to the giant, and filled them -with gold. When the three ships were laden, Arthur took hawsers and -lashed the first ship to the second, the second to the third, raised the -anchors, and sailed away. When he was in sight of Lochlin, a messenger -was walking toward the water, and saw the ships coming. He ran to the -castle, and cried to the king’s son, “The servant-boy is coming, and -bringing your wife with him.” - -“That I will never believe,” said the king’s son, “till she puts her hand -in my hand.” - -The king’s son had kept his head by the fire, without rising from the -hearth, all the time that Arthur was away. When the wife came in, and -put her hand on his hand, he rose up, and shook seven tons of ashes from -himself, with seven barrels of rust. - -There was great gladness in the castle; and the king’s son was ready to -do anything for Arthur, he was so thankful to him. Arthur’s time was out -on the following day. The king’s son spoke to him, and asked, “What am I -to give you now for the service? What wages do you expect?” - -“No more than is just. I hope that you will find out for me who is the -birth that has never been born, and that never will be.” - -“That is no great thing for me to discover,” said the king’s son. - -There was a hollow place in the wall of the castle near the fireplace, -and in that hollow the king’s son kept his own father, and gave him food. -He opened a secret door, and brought out the old king. - -“Now tell me, father,” said he, “who is it that has never been born, and -never will be?” - -“That’s a thing of which no tidings have been given, or ever will be,” -replied the king. - -When the father wasn’t giving him the answer he wanted, the son put the -old king, standing, on a red-hot iron griddle. - -“It’s fried and roasted you’ll be till you answer my question, and tell -who is the birth that has never been born, and that never will be,” said -the son. - -The old king stood on the griddle till the marrow was melting in the -bones of his feet. They took him off then; and the son asked him a second -time. - -“That’s a question not to be answered by me,” said the king. - -He was put, standing, again on the red-hot griddle, and kept on it, till -the marrow was melting in the bones to his knees. - -“Release me out of this now,” cried the king; “and I will tell where that -birth is.” - -They took him from the griddle. He sat down then, and told this story to -his son, in presence of Arthur:— - -“I was walking out beyond there in the garden one day, when I came on a -beautiful rod, which I cut and took with me. I discovered soon after that -that was a rod of enchantment, and never let it go from me. When I went -walking or riding in the day, I took the rod with me. In the night, I -slept with it under my pillow. Misfortune came on me at last; for I left -the rod in my chamber one time that I started away to go fowling. After -I had gone a good piece of road, I remembered the rod, and hurried home -then to get it. - -“When I came to the castle I found a dark tall man inside in my chamber -with the queen. They saw me, and I turned from the door to let them slip -out, and think that I had not seen them. I went to the door not long -after, and opened it. Your mother was standing inside, not two feet from -the threshold. She struck me right there with the rod, and made a wild -deer of me. - -“When she had me a deer, she let out a great pack of hounds; for every -hand’s breadth of my body there was a savage dog to tear me, and hunt me -to death. The hounds chased me, and followed till I ran to the far away -mountains. There I escaped. So great was my swiftness and strength that I -brought my life with me. - -“After that I went back to injure the queen; and I did every harm in my -power to her grain, and her crops, and her gardens. - -“One day she sprang up from behind a stone wall, when I thought no one -near, struck me with the rod, and made a wolf of me. She called a hunt -then. Hounds and men chased me fiercely till evening. At nightfall I -escaped to an island in a lake where no man was living. Next day I went -around each perch of that island. I searched every place, and found only -a she-wolf. - -“But the wolf was a woman enchanted years before,—enchanted when she was -within one week of her time to give birth to a hero. There she was; but -the hero could not be born unless she received her own form again. - -“There was little to eat on the island for the she-wolf, and still less -after I came. What I suffered from hunger in that place no man can know; -for I had a wolf’s craving, and only scant food to stop it. One day above -another, I was lying half asleep, half famished, and dreaming. I thought -that a kid was there near me. I snapped at it, and awoke. I had torn open -the side of the she-wolf. Before me was an infant, which grew to the size -of a man in one moment. That man is the birth that has never been born, -and never will be; that man is the Half Slim Champion. - -“When I snapped at the she-wolf, I bit her so deeply that I took a piece -from behind the ear of the child, and killed the mother. When you go back -to the Half Slim Champion, and he asks who is the man that has never been -born, and never will be, you will say: Try behind your own ear, you will -find the mark on him. - -“The infant, grown to a man before my eyes, attacked me, to kill me. I -ran, and he followed. He hunted me through every part of that island. At -last I had no escape but to swim to the country-side opposite. I sprang -to the water, though I had not the strength of the time when I went from -the hunters; but on the way were two rocks. On these I drew breath, and -then came to land. I could not have swum five perches farther. - -“I lived after that in close hiding, and met with no danger till I was -going through a small lane one evening, and, looking behind, saw the hero -whose mother I killed on the island. I started; he rushed along after me. -I came to a turn, and was thinking to go over the wall, and escape by -the fields, when I met my false queen. She struck me with the rod in her -fright, and I got back my own form again. I snatched the rod quickly, and -struck her. ‘You’ll be a wolf now,’ said I; ‘you’ll have your own share -of misfortune.’ With that she sprang over the wall, a gray wolf, and ran -off through the pastures. - -“The dark tall man was a little behind and saw everything. He turned to -escape; but I struck him with the rod, and made a sheep of the traitor, -in hopes that the gray wolf might eat him. The hero saw all, saw the wolf -that I was, turned into a man. I entered the castle; he followed me. I -took you at once with me, showed you this hollow place near the chimney, -and hid in it. The hero searched every foot of the castle, but found no -trace of me. He had no knowledge of who I was; and when you denied that -I was here, he waited one day, a second day, and then went away, taking -your sister and the best hound at the castle. - -“That hero of the island, whose mother I killed, is the Half Slim -Champion. There is nothing he wishes so much as my death; and when he -hears who it was that has never been born, and never will be, he will -know that I am alive yet, and he’ll kill half the people in Lochlin, -unless he kills me first of all, or this champion kills him.” - -When Arthur heard this story, he went away quickly from the castle of -the King of Lochlin, and never stopped till he came to the hill where he -played cards the first time. The Half Slim Champion was before him there, -standing. - -“Have you found the answer, and can you tell who has never been born, and -never will be?” - -“Try behind your own ear, and you’ll find the mark on him.” - -“That’s true,” said the champion, “and the man who killed my mother is -alive yet; but if he is, he will not be so long, and you’ll not leave -this till you and I have a trial.” - -The two went at each other then; and it was early enough in the day when -Arthur had the head off the champion. He put a gad through his ears, took -the head on his shoulder, hurried back to the King of Lochlin, and threw -it on the floor, saying, “Here is the head of the Half Slim Champion.” - -When the old king heard these words in his place of concealment, he burst -out the wall, and went through the end of the castle, so great was his -joy. As soon as he was in the open air, free from confinement and dread, -he became the best man in Lochlin. - -They made three parts of that night, which they passed in great -enjoyment, and discovered that Arthur’s wife was the sister of the son -of the King of Lochlin, the lady who was carried away by the Half Slim -Champion, and lost in a game of cards. - -When the old king got the head of the Half Slim Champion, he gave the -three ships full of gold to Arthur, and would have given six ships, if he -had had them, he was so glad to be free. Arthur took farewell of the old -king and his son, and sailed away with his three ships full of gold to -Erin, where his wife was. - - - - -BLAIMAN, SON OF APPLE, IN THE KINGDOM OF THE WHITE STRAND. - - -There was a king in Erin long ago who had two sons and one daughter. On a -day of days, the daughter walked into her father’s garden, in which she -saw an apple-tree with only one apple on it; she took the apple, and ate -it. - -There was an old druid in the castle, who saw the king’s daughter going -out, and met her coming in. - -“Well,” said he, “you had the look of a maiden when you were going out, -and you have the look of a married woman coming in.” - -Those who were near heard the saying of the druid, and it was going the -rounds till it came to the king. The king went at once to the druid, and -asked, “What is this that you say about my daughter?” - -“I say nothing,” answered the druid. - -“You must tell me your words,” said the king, “and prove them, or lose -your head.” - -“Oh, as you are going that far you must give me time, and if a few months -do not prove my words true, you may cut the head off me.” - -The princess was then taken to the top of the king’s castle, where no one -could see her but her maid. There she remained till she gave birth to a -son with a golden spot on his poll, and a silver spot on his forehead. -He was so beautiful that if sunshine and breeze ever rested on a child, -they would rest on him; and what of him did not grow in the day grew at -night. He grew so quickly that soon he was as large as the king’s sons, -his uncles, and rose out to be a great champion. - -One day when the two sons of the king were hunting, there was snow on -the ground, and they killed a hare. Some of the hare’s blood fell on the -snow, and they said that that was a beautiful meeting of colors. They -were wondering could any woman be found with such colors on her face, -white shining through the red. When they came home in the evening, they -asked the old druid could a woman of that sort be found. He answered that -if she could itself, little good would it do them; they could find wives -good enough for them near home. They said that that was no matter, but to -tell them where was the woman they had asked for. - -“That woman,” said the druid, “is the daughter of the King of the -kingdom of the White Strand. Hundreds of champions have lost their heads -for her; and if you go, you will lose your heads too.” - -The elder son said, “We do not mind that; we will go.” - -The brothers had no vessel to take them to the kingdom of the White -Strand; and the elder said he would build one. He took tools one morning, -and started for the seashore. When just outside the castle, he heard a -voice, asking, “Where are you going, king’s son?” - -“I am going to make a turkey-pen,” answered the young man. “May you -prosper in justice and truth,” said the voice. - -The king’s son began to build the ship that day; and in the evening what -had he built but a turkey-pen? When he came home, they asked what had he -made. - -“Nothing; I made only a turkey-pen.” - -“Oh,” said the second son, “you are a fool. I knew that you could do -nothing good.” - -On the following morning, the second son started for the seashore; and -the voice spoke to him, and asked, “Where are you going, king’s son?” - -“To build a pig-sty,” answered he. “May you prosper in justice and -truth,” said the voice. - -He worked all day; and in the evening it was a pig-sty that he had. He -came home; and now the brothers were doleful because they had not a ship -in which to sail to the princess. - -The following morning, the king’s grandson said, “Give me the tools, to -see can I myself do anything.” - -“What can you do, you fool?” asked the uncles. - -“That matters not,” replied he. He left the castle; and at the place -where the voice spoke to his uncles, it spoke to him also, and asked, -“What are you going to do, Blaiman, son of Apple?” (He did not know his -origin till then.) - -“I am going to build a ship,” said Blaiman. - -“That it may thrive with you in justice and truth,” said the voice. - -He went off to the edge of a wood that was growing at the seashore, gave -one blow to a tree, and it went to its own proper place in the vessel. In -the evening Blaiman had the nicest ship that ever moved on the deep sea. -When finished, the ship was at the edge of the shore; he gave it one blow -of a sledge, and sent it out to deep water. Blaiman went home full of -gladness. - -“What have you made?” asked the uncles. - -“Go out and see for yourselves,” answered Blaiman. - -The two went, and saw the ship in the harbor. They were delighted to see -the fine vessel, as they themselves could not build it. The voice had -built it with Blaiman in return for his truth. - -Next morning provisions for a day and a year were placed in the vessel. -The two sons of the king went on board, raised the sails, and were moving -out toward the great ocean. Blaiman saw the ship leaving, and began to -cry; he was sorry that, after building the ship, it was not he who had -the first trial of his own work. When his mother heard him, she grew -sorry too, and asked what trouble was on him; and he told her that after -he had built the ship, he wanted to have the first trial of it. - -“You are foolish,” said she. “You are only a boy yet; your bones are not -hard. You must not think of going to strange countries.” - -He answered, that nothing would do him but to go. The old king, the -grandfather, wanted Blaiman to stay; but he would not. - -“Well,” said the king, “what I have not done for another I will do now -for you. I will give you my sword; and you will never be put back by any -man while you keep that blade.” - -Blaiman left the house then; the vessel was outside the harbor already. -He ran to the mouth of the harbor, and, placing the point of his sword -on the brink of the shore, gave one leap out on board. The two uncles -were amazed when they saw what their nephew had done, and were full of -joy at having him with them. They turned the ship’s prow to the sea, -and the stern to land. They raised to the tops of the hard, tough, -stained masts the great sweeping sails, and took their capacious, -smoothly-polished vessel past harbors with gently sloping shores, and -there the ship left behind it pale-green wavelets. Then, with a mighty -wind, they went through great flashing, stern-dashing waves with such -force that not a nail in the ship was unheated, or a finger on a man -inactive; and so did the ship hurry forward that its stern rubbed its -prow, and it raised before it, by dint of sailing, a proud, haughty ridge -through the middle of the fair, red sea. - -When the wind failed, they sat down with the oars of fragrant beech -or white ash, and with every stroke they sent the ship forward three -leagues on the sea, where fishes, seals, and monsters rose around them, -making music and sport, and giving courage to the men; and the three -never stopped nor cooled until they sailed into the kingdom of the -White Strand. Then they drew their vessel to a place where no wave was -striking, nor wind rocking it, nor the sun splitting it, nor even a crow -of the air dropping upon it; but a clean strand before it, and coarse -sand on which wavelets were breaking. They cast two anchors toward the -sea, and one toward land, and gave the vessel the fixing of a day and a -full year, though they might not be absent more than one hour. - -On the following day they saw one wide forest as far as the eye could -reach; they knew not what manner of land was it. - -“Would you go and inquire,” said Blaiman to the elder uncle, “what sort -of a country that is inside?” The uncle went in, very slowly, among the -trees, and at last, seeing flashes of light through the forest, rushed -back in terror, the eyes starting out of his head. - -“What news have you?” asked Blaiman. - -“I saw flashes of fire, and could not go farther,” said the elder king’s -son. - -“Go you,” said Blaiman to the other, “and bring some account of the -country.” - -He did not go much farther than the elder brother, then came back, and -said, “We may as well sail home again.” - -“Well,” said Blaiman, “ye have provisions for a day and a year in this -vessel. I will go now, and do ye remain here; if I am not back before -the end of the day and the year, wait no longer.” He gave them good by, -then went on, and entered the forest. It was not long till he met with -the flashes. He did not mind them, but went forward; and when he had gone -a good distance, he found the trees farther apart and scattered. Leaving -the trees, he came out on a broad, open plain; in the middle of the plain -was a castle; in front of the castle twelve champions practising at feats -of arms; and it was the flashes from the blows of their swords that he -and his uncles had seen in the forest. So skilled were the champions that -not one of them could draw a drop of blood from another. - -Blaiman was making toward them. By the side of the path there was a -small hut, and as he was passing the door, an old woman came out, and -hailed him. He turned, and she said, “A hundred thousand welcomes to you, -Blaiman, son of Apple, from Erin.” - -“Well, good woman,” said Blaiman, “you have the advantage. You know me; -but I have no knowledge of you.” - -“I know you well,” said she; “and it’s sorry I am that you are here. Do -you see those twelve men out there opposite? You are going to make for -them now; but rest on your legs, and let the beginning of another day -come to you.” - -“Your advice may be good,” said Blaiman, and he went in. The old woman -prepared his supper as well as it was ever prepared at his grandfather’s -house at home, and prepared a bed for him as good as ever he had. He -slept enough, and he wanted it. When day overtook him on the morrow, he -rose, and washed his face and hands, and asked mercy and help from God, -and if he did not he let it alone; and the old woman prepared breakfast -in the best way she could, and it was not the wrong way. He went off then -in good courage to the castle of the king; and there was a pole of combat -in front of the castle which a man wanting combat would strike with his -sword. He struck the pole a blow that was heard throughout the whole -kingdom. - -“Good, good!” said the king; “the like of that blow was not struck while -I am in this castle.” - -He put his head through a window above, and saw Blaiman outside. - -Around the rear of the castle was a high wall set with iron spikes. -Few were the spikes without heads on them; some heads were fresh, some -with part of the flesh on them, and some were only bare skulls. It was -a dreadful sight to see; and strong was the man that it would not put -fright on. - -“What do you want?” asked the king of Blaiman. - -“Your daughter to marry, or combat.” - -“’Tis combat you will get,” said the king; and the twelve champions of -valor were let out at him together. It was pitiful to see him; each one -of the twelve aiming a blow at him, he trying to defend himself, and he -all wounded and hacked by them. When the day was growing late, he began -to be angry; the noble blood swelled in his breast to be uppermost; and -he rose, with the activity of his limbs, out of the joints of his bones -over them, and with three sweeping blows took the twelve heads off the -champions. He left the place then, deeply wounded, and went back to the -old woman’s cabin; and if he did, it was a pleasure for the old woman to -see him. She put him into a caldron of venom, and then into a caldron of -cure. When he came out, he was perfectly healed; and the old woman said,— - -“Victory and prosperity to you, my boy. I think you will do something -good; for the twelve were the strongest and ablest of all the king’s -forces. You have done more than any man that ever walked this way before.” - -They made three parts of the night: the first part, they spent in eating -and drinking; the second, in telling tales and singing ballads; the -third, in rest and sound sleep. - -He had a good sleep, and he needed it. Being anxious, he rose early; and -as early as he rose, breakfast was ready before him, prepared by the old -woman. He ate his breakfast, went to the king’s castle, and struck the -pole. - -“What do you want?” asked the king, thrusting his head through the window. - -“Seven hundred men at my right hand, seven hundred at my left, seven -hundred behind me, and as many as on the three sides out before me.” - -They were sent to him four deep through four gates. He went through -them as a hawk through a flock of small birds on a March day, or as a -blackbird or a small boy from Iraghti Conor between two thickets. He made -lanes and roads through them, and slew them all. He made then a heap -of their heads, a heap of their bodies, and a heap of their weapons. -Trembling fear came on the king, and Blaiman went to the old woman’s -cabin. - -“Victory and prosperity to you, my boy; you have all his forces stretched -now, unless he comes out against you himself; and I’m full sure that he -will not. He’ll give you the daughter.” - -She had a good dinner before him. He had fought so well that there -was neither spot nor scar on his skin; for he had not let a man of the -forty-two hundred come within sword’s length of his body. He passed the -night as the previous night. - -Next morning after breakfast, he went to the castle, and with one blow -made wood lice of the king’s pole of combat. The king went down to -Blaiman, took him under the arm, and, leading him up to the high chamber -where the daughter was, put her hand in his. - -The king’s daughter kissed Blaiman, and embraced him, and gave him a ring -with her name and surname written inside on it. This was their marriage. - -Next day Blaiman, thinking that his uncles had waited long enough, and -might go back to Erin, said to the king, “I will visit my uncles, and -then return hither.” - -His wife, an only child, was heir to the kingdom, and he was to reign -with her. - -“Oh,” said the king, “something else is troubling me now. There are three -giants, neighbors of mine, and they are great robbers. All my forces are -killed; and before one day passes the giants will be at me, and throw me -out of the kingdom.” - -“Well,” said Blaiman, “I will not leave you till I settle the giants; -but now tell where they are to be found.” - -“I will,” said the king; and he gave him all needful instruction. Blaiman -went first to the house of the youngest giant, where he struck the pole -of combat, and the sound was heard over all that giant’s kingdom. - -“Good, good!” said the giant; “the like of that blow has never been -struck on that pole of combat before,” and out he came. - -“A nerve burning of the heart to you, you miserable wretch!” said the -giant to Blaiman; “and great was your impudence to come to my castle at -all.” - -“It is not caring to give you pleasure that I am,” said Blaiman, “but to -knock a tormenting satisfaction out of your ribs.” - -“Is it hard, thorny wrestling that you want, or fighting with sharp gray -swords in the lower and upper ribs?” asked the giant. - -“I will fight with sharp gray swords,” said Blaiman. - -The giant went in, and fitted on his wide, roomy vest, his strong, -unbreakable helmet, his cross-worked coat-of-mail; then he took his -bossy, pale-red shield and his spear. Every hair on his head and in his -beard was so stiffly erect from anger and rage that a small apple or a -sloe, an iron apple or a smith’s anvil, might stand on each hair of them. - -Blaiman fitted on his smooth, flowery stockings, and his two dry warm -boots of the hide of a small cow, that was the first calf of another cow -that never lay on any one of her sides. He fitted on his single-threaded -silken girdle which three craftsmen had made, underneath his -broad-pointed, sharp sword that would not leave a remnant uncut, or, if -it did, what it left at the first blow it took at the second. This sword -was to be unsheathed with the right hand, and sheathed with the left. He -gave the first blood of battle as a terrible oath that he himself was, -the choice champion of the Fenians, the feather of greatness, the slayer -of a champion of bravery; a man to compel justice and right, but not give -either justice or right; a man who had earned what he owned in the gap -of every danger, in the path of every hardship, who was sure to get what -belonged to him, or to know who detained it. - -They rushed at each then like two bulls of the wilderness, or two wild -echoes of the cliff; they made soft ground of the hard, and hard ground -of the soft; they made low ground of high, and high ground of low. They -made whirling circles of the earth, and mill-wheels of the sky; and if -any one were to come from the lower to the upper world, it was to see -those two that he should come. They were this way at each other to the -height of the evening. Blaiman was growing hungry; and through dint of -anger he rose with the activity of his limbs, and with one stroke of his -sword cut off the giant’s head. There was a tree growing near. Blaiman -knocked off a tough, slender branch, put one end of it in through the -left ear and out through the right, then putting the head on the sword, -and the sword on his shoulder, went home to the king. Coming near the -castle with the giant’s head, he met a man tied in a tree whose name was -Hung Up Naked. - -“Victory and prosperity to you, young champion,” said the man; “you have -done well hitherto; now loose me from this.” - -“Are you long there?” asked Blaiman. - -“I am seven years here,” answered the other. - -“Many a man passed this way during that time. As no man of them loosed -you, I will not loose you.” - -He went home then, and threw down the head by the side of the castle. The -head was so weighty that the castle shook to its deepest foundations. The -king came to the hall-door, shook Blaiman’s hand, and kissed him. They -spent that night as the previous night; and on the next day he went to -meet the second giant, came to his house, and struck the pole of combat. -The giant put out his head, and said, “You rascal, I lay a wager it was -you who killed my young brother yesterday; you’ll pay for it now, for I -think it is a sufficient length of life to get a glimpse of you, and I -know not what manner of death I should give you.” - -“It is not to offer satisfaction that I am here,” said Blaiman, “but to -give you the same as your brother.” - -“Is it any courage you have to fight me?” asked the giant. - -“It is indeed,” said Blaiman; “’tis for that I am here.” - -“What will you have?” asked the giant; “hard, thorny wrestling, or -fighting with sharp gray swords?” - -“I prefer hard, thorny wrestling,” said Blaiman; “as I have practised it -on the lawns with noble children.” - -They seized each other, and made soft places hard, and hard places soft; -they drew wells of spring water through the hard, stony ground in such -fashion that the place under them was a soft quagmire, in which the -giant, who was weighty, was sinking. He sank to his knees. Blaiman then -caught hold of him firmly, and forced him down to his hips. - -“Am I to cut off your head now?” asked Blaiman. - -“Do not do that,” said the giant. “Spare me, and I will give you my -treasure-room, and all that I have of gold and silver.” - -“I will give you your own award,” said Blaiman. “If I were in your place, -and you in mine, would you let me go free?” - -“I would not,” said the giant. - -Blaiman drew his broad, shadowy sword made in Erin. It had edge, temper, -and endurance; and with one blow he took the two heads off the giant, and -carried the heads to the castle. He passed by Hung Up Naked, who asked -him to loose him; but he refused. When Blaiman threw the heads down, much -as the castle shook the first day, it shook more the second. - -The king and his daughter were greatly rejoiced. They stifled him with -kisses, drowned him with tears, and dried him with stuffs of silk and -satin; they gave him the taste of every food and the odor of every -drink,—Greek honey and Lochlin beer in dry, warm cups, and the taste of -honey in every drop of the beer. I bailing it out, it would be a wonder -if I myself was not thirsty. - -They passed that night as the night before. Next morning Blaiman was very -tired and weary after his two days’ fight, and the third giant’s land -was far distant. - -“Have you a horse of any kind for me to ride?” asked he of the king. - -“Be not troubled,” said the king. “There is a stallion in my stable that -has not been out for seven years, but fed on red wheat and pure spring -water; if you think you can ride that horse, you may take him.” - -Blaiman went to the stable. When the horse saw the stranger, he bared -his teeth back to the ears, and made a drive at him to tear him asunder; -but Blaiman struck the horse with his fist on the ear, and stretched -him. The horse rose, but was quiet. Blaiman bridled and saddled him, -then drove out that slender, low-sided, bare-shouldered, long-flanked, -tame, meek-mannered steed, in which were twelve qualities combined: -three of a bull, three of a woman, three of a fox, and three of a hare. -Three of a bull,—a full eye, a thick neck, and a bold forehead; three of -a woman,—full hips, slender waist, and a mind for a burden; three of a -hare,—a swift run against a hill, a sharp turn about, and a high leap; -three of a fox,—a light, treacherous, proud gait, to take in the two -sides of the road by dint of study and acuteness, and to look only ahead. -He now went on, and could overtake the wind that was before him; and the -wind that was behind, carrying rough hailstones, could not overtake him. - -Blaiman never stopped nor stayed till he arrived at the giant’s castle; -and this giant had three heads. He dismounted, and struck the pole a blow -that was heard throughout the kingdom. The giant looked out, and said, -“Oh, you villain! I’ll wager it was you that killed my two brothers. I -think it sufficient life to see you; and I don’t know yet what manner of -death will I put on you.” - -“It is not to give satisfaction to you that I am here, you vile worm!” -said Blaiman. “Ugly is the smile of your laugh; and it must be that your -crying will be uglier still.” - -“Is it hard, thorny wrestling that you want, or fighting with sharp gray -swords?” asked the giant. - -“I will fight with sharp gray swords,” said Blaiman. - -They rushed at each other then like two bulls of the wilderness. Toward -the end of the afternoon, the heavier blows were falling on Blaiman. Just -then a robin came on a bush in front of him, and said, “Oh, Blaiman, son -of Apple, from Erin, far away are you from the women who would lay you -out and weep over you! There would be no one to care for you unless I -were to put two green leaves on your eyes to protect them from the crows -of the air. Stand between the sun and the giant, and remember where men -draw blood from sheep in Erin.” - -Blaiman followed the advice of the robin. The two combatants kept at each -other; but the giant was blinded by the sun, for he had to bend himself -often to look at his foe. One time, when he stretched forward, his helmet -was lifted a little, Blaiman got a glimpse of his neck, near the ear. -That instant he stabbed him. The giant was bleeding till he lost the -last of his blood. Then Blaiman cut the three heads off him, and carried -them home on the pommel of his saddle. When he was passing, Hung Up -Naked begged for release; but Blaiman refused and went on. Hung Up Naked -praised him for his deeds, and continued to praise. On second thought, -Blaiman turned back, and began to release Hung Up Naked; but if he did, -as fast as he loosened one bond, two squeezed on himself, in such fashion -that when he had Hung Up Naked unbound, he was himself doubly bound; he -had the binding of five men hard and tough on his body. Hung Up Naked was -free now; he mounted Blaiman’s steed, and rode to the king’s castle. He -threw down the giant’s heads, and never stopped nor stayed till he went -to where the king’s daughter was, put a finger under her girdle, bore -her out of the castle, and rode away swiftly. - -Blaiman remained bound for two days to the tree. The king’s swine-herd -came the way, and saw Blaiman bound in the tree. “Ah, my boy,” said he, -“you are bound there, and Hung Up Naked is freed by you; and if you had -passed him as you did twice before, you need not be where you are now.” - -“It cannot be helped,” said Blaiman; “I must suffer.” - -“Oh, then,” said the swine-herd, “it is a pity to have you there and me -here; I will never leave you till I free you.” - -Up went the swine-herd, and began to loosen Blaiman; and it happened to -him as to Blaiman himself: the bonds that had been on Blaiman were now on -the swine-herd. - -“I have heard always that strength is more powerful than magic,” said -Blaiman. He went at the tree, and pulled it up by the roots; then, taking -his sword, he made small pieces of the tree, and freed the swine-herd. - -Blaiman and the swine-herd then went to the castle. They found the king -sitting by the table, with his head on his hand, and a stream of tears -flowing from his eyes to the table, and from the table to the floor. - -“What is your trouble?” asked Blaiman. - -“Hung Up Naked came, and said that it was himself who killed the giant; -and he took my daughter.” - -When he found that his wife was taken, and that he knew not where to look -for her, Blaiman was raging. - -“Stay here to-night,” said the king. - -Next morning the king brought a table-cloth, and said, “You may often -need food, and not know where to find it. Wherever you spread this, what -food you require will be on it.” - -Although Blaiman, because of his troubles, had no care for anything, he -took the cloth with him. He was travelling all day, and at nightfall came -to a break in the mountain, a sheltered spot, and he saw remains of a -fire. - -“I will go no farther to-night,” said he. After a time he pulled out the -table-cloth, and food for a king or a champion appeared on it quickly. He -was not long eating, when a little hound from the break in the mountain -came toward him, and stood at some distance, being afraid to come near. - -“Oh,” said the hound, “have you crumbs or burned bread-crusts that you -would give me to take to my children, now dying of hunger? For three days -I have not been able to hunt food for them.” - -“I have, of course,” said Blaiman. “Come, eat enough of what you like -best, and carry away what you can.” - -“You have my dear love forever,” said the hound. “You are not like the -thief that was here three nights ago. When I asked him for help, he threw -a log of wood at me, and broke my shoulder-blade; and I have not been -able to find food for my little children since that night. Doleful and -sad was the lady who was with him; she ate no bite and drank no sup the -whole night, but was shedding tears. If ever you are in hardship, and -need my assistance, call for the Little Hound of Tranamee, and you will -have me to help you.” - -“Stay with me,” said Blaiman, “a part of the night; I am lonely, and you -may take with you what food you can carry.” - -The hound remained till he thought it time to go home; Blaiman gave him -what he could carry, and he was thankful. - -Blaiman stayed there till daybreak, spread his cloth again, and ate what -he wanted. He was in very good courage from the tidings concerning his -wife. He journeyed swiftly all day, thinking he would reach the castle of -Hung Up Naked in the evening; but it was still far away. - -He came in the evening to a place like that in which he had been the -night previous, and thought to himself, I will stay here to-night. He -spread his cloth, and had food for a king or a champion. He was not long -eating, when there came opposite him out a hawk, and asked, “Have you -crumbs or burned crusts to give me for my little children?” - -“Oh,” said Blaiman, “come and eat your fill, and take away what you are -able to carry.” - -The hawk ate his fill. “My love to you forever,” said the hawk; “this is -not how I was treated by the thief who was here three nights ago. When -I asked him for food, he flung a log of wood at me, and almost broke my -wing.” - -“Give me your company a part of the night; I am lonely,” said Blaiman. - -The hawk remained with him, and later on added, “The lady who went with -the thief was doleful and careworn; she ate nothing, but shed tears all -the time.” When going, and Blaiman had given him all the food he could -carry, the hawk said, “If ever you need my assistance, you have only to -call for the Hawk of Cold Cliff, and I will be with you.” - -The hawk went away, very thankful; and Blaiman was glad that he had -tidings again of his wife. Not much of next day overtook him asleep. He -rose, ate his breakfast, and hastened forward. He was in such courage -that he passed a mountain at a leap, a valley at a step, and a broad -untilled field at a hop. He journeyed all day till he came to a break in -the mountain; there he stopped, and was not long eating from his cloth, -when an otter came down through the glen, stood before him, and asked, -“Will you give me crumbs or burned crusts for my little children?” - -Blaiman gave him plenty to eat, and all he could carry home. “My love -to you forever,” said the otter. “When you need aid, call on the Otter -of Frothy Pool, and I will be with you. You are not like the thief who -was here three nights ago, having your wife with him. She was melting -all night with tears, and neither ate nor drank. You will reach the -castle of Hung Up Naked to-morrow at midday. It whirls around like a -millstone, continually, and no one can enter but himself; for the castle -is enchanted.” - -The otter went home. Blaiman reached the castle at midday, and knew the -place well, from the words of the otter. He stood looking at the castle; -and when the window at which his wife was sitting came before him, she -saw him, and, opening the window, made a sign with her hand, and told him -to go. She thought that no one could get the upper hand of Hung Up Naked; -for the report had gone through the world that no man could kill him. - -“I will not go,” said Blaiman. “I will not leave you where you are; and -now keep the window open.” - -He stepped back some paces, and went in with one bound through the -window, when it came around the second time. - -While Hung Up Naked was tied to the tree, the tributes of his kingdom -remained uncollected; and when he had the woman he wanted safe in his -castle, he went to collect the tributes. She had laid an injunction on -him to leave her in freedom for a day and a year. She knew when he would -be returning; and when that time was near she hid Blaiman. - -“Good, good!” cried Hung Up Naked, when he came. “I smell on this little -sod of truth that a man from Erin is here.” - -“How could a man from Erin be here?” asked Blaiman’s wife. “The only -person from Erin in this place is a robin. I threw a fork at him. There -is a drop of blood on the fork now; that is what you smell on the little -sod.” - -“That may be,” said Hung Up Naked. - -Blaiman and the wife were planning to destroy Hung Up Naked; but no one -had knowledge how to kill him. At last they made a plan to come at the -knowledge. - -“It is a wonder,” said the woman to Hung Up Naked, “that a great man -like yourself should go travelling alone; my father always takes guards -with him.” - -“I need no guards; no one can kill me.” - -“How is that?” - -“Oh, my life is in that block of wood there.” - -“If it is there, ’tis in a strange place; and it is little trouble you -take for it. You should put it in some secure spot in the castle.” - -“The place is good enough,” said he. - -When Hung Up Naked went off next day, the wife told Blaiman all she had -heard. - -“His life is not there,” answered Blaiman; “try him again to-night.” - -She searched the whole castle, and what silk or satin or jewels she -found, she dressed with them the block of wood. When Hung Up Naked came -home in the evening, and saw the block so richly decked, he laughed -heartily. - -“Why do you laugh?” asked the woman. - -“Out of pity for you. It is not there that my life is at all.” - -On hearing these words, she fainted, was stiff and cold for some time, -till he began to fear she was dead. - -“What is the matter?” asked Hung Up Naked. - -“I did not think you would make sport of me. You know that I love you, -and why did you deceive me?” - -Hung Up Naked was wonderfully glad. He took her to the window, and, -pointing to a large tree growing opposite, asked, “Do you see that tree?” - -“I do.” - -“Do you see that axe under my bed-post?” He showed the axe. “I cannot be -killed till a champion with one blow of that axe splits the tree from -the top to the roots of it. Out of the tree a ram will rush forth, and -nothing on earth can come up with the ram but the Hound of Tranamee. If -the ram is caught, he will drop a duck; the duck will fly out on the sea, -and nothing on earth can catch that duck but the Hawk of Cold Cliff. -If the duck is caught, she will drop an egg into the sea, and nothing -on earth can find that egg but the Otter of Frothy Pool. If the egg is -found, the champion must strike with one cast of it this dark spot here -under my left breast, and strike me through the heart. If the tree were -touched, I should feel it, wherever I might be.” - -He went away next morning. Blaiman took the axe, and with one blow split -the tree from top to roots; out rushed the ram. Blaiman rushed after him -through the fields. Blaiman hunted the ram till he was dropping from -weariness. Only then did he think of the hound, and cry, “Where are you -now, Little Hound of Tranamee?” - -“I am here,” said the hound; “but I could not come till you called me.” - -The hound seized the ram in one moment; but, if he did, out sprang a -duck, and away she flew over the sea. Blaiman called for the Hawk of Cold -Cliff. The hawk caught the duck; the duck dropped an egg. He called the -Otter of Frothy Pool; the otter brought the egg in his mouth. Blaiman -took the egg, and ran to the castle, which was whirling no longer; the -enchantment left the place when the tree was split. He opened the door, -and stood inside, but was not long there when he saw Hung Up Naked -coming in haste. When the tree was split, he felt it, and hurried home. -When nearing the castle, his breast open and bare, and he sweating and -sweltering, Blaiman aimed at the black spot, and killed Hung Up Naked. - -They were all very glad then. The hawk, hound, and otter were delighted; -they were three sons of the king of that kingdom which Hung Up Naked had -seized; they received their own forms again, and all rejoiced. - -Blaiman did not stay long. He left the three brothers in their own -castle and kingdom. “If ever you need my assistance,” said Blaiman to the -brothers, “send for me at my father-in-law’s.” On his return, he spent a -night at each place where he had stopped in going. - -When the king saw his daughter and Blaiman, he almost dropped dead from -joy. They all spent some days very happily. Blaiman now thought of his -uncles; and for three days servants were drawing every choice thing to -his vessel. His wife went also to the ship. When all was ready, Blaiman -remembered a present that he had set aside for his mother, and hurried -back to the castle, leaving his wife on the ship with his uncles. The -uncles sailed at once for Erin. When Blaiman came back with the present, -he found neither wife, ship, nor uncles before him. He ran away like one -mad, would not return to his father-in-law, but went wild in the woods, -and began to live like the beasts of the wilderness. One time he came out -on an edge of the forest, which was on a headland running into the sea, -and saw a vessel near land; he was coming that time to his senses, and -signalled. The captain saw him, and said, “That must be a wild beast of -some kind; hair is growing all over his body. Will some of you go to see -what is there? If a man, bring him on board.” - -Five men rowed to land, and hailed Blaiman. He answered, “I am from Erin, -and I am perishing here from hunger and cold.” They took him on board. -The captain treated him kindly, had his hair cut, and gave him good -clothing. Where should the captain be sailing to but the very same port -of his grandfather’s kingdom from which Blaiman had sailed. There was a -high tide when the ship neared, and they never stopped till she was in at -the quay. Blaiman went on shore, walked to the chief street, and stood -with his back to a house. Soon he saw men and horses carrying and drawing -many kinds of provisions, and all going one way. - -“Why are these people all going one way?” inquired Blaiman of a man in -the crowd. - -“You must be a stranger,” answered the man, “since you do not know that -they are going to the castle. The king’s elder son will be married this -evening. The bride is the only daughter of the King of the kingdom of the -White Strand; they brought her to this place twelve months ago.” - -“I am a stranger,” said Blaiman, “and have only come now from sea.” - -“All are invited to the wedding, high and low, rich and poor.” - -“I will go as well as another,” said Blaiman; and he went toward the -castle. He met a sturdy old beggar in a long gray coat. “Will you sell me -the coat?” inquired Blaiman. - -“Take your joke to some other man,” answered the beggar. - -“I am not joking,” said Blaiman. “I’ll buy your coat.” - -The beggar asked more for the coat than he thought would be given by any -one. - -“Here is your money,” said Blaiman. - -The beggar gave up the coat, and started to go in another direction. - -“Come back here,” said Blaiman. “I will do you more good, and I need your -company.” - -They went toward the castle together. There was a broad space in front -of the kitchen filled with poor people, for the greater part beggars, -and these were all fighting for places. When Blaiman came, he commanded -the crowd to be quiet, and threatened. He soon controlled all, and was -himself neither eating nor drinking, but seeing justice done those who -were eating and drinking. The servants, astonished that the great, -threatening beggar was neither eating nor drinking, gave a great cup of -wine to him. He took a good draught of the wine, but left still a fair -share in the cup. In this he dropped the ring that he got from his wife -in her own father’s castle, and said to a servant, “Put this cup in the -hand of the bride, and say, ‘’Tis the big beggar that sends back this -much of his wine, and asks you to drink to your own health.’” - -She was astonished, and, taking the cup to the window, saw a ring at the -bottom. She took the ring, knew it, and ran out wild with delight through -the people. All thought ’twas enchantment the beggar had used; but she -embraced him and kissed him. The servants surrounded the beggar to seize -him. The king’s daughter ordered them off, and brought him into the -castle; and Blaiman locked the doors. The bride then put a girdle around -the queen’s waist, and this was a girdle of truth. If any one having -it on did not tell the truth, the girdle would shrink and tighten, and -squeeze the life out of that person. - -“Tell me now,” said the bride, “who your elder son’s father is.” - -“Who is he,” said the queen, “but the king?” - -The girdle grew tighter and tighter till the queen screamed, “The -coachman.” - -“Who is the second son’s father?” - -“The butler.” - -“Who is your daughter’s father?” - -“The king.” - -“I knew,” said the bride, “that there was no kingly blood in the veins -of the two, from the way that they treated my husband.” She told them all -present how the two had taken her away, and left her husband behind. When -Blaiman’s mother saw her son, she dropped almost dead from delight. - -The king now commanded his subjects to bring poles and branches and all -dry wood, and put down a great fire. The heads and heels of the queen’s -two sons were tied together, and they were flung in and burned to ashes. - -Blaiman remained awhile with his grandfather, and then took his wife back -to her father’s kingdom, where they lived many years. - - - - -FIN MACCOOL AND THE DAUGHTER OF THE KING OF THE WHITE NATION. - - -One day Fin MacCool and the Fenians of Erin set out on a hunt from the -Castle of Rahonain, and never stopped till they came near Brandon Creek, -and started a hornless deer in a field called Parcnagri. - -Over hills and through valleys they chased the deer till they came to Aun -na Vian (the river of the Fenians). The deer sprang from one side of this -river toward the other, but before reaching the bank was taken on a spear -by Dyeermud. - -When the hunt was over, Fin and the Fenians went back to the place where -the deer had been started at Parcnagri, for they always returned to the -spot where they roused the first game, and there they feasted. - -The feast was nearly ready when Fin saw a boat sailing in toward the -harbor of Ard na Conye (Smerwick Harbor), and no one on board but a -woman. - -“’Tis a wonder to me,” said Fin, “that one woman should manage a boat -under sail on the sea. I have a great wish to know who that woman is.” - -“’Tis not long I would be in bringing you tidings,” said Dyeermud. - -Fin laughed; for Dyeermud was fond of the women. “I would not refuse you -permission to go, but that I myself will go, and be here before our feast -is ready.” - -Fin went down from Parcnagri, and stood at the strand of Ard na Conye. -Though great was his speed, the woman was there before him, and her boat -anchored safely four miles from shore. - -Fin saluted the woman with friendly greeting; and she returned the salute -in like manner. - -“Will you tell me, kind man, where I am now?” asked the woman. - -“In the harbor of Ard na Conye.” - -“Thanks to you for that answer,” said the woman. “Can you tell where is -Fin MacCool’s dwelling-place?” - -“Wherever Fin MacCool’s dwelling-place is, I am that man myself.” - -“Thanks to you a second time,” said the woman; “and would you play a game -of chess for a sentence?” - -“I would,” replied Fin, “if I had my own board and chessmen.” - -“I will give you as good as your own,” said the woman. - -“I have never refused, and never asked another to play,” said Fin. “I -will play with you.” - -They sat down, and Fin won the first game. - -“What is your sentence, Fin MacCool?” asked the woman. - -“I put you under bonds of heavy enchantment,” said Fin, “not to eat twice -at the one table, nor to sleep two nights in the one bed, till you bring -a white steed with red bridle and saddle to me, and the same to each man -of the Fenians of Erin.” - -“You are very severe, O Fin,” said the woman. “I beg you to soften the -sentence.” - -“No,” answered Fin, “you must give what is asked; I will not soften the -sentence.” - -“Look behind,” said the woman. - -Fin turned, and saw a white steed for himself, and the like for each man -of the Fenians of Erin, all with red bridles and saddles. - -“Play a second game, now,” said the woman. - -They played, and she won. - -“Hasten, kind woman,” said Fin, “and tell me the sentence.” - -“Too soon for you to hear it,” said she. - -“The sooner I hear it, the better,” said Fin. - -“I put you, O Fin, under bonds of heavy enchantment to be my husband -till a shovel puts seven of its fulls of earth on your head.” - -“Soften the sentence, good woman,” said Fin; “for this cannot be.” - -“The gad may tighten on my throat if I do,” said the woman; “for you did -not soften your sentence on me.” - -“Do you stop here,” said Fin to the woman, “till I give my men the -steeds, tell them how I am, and return. But where are the steeds?” - -“If I was bound by sentence to bring you the steeds, I was not bound to -keep them.” - -Fin went his way to Parcnagri, where the Fenians were waiting, and though -dinner was ready, no man tasted it from that day to this. - -Fin posted his men on watch at various harbors, left Dyeermud on Beann -Dyeermud (Dyeermud’s peak), just above the harbor of Ard na Conye, and -went to the woman. She took his hand; they sprang together, and came down -in the woman’s boat, which was four miles from land. - -The woman weighed anchor, raised sails, and never stopped ploughing the -weighty sea till she came to the White Nation in the Eastern World, where -her father was king. She entered the harbor, cast anchor, and landed. - -“When you were at home,” said the woman to Fin, “you were Chief of the -Fenians of Erin, and held in great honor; I will not that men in this -kingdom belittle you, and I am the king’s only daughter. From the place -where we are standing to my father’s castle there is a narrow and a short -path. I’ll hasten forward on that. There is another way, a broad and long -one; do you choose that. I fear that for you there will not be suitable -seat and a place in the castle, unless I am there to prepare it before -you.” - -Fin went the long way, and the woman took the short path. It was many a -day since the woman had seen her own father. For twenty-one years she -had travelled the world, learning witchcraft and every enchantment. She -hurried, and was soon at the door of the castle. Great was the welcome -before her, and loud was the joy of her father. Servants came running, -one after another, with food, and one thing better than the other. - -“Father,” said she, “I will taste neither food nor drink till you tell me -the one thing to please your mind most.” - -“My child,” said the king, “you have but small chance of coming at that. -The one thing on earth to delight my mind most is the head of Fin MacCool -of Erin. If there was a poor man of my name, he would not be myself if I -had that head.” - -“Many a year do I know your desire, my father; and it was not for me to -come back after twenty-one years without bringing Fin’s head. You have -it now, without losing one drop of your blood or a single night’s rest. -Fin is coming hither over the broad road; and do you put men out over -against him with music to meet him, and when he comes between your two -storehouses, let the men dash him against one corner and the other, and -give every reason worse than another to bring him to death.” - -The king obeyed his daughter, and sent out guards and musicians. - -Fin, going over the broad road, saw men coming with music, and said to -himself, “Great is my joy, or may be my sorrow, for I fear that my life -will be ended in trouble.” - -The men received Fin with shouts, and, running up, pushed him from side -to side till he was bruised and bleeding; then they brought him into the -castle. - -Glad was the king, and far was the laugh heard that he let out of himself -at sight of Fin MacCool. - -The king gave command then to bind the captive, putting seven knots of -cord on every joint of his body, to throw him into a deep vault, and -give him one ounce of black bread with a pint of cold water each day. - -Fin was put in the vault, and a very old little woman brought his daily -allowance of food. - -On his eighth day in prison, Fin said to the old little woman, “Go now to -the king, and say that I have a petition. I ask not my head, as I would -not get it; but say that my right arm is rotting. I ask to be free in the -garden for one hour; let him send with me men, if he chooses.” - -The old woman told the request; and the king said, “I will grant that -with willingness; for it will not take his head from me.” - -Thirty armed men were sent, and Fin was set free in the garden. While -walking, he asked the chief of the thirty, “Have you musical instruments?” - -“We have not,” said the chief; “we forgot them. If they were here, we -would give music; for I pity you, Fin MacCool.” - -“When I was at home,” said Fin, “having the care and charge over men, we -had music; and, if it please you, I will play some of the music of Erin.” - -“I would be more than glad if you would do that,” said the chief. - -The Fenians of Erin had a horn called the borabu; and when one of them -went wandering he took the borabu with him, as Fin had done this time. It -was the only instrument on which he could play. Fin blew the horn, and -the sound of it came to Beann Dyeermud from the Eastern World. Dyeermud -himself was in deep sleep at the moment; but the sound entered his right -ear and came out through the left. The spring that he made then took him -across seven ridges of land before he was firm on his feet. Dyeermud, -wiping his eyes, said, “Great is the trouble that is on you, Fin; for the -sound of the borabu has never yet entered my right ear unless you were in -peril.” - -Then, going at a spring to Cuas a Wudig, he found the remains of an old -currachan, and, drawing out a chisel, knife, and axe, made a fine boat -of the old one. With one kick of his right foot, he sent the boat seven -leagues from land, and, following with a bound, dropped into it. He -hoisted sails, not knowing whither to go, north, south, east, or west, -but held on his way, and ploughed the mighty ocean before him, till, as -good luck would have it, he reached the same harbor to which the woman -had come with Fin MacCool. - -Dyeermud saw the boat which had brought them, and said, laughing -heartily, “I have tidings of Fin; he’s in this kingdom in some place, -for this is the boat that brought him from Erin.” - -Dyeermud cast anchor, and, landing, drew his sword; and a man seeing his -look at that moment would have wished to be twenty miles distant. On he -went, walking, till he had passed through a broad tract of country. On -the high-road, he saw men, women, and children all going one way, and -none any other. High and low, they were hurrying and hastening; the man -behind outstripping the man in front. - -Dyeermud sat on a ditch to rest, and soon a wayfarer halted in front of -him. “Where are these people all hastening?” asked Dyeermud. - -“From what country or place are you,” asked the man, “not to know whither -all these people are going?” - -“Surely I am not of this place or your country,” said Dyeermud; “and I -care not to know whither you or these people are going, since you cannot -give a civil answer to an honest question.” - -“Be patient, good man,” said the wayfarer “From what country or place are -you?” - -“From Erin,” said Dyeermud. - -“I suppose, then, you have known Fin MacCool, or have heard of him?” - -“I have, indeed,” said Dyeermud. - -“If you take my advice,” said the wayfaring man, “you’ll go out on the -same road by which you came in, or else not acknowledge Fin MacCool of -Erin, for that man will be hanged this day before the king’s castle; the -gallows is ready and built for him. When the life is gone out of him, his -head will be struck off, and left as a plaything to please the king’s -mind forever. The body is to be dragged between four wild horses; and the -same will be done to you, if you acknowledge Fin MacCool of Erin.” - -“I thank you for your answer,” said Dyeermud; “and only because I don’t -like to lay a weighty hand on you, you would never again give advice like -that to a man of the Fenians of Erin. But show me the way to the castle.” - -“If you were on the top of that mountain,” said the wayfarer, pointing -northward, “you would see the king’s castle.” - -Dyeermud went on in strong haste, and from the mountain-top saw the -king’s castle. On the green field in front of it so many people had -gathered to see Fin MacCool’s death, that if a pin were to drop from the -middle of the sky it could not fall without striking the head of man, -woman, or child. When Dyeermud came down to the field, it was useless to -ask for room or for passage, since each wished himself to be nearest -the place of Fin’s death. Dyeermud drew his sword; and as a mower goes -through the grass of a meadow on a harvest day, or a hawk through a -flock of starlings on a chilly March morning, so did Dyeermud cut his -way through the crowd till he came to the gallows. He turned then toward -the castle, struck the pole of combat, and far was the sound of his blow -heard. The king put his head through the window. - -“Who struck that blow?” asked the king. “He must be an enemy!” - -“You could not expect a friend to do the like of that,” replied Dyeermud. -“I struck the blow.” - -“Who are you?” cried the king. - -“My name when in Erin is Dyeermud.” - -“What brought you hither?” asked the king. - -“I came,” replied Dyeermud, “to succor my chief, Fin MacCool.” - -The king let a laugh out of him, and asked, “Have any more men come -besides you?” - -“When you finish with me, you may be looking for others,” said Dyeermud. - -“What do you want to-day?” asked the king. - -“I want to see Fin MacCool, or to fight for him.” - -“Fight you may,” said the king; “but see him you will not.” - -“Well,” said Dyeermud, “it is too early in the evening for me to rest -without having the blood of enemies on my sword, so send out against me -seven hundred of your best-armed men on my right hand, seven hundred -on my left, seven hundred behind me, and twenty one hundred before my -eyesight.” - -Fin’s death was delayed; and the men that he asked for put out against -Dyeermud. Coming sunset, he had the last head cut from the last body, -and, going through his day’s work, made heaps of the bodies, and piles of -the heads. - -“Will you give me shelter from the night air?” asked Dyeermud, then -turning to the castle. - -“I will, and welcome,” said the king, pointing to a long house at a -distance. - -Dyeermud went to the long house, and to his wonder saw there a troop of -wild small men without faith, but no food, fire, or bed. These men were -the agents of the king, who put to death all people who went against -his law. Though a small race of people, they were strong through their -numbers. - -When Dyeermud entered, they rose, and began to fill every cranny and -crack they could find in the building. - -“Why are you doing that?” inquired Dyeermud. - -“For fear that you might escape; for it’s our duty to eat you.” - -Dyeermud then seized by the ankles the one who gave him this answer, -and flailed the others with this man, till he wore him down to the two -shin-bones; all the others were killed saving one, who was chief. The -small chief untouched by Dyeermud fell on his knees, and cried out, -“Spare my head! O Dyeermud, there is not a place where you will put one -foot, in which I will not put my two feet, nor a place on which you’ll -put one hand, in which I will not put my two hands; and I can be a good -servant to you.” - -“No man ever asked his head of me with peace, but I gave it to him,” said -Dyeermud. - -Sitting down then, Dyeermud asked, “Have you any food?” - -“I have not,” said the small chief. “We have nothing to eat but men sent -here from one time to another. If you go to the king’s bakery, you may -find loaves of bread.” - -Dyeermud went to the baker, and asked, “Will you give me two loaves of -bread?” - -“Hardened ruffian,” said the baker, “how dare you come to this place for -bread, or any other thing, you who killed so many of our friends and near -neighbors? Go out of this, or I’ll burn you in the oven.” - -“I am thankful,” said Dyeermud; “but before you can do to me what you -threaten, I will do the same to you.” - -With that he opened the oven-door, threw in the baker, and burned him to -death. Then he caught up as much bread as he could carry, and went to the -long house; but, being used to good food, could not eat bread alone, and -asked the small chief, “Where can I find drink and meat to go with the -bread?” - -“There is a slaughter-house behind us, not far from here,” said the -chief, “and the head butcher might give you a piece to roast or boil.” - -Dyeermud went then to the butcher. “Will you give me meat for supper?” -asked he. - -“You scoundrel from Erin, if you don’t leave this place I’ll cut off your -head on the block here, and separate it from the body.” - -“Never have I met better people to oblige a stranger; but before you can -do to me what you promise, I will do the like to you.” - -So Dyeermud caught the butcher, stretched him across the block, and with -the butcher’s own cleaver struck the head off him. - -Turning around, Dyeermud saw two fine stalled bullocks dressed for the -king’s table. Taking one under each arm, he brought them to the long -house, and cut them up with his sword; then the small chief cooked -nicely what was needed. The two ate a hearty supper. - -Next morning Dyeermud rose up refreshed, and went to the castle, where he -struck the pole of combat. - -“What is your wish?” asked the king. - -“To see Fin MacCool, or get battle.” - -“How many men do you wish for?” - -“One thousand of your best armed men on my right hand, as many on -my left, as many behind me, and twice three thousand in front of my -eyesight.” - -The champions were sent out to Dyeermud. They went at him, and he at -them; they were that way all day, and when the sun was setting there was -not a man of the nine thousand that had his head on him. - -In the evening he made piles of the bodies and heaps of the heads. - -Then he went back to the long house, and it was better there than the -first night; the small chief had food and drink ready in plenty. - -The combats continued for seven days in succession as on this day. On the -eighth morning, when Dyeermud appeared, the king asked for a truce. - -“I will grant it,” said Dyeermud, “if you give me a sight of Fin -MacCool.” - -“A sight of Fin MacCool you are not to have,” said the king, “till you -bring the hound-whelp with the golden chain.” - -“Where can I find that Whelp?” inquired Dyeermud. - -“The world is wide,” said the king. “Follow your nose. It will lead you. -If I were to say ’tis in the west the whelp is, maybe ’tis in the east -he’d be; or in the north, maybe he’d be in the south. So here and now you -cannot blame me if I say not where he is.” - -“Well,” said Dyeermud, “as I am going for the whelp, I ask you to loose -Fin MacCool from what bonds he is in, to place him in the best chamber of -your castle, to give him the best food and drink, the best bed to lie on, -and, besides, the amusements most pleasing to his mind.” - -“What you ask shall be granted,” said the king, who thought to himself, -“Your head and Fin’s will be mine in the end.” - -Dyeermud went home to the long house, sat down in his chair, and gloomy -was his face. - -“O Dyeermud,” said the small chief, “you are not coming in with such -looks, nor so bright in the face, as when you left here this morning. -I’ll lay my head as a wager that you are sent to bring the hound-whelp -with the golden chain.” - -“True,” said Dyeermud, “and where to find him I know not.” - -“Eat your supper, then sleep, and to-morrow I’ll show you where that -whelp is. Indeed, it is the task you have on you; for many a good -champion lost his head in striving to come at that whelp.” - -Next morning Dyeermud and the small chief set out, and toward evening -they came within sight of a grand, splendid castle. - -“Now,” said the small chief, “this castle was built by the Red Gruagach -Blind-on-One-Side; within is the hound-whelp with the golden chain; and -now let me see what you’ll do.” - -Dyeermud entered the castle, where he found a great chamber, and in it -the gruagach asleep. The hound was tied to the gruagach’s bed with a -golden chain. Untying the chain from the bed, Dyeermud carried whelp and -chain with him under his arm, and hurried on homeward. When he had gone -three miles of road, he turned to the small chief and said, “That was a -mean act I did to the gruagach.” - -“What’s on you now?” asked the small chief. - -“It would be hard for a man to call me anything higher than a thief; for -I have only stolen the man’s whelp and golden chain.” So Dyeermud went -back to the gruagach, and put the hound-whelp and chain where he had -found them. As the gruagach was sleeping, Dyeermud struck a slight blow -on his face to rouse him. - -“Oh,” said the gruagach, “I catch the foul smell of a man from Erin. He -must be Dyeermud, who has destroyed the champions of our country.” - -“I am the man that you mention,” said Dyeermud; “and I am not here to ask -satisfaction of you or thanks, but to wear out my anger on your body and -flesh, if you refuse what I want of you.” - -“And what is it that you want of me?” asked the gruagach. - -“The hound-whelp with the golden chain.” - -“You will not get him from me, nor will another.” - -“Be on your feet, then,” said Dyeermud. “The whelp is mine, or your head -in place of him; if not, you’ll have my head.” - -One champion put his back to the front wall, and the other to the rear -wall; then the two went at each other wrestling, and were that way till -the roof of the house was ready to fly from the walls, such was the -strength in the hands of the combatants. - -“Shame on you both!” cried the gruagach’s wife, running out. “Shame on -two men like you to be tumbling the house on my children.” - -“True,” said Dyeermud. And the two, without letting go the hold that they -had, went through the roof with one bound, and came down on the field -outside. The first wheel that Dyeermud knocked out of the gruagach, he -put him in the hard ground to his ankles, the second to his hips, and the -third to his neck. - -“Suffer your head to be cut off, O gruagach.” - -“Spare me, Dyeermud, and you’ll get the hound-whelp with the golden -chain, and my good wish and desire.” - -“If you had said that at first, you would not have gone through this -hardship or kindled my anger,” said Dyeermud. With that he pulled out the -gruagach, and spared his head. - -The two spent that night as two brothers, eating and drinking of the -best, and in the morning the gruagach gave Dyeermud the whelp with the -golden chain. - -Dyeermud went home with the small chief, and went to the castle next -morning. - -“Have you brought the hound-whelp with the golden chain?” asked the king. - -“I have,” answered Dyeermud; “and I had no trouble in bringing them. Here -they are before you.” - -“Well, am I to have them now?” asked the king. - -“You are not,” answered Dyeermud. “If I was bound to bring them, I was -not bound to give them to you. The man who reared this whelp has a better -right to him than you or I.” - -Then Dyeermud went home to the long house, followed by the small chief; -and the next morning he asked battle of the king. - -“I am not ready for battle to-day,” said the king. - -“Am I to get sight of Fin MacCool?” inquired Dyeermud. - -“You are not,” said the king, “till you bring me an account of how the -Rueful Knight Without-Laughter lost his eye and his laugh.” - -“Where can I find that knight?” asked Dyeermud. - -“The world is wide,” said the king; “and it is for you alone to make out -where that man is.” - -Dyeermud went home to the long house, sat in his chair, dropped his head, -and was gloomy. - -“O Dyeermud,” said the small chief, “something has gone wrong to-day, and -I’ll lay my head that you are sent to get knowledge of the Rueful Knight -Without-Laughter; but sit down and take supper, then sleep, and to-morrow -you’ll not go astray; I’ll lead you to where that man lives.” - -Next morning the two set out together, that evening reached the -gruagach’s castle, where there was many a welcome before them, and not -like the first time. The whelp was returned to his owner; and that night -was spent in pleasure by the gruagach, Dyeermud, and the small chief. - -The next morning Dyeermud went forward attended by his two friends, -and toward evening came in sight of a large splendid castle. Dyeermud -approached it, and when he went in, saw that he had never before set foot -in a grander building. - -The Rueful Knight Without-Laughter was sitting alone in his parlor at a -great heavy table. His face, resting on the palm of one hand, was worn by -it; his elbow, placed on the table, had worn a deep trench in the table; -and there he sat, trusting to the one eye that was left him. - -Dyeermud shook the sleeping man gently; and when he woke, the knight -welcomed Dyeermud as one of the Fenians of Erin. Dinner was made ready -for all; and when they sat down at the table, Dyeermud thrust his fork -in the meat as a sign of request. “Is there something you wish to know?” -asked the knight. - -“There is,” answered Dyeermud. - -“All in my power or possession is for you, except one thing,” said the -knight, “and ask not for that.” - -“It is that thing that brought me,” said Dyeermud. “I’ll take no refusal. -I’ll have your head or that knowledge.” - -“Well, Dyeermud, eat your dinner, and then I will tell you; though I have -never told any one yet, not even my own lawful wife.” - -When the dinner was over, the knight told his story to Dyeermud, as -follows,— - -“I was living once in this place here, both happy and well. I had twelve -sons of my own and my own wife. Each of my twelve sons had his pack of -hounds. I and my wife had one pack between us. On a May morning after -breakfast, I and my sons set out to hunt. We started a deer without -horns, and, rushing forward in chase of her, followed on swiftly all day. -Toward evening the deer disappeared in a cave. In we raced after her, and -found ourselves soon in the land of small men, but saw not a trace of the -deer. - -“Going to a great lofty castle, we entered, and found many people inside. -The king of the small men bade us welcome, and asked had I men to prepare -us a dinner. I said that I had my own twelve sons. The small men then -brought in from a forest twelve wild boars. I put down twelve kettles -with water to scald and dress the game. When the water was boiling, it -was of no use to us; and we could not have softened with it one bristle -on the wild boars from that day to this. Then a small man, putting the -twelve boars in a row with the head of one near the tail of the other, -took from the hall-door a whistle, and, blowing first on one side of the -row and then on the other, made all the twelve white and clean; then he -dressed, cut, and cooked them, and we all ate to our own satisfaction. - -“In the course of the evening, the king of the small men asked had I -anyone who could shorten the night by showing action. I said that I -had my own twelve sons. Twelve small men now rose, and drew out a long -weighty chain, holding one end in their hands. My sons caught the other -end, pulled against the twelve small men, and the small men against them; -but the small men soon threw a loop of the chain around the necks of my -twelve sons, and swept the heads off them; one of the small men came -then with a long knife, and, opening the breasts of my sons, took out -their twelve hearts, and put them all on a dish; then they pushed me to a -bench, and I had to sit with my twelve sons stretched dead there before -me. Now they brought the dish to make me eat the twelve hearts for my -supper. When I would not, they drove them down my throat, and gave me a -blow of a fist that knocked one eye out of me. They left me that way in -torment till morning; then they opened the door, and threw me out of the -castle. - -“From that day to this I have not seen my children, nor a trace of them; -and ’tis just twenty-one years, coming May-day, since I lost my twelve -sons and my eye. There is not a May-day but the deer comes to this castle -and shouts, ‘Here is the deer; but where are the hunters to follow?’ Now -you have the knowledge, Dyeermud, of how I lost my eye and my laugh.” - -“Well,” asked Dyeermud, “will May-day come soon in this country?” - -“To-morrow, as early as you will rise.” - -“Is there any chance that the deer will come in the morning?” - -“There is,” said the knight; “and you’ll not have much of the morning -behind you when she’ll give a call.” - -Next morning the deer shouted, “Here is the deer; but where are the -hunters to follow?” and made away swiftly. - -Dyeermud, the small chief, the gruagach, and the knight hurried on in -pursuit. Coming evening, the knight saw the cave, and called out to -Dyeermud, “Have a care of that place; for ’tis there she will enter.” - -When the deer reached the cave, Dyeermud gave a kick with his right foot, -and struck off one half her hind-quarter. - -Barely was this done, when out rushed a dreadful and ugly old hag, with -every tooth in her upper jaw a yard long, and she screaming, “You hungry, -scorched scoundrel from Erin, how dared you ruin the sport of the small -men?” - -The words were hardly out of her mouth, when Dyeermud made at her with -his fist, and sent jaws and teeth down her throat. What the old hag did -not swallow, went half a mile into the country behind her. - -The hag raced on through the land of the small men, and Dyeermud with his -forces made after her. When they came to the castle, the king let a loud -laugh out of him. - -“Why do you give such a laugh?” inquired Dyeermud. - -“I thought that the knight had enough the first time he came to this -castle.” - -“This proves to you that he had not,” said Dyeermud; “or he would not be -in it the second time.” - -“Well,” asked the king of the knight, “have you any man now to cook -dinner?” - -“He has,” said Dyeermud; “and it’s long since you or he had the like of -him. I’ll cook your dinner, and we’ll find the food.” - -Out they went to a forest, and brought in twelve wild boars. Dyeermud -skinned the game with his sword, dressed, cut, and cooked it. All ate to -satisfaction. - -Later on in the evening, the king asked the knight, “Have you any man to -show action?” - -“He has,” said Dyeermud, “if you will put out the same twelve men as you -did the first evening.” - -The king put them out; and Dyeermud took the end of the chain to pull -against them. He pulled till he sank in the floor to his ankles; then he -made a whirl of the chain, and swept their twelve heads off the small -men. He opened the twelve, put their hearts on a plate, and made the king -eat them. “You forced the knight to swallow the hearts of his own sons,” -said Dyeermud. - -“Walk out of the castle, and punish us no more,” cried the king. “I’ll -let out to the knight his sons, with their horses and hounds, and his own -horse and hounds, if you will not come to this kingdom again.” - -“We will go if you do that,” said Dyeermud; “but you are not to offend -the knight or his people; if you do, I am a better guide to find you a -second time than I was the first.” - -The king took his rod of enchantment, went out to twelve stones, struck -the first, out came the first son on horseback, and a pack of hounds -after him. The king struck stone after stone till he put the twelve sons -in front of the castle, with their horses and hounds; then he struck the -thirteenth stone, and the horse and hounds of the knight appeared. - -The knight looked around, and saw his eye in the hole of the chimney, and -as much soot on it as would manure land under two stone of seed-potatoes. - -“Look at my eye,” said the knight. - -Dyeermud looked. Then the king put the eye in the head of the knight, who -could see with it better than when he had it before. - -Out they went now from the king, safe and sound, and never stopped till -they reached the knight’s castle for dinner. When dinner was over, -Dyeermud, the gruagach, and the small chief hastened on to the gruagach’s -castle, and slept there. - -Next day Dyeermud and the small chief went home. On the following -morning, Dyeermud went to the king, told him the Rueful Knight’s story, -and said, “Now I must have battle, or a sight of Fin MacCool.” - -“Battle I’ll not give you,” said the king; “and a sight of Fin MacCool -you’ll not have till you tell me what happened to the Lad of True Tales.” - -“I am sorry,” said Dyeermud, “that this was not said by you sooner. It -is late for me now to be tearing my shoes on strange roads, and tiring -my feet in a foreign land.” With that he sprang at the king, brought him -down by the throat from the window to the ground, and there broke every -bone in his body. Then he put the castle foundation upward, looking for -Fin, and destroying all that he met, but could not find Fin till he met -the old little woman. - -“O Dyeermud,” said she, “spare my head. I am more than a hundred years -old. I have been faithful to Fin since he came here. I have never refused -to do what he asked of me.” - -“Your head shall be spared,” replied Dyeermud, “though old life is as -dear to you as it is to young people; and take me now to where Fin is.” - -Dyeermud went with the old little woman to the door of Fin’s chamber, and -knocked. Fin knew the knock, and cried out, “Reach me your sword.” - -“Take it,” said Dyeermud. - -Fin’s strength was trebled at sight of Dyeermud; and when he grasped the -sword, he swore by it, saying, “I will cut off your head if you come a -foot nearer.” - -“You are not in your mind to speak thus to the man who has gone through -so much for you.” - -“I am in my mind,” said Fin; “but if we were to close our arms embracing -each other in friendship, we could not open them for seven days and -nights. Now, the woman who brought me from Ard na Conye, the bay which -we love most in Erin, save Fintra, will be here soon. Though there was -nothing on earth to please the King of the White Nation more than my -head, there is another good man in the world, and the king wishes his -head as greatly as mine. The daughter has gone, and is using her highest -endeavor to bring that head to her father; so hasten on to the boat, -Dyeermud, I will follow. If you find food, take it with you.” - -Dyeermud hurried off. In passing through the king’s meadow he saw two -fat bullocks grazing. He caught them, and, clapping one under each arm, -ran off to the boat. When Fin came, he found both bullocks skinned and -dressed there before him. - -They weighed anchor now and raised sails for Erin, ploughing the weighty -sea before them night and day. Once Fin said to Dyeermud, “Look behind.” -Dyeermud looked, but saw nothing. - -Three hours later, Fin said, “Look behind, and look keenly.” - -Dyeermud looked, and cried, “I see behind us in the sky some bird like an -eagle, and flashes of fire blazing out from her beak.” - -“Oh, we are caught at last, and it’s a bad place we are in on the sea; we -cannot fight here.” - -The bird was coming nearer, and gaining; but the wind favored, filled -every sail, and sent them bounding along till they were within five -leagues of land; then they made one spring, and came down in Ferriter’s -Cove. - -No sooner had they landed, than the bird perched on the boat, turned it -over, stood on the bottom, and from that saw Fin and Dyeermud on land. -She made for them; and the moment she touched shore became a woman. - -She rushed to Fin, caught him in her arms most lovingly, and said, -turning to Dyeermud, “You are the wicked man who put words between me and -my husband and parted us.” - -Then, turning to Fin, she said, “Now, my darling, come home with me. You -will be King of the White Nation, and I, your loving wife.” - -“Right and true for you,” said Dyeermud. “It’s the good wife and friend -you were to this man; and now I ask how long must he be your husband?” - -“Till a shovel puts seven of its fulls of earth on his head.” - -Dyeermud drew his sword, and struck a champion’s blow on a ridge of land -that was near him; he was so enraged that he made a deep glen with that -blow; then he caught Fin, and, stretching him in the glen, thrust his -sword in the earth, and, throwing it as with a shovel on Fin, counted -one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. “Your time is up with Fin,” -said he to the king’s daughter; “he is in his own country, and you are a -stranger. Take him a second time if you can, and I pledge you the faith -of a champion that I will not put words between you.” - -The woman stooped down to put away the seven shovels of earth, and said -to Fin while she was working, “We’ll both be happy this time.” - -With that Dyeermud gave her one blow of his fist on the left ear, and -sent her spinning through the air. She never stopped till she fell at the -edge of the ocean, and became Fail Mahisht; and not another cliff in Erin -has so many limpets and periwinkles on it as that one. - -So the daughter of the King of the White Nation gives much food to people -in Erin from that day to this. - - - - -FIN MACCOOL, THE THREE GIANTS, AND THE SMALL MEN. - - -On a day of the days when Fin MacCool was living at Rahin, he went out to -walk near Fintra. He had many cows and sheep at that time, and was going -among his cattle, when all at once he saw a big man coming in from the -sea. - -At first he saw the man’s head and shoulders, then half his body, and at -last his whole body. When the big man stood on the strand, he saluted -Fin. Fin returned the salute, and asked, “Who are you, and what brought -you to Erin?” - -“I have come from the King of the Big Men; and I want to see Fin MacCool.” - -“Fin MacCool is not at home now,” said Fin. “Are you here with a message?” - -“I am,” said the big man. - -“I will give the message to Fin MacCool when he comes home; there is no -one he trusts more than me.” - -“My master, the King of the Big Men, has heard much of Fin MacCool, and -invites him to come to his castle. The king lost two children. Some -one came in the night and stole them. Though guarded with wonderful -strictness, the children were carried away. The king fears to lose a -third child soon, unless Fin MacCool comes to advise and assist him.” - -“I will give that message to Fin MacCool,” said Fin. - -The big man left good health with Fin, then turned and went forward, -going deeper till his head disappeared under water. - -A few days later Fin was walking in the same place where he had met the -messenger from the King of the Big Men, and he saw some very small men -playing hurley on the strand. He went to them, and spoke. They answered, -and called him King of the Fenians. - -“You seem to know me,” said Fin. - -“We do indeed, and we know you very well,” said the small men. - -“Who are you?” asked Fin, “or what can you do?” - -“Oh, we have many virtues,” replied they. - -“What virtue have you?” asked Fin, turning to the biggest of the small -men. - -“Well, whenever I sit down in any place I stay in it as long as I like; -no man can lift me; no power can take me out of it.” - -“What is your name?” asked Fin. - -“Lazy Back,” said the little fellow. “No man can stir me when I sit down.” - -“How am I to know that you have that virtue?” asked Fin. - -“You are a strong man yourself,” answered Lazy Back; “give me a trial.” - -The little man sat down. Fin caught him with one hand, and tried to raise -him; but not a stir could he take out of Lazy Back. - -“Try with both hands now,” said Lazy Back. - -Fin tried with both hands, tried with all the strength that was in him, -but could not move the little man. - -“What is your virtue?” asked Fin, turning to the second man; “and who are -you?” - -“My name is Hearing Ear.” - -“What can you hear?” - -“I can hear a whisper in the Eastern World, and I sitting in this place.” - -“What is your name?” asked Fin of the third player. - -“My name is Far Feeler.” - -“What can you feel?” asked Fin. - -“I can feel an ivy-leaf falling at the Eastern World, and I playing here -at Fintra.” - -“What is your name?” asked Fin, turning to the fourth player. - -“My name is Knowing Man.” - -“What do you know?” - -“I know all that will happen in every part of the world.” - -“What power have you, and who are you?” asked Fin of the fifth man. - -“I am called Always Taking; I steal.” - -“What can you steal?” - -“Whatever I set my mind on. I can steal the eggs from a snipe, and she -sitting on them; and the snipe is the wariest bird in existence.” - -“What can you do?” asked Fin, looking at the sixth man. - -“My name is Climber. I can climb the highest castle in the world, though -its sides were as slippery as glass.” - -“Who are you?” asked he of the seventh stranger. - -“I am called Bowman.” - -“What can you do?” - -“I can hit any midge out of a cloud of midges dancing in the air.” - -“You have good eyesight,” said Fin, “and good aim as well. - -“Who are you?” asked Fin of the eighth. - -“I am called Three Sticks. I understand woodwork.” - -“What can you do?” asked Fin. - -“I can make anything I please out of wood.” - -“Can you make a ship?” - -“I can.” - -“How long would it take you to make one?” - -“While you would be turning on your heel.” - -He took a chip of wood then from the shore, and asked Fin to turn on his -heel. While Fin was turning, Three Sticks flung the piece of wood out on -the sea, and there it became a beautiful ship. - -“Well, have you the ship made?” asked Fin, looking on the strand. - -“There it is,” said Three Sticks, “floating outside.” - -Fin looked, and saw the finest vessel that ever sailed on the deep -sea; the butt of no feather was in, nor the tip of one out, except one -brown-backed red feather that stood at the top of the mast, and that -making music and sport to encourage whatever champion would come on board. - -“Will you all take service with me?” asked Fin, looking at the eight -small strangers. “I wish to go to the kingdom of the Big Men. Will you -guide me on the journey, and help me?” - -“We are willing to serve you,” answered they. “There is no part of the -world to which we cannot guide you.” - -“What are your wages?” asked Fin. - -“Five gold-pieces to each man of us for a day and a year.” - -“How much time do we need for the journey to the kingdom of the Big Men?” - -“Not many days,” said Knowing Man. - -Stores and provisions were put on the ship. Fin and the small men went -on board, and set sail; before many days they arrived at the kingdom of -the Big Men, and drew up their ship high and dry. They set out then for -the castle of the king; and no greater wonder was ever seen in that place -than Fin and his eight little men. - -The king invited Fin and his company to a great feast. At the end of the -feast, the king said, “My third son was born to-day. My first son was -taken away on the night after his birth, and so was my second. I am full -sure that this one will be taken from me to-night.” - -“I will guard the child,” said Fin; “and if I let your son go with any -one, I will give you my head.” - -The king was satisfied. Fin asked for a strong chamber and two nurses. -The strongest chamber in the castle was made ready; then Fin and his men, -with the child and two nurses, took their places inside. - -“Do you know what will happen to-night?” asked Knowing Man. - -“I do not,” replied Fin; “and I do not like to chew my thumb.[5] You can -tell me.” - -“You gave your head in pledge,” said Knowing Man, “for the safety of the -child; and you were a strange man to do so, for the child will be taken -from this to-night.” - -“Do you say that?” asked Fin. - -“I do. And do you know who will do it?” - -“I do not.” - -“I will tell you. In the Eastern World lives a sister of this king, a -savage hag and a terrible witch. This hag went to the Eastern World -because she had a dispute with her brother. She is ungrateful, and full -of malice; she comes now and steals away her brother’s children to leave -him without heirs to his kingdom. When she finds this room closed on -every side, and sees no other way of reaching the child, she will climb -to the roof, and stretch her arm down to catch the king’s little son, and -take him away with her.” - -Lazy Back sat down near the hearth, and swore a great oath that if the -hag thrust her hand down, he would hold her or keep the hand. - -A little after midnight, Hearing Ear said, “I hear the hag; she is making -ready to leave her castle in the Eastern World, and giving strict orders -to guard the two children while she is gone.” - -“Well,” said Far Feeler, “now I feel her going up through her own castle; -now I feel her going out through the door on the roof. Her castle has -no entrance except an opening in the roof, and the walls of it are as -slippery as glass.” - -“You will warn me when she is coming,” said Fin to Hearing Ear. - -“Oh, I will,” said Hearing Ear; “I will not forget that.” - -In a little while the hag was at the castle, and going around it trying -to enter. Although the castle was surrounded by sentries, not one of them -saw her; for she was invisible, through power of enchantment. - -“She has come,” said Hearing Ear; “she is walking around the castle. Now -is the time to watch her well.” - -A few moments later, she thrust her arm down the chimney; and no sooner -was it down than Lazy Back caught her hand. When she felt her hand -caught, she struggled greatly; but Lazy Back kept the hold that he had, -and nothing could stir him. At last the arm left the shoulder of the -hag. Lazy Back drew the arm down the chimney. All looked at it with -amazement; and while the nurses were wondering at the arm, and Fin -measuring its length and its thickness, they forgot the child. The hag -thrust her other arm down then, caught the child, and hurried away home -with it. When the nurses saw that the child was gone, they screamed; and -Fin said,— - -“It would be better for us to hurry to our vessel, and leave the country -before the king is up in the morning; he will destroy us all for losing -his son.” - -“We will not do that,” said the little men. “Late as it is, we will -follow the hag, and bring back the child.” - -They set out that moment; and since Fin could not keep up with the little -men, Lazy Back took him on his shoulder: and, in the twinkle of an eye, -they reached the ship, and set sail for the Eastern World. - -Indeed, they were not long on the journey; for they were enchanted. When -they came to land near the hag’s castle, Fin, Bowman, and two others -remained on the vessel. Climber, Thief, and the rest went for the child. - -“Where are you, Climber?” asked Thief, when they were at the wall. - -“Here,” said Climber. - -“Take me to the top of the castle.” - -Climber took Thief on his back, and climbed like a butterfly to the top -of the building; then Thief crept down into the castle, and returned -quickly with the youngest of the children. - -“Take this one down to our comrades, and hurry back to me.” - -Climber went down, and hastened up again. Thief had another of the -children at the top of the castle before him. Climber took that down, -with orders from Thief to carry the two children to the vessel. Then he -returned a third time, and Thief had the third child. - -“Take this one, and come for me,” said Thief. - -The little men at the foot of the castle ran off to the ship with the -last child. Nimble as Thief was, he could not have taken the children -at another time. All the servants were busied with the hag, who was -suffering terribly from the loss of her arm. They forgot the children for -a short time. - -Climber took Thief to the ground, and they started at full speed toward -the ship. When they came, Fin set sail for the kingdom of the Big Men. - -“We shall be pursued right away,” said Knowing Man. “If the hag comes up -with the ship, she will destroy every man of us.” - -“She will not,” said Bowman. “If I get one glimpse of that hag, I will -put an end to her life; and do you listen, Hearing Ear, to know is she -coming, and tell me when you hear her.” - -“I hear her now,” said Hearing Ear. “She is raging, and she is cursing -those who were minding the children, and let them be taken. Now she is -leaving the castle; now she is racing on after us.” - -“Tell us, Far Feeler, when she is coming near,” said Fin. - -“She is making a terrible uproar,” said Hearing Ear. - -“She is coming toward us. She is very near,” said Far Feeler. - -Bowman saw her, rested his bow on the shoulder of another, aimed, and -sent an arrow through the one eye in the middle of the hag’s forehead. -She fell flat on the sea, and lay dead there. Fin and his small men moved -forward swiftly to the castle. They arrived one hour before the end of -night, and from that time till daybreak there was joy in the chamber. -The small men and the two children of the king were playing together and -enjoying themselves. Just before day, the king sent a servant to know -what had happened in the chamber where his son was. The man could not -enter, for they would not let him; but he looked through the keyhole. He -went back then, and said to the king,— - -“They seem to be very merry inside; and there are two lads in the room -bigger than any of the small men.” - -The king knew they would not be merry unless the child was there. What he -did was to throw on his mantle, and go himself to see. He knocked at the -door. - -“Who is there?” asked Fin. - -“I,—the king.” - -The door was thrown open, and in walked the king. He saw the child in the -cradle; but what was his wonder when he saw the other two. Without saying -a word, he seized Fin’s hand and shook it; and then he thanked him. - -“There are your other two children,” said Fin; “and do you know who stole -them?” - -“I do not.” - -“I will tell you,” said Fin. “Have you a sister?” - -“I had,” answered the king, “but we became enemies; and I know not where -she is at this moment.” - -Then Fin told everything that had happened in the night. “And now you -have your three sons,” said he to the king. - -The king made a feast, which lasted seven days and seven nights. Never -had there been such a feast in the kingdom of the Big Men as that; and -sure why not, for wasn’t it a great thing for the king to have his three -sons home with him? When the feast was over, the king sent his men to -carry all kinds of riches and treasures to Fin’s ship; and for three days -they were carrying them. At parting, the king said to Fin, “If ever you -need my assistance, you have only to send for it.” - -Fin and his men sailed homeward then swiftly; and it was not long till -they reached Fintra. The ship was unloaded; and Fin was glad, looking at -his treasures, and thinking of his adventures in the land of the Big Men. - -Some time after Fin had come from the land of the Big Men, he sent -warriors to the chief ports of Erin to guard against enemies. One day his -face was anxious and gloomy. - -“You seem to be grieving,” said Dyeermud; “you would better tell us what -trouble is on you.” - -“Some trouble is near me,” said Fin. - -“By my hand,” said Oscar, “if you do not tell me your trouble, I will not -eat one morsel to-day.” - -“Trouble is near me; but I know not yet what it is.” - -“Chew your thumb then,” said Oscar. - -Fin chewed his thumb from the flesh to the bone, from the bone to the -marrow, from the marrow to the quick, and found out that there were three -giants in the Eastern World who were coming to attack himself and his -forces, drive them into the sea like sheep, and leave not a man of them -living. - -Fin knew not what to do; and he was in great grief that there should be -three men who could invade all Erin, and destroy its defenders. - -“Chew your thumb a second time,” said Oscar, “to know is there any way to -conquer them. We have travelled the world, and no people have the upper -hand of us so far. There must be arms against these three.” - -Fin chewed his thumb the second time; and the knowledge he got was this, -that fire would not burn, water would not drown, swords would not cut -either of the three giants. There was nothing to kill them but three -things which their father had at home in the Eastern World; and if they -saw those three things, they would fall dead, and dissolve into three -heaps of jelly. What the three things were, was not told. “Go now,” said -Fin to Dyeermud, “and find the forces, and I will watch myself for the -enemy.” - -Next morning Fin took his sword under his arm, went to Fintra, and began -to herd bullocks. He did this for some time, till one day above another -he saw three giants coming in toward him, the water not past their hips. -He wasn’t long waiting when they came near the cliff where he was; and he -saw their hearts, their mouths were stretched open so widely, laughing at -the boy herding the cattle. - -“Where is Fin MacCool and his forces?” asked one of the giants. - -“Well,” said Fin, “it is not for me to tell you where Fin MacCool is; -I am only his herder. But is there anything in the world to kill you? -It must be there is not, and ye to have the courage to face Fin MacCool -and his forces; for no people in the world have ever yet beaten them in -battle.” - -“We have come to Erin,” said the giants, “to find Fin MacCool; and we -will drive him and his forces into the sea, like sheep from the side of -a mountain. Fire cannot burn us; swords do not cut us; and water will -not drown us. Nothing in the world can cause our death but our own three -caps; and where they are, neither you nor Fin will ever know.” - -“How am I to know,” asked the herdsman, “that fire will not burn you, or -water drown you, or swords cut you? Let me give you a blow; and I’ll know -will swords cut you.” - -“Oh, little man,” said one of the giants, “how could you reach us with a -sword?” - -“I will show you a place,” said Fin, “where I may be strong enough to -give a blow ye would remember.” - -He led the giants to a narrow place between two cliffs, and stood himself -on the top of one cliff. He gave then a terrible blow of his sword to the -head of one giant, but left not a sign of blood on him. - -“By my hand!” said the giant, “if every warrior in Fin MacCool’s forces -is as good at the sword as you, he need not be in dread of any men but -us.” - -Fin gave the second giant a terrible blow, and staggered him. - -“Oh!” said the giant, “no man ever gave me the like of that.” - -He struck the third giant a blow, and knocked him to his knees; but not a -drop of blood came. - -“Such a blow as that,” said the giant, “I never got from any man before. -Now, how are you to know that water will not drown us?” - -“There is a place which I will show you,” said Fin. “If ye sleep in it -to-night, and rise up in the morning before me, I shall know that water -does not drown you.” - -Fin showed a place where the water was twenty fathoms deep. The three -lay down together under the water to stay till next morning. Fin hurried -home then, gathered the Fenians together, and said,— - -“I am in dread that these are the right giants. I knocked one trial out -of them; swords will not cut them. They are sleeping to-night under -twenty fathoms of water; but I am full sure that they will rise from it -healthy and sound in the morning. Now, be ready, all of you, to scatter -and go here and there throughout Erin. To-morrow, I am to try will fire -burn them; when I know that, I will tell you what to do.” - -The following morning, Fin went to where the giants had spent the night, -and whistled. The three rose up to him at once, and came to land. - -“Now,” said the eldest, as he looked around and saw the cattle, “a bite -to eat would not harm us.” - -With that he faced one of the bullocks, and caught the beast by one horn. - -“Leave him,” said Fin; “you have no call to that bullock.” - -Fin caught the bullock by the other horn. The giant pulled, and Fin held -his own. One pulled, the other pulled, till between them they split the -bullock from his muzzle to the tip of his tail, and made two equal parts -of him. - -“’Tis a deal for me to have this much itself,” said Fin. “I have saved -half of my master’s property. If ye want food, ye will get it at Fin’s -house. I will show the way; but first let me see will fire burn you.” - -“Very well; we will make a great fire, and go into it; we’ll stay in the -fire till the wood is burned down, and then rise out of it as well as -ever.” - -There were many trees in the country at that time. The giants and Fin -were not long making a great pile of dry limbs and logs. When the pile -was finished, the giants sat on the top of it, and Fin brought fire. The -flames rose as high as the tree-tops. - -“’Tis too hot here for me,” said Fin. - -“This is pleasant for us,” said the giants; and they laughed as Fin went -from the heat. - -Fin could not come within ten perches of the fire. It burned all day, and -the blaze of it was seen all the following night. In the afternoon of the -next day, the pile had burned down, and the three giants were sitting at -their ease on the hot coals. - -“Fire does not harm us; you see that,” said the giants. - -“I do, indeed,” said Fin; “and now ye may go to Fin’s house for -refreshment.” - -Fin showed them a long road, hurried home himself by a short one, and -gave command to the Fenians to scatter through Erin, and escape. Then, -turning to his mother, he said, “Make three cakes for the giants, put -iron griddles in the middle of them, and bake them a little in the ashes. -You will give these to the giants to eat. You will say that they are -soft, not well baked; that we complain when the bread is not hard. I will -lie down in the dark corner, in that big box there. Do you bind my head -and face with a cloth, and say, when the giants are eating, ‘This poor -child is sick; I think his teeth are coming.’” - -The old woman put three cakes in the ashes, and the griddles inside in -them. When the giants came, the cakes were ready, and the old woman was -sitting near the cradle. - -“Is this Fin MacCool’s house?” asked the giants. - -“It is,” said the old woman. - -“And is Fin himself in the house?” - -“He is not then,” said the old woman; “and it is seldom he is in it.” - -“Have you any food to give us?” - -“I have nothing but three loaves of bread; ye may have these, and -welcome.” - -“Give us the bread,” said the giants. - -The old woman put the cakes on the table. One took a bite, another took -a bite, then the third took a bite; and they all looked at one another. - -“I know ye think the bread too soft,” said Fin’s mother. “The Fenians -always blame me for making it too soft; and these cakes are not baked -very well. They are softer than the usual bread of the Fenians.” - -From shame, the giants ate the cakes, griddles and all. “Well,” muttered -they, “to say that men would eat the like of that bread, and call it too -soft! It is no wonder that they walked the world without finding their -equals.” - -“What exercise do the Fenians have after meals?” asked the giants. - -“There is a stone outside,” said the old woman, “which they throw over -the house. They throw the stone, run in one door, run out the door -opposite, and catch the stone before it comes to the earth.” - -One giant caught the stone, but did not throw it. “What is that?” said -the other, running up and lifting the stone. To show his power, he threw -it over the house, ran through both doors, and caught it coming down. The -same giant threw the stone back again, and left it in its old place. Each -of the others then did the same as the first. The life came near leaving -Fin when he heard the giants throwing the stone, and racing to catch it. -He was in dread they’d make bits of the house, and kill his old mother -and himself. - -“Oh, then,” said the giants, when they left the stone, “it is no wonder -that other people get no hand of the Fenians.” - -“Well, old woman,” said the eldest giant, “what is that you have there in -the dark corner?” - -“My grandson, and it is sick and peevish he is.” - -“I suppose the child is getting his teeth?” said the giant. - -“Indeed, then, I don’t know,” said the old woman; “but maybe it is the -teeth that are troubling him.” - -With that the eldest giant walked up to the cradle, and put his finger in -the child’s mouth; but if he did, Fin took two joints off his finger with -a bite. - -“Oh!” said the giant, “if the child grows like that till he is a man, he -will be the greatest champion in the world. To say that a child could -take the finger off me, and he in the cradle!” - -Away went the giants; and when they were gone, Fin called his eight -small men, and hurried to the ship. They hoisted sails, and went. They -raised gravel from the bottom of the sea, and put the foam of the waves -in the place of the gravel; and with every bound the ship made, she went -forward ten leagues. Never before did a ship cross the water so swiftly; -and Fin never stopped till he anchored in the Eastern World. He put the -fastenings of a day and a year on the ship, though he might not be absent -one hour, and went away with his men. They were going on and travelling, -and where did they come at last but to the castle of the old King of the -Eastern World, the father of the three giants. The old king laughed when -he saw Fin and the eight small men with him. - -“In what part of the world do such people live, and where are you going?” -asked the king. “You would better stay with me till my three sons come -home.” - -“Where are your sons?” asked Fin. - -“They are in Erin. They went to that country to bring me the head of Fin -MacCool, and to drown all his forces in the deep ocean.” - -“They must be great men,” said Fin, “to go against Fin MacCool, and to -think of drowning his forces, and bringing Fin’s head to you. Do you know -that no man ever got the better of Fin, or made any hand of the Fenians -of Erin?” - -“My sons are not like others,” said the king; “but will you stay with me?” - -“I will,” said Fin, “and why not?” - -The old king was very fond of amusement; and after a while Fin told what -a wonderful archer one of his little boys was. The king appointed a day -for a trial of skill in archery. All the greatest marksmen in the Eastern -World were invited. - -“Where does the king keep his sons’ three caps?” asked Fin of Knowing Man. - -“There is a secret chamber in the castle; no one here but the king knows -where it is. In that chamber are the caps. The king always keeps the key -of that chamber in his pocket.” - -“You must show the chamber to Thief, to-morrow,” said Fin. - -Next day, while the king was looking at the archery, and wondering at the -skill of Bowman, who sent an arrow through the two eyes of a bird on the -wing, Thief stole the key, and Knowing Man showed the secret chamber. - -Thief stole the three caps, and gave them to Fin. Lazy Back ran for -Bowman; and all were soon on the ship sailing for Erin as swiftly as they -had come. - -When the ship was near land in Erin, what should Fin see but all the -Fenians coming down from the hilltops, and the three giants behind, -driving them toward the water? He went to the top of the mast then, and -raised the three caps on three sticks. - -The giants looked at the vessel sailing in, and saw their own caps. That -moment there was neither strength nor life left in them. They fell to the -ground, and turned into three heaps of jelly. Fin had come just in season -to rescue his forces; in another half hour, he would not have found a man -of the Fenians alive in Erin. - -“Oh, but you are here in time!” said Oscar. - -“I am,” said Fin; “and it is well for you that I was able to come.” - -Fin and the Fenians had a great feast in Rahin, and a joyful night of it; -and no wonder, for life is sweet. - -Next day the time of the small men was out; and Fin went to the strand -with them. - -“I will pay you your wages to-day,” said Fin. “To each man five -gold-pieces. I am willing and glad to give more; for ye were the good -servants to me.” - -“We want nothing but our wages,” said the small men. - -Fin paid each five gold-pieces. He wanted the ship in which he had sailed -to the Eastern World, and kept his eye on it. - -“Oh,” said Three Sticks, “don’t mind that ship; look at the one beyond.” - -Fin turned in the other direction, and saw nothing but water. - -“There is no ship there,” said he, turning to Three Sticks. - -But Three Sticks and all his comrades were gone. Fin looked out on the -water; the ship was gone too. He was sorry for the ship, and sorry for -the small men; he would rather have them than all the Fenians of Erin. - - - - -FIN MACCOOL, CEADACH OG, AND THE FISH-HAG. - - -On a time Fin MacCool and the Fenians were living at Rahonain, a mile -distant from Fintra. While Fin and his men were near Fintra, a champion -called Ceadach Og, son of the King of Sorach, came to them to learn -feats of skill. They received Ceadach with gladness; and after a time he -learned all their feats, and departed. Fin and the Fenians were pleased -with his company; and Ceadach was grateful to Fin and the Fenians. - -At some distance from Fintra, there lived at that time a famed champion, -who taught feats of valor and arms, and was surnamed the Knight of -Instruction. With this man Ceadach engaged to gain still more knowledge. - -The Knight of Instruction had a daughter; and there was with him a second -man learning, whose nickname was Red Face. - -When the champions had learned all the feats from the knight, the two -were in love with his daughter. Not wishing that one of his pupils -should envy the other, the knight could not settle which man to choose. -He called then his druid, and laid the whole question before him. - -“My advice,” said the druid, “is this: Open two opposite doors in your -castle; place your daughter half-way between them; and let the two -champions pass out, one through one door, and one through the other. -Whomever your daughter will follow, let her be the wife of that man.” - -The champions had their own compact, that the man whom the young woman -would follow should let the other have three casts of a spear at him, and -he without right of defence; but if another would defend, he might let -him. - -The knight brought his daughter to the middle of the chamber, and opened -the doors. The young woman went out after Ceadach. - -Ceadach and his wife went their way then together; and he feared to stop -at any place till he came to a great lonesome forest. He went to the -middle of the forest, built a house there, and lived with his wife for a -season. - -One day as Fin was walking near the water at Fintra, he met a strange -creature,—a woman to the waist, from the waist a fish. The human half was -like an old hag. When Fin stopped before her, he greeted the hag. She -returned the greeting, and asked him to play chess for a sentence. - -“I would,” answered Fin, “if I had my own board and chessmen.” - -“I have a good board,” said the fish-hag. - -“If you have,” said Fin, “we will play; but if you win the first game, I -must go for my own board, and you will play the second on that.” - -The hag consented. They played on her chessboard, and the hag won that -game. - -“Well,” said Fin, “I must go for my own board, and do you wait till I -bring it.” - -“I will,” said the fish-hag. - -Fin brought his own board; and they played, and he won. - -“Now,” said Fin, “pass your sentence on me, since you won the first game.” - -“I will,” said the hag; “and I place you under sentence of weighty -druidic spells not to eat two meals off the one table, nor to sleep two -nights in the one bed, nor to pass out by the door through which you came -in, till you bring me the head of the Red Ox, and an account of what took -the eye from the Doleful Knight of the Island, and how he lost speech and -laughter. Now pass sentence on me.” - -“You will think it too soon when you hear it,” said Fin, “but here it is -for you. I place you under bonds of weighty druidic spells to stand on -the top of that gable above there, to have a sheaf of oats fixed on the -gable beyond you, and to have no earthly food while I’m gone, except what -the wind will blow through the eye of a needle fixed in front of you.” - -“Hard is your sentence, O Fin,” said the fish-hag. “Forgive me, and I’ll -take from your head my sentence.” - -“Never,” said Fin. “Go to your place without waiting.” - -Before Fin departed, the fish hag had mounted the gable. - -The fame of the Red Ox had spread through all lands in the world, and -no man could go near him without losing life. The Fenians were greatly -unwilling to face the Red Ox, and thought that no man could match him, -unless, perhaps, Ceadach. - -Though they knew not where Ceadach was living, nor where they were likely -to find him, they started in search of that champion. They played with a -ball, as they travelled, driving it forward before them, knowing that if -Ceadach saw the ball he would give it a blow. - -While passing the forest where Ceadach and his wife, the knight’s -daughter, were hiding, one of the Fenians gave the ball a great blow; -but as he aimed badly, the ball flew to one side, went far away, and fell -into the forest. - -Ceadach was walking away from his house when the ball fell, and he saw -it. He pulled down a tree-branch, and, giving a strong, direct blow, -drove the ball high in the air, and out of the forest. - -“No one struck that blow,” said the Fenians, “but Ceadach, and he is here -surely.” They went then toward the point from which they had seen the -ball coming, and there they found Ceadach. - -“A thousand welcomes, Fin MacCool,” said Ceadach. “Where are you going?” - -“I am under sentence to bring the head of the Red Ox; and ’tis for it -that I am going: but I never can bring it unless you assist me. Without -you, I cannot lift from my head the sentence that is on it.” - -“If it lay with me, I would go with you gladly; but I know that my wife -will not let me leave her. But do as I tell you now. When you come to -us to eat dinner, taste nothing, and when my wife asks you to eat, say -that you will not eat till she grants a request: if she will not grant -it, leave the house, and let all the Fenians follow; if she grants you a -request, you are to ask that I go with you. I know that she will grant -you any request, except to take me in your company; for she is in dread -that I may meet Red Face.” - -They went to the house; the wife welcomed Fin with the others, and -prepared dinner. When meat was placed before Fin, he would not taste it. - -“Why not eat, O King of the Fenians?” - -“I have a request to make. If you grant it, I will eat; if not, neither I -nor my men will taste food.” - -“Any request in my power, I will grant,” said she, “except one.” - -“What is that?” inquired Fin. - -“If you want Ceadach to go with you, I’ll not grant that.” - -“’Tis he that I want,” answered Fin. - -“You’ll not get him.” - -“Well, you may keep him,” said Fin, rising from the table; and all the -men followed. Conan Maol, who was with them, thought it hard to leave the -dinner untasted, so he took a joint of meat with him. - -When Fin and the Fenians had gone, Ceadach said to his wife, “It is a -great shame to us that Fin and the Fenians have left our house without -tasting food, and this their first visit. Never can I face a man of the -Fenians after what has happened this day.” And he talked till the wife -consented to let him go with them. - -Ceadach then whistled after Fin, who came back with his men; and they -raised three shouts of joy when they heard that Ceadach would go with -them. They entered the house then; all sat down to dinner, and they -needed it badly. - -After dinner, all set out together, and went to Ceadach’s father, the -King of Sorach, who was very powerful, and had many ships (Fin and the -Fenians had no ships at that time). Ceadach’s father had received no -account of his son from the time that he left him at first, and was -rejoiced at his coming. - -Said Fin to the King of Sorach, “I need a ship to bear me to the land -where the Red Ox is kept.” - -“You may take the best ship I have,” said the king. - -Fin chose the best ship, and was going on board with his men when -Ceadach’s wife said to him, “When coming back, you are to raise black -sails if Ceadach is killed, but white sails if he is living.” - -Fin commanded, and the men turned the prow to the sea, and the -stern to land; they raised the great sweeping sails, and took their -smoothly-polished ship past harbors with gently-sloping shores, and there -the ship left behind it pale-green wavelets. Then a mighty wind swept -through great flashing waves with such force that not a nail in the ship -was left unheated, nor the finger of a man inactive; and the ship raised -with its sailing a proud, haughty ridge in the sea. When the wind failed, -they sat down with their oars of fragrant beech or white ash, and with -every stroke they sent the ship forward three leagues through the water, -where fishes, seals, and monsters rose around them, making music and -sport, and giving courage to the men; and they never stopped nor cooled -till they entered the chief port of the land where the Red Ox was kept. - -When all had landed; Ceadach said, “I need the fleetest man of the -Fenians to help me against the Red Ox; and now tell me what each of you -can do, and how fast he can run.” - -“Let out,” said one man, “twelve hares in a field with twelve gaps in it, -and I will not let a hare out through any gap of the twelve.” - -“Take a sieve full of chaff,” said a second man, “to the top of a -mountain; let the chaff go out with the wind; and I will gather all in -again before as much as one bit of it comes to the ground.” - -“When I run at full speed,” said a third man, “my tread is so light that -the dry, withered grass is not crushed underneath me.” - -“Now, Dyeermud,” said Ceadach, “I think that you were the swiftest of all -when I was the guest of Fin MacCool and the Fenians of Erin; tell me, how -swift are you now?” - -“I am swifter,” said Dyeermud, “than the thought of a woman when she is -thinking of two men.” - -“Oh, you will do,” said Ceadach; “you are the fleetest of the Fenians; -come with me.” - -Fin and the Fenians remained near the ship, while Ceadach and Dyeermud -went off to face the Red Ox. - -The Red Ox’s resting-place was enclosed by a wall and a hedge; outside -was a lofty stone pillar; on this pillar the Red Ox used to rub his two -sides. The Ox had but one horn, and that in the middle of his forehead. -With that horn, which was four feet in length, he let neither fly, wasp, -gnat, nor biting insect come near, and whatever creature came toward him, -he sniffed from a distance. - -When he sniffed the two champions, he rushed at them. Ceadach bounded -toward the pillar. - -Dyeermud took shelter at the hedge, and waited to see what would happen. - -Ceadach ran round the pillar, and the Red Ox ran after him. Three days -and three nights did they run; such was the speed of the two that -Dyeermud never caught sight of them during that time, nor did they have -sight of each other: the Red Ox followed by scent. Near the close of the -third day, when both were growing tired, the Ox, seeing Ceadach, stopped -for an instant to run across and pierce him with his horn. Dyeermud got a -glimpse of the Ox, then rose in the air like a bird, split the forehead -of the Ox with one blow, and stretched him. - -“My love on your blow,” said Ceadach; “and it was time for you to give -it.” - -“Purblindness and blindness to me,” replied Dyeermud, “if I saw the Ox -till that instant.” - -Both were now joyful; for they had the head to take with them. - -“If Fin and his men had this carcass,” said Dyeermud, “it would give them -beef for many a day.” - -“Well, Dyeermud,” asked Ceadach, “how much of the Ox can you carry?” - -“I think I can take one quarter, with the head.” - -“If you can do that,” said Ceadach, “I’ll take the rest of the carcass -myself.” - -Cutting off one quarter, he thrust through it the point of the horn, put -the horn on Dyeermud’s shoulder, with the head and quarter before and -behind him. Ceadach took the other three quarters himself. Before they -had gone half the way to the vessel, Dyeermud was tired, and Ceadach had -to take that quarter as well as his own three; the head was as much as -Dyeermud could carry. - -When the two men appeared at the ship, all rejoiced greatly, and welcomed -them. Fin took the borabu then, and sounded it from joy; this sound -could be heard through the world. As the report had gone to all regions -that Fin was under sentence to kill the Red Ox, when Red Face heard the -borabu, he said to himself, “That is Fin; the Red Ox is killed; no one -could kill him but Ceadach, and Ceadach is where the borabu is.” Red Face -had the power of druidic spells; so he rose in the air, and soon dropped -down near the Fenians, and was unseen till he stood there before them. - -Said Red Face to Ceadach, “’Tis many a day that I am following you; you -must stand your ground now.” - -“What you ask is but fair,” answered Ceadach. - -Red Face went to the distance of a spear’s cast, and hurled his spear at -Ceadach; but Dyeermud sprang up and caught it on his heel. Red Face made -a second cast. Goll MacMorna raised his hand to stop the spear; but it -went through his hand, and, going farther, pierced Ceadach, and killed -him. - -Red Face then vanished; and no man knew when he vanished, or to what -place he went. - -When Ceadach fell, the Fenians raised seven loud cries of grief that -drove the badgers from the glens in which they were sleeping. - -Said Dyeermud to Fin, “Chew your thumb to know how we can bring Ceadach -to life.” - -Fin chewed his thumb from the skin to the flesh, from the flesh to the -bone, from the bone to the marrow, from the marrow to the juice, and then -he knew that there was a sow with three pigs in the Eastern World, and if -blood from one of these pigs were put on Ceadach’s wound, he would rise -up well and healthy. - -Fin took some men, and, leaving others to watch over Ceadach, set sail -for the Eastern World, and never stopped till he anchored in a port near -the place where the sow and her pigs were. - -Fin knew all paths to the lair of the sow; and they went to it -straightway. When they came, she was away hunting food; so they took the -three pigs, hurried back to the vessel, set sail in all haste, and were -soon out at sea. When the sow came back to her lair, it was empty. Then -she found the scent of the men, followed it to the sea, and swam after -the ship. - -When the ship had made one-third of the voyage, the sow came in sight, -and was soon near the stern. Fin ordered his men to throw out one pig -of the three. The sow took the pig in her mouth, turned back, swam home, -and left it in her lair. She turned a second time, followed the ship, -and such was her speed and her venom, that little more than one-half of -the voyage was over when the sow was in sight again. When near the ship, -they threw her the second pig. The mother went back to her lair with the -second pig, left it with the first, and rushed after the ship a third -time. Land was in sight when they saw the sow raging on after them. - -“Oh, we are lost!” cried the Fenians. - -Dyeermud then took a bow with an arrow, and, resting the bow on another -man’s shoulder, aimed so truly at the widely-opened mouth of the sow, -that the arrow, going in through her mouth, pierced her blood veins, and -in no long time she turned her back downward and died. - -They landed in safety, bled the pig; and when they let some of the blood -into Ceadach’s spear-wound, he sprang up alive. - -When Ceadach was restored, Fin blew the borabu, and the Fenians raised -seven shouts of joy that were heard throughout the whole kingdom. Then -they set sail for Sorach. - -Ceadach’s wife thought her husband long in coming, and was watching and -waiting every day for him. At last she saw the ship with white sails, -and was glad. - -Fin and his men landed, but left Ceadach on board. - -“Where is Ceadach?” asked the wife, running out to meet Fin. - -“He is dead on the vessel,” said Fin. - -“Why did you not raise black sails as you promised?” - -“We were so troubled that we forgot it.” - -“It was well for you to forget; for if you had raised black sails, I -should have drowned every man of you.” - -“Ceadach is living and well; have no fear,” said Fin, and he sounded the -borabu. - -Ceadach landed. His father and wife were so glad to see him that they -feasted Fin and the Fenians for seven days and seven nights. - -Fin told Ceadach’s wife of all their adventures, and what struggles they -had in bringing her husband to life. She was glad; for the trouble with -Red Face was ended. - -Ceadach went now with Fin to visit the Doleful Knight of the Island; and -they never halted nor stopped till they came to his castle. - -Fin found the knight sitting at a great heavy table, his head on his -hand, his elbow on the table, into which it had worn a deep hole; a -stream of tears was flowing from his eye to the table, and from the table -to the floor. - -“A hundred thousand welcomes to you, Fin MacCool,” said the knight; and -he began to weep more than ever. “I was once in prosperity, and at that -time this was a pleasant place for a good man to visit; but now it is -different. I have food in plenty, but no one to cook it.” - -“If that’s all your trouble,” said Fin, “we can cure it.” - -Fin’s men were not slow in preparing a dinner. When the dinner was eaten, -the knight turned to Fin and inquired, “Why have you come to my castle, -Chief of the Fenians of Erin?” - -“I will tell you,” said Fin. Then he related his story, and all his -adventures with Ceadach. - -“Well,” said the knight, “it will shorten my life by seven years to give -the tale of my sufferings; for they will be as fresh to me now, as when -first I went through them. But as you are under bonds to know them, I -will tell you. - -“I was here in wealth and prosperity, myself and my three sons. We used -to hunt beasts and birds with our dogs when it pleased us. On a May -morning a hare came, and frisked before my hall-door. Myself and my three -sons then followed her with dogs, and followed all day till the height of -the evening. Then we saw the hare enter an old fairy fort. The opening -was wide; we were able to follow. In we rushed, all of us, and the next -thing we saw was a fine roomy building. We went in, looked around for the -hare, but saw not a sight of her. There was no one within but an old man -and woman. We were not long inside till three gruagachs came, each with a -wild boar on his shoulders. They threw the wild boars on the floor, and -told me to clean them, and cook them for dinner. One of my sons fell to -cleaning a boar; but for every hair that he took from him, ten new ones -came out, so the sooner he stopped work the better. - -“Then one of the old gruagach’s sons placed the boars in a row, the head -of the one near the tail of the other, and, taking a reed, blew once, -the hair was gone from all three; twice, the three boars were dressed; a -third time, all were swept into one caldron. - -“When the meal was cooked and ready, a gruagach brought two spits to me, -one of dull wood, the other formed of sharp iron. The old man asked, -‘Which will you choose?’ - -“I chose the sharp iron spit, went to the caldron, and thrust in the -spit; but if I did, I raised only a poor, small bit of meat, mostly bone. -That was what I and my three sons had for dinner. - -“After dinner, the old man said, ‘Your sons may perform now a feat for -amusement.’ - -“In three rooms were three cross-beams, as high from the floor as a man’s -throat. In the middle of each beam was a hole. Through this hole passed -a chain, with a loop at each end of it. In front of the hole on each -side of the beam was a knife, broad and sharp. One loop of each chain -was put on the neck of a son of mine, and one on the neck of a gruagach. -Then each of the six was striving to save his own throat, and to cut off -the head of the other man; but the gruagachs pulled my three sons to the -cross-beams, and took the three heads off them. - -“Then they dressed them, and boiled them for supper. When that supper was -ready, they struggled to force me to eat some, but could not. Next they -threw me across the broad table, plucked out one eye from my head, thrust -a light in the socket, and made me lie there, and serve as a candlestick. -In the morning, I was flung out through the door, while the gruagach -cried after me, ‘You’ll not come to this castle a second time!’” - -“Have you seen that hare since?” inquired Ceadach. - -“I have, for she comes each May morning, and that renews and gives -strength to my sorrow.” - -“To-morrow will be May day; come with me, and we’ll hunt her,” said -Ceadach. - -“I will not,” said the Knight of the Island. - -The hare came after breakfast next morning, and halted in front of the -castle. The knight was unwilling to hunt, but still yielded to Ceadach, -and followed with the others. - -Time after time, they came close to the hare, but never could catch her. -At last, in the height of the evening, when nearing the same fairy fort, -the hound Bran snapped at the haunch of the hare, and took a full bite -from her. All passed through the entrance, found the house, and no person -inside but an old man and woman. The old woman was lying in bed, and she -groaning. - -“Have you seen a hare in this house?” inquired Ceadach. - -“I have not,” said the old man. - -Ceadach saw traces of blood on the bed, and went toward the old woman, -who was covered up closely; raising the clothes, he said, “Maybe ’tis -here that the hare is.” - -The old woman was covered with blood, and wounded in the very same way as -the hare. They knew then who was the cause of misfortune to the Knight of -the Island, and who made the visits each year on May morning. - -They were not long in the house when the gruagachs, the sons of the old -man, came in, each with a wild boar on his shoulders. Seeing the Knight -of the Island, they laughed, and said, “We thought you had enough of this -place the first time that you came here.” - -“I saw more than I wished to see,” said the Knight of the Island; “but I -had to come this time.” - -“Have you any man to cook dinner for us?” asked the old gruagach of Fin. - -“I’ll do that myself,” put in Ceadach, who turned to one of the brothers, -and asked, “Where is your reed; I must use it.” - -The reed was brought. Ceadach blew once, the boars were clean; twice, -they were dressed, and ready; thrice, they were in the caldron. - -When the spits were brought, Ceadach took the dull wooden spit, thrust it -into the pot, and took up all that was in there. - -Fin, Ceadach, and the knight ate to their own satisfaction; then they -invited the old gruagach and his three sons to dinner. - -“What amusement have you in this place?” asked Fin, later in the evening. - -“We have nothing,” said the old gruagach and his sons. - -“Where are your chains?” asked Ceadach. - -“We make no use of them now,” said the young gruagachs. - -“You must bring them,” said Ceadach. - -The chains were brought, drawn through the cross-beams, and three loops -of them put on the necks of the gruagachs. No matter what strength was in -the three brothers, nor how they struggled, Ceadach brought their throats -to the knives, and took the three heads off them. Next they were boiled -in the caldron, as the knight’s three sons had been boiled the first -time. Then Ceadach seized the old gruagach, flung him across the broad -table, plucked out one eye from his head, and fixed a light in the empty -socket. - -At sight of what the gruagachs passed through, the Doleful Knight of the -Island let one roaring laugh out of him, his first laugh in seven years. - -Next morning Ceadach, pointing to the Knight of the Island, said to the -old gruagach, “Unless you bring this man’s three sons to life, I will -take your own head from you.” - -The bones of the three sons were in three heaps of dust outside the door. -The gruagach took a rod of enchantment, and struck the bones. The three -sons of the knight rose up as well and strong as ever, and went home. The -Knight of the Island gave a feast to Fin and Ceadach. After that Fin, -with his men and Ceadach, sailed back to the King of Sorach. Ceadach -remained with his wife and father. Fin went to the harbor of Fintra, -taking with him the head of the Red Ox, and the story of the Doleful -Knight, to the fish-hag. - -“Have you the head of the Red Ox?” asked the hag. - -“I have,” answered Fin. - -“You will give it to me,” said the hag. - -“I will not,” answered Fin. “If I was bound to bring it, I was not bound -to give it.” - -When she heard that, the hag dropped to the earth, and became a few -bones. - - - - -FIN MACCOOL, FAOLAN, AND THE MOUNTAIN OF HAPPINESS. - - -When Fin MacCool and the Fenians of Erin were at Fintra, they went -hunting one day; and the man who killed the first deer was Dyeermud. -When the hunt was over, they returned to the place where the first deer -was started, and began, as was usual, to prepare the day’s feast. While -preparing the feast, they saw a ship sailing into the harbor, with only -one woman on board. The Fenians were greatly surprised at the speed of -the vessel; and Dyeermud said to Fin, “I will go and see who is the woman -coming in that vessel.” - -“You killed the first deer,” replied Fin, “and the honors of the feast on -this day are yours. I myself will go down and see who the woman is.” - -The woman cast anchor, sprang ashore, and saluted Fin, when he came to -the strand. Fin returned the salute, and, after a while, she asked, “Will -you play a game of chess for a sentence?” - -“I will,” answered Fin. - -They played, and she won. - -“What is your sentence on me?” inquired Fin. - -“I sentence you, under bonds of heavy enchantment,” said she, “to take me -for your wife.” - -Fin had to marry the woman. After a time, she said, “I must leave you now -for a season.” - -Fin drove his sword then, with one mighty blow, into a tree-stump, and -said, “Call your son Faolan [little wolf], and never send him to me until -he is able to draw the sword from this stump.” - -She took the stump with her, and sailed away homeward. She nursed her son -for only three days, and preserved the rest of the milk for a different -use. The boy was called Faolan, was trained well in the use of all arms, -and when ten years of age, he was skilled beyond any master. One day -there was a game of hurley, and Faolan played alone, against twenty one -others. The rule of that game was that whoever won was to get three blows -of his club on each one who played against him. Faolan gave three blows -to each of the twenty-one men; among them was one who was very much hurt -by the blows, and he began to say harsh words to Faolan, and added, “You -don’t know your own father.” - -Faolan was greatly offended at this. He went home to his mother, in -tears, and asked, “Who is my father? I will never stop nor stay till I -find him.” - -“What caused your vexation?” asked the mother. “Why do you ask such a -question at this time?” - -Faolan told her the words of the player. At last she said, “Your father -is Fin MacCool, Chief of the Fenians of Erin; but you are not to be sent -to him till you can draw his sword from the tree-stump into which he -drove it with one blow.” - -“Show me the sword and the tree-stump,” said Faolan. - -She took him then to the stump. With one pull, he drew out the sword. - -“Prepare me food for the road,” said Faolan. “I will go to my father.” - -The mother made ready three loaves of bread, kneaded them with the milk -which she had saved, and baked them. - -“My son,” said she, “do not refuse bread on the journey to any one whom -you meet; give it from these loaves, even should you meet your worst -enemy.” - -She took down a sword then, gave it to him, and said, “This was your -grandfather’s sword; keep it, and use it till a better one comes to you.” - -Faolan took a blessing of his mother, set out on his journey, and was -walking always, till he came to a harbor where he found a ship bound for -Erin. He went on board, and was not sailing long, when a venomous hound -rose up in the sea, and cast such high waves at the vessel as to throw it -back a long distance. - -Remembering his mother’s advice about sharing the bread, Faolan threw one -loaf to the hound. This seemed to appease him. He had not sailed much -further, when the hound rose again. Faolan threw out the second loaf; and -the beast disappeared for a while, but rose the third time, and drove -back the vessel. Faolan threw the third loaf; and, after disappearing -the third time, the hound rose the fourth time. Having nothing to give, -Faolan seized a brazen ball which his mother had given him, and, hurling -it at the hound with good aim, killed him on the spot. As soon as the -hound fell, there rose up a splendid youth, who came on board, and, -shaking Faolan’s hand, said,— - -“I thank you; you delivered me from enchantment. I am your mother’s -brother; and there was nothing to free me till I ate three loaves kneaded -with your mother’s milk, and was then killed by you with that brazen -ball. You are near Ventry Strand now; among the first men you meet will -be your own father. You will know him by his dress; and when you meet -him, kneel down and ask for his blessing. As I have nothing else to give, -here is a ring to wear on your finger, and whenever you look at it you -will feel neither cold, thirst, nor hunger.” - -When they landed, the uncle went his own way and vanished. Faolan saw -champions playing on the strand, throwing a great weighty sledge. - -Knowing Fin from his mother’s description, he knelt down at his feet, and -asked for his blessing. - -“If you are a son of mine,” said Fin, “you are able to hurl this sledge.” - -“He is too young,” said Dyeermud, “to throw such a weight; and it is a -shame for you to ask him to throw it.” - -The youth then, growing angry, caught the sledge, and hurled it seven -paces beyond the best man of the Fenians. - -Fin shook hands with the youth; and his heart grew big at having such a -son. Dyeermud shook his hand also, and swore that as long as he lived he -would be to him a true comrade. - -When dinner-time came, Fin bade Faolan sit down at his right hand, where -Conan Maol, son of Morna, sat usually. Fin gave this place to Conan -to keep him in humor. Conan grew enraged now, and said, “It is great -impudence for a stripling to sit in my place.” - -“I know not who you are,” said Faolan, “but from what I hear you must be -Conan Maol, who has never a good word for any man; and I would break your -head on the wall, but I don’t wish to annoy people present.” - -It was a custom of the Fenians in eating to set aside every bone that -had marrow for Oscar, and as Faolan had a thick marrow-bone in his hand, -he began to pick out the marrow, and eat it. This enraged Oscar, and he -said, “You must put that bone aside as the others put their bones; that -is my due, and I will have it.” - -“As the meat is mine,” said Faolan, “so is the marrow.” - -Oscar snatched at the youth, and caught the bone by one end. Faolan -held the other end. Both pulled till they broke the bone, then, seizing -each other, they went outside for a struggle. As the two were so nearly -related, the other men stopped them. Fin took Oscar aside then, and -asked, “How long could you live if we let the youth keep his grip on you?” - -“If he kept his grip with the same strength, I could not live five -minutes longer.” - -Fin took Faolan aside then, and asked the same question. - -“I could live for twelve months, if he squeezed me no tighter.” - -The two then kept peace with each other. All were very fond of Faolan, -especially Dyeermud, who was a good, loyal comrade; and he warned Faolan -to distrust and avoid Grainne, Fin’s wife, as much as he could. The youth -was learning, meanwhile, to practise feats of activity and bravery. At -the end of twelve months, the Fenians were setting out on a distant hunt, -for which they had long been preparing. On the eve of the hunt, Grainne -dropped on her knees before Fin, and begged him to leave Faolan with -her for company, until he and the rest would return. Fin consented, and -Faolan stayed with Grainne. - -When all the others had gone to the great hunt, Faolan and Grainne went -also to hunt in the neighborhood. They did not go far, and returned. -After dinner, Grainne asked Faolan would he play a game of chess for a -small sentence. He said that he would. They played, and he won. - -“What is your sentence on me?” asked Grainne. - -“I have no sentence at this time,” replied Faolan. - -They played again, and she won. - -“Now put your sentence on me,” said the youth. - -“You will think it soon enough when you hear it. You are not to eat two -meals off the same table, nor sleep two nights on the same bed, till -you bring me the tallow of the three oxen on Sliav Sein [Mountain of -Happiness].” - -When he heard this sentence, he went off, threw himself face downward on -his bed, and remained there without eating or drinking till the Fenians -came back from the hunt. Fin and Dyeermud, not seeing Faolan when they -came, went in search of him. - -“Have you found Faolan?” asked Dyeermud of Fin, when he met him soon -after. - -“I have not,” answered Fin. - -Dyeermud then went to see if he could find Faolan in bed. As the door of -his chamber was fastened, and no one gave answer, Dyeermud forced it, and -found Faolan on his face in the bed. After they had greeted each other, -Faolan told of the trouble that was on him. - -“I gave you warning against Grainne,” said Dyeermud; “but did you win any -game of her?” - -“I did; but have put no sentence on her yet.” - -“I am glad,” answered Dyeermud; “and let me frame the sentence. I swear -by my sword to be loyal to you; and where you fall, I will fall also. -But be cheerful, and come to the feast.” - -They went together, and Fin, seeing them, was glad. He knew, however, -that something had happened to Faolan. Dyeermud went to Fin, and told him -of the mishap to the youth. Fin was troubled at what had come on his son. - -“I have sworn,” said Dyeermud, “to follow Faolan wherever he may be.” - -“I will send with him,” said Fin, “the best man of the Fenians.” - -Dyeermud, Oscar, and Goll, son of Morna, were summoned. - -“What is your greatest feat?” inquired Fin of Goll. - -“If I were to stand in the middle of a field with my sword in my hand on -the rainiest day that ever rose, I could keep my head dry with my sword, -not for that day alone, but for a day and a year,” answered Goll. - -“That is a good feat,” said Fin. “What is your greatest feat, Oscar?” - -“If I open a bag filled with feathers on a mountain-top of a stormy day, -and let the feathers fly with the wind, the last feather will barely be -out of the bag, when I will have every feather of them back into the bag -again.” - -“That is a very good feat,” answered Fin, “but it is not enough yet. -Now, Dyeermud, what is your feat of swiftness?” - -“If I were put on a space of seven hundred acres, and each acre with a -hedge around it, and there were seven hundred gaps in the hedge of each -acre, and seven hundred hares were put on each acre of the seven hundred, -I would not let one hare out of the seven hundred acres for a day and a -year.” - -“That is a great feat,” remarked Fin; “that will do.” - -“Chew your thumb, O Fin,” said Dyeermud, “and tell me if it is fated to -us to come back from the journey?” - -Fin chewed his thumb. “You will come back; but the journey will be a hard -and a long one: you will be ankle deep in your own blood.” - -Dyeermud went to Faolan, and told him what sentence to put upon Grainne. - -On the following day, Fin led Grainne forth for her sentence; and Faolan -said, “You are to stand on the top of Sliav Iolar [Mount Eagle], till I -come back to Fintra; you are to hold in your hand a fine needle; you are -to have no drink saving what rain you can suck through the eye of that -needle, no food except what oats will be blown through the eye of that -very needle from a sheaf on Sliav Varhin; and Dyeermud will give three -blows of a flail to the sheaf to loosen the grain.” - -Faolan and Dyeermud set out on their journey. They travelled three days, -and saw no house in which they could rest for the night. - -“When we find a house,” said Dyeermud, “we will have from the people a -lodging, either with their good will, or in spite of them.” - -“I will help you in that,” said Faolan. - -On the evening of the fourth day, a large white-fronted castle appeared -in the distance. They went toward it, and knocked at the door. A fine -young woman welcomed them kindly, and kissed Faolan. “You and I,” said -she, “were born at the same hour, and betrothed at our birth. Your mother -married Fin to rescue her brothers, your uncles, from the bonds of -enchantment.” - -They sat down to eat and drink, the young woman, Dyeermud, and Faolan; -they were not long eating when in came four champions, all torn, cut, and -bleeding. When Dyeermud saw these, he started up, and seized his sword. - -“Have no fear,” said the young woman to Dyeermud. - -“We are returning from battle with a wild hag in the neighborhood,” said -the four champions. “She is trying to take our land from us; and this is -the seventh year that we are battling with the hag. All of her warriors -that we kill in the daytime, she raises at night; and we have to fight -them again the next day.” - -“No man killed by my sword revives; and these will not, if I kill them,” -said Dyeermud. - -“They would revive after your sword,” said the four champions. - -“Do you stay at home to-morrow,” said Dyeermud; “Faolan and I will give -battle to the hag and her forces; no one whom we slay will trouble you -hereafter.” - -The four champions agreed, and gave every direction how to find the wild -hag and her army. Faolan and Dyeermud went to the field; one began at -one end, and one at the other, and fought till they met in the middle at -sunset, and slew all the hag’s warriors. - -“Go back to the castle,” said Faolan to Dyeermud; “I will rest here -to-night, and see what gives life to the corpses.” - -“I will stay,” replied Dyeermud, “and you may return.” - -“No, I will stay here,” said Faolan; “if I want help, I will run to the -castle.” - -Dyeermud went back to the castle. About midnight, Faolan heard the voice -of a man in the air just above him. “Is there any one living?” asked the -voice. Faolan, with a bound, grasped the man, and, drawing him down with -one hand, pierced him through with a sword in his other hand. The man -fell dead; and then, instead of the old man that he seemed at first, he -rose up a fresh young man of twenty two years. The young man embraced and -thanked Faolan. “I am your uncle,” said he, “brother of the poisonous -hound that you freed from enchantment at sea. I was fourteen years in -the power of the wild hag, and could not be freed till my father’s sword -pierced me. Give me that sword which belonged to my father. It was to -deliver me that your mother gave you that blade. I will give you a better -one still, since you are a greater champion than I. I will give you my -grandfather’s sword; here it is. When the wild hag grows uneasy at my -delay, she herself will hasten hither. She knew that you were to come and -release me, and she is preparing this long time to meet you. For seven -years, she has been making steel nails to tear you to pieces; and she has -sweet music which she will play when she sees you: that music makes every -man sleep when he hears it. When you feel the sleep coming, stab your leg -with your sword; that will keep you awake. She will then give you battle; -and if you chance to cut off her head, let not the head come to the body: -for if it comes on the body, all the world could not take it away. When -you cut off her head, grasp it in one hand, and hold it till all the -blood flows out; make two halves of the head, holding it in your hand -all the while; and I will remove the stone cover from a very deep well -here at hand; and do you throw the split head into that well, and put the -cover on again.” - -The uncle went aside then; and soon the hag came through the air. Seeing -Faolan, she began to play strains of beautiful music, which were putting -him to sleep; but he thrust his new sword in the calf of his leg, and -kept away sleep. The wild hag, outwitted, attacked the youth fiercely, -and he went at her in earnest. Every time that she caught him with her -nails, she scraped skin and flesh from his head to his heels; and then, -remembering his mother, and being aroused by his uncle, he collected his -strength, and with one blow cut the head off the hag; but he was so spent -from the struggle that it took him some time to seize the head, and so -weak was he that he could not raise his hand to split it. - -“Lay your sword on the head; the blade alone will split it!” cried the -uncle. - -Faolan did this. The sword cut the head; and then Faolan threw the head -into the well. Just as he was going to cover the well, the head spoke, -and said, “I put you under bonds of heavy enchantment not to eat two -meals off the same table, nor sleep two nights on the same bed, till -you tell the Cat of Gray Fort that you destroyed the wild hag out of her -kingdom.” - -The uncle embraced Faolan then, and said, “Now I will go to my sister, -your mother; but first I will guide you to this hag’s enchanted well: if -you bathe in its water, you will be as sound and well as ever.” - -Faolan went, bathed in the well, and, when fully recovered, returned -to the castle. Thinking Gray Fort must be near by, he did not rouse -Dyeermud, but went alone in search of the cat. He travelled all day, and -at last saw a great fort with the tail of a cat sticking out of it. “This -may be the cat,” thought he, and he went around the whole fort to find -the head. He found it thrust out just beyond the tail. - -“Are you the Cat of Gray Fort?” inquired Faolan. - -“I am,” said the cat. - -“If you are,” said Faolan, “I destroyed the wild hag out of her kingdom.” - -“If you did,” said the cat, “you will kill no one else; for the hag was -my sister.” - -The cat rushed at Faolan then; and, bad as the hag had been, the cat -was far worse. The two fought that night furiously, till the following -morning, when Faolan cut the cat in two halves across the middle. The -half that the head was on ran around trying to meet the other half; but -before it could do so, Faolan cut the head off the front half. Then the -head spoke, and said,— - -“I put you under bonds of enchantment not to eat two meals off the one -table, nor sleep two nights on the one bed, till you tell the Kitten of -Cul MacKip that you killed the Cat of Gray Fort and destroyed the wild -hag out of her kingdom.” - -Faolan then hurried forward to find the kitten. Thinking that her place -was near, he did not go back to the castle for Dyeermud, but held on the -whole day, walking always. Toward evening, he saw a castle, went toward -it, and entered it. When inside he saw half a loaf of barley-bread and a -quart of ale placed on the window. “Whoever owns these, I will use them,” -said the youth. - -When he had eaten and drunk, he put down a fire for the night, and saw -a kitten lying near the ashes. “This may be the Kitten of Cul MacKip,” -thought he; and, shaking it, he asked, “Are you the Kitten of Cul MacKip?” - -“I am,” said the kitten. - -“If you are,” said Faolan, “then I tell you that I killed the Cat of Gray -Fort and destroyed the wild hag out of her kingdom.” - -“If you did,” said the kitten, “you will never kill any one else,” and, -starting up, the kitten stretched, and was as big as a horse in a moment. -She sprang at Faolan, and he at her. They fought fiercely that night, and -the following day, but Faolan, toward evening, swept the head off the -kitten; but as he did, the head spoke, and said, “I put you under bonds -of heavy enchantment not to eat two meals off the same table, nor sleep -two nights on the same bed, till you tell the Dun Ox that you slew the -Kitten of Cul MacKip, killed the Cat of Gray Fort, and destroyed the wild -hag out of her kingdom.” - -Before setting out, Faolan saw a brass ball on the window, and, taking -it, said to himself, “I may kill some game with this on the road.” - -Away he went then, and walked on till he came to where the road lay -through a wood; near the road was a forester’s cabin. Out came the -forester with a hundred thousand welcomes. - -“Glad am I to see you; gladder still would I be if your comrade, -Dyeermud, were with you,” said the forester. - -“Can you tell me where the Dun Ox is?” asked Faolan. - -“In this wood,” said the forester; “but do you bring your comrade to help -you against the Dun Ox; by no chance can you slay him alone. The Dun Ox -has only one eye, and that in the middle of his forehead; over that eye -is a shield of white metal; from that shield two bars of iron run back -to the tail of the ox. Behind him, two champions are on guard always; -and when any one nears him, the ox sniffs the stranger, and roars; the -champions lean on the bars then, and raise up the shield. When the one -eye of the ox sees the person approaching, that moment the person falls -dead. What are your chances of slaying that ox? Go back for your comrade.” - -“I will not,” said Faolan; “the ox will fall by me, or I by the ox.” - -“It is you that will fall,” said the forester. - -Faolan entered the cabin, where the forester treated him well. Next -morning the forester showed the path that lay toward the place where the -ox was. Faolan had not gone far when the ox roared, and, looking in the -direction of the roar, he saw the two champions just seizing the bars -to raise up the shield, so, failing other means, he sent the ball, with -a well-aimed cast, and crushed in the forehead of the ox through the -shield. The ox fell dead, but, before falling, his eye turned on Faolan, -who dropped dead also. - -Dyeermud slept a hero’s sleep of seven days and seven nights. When he -woke, and found no tidings of Faolan, he was furious; but the four -champions calmed him; and the young woman said, “The wild hag may have -killed him; but if as much as one bone of his body can be found, I will -bring him to life again.” - -Dyeermud, Faolan’s betrothed, and her four brothers set out, and, coming -to the battle-field, found the army of the wild hag slain, but no trace -of Faolan. They went to the well then, and saw the split head there. - -The six went to Gray Fort, and found the cat dead, the hind-part in one -place, the fore-part in a second, and the head in a third. - -“The head must have sent him to the Kitten of Cul MacKip,” said the young -woman; “that kitten has twice as much witch power as the cat and the old -hag; all three are sisters.” - -They went farther, and, finding the kitten dead, went to find the Dun -Ox; “for Faolan must be dead near him,” said the young woman. When they -came to his cabin, the forester greeted them, and gave a hundred thousand -welcomes to Dyeermud, who was surprised, and inquired, “How do you know -me? I have never been in this country before.” - -“I know you well; for I saw you two years ago in combat with the Champion -of the Eastern World on Ventry Strand. Many persons were looking at that -combat, but you did not see them. I was there with the others.” - -“Have you seen a young champion pass this way?” asked Dyeermud. - -“I have,” said the forester; “but he must have perished by the Dun Ox, -for I have not heard the ox bellow this long time.” - -The six spent that night at the forester’s cabin; and, setting out next -morning early, they soon found Faolan. The young woman bathed him with -some fluid from a vial, and, opening his mouth, poured the rest down -his throat. He rose up at once, as sound and healthy as ever. All went -to the ox, which they found lying dead, and the two champions also; -and, searching about, they found the brazen ball sunk in the earth -some distance away. Faolan took it up carefully. They went back to the -forester’s cabin, and enjoyed themselves well. - -“Do you know where the Mountain of Happiness is?” inquired Dyeermud of -the forester, during the night. - -“I do not,” said the forester; “but I know where the Black-Blue Giant -lives, and he knows every place in the world. That giant has never given -a meal or a night’s lodging to any man. He has an only daughter, who is -in love with you, since she saw you two years ago in combat with the -Champion of the Eastern World on Ventry Strand, although you did not see -her. This daughter is closely confined by the giant, fearing she may -escape to you; and if you succeed in reaching her, she is likely to know, -if her father knows, where the Mountain of Happiness is.” - -“How did you get tidings of the giant’s daughter?” asked Dyeermud. - -“I will not tell you now,” said the forester, “but I will go with you to -guide you to the giant, and I may give you assistance. Here are three -keys,—the keys of the castles of the Dun Ox, of the Kitten of Cul MacKip, -and of the Cat of Gray Fort; they are yours now.” - -“Those keys are not mine,” said Dyeermud; “they belong to Faolan, who -slew the three owners.” - -“If Faolan slew them,” said the forester, “he had assistance, which -caused you to come to him.” - -“Keep the keys till we come back,” said Dyeermud. - -The seven travelled on then, and were going ten days when they saw the -giant’s castle. Now this castle stood on one leg, and whirled around -always. - -“I will use my strength on that castle, to know can I stop it,” said -Dyeermud. - -“You cannot stop it,” said the forester. “I will stop it myself. Do you -watch the door of the castle, which is on the top of the roof, and, when -the castle stops, spring in through the door, and seize the giant, if he -is inside, and compel him to give a night’s lodging.” - -The forester then made for the castle, and, placing his shoulder against -one of the corners, kept it standing still; and Dyeermud, leaping in -by the roof, came down before the giant, who had started up, knowing -something was wrong when the castle stood still. - -Dyeermud and the giant grappled each other so fiercely, and fought with -such fury, that the castle was shivering. The giant’s wife begged them to -go out of the castle, and fight on the open, and not frighten the life -out of herself and the child in her arms. - -Out went the Black-Blue Giant and Dyeermud, and fought until Dyeermud -brought down the giant and sprained his back. The giant let a roar out of -him, and begged there for quarter. - -“Your head is mine,” answered Dyeermud. - -“It is,” said the giant; “but spare me, and I will give you whatever you -ask for.” - -“I want lodging for myself and my company.” - -“You will get that,” said the giant. - -All then went into the giant’s castle; and when they were sitting at -dinner, Dyeermud ate nothing. - -“Why is this?” asked the giant. - -“It is the custom of the Fenians of Erin,” said he, “not to eat at a -table where all the members of the house are not present.” - -“All my people are here,” said the giant. - -“They are not,” answered Dyeermud; “you have one daughter not present.” - -The giant had to bring the daughter. They ate then. The forester talked -after dinner with Dyeermud, and said, “The giant’s daughter has a maid; -you must bribe her to give you the key of her mistress’s chamber; and -if you come by the young woman’s secrets, she may tell you where the -Mountain of Happiness is, if she knows.” - -Dyeermud went to the maid. “You will not be here always,” said he; -“your mistress will marry me, and leave this castle; then you’ll have -no business here. I will take you with us if you give me the key of the -chamber.” - -“The giant himself keeps that key under his pillow at night; he sleeps -only one nap, like a bird, but sleeps heavily that time. If you promise -to take me with my mistress, I’ll strive to bring the key hither.” - -“I promise,” said Dyeermud. - -The maid brought the key, and gave it on condition that she was to have -it again within an hour. Dyeermud went then to the giant’s daughter, and -when her first wonder was over, he asked, “Do you know where the Mountain -of Happiness is?” - -“I do not. My father knows well, but for some reason he has never told -me, so he must have fared very badly there; but if you lay his head on a -block, and threaten to cut it off with your sword, he will tell you, if -you ask him; but otherwise he will not tell.” - -“I will do that; and I will take you to Erin when I go,” answered -Dyeermud. - -“Where is the Mountain of Happiness?” asked Dyeermud of the giant, next -morning. - -He would not tell. Dyeermud caught the giant, who could not resist him -on account of his sprained back; he drew him out, placed his head on a -block, and said, “I will cut the head off you now, unless you tell me -what you know of the Mountain of Happiness. The Fenians of Erin have but -the one word, and it is useless for you to resist me; you must go with -us, and show us the way to the mountain.” - -The giant, finding no escape possible, promised to go. They set out soon, -taking all the arms needed. As the mountain was not far distant, they -reached the place without great delay. The giant showed them the lair of -the oxen, but after a promise that he should be free to escape should -danger threaten. - -“I know all the rest now,” said the forester. “Do you,” said he to -Dyeermud, “stand straight in front of the lair, and I, with Faolan, will -stand with drawn swords, one on each side of the entrance; and do you,” -said he to the four brothers, “knock down the entrance, and open the -place for the oxen to rush out. If the head of each ox is not cut off -when he stands in the entrance, the world would not kill him from that -out.” - -All was done at the forester’s word. The entrance was not long open, when -out rushed an ox; but his head was knocked off by the forester. Faolan -slew the second ox; but the third ox followed the second so quickly that -he broke away, took Dyeermud on his horns, and went like a flash to the -top of the Mountain of Happiness. This mountain stood straight in front -of the lair, but was far away. On the mountain, the ox attacked Dyeermud; -and they fought for seven days and nights in a savage encounter. At the -end of seven days, Dyeermud remembered that there was no help for him -there, that he was far from his mother and sister, who were all he had -living, and that if he himself did not slay the fierce ox, he would never -see home again; so, with one final effort, he drove his sword through -the heart of the ox. He himself was so spent from the struggle and -blood-loss that he fainted, and would have died on the mountain, but for -his companions, who came now. They were seven days on the road over which -the ox passed in a very few minutes. - -The forester rubbed Dyeermud with ointment, and all his strength came to -him. They opened the ox, took out all the tallow, and, going back to the -other two oxen, did in like manner, saving the tallow of each of them -separately. They went next to the castle of the Black-Blue Giant. - -“Will you set out for home to-morrow?” asked the forester, turning to -Dyeermud. - -“We will,” answered Dyeermud. - -“Oh, foolish people!” said the forester. “Those three oxen were brothers -of Grainne, and were living in enchantment; should she get the tallow of -each ox by itself and entire, she would bring back the three brothers to -life, and they would destroy all the Fenians of Erin. We will hang up -the tallow in the smoke of the Black-Blue Giant’s chimney; it will lose -some of itself there. When she gets it, it will not have full weight. We -will change your beds and your tables while you are waiting, so as to -observe the injunction. You must do this; for if you do not make an end -of Grainne, Grainne will make an end of you.” - -All was done as the forester said. At the end of a week, when Faolan and -his friend were setting out for Erin, the giant and his wife fell to -weeping and wailing after their daughter, who was going with Dyeermud. - -“We will come back again soon,” said Dyeermud, “and then will have a -great feast for this marriage.” - -“It is here that I will have my marriage feast, too,” said Faolan. - -The forester, who was an old man, said perhaps he might have a marriage -feast at that time as well as the others. At this they all laughed. - -The giant and his wife were then satisfied; and the company set out for -the forester’s cabin. When they reached the cabin, the forester said to -Dyeermud, “As I served you, I hope that you will do me a good turn.” - -“I will do you a good turn,” said Dyeermud, “if I lose my life in doing -it.” - -“Cut off my head,” said the forester. - -“I will not,” replied Dyeermud. - -“Well,” said the old man, “if you do not, you will leave me in great -distress; for I, too, am under enchantment, and there is no power to save -me unless you, Dyeermud, cut off my head with the sword that killed the -oldest of the oxen.” - -When Dyeermud saw how he could serve the forester, he cut off his head -with one blow, and there rose up before him a young man of twenty-one -years. - -“My name is Arthur, son of Deara,” said the young man to Dyeermud; “I was -enchanted by my stepmother, and I am in love with your sister since I -saw her two years ago on Ventry Strand, when you were in combat with the -Champion of the Eastern World. Will you let your sister marry me?” - -“I will,” replied Dyeermud; “and she will not marry any man but the one -that I will choose for her.” - -“I helped Faolan,” said Arthur, “in all his struggles, except that -against the Dun Ox.” - -Next day all went to the castle of the four champions and their sister, -and, leaving the women in that place, they set out for Erin. - -When the Fenians of Erin saw them sailing in toward Ventry Strand, they -raised three shouts of joyous welcome. Whoever was glad, or was not -glad, Grainne was glad, because there was an end, as she thought, to -her suffering. Indeed, she would not have lived at all had she kept the -injunctions, but she did not; she received meat and eggs on Sliav Iolar -from all the women who took pity on her and went to visit her. So when -she got the tallow, she weighed it, and finding it some ounces short, -gave out three piercing wails of distress, and when Dyeermud, who was of -fiery temper, saw that Faolan was not willing to punish the woman, he -raised his own sword, and swept the head off her. - -Fin embraced Faolan and welcomed him. Dyeermud went to his mother and -sister. - -“Will you marry a young champion whom I have brought with me?” asked he -of the sister. - -“I will marry no one,” said she, “but the man you will choose for me.” - -“Very well,” said Dyeermud, “there is such a man outside.” He led her -out, and she and Arthur were well pleased with each other. - -Dyeermud, with his sister and Arthur and Faolan, set out on the following -day, and never stopped nor stayed till they reached the castle of the -four champions and their sister; and, taking Faolan’s betrothed and -Dyeermud along with them, they travelled on till they stopped at the -castle of the Black-Blue Giant. Faolan’s mother was there before him; and -glad was she, and rejoiced, to see her own son. - -There were three weddings in one at the castle of the giant: Arthur and -Dyeermud’s sister; Faolan and the sister of the four champions; Dyeermud -and the daughter of the Black-Blue Giant. - -When the feasting was over, Faolan’s mother called him, and asked, “Will -you go to my kingdom, which is yours by inheritance, the country of the -Dark Men, and rule there?” - -“I will,” said Faolan, “on condition that I am to be sent for if ever the -Fenians should need my assistance.” He then gave his share in the land of -the wild hag, and his claim to the castles of the Cat of Gray Fort, the -Kitten of Cul MacKip, and the Dun Ox, to Arthur and Dyeermud, and these -two shared those places between them. They attended Faolan and his wife -to the country of the Dark Men, and then returned. Faolan’s mother went -to Fintra, and lived with Fin MacCool. - - - - -FIN MACCOOL, THE HARD GILLA, AND THE HIGH KING. - - -On a day when the Fenians were living at Fintra, Fin MacCool called them -together, held a council, complained of remissness, and warned the men to -be cautious, to keep a better watch on the harbors, and to take good care -of their arms. They promised to do better in future, and asked Fin to -forgive them for that time. Fin forgave them, and sent men to keep watch -on Cruach Varhin. - -When on the mountain awhile, the chief sentry saw, in the distance, a man -leading a horse toward Fintra. He thought to run down with word to Fin, -but did not; he waited to see what kind of person was coming. The man -leading the horse was far from being tidy: his shoes were untied, and the -strings hanging down; on his shoulders was a mantle, flapping around in -the wind. The horse had a broad, surly face; his neck was thick at the -throat, and thin toward the body: the beast was scrawny, long-legged, -lean, thin-maned, and ugly to look at. The only bridle on the horse was -a long, heavy chain; the whip in the hand of the man was a strong iron -staff. Each blow that the man gave his steed was heard through the glens -and the mountains, and knocked echoes out of every cliff in that region. -Each pull that the man gave the bridle was that strong, that you would -think he’d tear the head off the ugly beast’s body. Every clump of earth -that the horse rooted up with his feet, in striving to hold back, was -three times the size of a sod of turf ready for burning. - -“It is time for me now,” said the watchman, at last, “to hurry from this, -and tell Fin,” and with that he rushed down from Cruach Varhin. - -Fin saw him coming, and was ready for his story; and not too soon was it -told; for just then the horseman came up to the King of the Fenians at -Fintra. - -“Who are you?” inquired Fin. - -“I do not know who my father was,” said the stranger. “I am of one place -as well as another. Men call me the Hard Gilla; and it is a good name: -for no matter how well people treat me I forget all they do. I have -heard, though, that you give most wages, and best treatment of any man.” - -“I will give you good wages,” said Fin, “and fair treatment; but how much -do you want of me?” - -“I want whatever I ask.” - -“I will give you that and more, if I promise,” said Fin. - -“I am your man,” said the Gilla. “Now that we have agreed, I may let my -horse out to graze, I suppose?” - -“You may,” answered Fin. - -The Gilla untied the chain bridle from his horse, and struck him with -the chain. The beast went to the other horses; but if he did, he fell to -eating the mane, legs, ears, and tail of each one of them, and ate all -till he came to a steed grazing apart, and this steed belonged to Conan -Maol. Conan ran, caught the ugly old horse by the skull, and pulled him -up to his owner. - -“Mind your wicked old cripple!” cried Conan, in anger. - -“If any man does not like how my horse feeds, he may herd the good steed -himself.” - -When Conan heard this insolence, he went to the adviser for counsel. The -adviser told him to go upon the back of the horse, and to ride till he -broke him. Conan mounted the horse; but not a stir could he get from the -stubborn beast. - -“He is used to heavy loads,” said the adviser. “Let others mount with -you.” - -The Fenians were mounting the horse till twenty-eight men of them went up -with Conan. The twenty-nine began then to wallop the horse, but could -not raise a stir out of him. The old horse only cocked one ear. When the -Gilla saw the twenty-nine on his horse, he called out, “It seems that we -do not agree; and the sooner I go from this place the better.” - -He tightened his cloak, flapping loose on his body, tied his shoes, and -said, “In place of praising, I will dispraise you.” Then he went in -front of the horse. The horse raised his tail and his head, and between -his tail and his neck he held the men firmly. Some tried to jump off, -but were as secure on the horse as his own skin. Conan was the first to -speak. When he saw that he could not spring from the horse, he turned to -Fin, and cried out, “I bind you, O Fin, not to eat two meals off the one -table, or sleep two nights on the one bed, till you have me freed from -this serpent.” - -When Fin and the Fenians heard this, they looked at one another. The -adviser spoke then, and said, “There is no time for delay. We have here a -man to follow, and he is Leeagawn of Lúachar Garv.” - -Fin called Leeagawn, and he went after the steed quickly, caught him -at the edge of the strand, and seized him by the tail; but if he did, -he grew fast to the tail of the horse, and was pulled forward to the -strand. He tried to loose himself from the tail, but no use for him to -try. The horse drew him into the water. The sea opened before the strange -steed, and closed behind. The Gilla ran in front. Twenty-nine men were on -the back of the horse, and one fixed to his tail. - -Fin and the Fenians were greatly distressed at the sight, but could give -no assistance. They held council; and the druid said, “There is an old -ship in Ben Eadan; put that ship in repair, and sail after the steed.” - -“Let us go,” said the Fenians, “for the ship.” - -As they were making ready to start, two young champions hurried up to -Fin, and saluted him. - -“Who are ye?” asked Fin, returning the salute; “and whither are ye going?” - -“We are the two sons of a king,” replied they; “each has a gift, and we -have come to you to know which is the better gift to live by. The two -gifts are two powers left us by our father.” - -“What is your power?” asked Fin of the elder brother. - -“Do you see this branch?” said he. “If I strike the water of the harbor -with this branch, the harbor will be filled with ships till they are -crushing one another. When you choose the one you like, I will make the -others disappear as quickly as you can bow your head.” - -“What can you do?” asked Fin of the younger brother. - -“If a wild duck were to dart forth from her nest, I could keep in sight -of the bird, and she going straight or crooked, high or low, I could -catch her before she could fly back to the nest from which she came.” - -When they had done speaking, Fin said, “I have never been in more need -of your help than I am at this moment.” He told them then of the Gilla, -and of all that had happened. The elder brother struck the harbor with -his branch; the harbor was filled with ships in one minute. Fin chose -the ship he liked best, and said, “I’ll take that one.” In a twinkle the -other ships vanished. - -When the men were all ready to go on the ship, Fin called Oisin, and said -to him, “I leave the ruling of Erin with you, till I come back to this -harbor.” He bade farewell then to Oisin and the Fenians. The younger of -the two champions stood at the prow, the elder at the stern. The younger -followed the horse in crooked and straight paths through the sea, told -his brother how to steer on the voyage. They kept on till, at length, and -at last, they came to a haven with a steep, rugged shore, and no ship -could enter. - -“This is where the steed went in,” said the younger brother. - -When the Fenians saw the haven, they looked at one another. It was a very -steep place; and all said, “We cannot land here.” - -“There will be an evil report for the Fenians of Erin, or for men trained -by Fin, if no one can spring to land,” said the druid. - -“Well,” said Dyeermud, “there was never a man at Fintra who could make -such a spring, if I cannot make it.” - -He buckled his belt firmly, and went to the stern of the ship to find -space for a run; then he rushed to the prow, and rose with one bound to -the top of the cliff. When he looked back, and saw his comrades below, he -was frightened. - -Dyeermud left the ship and the Fenians, and walked forward alone. Toward -evening, he saw a herd of deer; he pursued them, and caught a doe, which -he killed; he made a fire, roasted the carcass, ate of it, and drank -pure spring water. He made a hut then of limbs, and slept quietly till -morning. After breakfast, a gruagach came the way, and called out to him, -“Is not Erin wide enough for you to live in, instead of coming hither to -steal my herds from me?” - -“Though I might have been willing to go when you came,” replied Dyeermud, -“I will not go now since you speak so unmannerly.” - -“You must fight with me then,” said the gruagach. - -“I will indeed,” said Dyeermud. - -They took their spears and swords, and fought all that day until evening, -when the gruagach saw that Dyeermud was getting the upper hand. He leaped -into the spring from which Dyeermud had drunk the cool water. Dyeermud -ran quickly, and thrust his sword into the water, but no sign of the -gruagach. - -“I will watch for you to-morrow,” said Dyeermud to himself; so he waited -near the spring until morning. - -The gruagach stood before him next day more threatening to look at than -ever, and said, “It seems you hadn’t fighting enough from me yesterday.” - -“I told you that I would not go,” answered Dyeermud, “till I had knocked -satisfaction out of you for your ugly speech.” - -They went at each other then, and fought fiercely till very near evening. -Dyeermud watched the spring closely, and when the gruagach leaped in, he -was with him. In the side of the spring was a passage; the two walked -through that passage, and came out in a kingdom where there was a grand -castle, and seven men at each side of the door. When Dyeermud went toward -the castle, the fourteen rushed against him. He slew these, and all -others who faced him till nightfall. He would not enter the castle, but -stretched himself on the ground, and fell fast asleep. Soon a champion -came, tapped him lightly with a sword, and said, “Rise now, and speak to -me.” - -Dyeermud sprang up, and grasped his sword. - -“I am not an enemy, but a friend,” said the champion. “It is not proper -for you to be sleeping in the midst of your enemies. Come to my castle; I -will entertain you, and give you good keeping.” - -Dyeermud went with the stranger; and they became faithful friends. “The -king of this country, which is called Tir Fohin [Land Under the Wave], is -my brother,” said the champion. “The kingdom is rightfully mine, and ’tis -I that should be King of Tir Fohin; but my brother corrupted my warriors -with promises, so that all except thirty men of them left me.” - -This champion was called the Knight of Valor. Dyeermud told this knight -his whole story,—told of the Hard Gilla, and his long-legged, scrawny, -thin-maned, ugly old horse. - -“I am the man,” said the knight, “that will find out the Hard Gilla for -you. That Gilla is the best swordsman and champion in this land, and the -greatest enchanter. Your men, brought away by him, are as safe and as -sound as when they left Erin. He is a good friend of mine.” - -“Now,” said Dyeermud, “for your kindness (you might have killed me when I -was asleep), and for your entertainment, I give my word to fight against -your brother, and win back your kingdom.” - -Dyeermud sent a challenge to the King of Tir Fohin. The knight and -Dyeermud, with the knight’s thirty men, fought against the king’s forces, -fought all that day until evening; then the king withdrew to the castle -to keep his hold firm on the chief place, but Dyeermud rushed in, brought -him out to the green, threw him on the flat of his back, and shouted, -“Are you not satisfied yet?” - -“I am if the men are,” said the king. - -“Will you obey the Knight of Valor?” asked Dyeermud of the men. - -“We will,” answered they. - -The men gave their word to obey with all faithfulness. Dyeermud gave the -false king thirty men then; and the Knight of Valor became king in his -own land. On the morrow, Dyeermud and the king went with forces to the -Gilla’s castle; and when they entered the gates, the Gilla came out, -received them with welcome and hand-shaking. There was great rejoicing, -and good cheer at the Gilla’s castle. - -When Dyeermud did not return to the vessel, Fin and the two young -champions thought to find an easier landing in some place; they put their -ship around, and sailed forward, sailed and sailed; and where should -they come at last but to the castle of the King of Sorách (Light), who -received them with welcome, and entertained them with the best that he -had in his castle. - -But they were hardly seated at table, when the chief messenger of the -King of Sorách came hurrying in and said, that there was a fleet sailing -toward them, which was as numerous as the sands on the seashore, that it -was coming for tribute, which had not been collected for many a year. - -The king had a grieved and sorrowful face. “That is the High King of the -World coming against me,” said he. - -“Never fear,” said Fin MacCool. “Cheer up, and have courage. I and my men -will stand up for you. We will fight to the death to defend you.” - -On the following day, the High King sent forces to land, to attack the -King of Sorách in his castle. These forces were under command of Borb -Sinnsior na Gah, son of the High King. The greatest delight of the High -King was his daughter, a beautiful maiden called Teasa Taov Geal; and the -thought came to her that day to see the battle. “I will go,” said she, -“with my brother, and see him take the king’s castle.” - -On Fin’s side, the two young champions his guides were eager to be in the -struggle; but Fin would not hear of that. “You must stay with the ship,” -said he, “and take us to Erin, when the time comes.” - -As soon as Fin saw the attack was led by the son of the High King, he -said, “I will take command in the battle, and lead the men in action -to-day. We will show the invaders what the Fenians do in battle.” - -Oscar went with Fin, and so did Goll MacMorna. The battle raged grandly; -the men of the High King fell in crowds until evening, what was left of -them then went to the ships, and sailed back in haste to their master. - -When the news reached the High King, he called his druid for advice. - -“This is not the time to make war on the King of Sorách,” said the druid; -“for Fin MacCool and his men are living in friendship at his castle; they -will help him to the end of this struggle. Go home for the present, and -come again when Fin has gone back to Erin.” - -The king was inclined to do this; but his daughter had seen Fin MacCool -in the battle, and fallen in love with him. She sent him a message, -saying, “I will go with you. I will leave my father for your sake. I love -you.” - -The answer that Fin sent, was to come to him; he would take her with -gladness to Erin. - -The king was grieved at the loss of his daughter. “I might go home now,” -said he, “and come back at another time; but how can I go, and leave my -daughter behind me?” - -There was a champion called Lavran MacSuain, who could steal anything -while men were asleep, and make them sleep all the more, but could not do -harm to them. Lavran volunteered to bring back the daughter. - -“If I find them asleep,” said he, “I will bring her back; if you give me -a reward.” - -“I will pay you well,” said the king. “I will not spare rewards on you, -if you bring me my daughter.” - -When Lavran came to where Fin was, he found him and the Fenians asleep, -and put them in a still deeper sleep. He brought Teasa Taov Geal to her -father’s ship then. The fleet sailed away in the night; and at daybreak -there was not a trace of it. - -Next morning when Fin woke, and found that the king’s daughter was gone, -he sprang up, and was raging with anger. He sent men to look for the -fleet; but not a boat nor a ship was in sight. - -Oscar and Goll, seeing Fin in such passion, said, “We will go, if a druid -goes with us. He will find out the castle by his knowledge; and we will -bring the woman back, or die while striving to bring her.” - -Next morning, Goll and Oscar took a ready ship from the fleet of the King -of Sorách, set sail, and never stopped till they touched land near the -castle of the High King. - -“The best way for us,” said the druid, on landing, “is to say that we are -bards, till we learn where the strength of the king is.” - -“We will not do that,” said Oscar. “We will go straight forward, and -bring the woman back with the strength of our arms.” - -They went straight from the strand toward the castle. At the wayside was -a rath where the daughter of the king was at that time, and no great -number of men there to guard her. Goll and Oscar attacked the guards, cut -them down, and took Taov Geal. - -“The king is coming home from a hunt,” said the druid; “it is better to -hurry back to our ship.” - -“We will sharpen our weapons,” said Oscar, “and strike the king’s men, if -they come toward us; but do you take the woman, and go in all haste to -the ship. We will stay behind to protect you.” - -The druid took Taov Geal, who was willing and glad, when she heard who -had come for her. They reached the ship safely. Goll and Oscar came -soon after, sprang into the ship, set sail, and never stopped till they -brought Teasa Taov Geal to Fin at the castle of the King of Sorách. -There was a feast then far greater than the one which the High King had -interrupted the first day. - -“I will take you to Erin,” said Fin to Taov Geal. - -“I will go with you,” said she. - -“I know the Hard Gilla well,” said the King of Sorách to Fin MacCool. “I -will go with you to him; he is a great champion, and a mighty enchanter.” - -The king and his men, with Fin and the Fenians, went to the lands of the -Gilla; and when he saw them all, he brought them into his castle, and -treated them well. Dyeermud and the King of Tir Fohin were there also; -they had been enjoying themselves, and feasting with the Gilla, while -Fin and the others were fighting with the High King, and stealing his -daughter. - -Conan and the twenty-nine Fenians were all in good health; and Fin had -the daughter of the High King in the castle, intending to take her to -Erin. - -Said Fin to the Gilla one day, “It was you and Conan who had the first -quarrel, he and you are the men who began these adventures. I will leave -him and you to end the whole story. Conan is not easy to talk with, and -you are a hard man to conquer.” - -Conan was called up. - -“What have you to say of our host,” inquired Fin; “and what would you do -for him?” - -“I was treated here as well as you have ever treated me in Fintra, or as -any man treated me in another place,” said Conan. “My sentence is this, -Let him come to Erin with us in our ship, feast with us in Fintra, and -ride home on his own horse.” - -“I will do that,” said the Gilla. - -Conan and the Gilla, with all the Fenians, went to the ship. Fin brought -the daughter of the High King on board, and all sailed away to Erin. - -The Gilla was entertained to his heart’s content, till one day he said, -“I must leave you now, and go to my own place.” - -Conan and a number of Fenians went to the seashore to see him ride away. -“Where is your horse?” asked Conan. - -“Here,” said the Gilla. - -Conan turned to see the ugly long-legged beast, but saw nothing. He -turned then to look at the Gilla, but saw only mist stretching out toward -the water. - - - - -THE BATTLE OF VENTRY. - - -It was predicted seven years before the battle of Ventry, that Daire -Donn, High King of the Great World, would invade Erin to conquer it. Fin -MacCool, for this reason, placed sentries at the chief ports of Erin. At -Ventry, Conn Crithir was stationed on the top of Cruach Varhin to give -warning; but he overslept when the fleet came: and the first news he had -of its coming was from the cries of people attacked by the invaders. Conn -Crithir sprang up, and said,— - -“Great is the misery that has come by my sleep; but Fin and the Fenians -will not see me alive after this. I will rush into the midst of the -foreigners; and they will fall by me, till I fall by them.” - -So he ran down toward the strand. On the way, he saw three strange women -running before him. He increased his speed; but, unable to overtake them, -he caught his spear to hurl it at the one nearest him. - -The women stopped that moment, and cried, “Stay your hand, and do not -kill innocent women who have come not to harm but to help you.” - -“Who are ye?” asked Conn Crithir. - -“We are three sisters who have come from Tirnanog. We are all three in -love with you; but no one of us is jealous of the other. We will hide -you with an enchanted cloud, so that you can attack the foreign forces -unseen. We have a well of healing at the foot of Sliav Iolar; and its -waters will cure every wound made in battle. After bathing in it, you -will be as sound as the day you were born.” - -Conn Crithir was grateful, and hurried to the strand, where he slew four -hundred men of the enemy on the first day. He was covered with wounds -himself; but the three sisters took him to the well. He bathed in it, and -was as sound as on the day he was born. - -Conn Crithir was this way in struggle and combat, till Teastalach -Treunmhar, the chief courier of Fin MacCool, came to Ventry. - -“Have you tidings of Fin and the Fenians?” asked Conn. - -“I have. They are at the River Lee,” said Teastalach. - -“Go to them quickly,” said Conn, “and tell how we are here. Let them -come hither to save us.” - -“It would ill become me to go till I had moistened my sword in the blood -of the enemy,” said Teastalach; and he sent a challenge for single combat -to the High King. - -“I am the man to meet that warrior,” said Colahan MacDochar, the king’s -champion; and he went on shore without waiting. - -Colahan was thirty feet in height, and fifteen around the waist. When he -landed, he went at Teastalach. They fought one hour, and fought with such -fury, the two of them, that their swords and spears went to pieces. The -sword of Colahan was broken at the hilt; but of Teastalach’s blade there -remained a piece as long as the breadth of a man’s palm. - -Colahan, who was enraged that any champion could stand against him for -the space of even one hour, seized Teastalach in his arms, to carry him -living to the ship of the High King, twist off his head there, and raise -it on a stake before the forces of the world. When he came to deep water, -he raised Teastalach on his shoulder; but Teastalach, the swift courier -of Fin MacCool, turned quickly, cut the head off his enemy, brought that -head to the strand, and made boast of his deed. - -Now Teastalach went to where Fin and his forces were, and told him of all -that happened. Fin marched straightway, and never stopped nor rested till -he came to Maminch, within twenty miles of Ventry. Fin rested there for -the night; but Oscar, son of Oisin, with Conn Ceadach and one other, went -forward. Before going, Oscar turned to Fin, and said, “Chew your thumb, -and tell us what will be the end of our struggle.” - -Fin chewed his thumb from the skin to the flesh, from the flesh to the -bone, from the bone to the marrow, from the marrow to the juice, and -said, “The victory will be on our side, but little else will be with us. -The battle will last for a day and a year, and every day will be a day of -fierce struggle. No man of the foreigners will escape; and on our side -few will be left living, and none without wounds.” - -Oscar went his way then till he reached Ventry. Fin came on the second -day, and stopped with all his forces at Rahonáin. Next morning, he asked, -“Who will command the battle to-day?” - -“We will go with two hundred,” said Oisin and Oscar. - -They went toward the harbor; and a great troop landed to meet them. The -two parties faced each other then, and fought till near evening; when -all were killed on the side of the foreigners except three smiths, and of -Fin’s men there remained only Oisin, Oscar, and Goll, son of Morna. - -On the following morning, Oisin and Oscar went with two hundred more, -but without Goll. The foreign troop came in numbers as before: and at -midday there was no man left living of Fin’s men but Oisin and Oscar; on -the foreign side all had fallen except the three smiths, who were mighty -champions. Oscar and Oisin faced the smiths. Oscar had two men against -him; and Oisin’s enemy was forcing him backward toward the water. Fin, -seeing this, feared for his son, and sent a poet to praise and encourage -him. - -“Now is the time to prove your valor and greatness, Oisin”, said the -poet. “You never went to any place but a king’s daughter, or a high -beauty, fell in love with you. Many are looking this day at you; and now -is your time to show bravery.” - -Oisin was greatly encouraged; so he grew in fury and increased on his -blows, till at last he swept the head off his enemy. About the same time, -Oscar killed the two other smiths; but, being faint from open wounds and -blood-loss, he fell senseless on the strand. Oisin, his father, rushed -to him, and held him till aid came. They carried him to Rahonáin, where, -after a long time, he revived. - -The smiths had one brother in the fleet of the High King, and his name -was Dealv Dura. This man, who was the first champion in the armies of the -High King, fell into great grief, and swore to have vengeance for his -brothers. He went to the High King, and said, “I will go alone to the -strand, and will slay two hundred men every day till I have slain all the -forces of Erin; and if any man of your troops interfere, I will kill him.” - -Next morning, Fin asked who would conduct the battle on that day. - -“I will,” said Duvan, son of Donn, “with two hundred men.” - -“Go not,” said Fin. “Let another go.” - -But Duvan went to the strand with two hundred; and there was no one -before him but Dealv Dura, who demanded two hundred men in combat. A -shout of derision went up from Duvan’s men; but Dealv rushed at them, -and he slew the two hundred without a man of them being able to put a -sword-cut on him. Then, taking a hurley and ball, Dealv Dura threw up -the ball, and kept it in the air with the hurley from the western to the -eastern end of the strand, without letting it touch the ground even one -time. Then, he put the ball on his right foot, and kicked it high in the -air; when it was near the earth, he sent it up with the left foot, and -kept the ball in the air with his two feet, and never let it touch the -earth once, while he was rushing from one end of the strand to the other. -Next, he put the ball on his right knee, sent it up with that, caught it -on the left knee, and kept the ball in the air with his two knees while -he was running from one end of the strand to the other. Last, he put the -ball on one shoulder, threw it up with that shoulder, caught it on the -other, and kept the ball in the air with his two shoulders while he was -rushing like a blast of March wind from one end of the strand to the -other. - -When he had finished, he walked back and forth on the strand vauntingly, -and challenged the men of Erin to do the like of those feats. - -Next day, Fin sent out two hundred men. Dealv Dura was down on the strand -before them, and not a man of the two hundred returned. - -Day after day, two hundred went out, and all fell before Dealv Dura. A -report ran now through all Erin that Fin’s troops were perishing daily -from one man; and this report reached at last the castle of the King -of Ulster. The king had one son, and he only thirteen years of age. -This son, who was the fairest and shapeliest youth in Erin, said to his -father, “Let me go to help Fin MacCool and his men.” - -“You are not old enough, nor strong enough, my son; your bones are too -soft.” - -When the youth insisted, his father confined him, and set twelve youths, -his own foster-brothers, to guard him, lest he might escape to Ventry -Strand. - -The king’s son was enraged at being confined, and said to his -foster-brothers, “It is through valor and daring that my father gained -glory in his young years; and why should I not win a name as well as he? -Help me, and I will be a friend to you forever.” - -He talked and persuaded, till they agreed to go with him to Fin MacCool. -They took arms then, hurried across Erin, and, when they came to Ventry, -Dealv Dura was on the strand reviling the Fenians. - -“O Fenians of Erin,” said Oisin, “many have fallen by Dealv Dura; and I -would rather die in combat against him, than see the ruin he brings every -day!” - -A great cry was raised by all at these words. - -Now the son of the King of Ulster stood before Fin, and saluted him. - -“Who are you?” asked Fin. - -“I am Goll, son of the King of Ulster, and these twelve are my -foster-brothers. We have come to give you what assistance we can.” - -“My welcome to you,” said Fin. - -The reviling of Dealv Dura was heard now again. - -“Who is that?” asked the king’s son from Ulster. - -“An enemy asking for two hundred warriors of mine to meet him,” said Fin. - -Here the twelve foster-brothers went to the strand, unknown to the king’s -son. - -“You are not a man,” said Conan Maol, “and none of these twelve could -face any warrior.” - -“I have never seen the Fenians till this day,” said the king’s son, -“still I know that you are Conan Maol, who never speaks well of any man; -but you will see that I am not in dread of Dealv Dura, or any champion on -earth. I will go down now, and meet the warrior single-handed.” - -Fin and the Fenians stopped the young hero, and detained him, and talked -to him. Then, Conan began again, and said, “In six days that champion has -slain twelve hundred men; and there was not a man of the twelve hundred -who could not have killed twelve hundred like you every day.” - -These words enraged the king’s son. He sprang up, and then heard the -shouting of Dealv Dura on the strand. “What does he want now?” asked the -king’s son. - -“More men for combat,” said Conan. “He has just slain your twelve -body-guards.” - -With that the king’s son seized his weapons, and no man could stop or -delay him. He rushed to the strand, and went toward Dealv Dura. When the -champion saw the youth coming, he sneered, and the hosts of the High King -sent up a roar of laughter; for they thought Fin’s men were all killed, -since he had sent a stripling to meet Dealv Dura. The courage of the boy -was all the greater from the derision; and he rushed on Dealv Dura, who -got many wounds from the youth before he knew it. - -They fought a sharp, bloody combat; and no matter how the champion, Dealv -Dura, used his strength, swiftness, and skill, he was met by the king’s -son: and if the world could be searched, from its eastern edge to its -western border, no braver battle would be found than was that one. - -The two fought through the day, the hosts of the Great World and the -Fenians cheering and urging them on. Toward evening their shields were -hacked to pieces, and their weapons all shivered, but they did not stop -the battle; they grappled and caught each other, and fought so that the -sand on the beach was boiling like water beneath them. They wrestled that -way, seeing nothing in the world but each other, till the tide of the sea -went over them, and drowned the two there before the eyes of the Fenians -and the hosts of the High King. - -A great cry of wailing and sorrow was raised on both sides, when the -water closed over the champions. Next morning, after the tide-ebb, the -two bodies were found stiff and cold, each one in the grasp of the other; -but Dealv Dura was under the king’s son, so it was known that the youth -was a better man than the other. - -The king’s son was buried with great honor by the Fenians; and never -before did they mourn for a hero as on that day. - -“Who will command the battle this time?” asked Fin, on the following -morning. - -“I and my son Oscar,” said Oisin. - -They went to the strand with two hundred men; and against them came the -King of France with his forces. The two sides fought with such venom that -at midday there was no one alive on either side but Oscar, Oisin, and -the King of France. The king and Oisin were fighting at the eastern end -of Ventry; and the king gave such a blow that he knocked a groan from -Oisin. Oscar, who was at the western end of the strand then,—Oscar, of -noble deeds, the man with a heart that never knew fear, and a foot that -never stepped back before many or few,—rushed to see who had injured his -father; and the noise that he made was like the noise of fifty horses -while racing. - -The king looked toward the point where the thundering sound was, and saw -Oscar coming. He knew then that unless he escaped he had not long to -live; his beauty and bravery left him, and his terror was like that of -a hundred horses at the sound of a thunderbolt. Lightness of mind and -body came on him; he stretched himself, sprang up, flew through the air, -and never stopped till he came down in Glean nan Allt,—a place to which, -since that time, insane persons go, and every madman in Erin would go -there in twenty four hours, if people would let him. - -In the battle of the next day, the King of Norway was chief; and there -was never such destruction of men in Erin before as on that day. This -king had a venomous shield with red flames, and if it were put under the -sea not one of its flames would stop blazing, and the king himself was -not hotter from any of them. When he had the shield on his arm no man -could come near him; and he went against the Fenians with only a sword. -Not to use weapon had he come, but to let the poison of his shield fly -among them. The balls of fire that he sent from the shield went through -the bodies of men, so that each blazed up like a splinter of oak which -had hung a whole year in the smoke of a chimney, and whoever touched the -burning man, blazed up as well as he; and small was every evil that came -into Erin before, when compared with that evil. - -“Lift up your hands,” said Fin, “and give three shouts of blessing to the -man who will put some delay on that foreigner.” - -A smile came on the king’s face when he heard the shouts that Fin’s men -were giving. It was then that the Chief of the Fenians of Ulster came -near; and he had a venomous spear, the Crodearg. He looked at the King of -Norway, and saw nothing of him without armor, save his mouth, and that -open wide in laughter at the Fenians. He made a cast of his venomous -spear, which entered the king’s mouth, and went out through his neck. The -shield fell, and its blazing was quenched with the life of its master. -The chief cut the head off the king, and made boast of the deed; and his -help was the best that the Fenians received from any man of their own -men. Many were the deeds of that day; and but few of the forces of the -High King went back to their ships in the evening. - -On the following day, the foreigners came in thousands; for the High King -had resolved to put an end to the struggle. Conan Maol, who never spoke -well of any man, had a power which he knew not himself, and which no one -in Erin knew except Fin. When Conan looked through his fingers at any -man, that man fell dead the next instant. - -Fin never told Conan of this, and never told any one; for he knew that -Conan would kill all the Fenians when he got vexed if he knew his own -power. When the foreigners landed, Fin sent a party of men with Conan -to a suitable place, so that when the enemy were attacking, these men -would look with Conan through their fingers at the enemy, and pray for -assistance against them. - -When Conan and his men looked through their fingers, the enemy fell dead -in great numbers, and no one knew that it was Conan’s look alone, without -prayers or assistance from others, that slew them. - -Conan and his company stood there all day, looking through their fingers -and praying, whenever a new face made its way from the harbor. - -The struggle lasted day after day, till his men spoke to the High King -and said to him, “We can never conquer unless you meet Fin in single -combat.” - -The king challenged Fin to meet him on the third day. Fin accepted, -though he was greatly in dread; for he knew that the trunk of the High -King’s body was formed of one bone, and that no sword in the world could -cut it but the king’s own sword, which was kept in the Eastern World by -his grandsire, the King of the Land of the White Men. That old king had -seven chambers in a part of his castle, one inside the other. On the -door of the outer chamber was one lock, on the second two, and so on to -the door of the seventh and innermost chamber, which had seven locks, -and in that chamber the sword and shield of the High King were kept. In -the service of Daire Donn was a champion, a great wizard, who wished ill -to the High King. This man went to Fin, and said, “I will bring you the -sword and shield from the Eastern World.” - -“Good will be my reward to you,” said Fin, “if you bring them in time.” - -Away went the man in a cloud of enchantment, and soon stood before the -old king. “Your grandson,” said he, “is to fight with Fin MacCool, and -has sent me for his weapons.” - -The old king had the sword and shield brought quickly, and gave them. The -man hurried back to Erin, and gave the weapons to Fin on the eve of the -battle. - -Next morning, the High King came to the strand full of confidence. -Believing himself safe, he thought he could kill Fin MacCool easily; -but when he stood in front of the chief of the Fenians, and saw his own -venomous sword unsheathed in the hand of his enemy, and knew that death -was fated him from that blade, his face left him for a moment, and his -fingers were unsteady. - -He rallied, and thinking to win by surprise, rushed suddenly, fiercely -and mightily, to combat. One of Fin’s men sprang out, and dealt a great -blow with a broadaxe; it laid open the helmet, cut some of the hair of -the High King, but touched not the skin of his body. The High King with -one blow made two parts of the Fenian, and, rushing at Fin, cut a slice -from his shield, and a strip of flesh from his thigh. Fin gave one blow -then in answer, which made two equal parts of the king, so that one eye, -one ear, one arm, and one leg of him dropped on one side, and the other -eye, ear, arm, and leg went to the other side. - -Now, the hosts of the High King, and the Fenians of Erin, fought till -there was no man standing in the field except one. He raised the body of -the High King, and said, “It was bad for us, O Fenians of Erin, but worse -for you; I go home in health, and ye have fallen side by side. I will -come again soon, and take all Erin.” - -“Sad am I,” said Fin, as he lay on the field, “that I did not find death -before I heard these words from the mouth of a foreigner, and he going -into the Great World with tidings. Is there any man alive near me?” - -“I am,” said Fergus Finbel; “and there is no warrior who is not lying in -his blood save the chief man of the High King and your own foster-son, -Caol.” - -“Go to seek my foster-son,” said Fin. - -Fergus went to Caol, and asked him how his health was. “If my -battle-harness were loosened, my body would fall asunder from wounds; but -more grieved am I at the escape of the foreigner with tidings than at my -own woful state. Take me to the sea, Fergus, that I may swim after the -foreigner; perhaps he will fall by this hand before the life leaves me.” - -Fergus took him to the sea; and he swam to the ship. The foreigner -thought him one of his own men, and reached down to raise him to the -ship-board; but Caol grasped the man firmly and drew him to the water. -Both sank in the clear, cold sea, and were drowned. - -No man saw the foreigner afterward; but Caol’s body was carried by the -waves, borne northward, and past the islands, till it came to land, at -the port which is now called Caoil Cuan (Caol’s Harbor). - - - - -FOOTNOTES - - -[1] This Winishuyat is represented as no larger than a man’s thumb, and -confined under the hair on the top of the head, the hair being tied over -him. He is foresight itself. _Winis_ means “he sees,” what _huyat_ means -I have not discovered yet. - -[2] _Sprisawn_, in Gaelic _spriosan_, a small twig, and, figuratively, a -poor little creature, a sorry little fellow. - -[3] Pronounced Shawn,—John. - -[4] This is the high point, “the size of a pig’s back,” which the sailor -saw from the topmast. - -[5] Fin’s wisdom came in each case from chewing his thumb, which he -pressed once on the Salmon of Knowledge. An account of this is given in a -tale in my “Myths and Folk-Lore of Ireland,” p. 211. - - - - -NOTES. - - -The tales in this volume were told me by the following persons:— - -Nos. 1, 5, 18, 21. Maurice Lynch, Mount Eagle, West of Dingle, Kerry. - -Nos. 2, 11, 24. John Malone, Rahonain, West of Dingle. - -Nos. 3, 15. Shea, Kil Vicadowny, West of Dingle. - -No. 4. Thomas Brady, Teelin, County Donegal. - -No. 6. Maurice Fitzgerald, Emilich Slat, West of Dingle. - -Nos. 7, 9, 12, 17. John O’Brien, Connemara. - -No. 8. James Byrne, Glen Columkil, County Donegal. - -Nos. 10, 14. Colman Gorm, Connemara. - -No. 13. Michael Curran, Gortahork, County Donegal. - -No. 16. Michael O’Conor, six miles north of Newcastle West, County -Limerick. - -Nos. 19, 20. Michael Sullivan, Dingle. - -No. 22. Dyeermud Duvane, Milltown, County Kerry. - -No. 23. Daniel Sheehy, Dunquin, Kerry, a man over a hundred years old. - - -_Elin Gow, the Swordsmith from Erin, and the Cow Glas Gainach._ - -_Glas Gainach._ In this name of the celebrated cow _glas_ means gray; -_gainach_ is a corruption of _gaunach_, written _gamhnach_, which means a -cow whose calf is a year old, that is, a cow without a calf that year, a -farrow cow. _Gamhnach_ is an adjective from _gamhan_, a yearling calf. - -In Donegal, _gavlen_ is used instead of _gaunach_; and the best -story-teller informed me that _gavlen_ means a cow that has not had a -calf for five years. He gave the terms for cows that have not had calves -for one, two, three, four, and five years. These terms I wrote down; but -unfortunately they are not accessible at present. The first in the series -is _gaunach_, the last _gavlen_; the intervening ones I cannot recall. - -_King Under the Wave_ is a personage met with frequently in Gaelic; his -name is descriptive enough, and his character more or less clear in other -tales. - -_Cluainte_ is a place in the parish of Bally Ferriter, the westernmost -district in Ireland. The site of Elin Gow’s house and forge was pointed -out by the man who told the story, also the stone pillars between which -the cow used to stand and scratch her two sides at once when coming home -from pasture in the evening. The pillars are thirteen feet and a half -apart, so that Glas Gainach had a bulky body. - -Glas Gainach went away finally through the bay called Ferriter’s Cove. -In Gaelic, this bay is Caoil Cuan (Caol’s harbor), so called because the -body of Caol, foster-son of Fin MacCool, was washed in there after the -Battle of Ventry. (See last paragraph of the Battle of Ventry.) - - -_Saudan Og and the Daughter of the King of Spain, &c._ - -_Saudan Og_ means young Sultan. This is a curious naturalization of -the son of the Sultan in Ireland, a very striking example of the -substitution of new heroes in old tales. - -_Conal Gulban_ was the great grandfather of Columbkil, founder of Iona -and apostle of Scotland; hence, he lived a good many years before any -King of the Turks could be in any place. In a certain tale of three -brothers which I have heard, the narrator made “two halves” of Mark -Antony, the three heroes being Mark, Antony, and Lepidus. - -_Laian_, written _Laighean_ in Gaelic, means Leinster; the King of Laian -is King of Leinster. - - -_The Black Thief._ - -There are many variants of this tale, both in the north and south of -Ireland. It seems to have been a great favorite, and is mentioned often, -though few know it well. - -There are versions connected with Killarney and the O’Donohue. - -The adventures in the present tale are very striking. It would be -difficult indeed to have narrower escapes than those of the Black Thief. - -The racing of the cats through all underground Erin is paralleled in -Indian tales, especially those of the Modocs, in which immense journeys -are made underground. - - -_The King’s Son from Erin, the Sprisawn, and the Dark King._ - -_Lochlinn_ is used to mean Denmark, though there is no connection -whatever between the names. Lochlinn is doubtless one of the old names -in Gaelic tales, and referred to some kind of water region. Instead of -putting the name “Denmark” in place of the name “Lochlinn,” it was -said in this case that Lochlinn was Denmark. Other regions or kingdoms -in the old tales lost their names: Spain, Sicily, Greece, France were -put in place of them; we have lost the clew to what they were. Lochlinn -has a look that invites investigation. Were all the people of Lochlinn, -creatures of the water, turned by Gaelic tale-tellers into Scandinavians? -Very likely. - -In the stealing of Manus, we have a case similar to that of Tobit in the -Apocrypha. - -I know of no parallel to the scene in the three chambers with the chains -and the cross-beams. It is terribly grim and merciless. There was no -chance for the weak in those chambers. - -The work of the serpent in drying the lake by lashing it, and sending the -water in showers over the country, is equalled in an Indian tale by ducks -which rise from a lake suddenly, and in such incredible numbers that they -take all the water away, carry off the lake with them. - - -_Amadan Mor._ - -The boyhood of the Amadan Mor has some resemblance to that of the Russian -hero, Ilyá Múromets, who sat so many years in the ashes without power to -rise. - -The fear of stopping in unknown places finds expression frequently in -Indian tales, and arises from the fact that the visitor does not know -what spirits inhabit them, and therefore does not know how to avoid -offending those spirits. Eilin Og seems to have a similar idea in the -dark glen. - - -_Cud, Cad, and Micad._ - -_Urhu_ is called _Nurhu_ sometimes, and appears to be the same as the old -English Norroway, Norway. _Hadone_ is said to be Sicily. - - -_Cahal, Son of King Conor._ - -In this tale we have a number of elemental heroes, such as Striker and -Wet Mantle. Against Striker, the great blower, no one can do anything at -sea. This is the kind of hero who can walk on the water, or at least who -never sinks in it much beyond his ankles. This Striker appears in another -story as a giant out in the ocean, which he is beating with a club. - -In Wet Mantle, whose virtue is in his cloak, which is rain itself, we -have an excellent friend for a rain-maker. - - -_Coldfeet._ - -This is a good hero, an excellent herdsman and cattle-thief. What a -splendid cowboy he would be in the Indian Territory or Wyoming. He has a -good strain of simplicity and heroism in him. The bottle of water that is -never drained, is like the basket of trout’s blood (also water) in the -Indian tale of Walokit and Tumukit. - - -_Lawn Dyarrig, Son of the King of Erin, and the Knight of Terrible -Valley._ - -The serpent that sleeps seven years can be matched by monsters in -American tales. The hearts of these creatures are sliced away by heroes -who go down their throats and find other people before them, alive, -but unable to escape. Sometimes the monster is killed; sometimes it is -weakened and rendered comparatively harmless. There was an Indian monster -of this kind in the Columbia River, near the Dalles, and one in the -Klamath River, near its mouth. - - -_Balor and Glas Gavlen._ - -This was a great tale in the old time; but it is badly broken up now. -If we could discover who Balor and his daughter were really, we might, -perhaps, be able to understand why his grandson was fated to kill him. -The theft of Glas Gavlen is the first act in a series which ends with -the death of Balor. No doubt the whole story is as natural as that of -Wimaloimis, the grisly-bear cloud-woman (Introduction) who tries to eat -her own sons, lightning and thunder, and is killed by them afterward. - - -_Art, the King’s Son._ - -This is a striking tale, the head following the body of the gruagach -into the earth is peculiar. The pursuit of Art by Balor is as vigorous -as it could be. Shall we say that the blade of the screeching sword is -lightning, and the screech itself thunder? - -In Balor’s account of how his wife maltreated him, we have the incident -of the infant saved by the faithful animal. Balor, however, when a wolf, -saved himself by prompt action from the fate of Llewelyn’s dog and that -of the ichneumen in the Sanscrit tale. - -There is no more interesting fact than this in myth tales, that no -matter how good the hero, he must have the right weapon. Often there is -only one spear or sword, or one kind of spear or sword, in the world with -which a certain deed can be done. The hero must have that weapon or fail. - - -_Shawn Mac Breogan._ - -In Gaelic, we meet more frequently the cloak of darkness, a cloak of -effacement. In this tale we have a cloak or mantle of power, one that -makes the wearer the finest person in the world. This is like the mantle -of the prophet, which, if it falls on a successor to the office, gives -him power equal to that of his predecessor. Of a similar character is the -garment of the Wet Mantle Hero, in Cahal, son of King Conor, whose power -is in his mantle, which is rain itself. - -In a certain Indian tale, two skins are described,—one the skin of a -black rain cloud, the other the skin of a gray snow cloud; whenever -rain is wanted, the black skin is shaken out in the air, when snow is -desired, the gray one is shaken. This shaking is done by two deities in -the sky (stones at present), who thus produce rain and snow _ad libitum_. -The mantles of power were skins originally. When people had forgotten -the special virtue of the skins, and mantles were of cloth or skin -indifferently, or later on of cloth exclusively, the virtue connected -with mantles by tradition remained to them without reference to material. - -In Hungarian tales the food of the steed, very often a mare, is glowing -coals. There are Hungarian tales in which little if any doubt is left -that the steed is lightning. It was a steed of this character that -carried Cahal, son of King Conor, to Striker’s castle, a place to which -no ship could go. - -The skin of the white mare is like the skin of Klakherrit or Pitis in the -Indian tale. When the young woman puts on the skin, she becomes the white -mare; when she takes it off, she is herself again. - - -_The Cotter’s Son and the Half Slim Champion._ - -Instead of a king’s son, the more usual substitute for an earlier hero, -we have in this tale a cotter’s son. The scene of shaking ashes from -his person by a mourner who has sat by the fire for a long time, finds -a parallel in Indian stories. The Gaelic heroes, however, manage to get -vastly more ashes onto themselves than the Indians. The son of the King -of Lochlin in this case shakes off seven tons. In one Irish tale that I -know, the hero goes out into the field after mourning long at the hearth, -and shakes from his person an amount of ashes that covers seven acres in -front of him, seven acres behind him, seven acres on his right hand, and -seven acres on his left. - -The old King of Lochlin, who has the same kind of story to tell as Balor, -is a tremendously stubborn old fellow; there is a savage cruelty in the -torture which his son inflicts on him that is without parallel, even -in myth tales. The old man goes through the roasting with a strength -which no stoic or martyr could equal. When he yields at last, he does so -serenely, and tells a tale which solves the conundrum completely. - - -_Fin MacCool, the three Giants, and the Small Men._ - -The theft of the children of the King of the Big Men has an interesting -parallel in an Indian tale from California, a part of which is as -follows:— - - There was a man named Kuril (which means rib). He didn’t seem - to know much; but he could walk right through rocks, in at one - side and out at the other. He walked across gullies, through - thickets, and over precipices, as easily as on a smooth road. - One evening people saw him coming from the west toward the - village. When he had come near, the sun went down, and Kuril - disappeared right before their eyes. They saw this several - times afterwards. He came always just before sunset, never came - quite to the village. The children used to play in the evening; - and he would stop and look at them, and at sunset he would be - gone, turned into something. - - One evening a very poor man saw Kuril pass his thumbnail - along the top of his head, and split himself, the left half - of him became a woman, and the right half remained a man. - That night the new pair appeared to the poor man who had seen - the splitting, they said that each of them was to be called - Kukupiwit now (crooked breast), and talked with him. After that - the poor man had great luck, killed many deer; what he wanted, - he had. The male Kukupiwit came home late every evening. His - other half watched the village children playing; if one stepped - aside, or left the others, she thrust it into a basket, and - ran home. People looked for their children, but never found - them. She would listen, climb a house where she heard a child - cry, and look down the smoke-hole. One evening a little boy - was crying; his mother could not stop him. At last she said, - “Cry away; I’ll go to sleep.” The woman fell asleep; the boy - sat crying by the hearth. Soon he saw a piece of roast venison - hanging by a string over the fire. He took a piece, ate it, - stopped crying, took another; the string was drawn up a little. - He reached after it; the string was drawn farther. He reached - higher; Kukupiwit the woman caught his hand, pulled him up, put - him in her basket, and ran home. - - The mother woke now; the boy was gone. She roused her husband; - they looked everywhere, found no trace of their son. Next night - all in the village were watching. In one house a baby cried, - and soon the men who were there heard creeping on the house. - One man took the baby, held it high over the fire, and said, - “Take this baby!” Kukupiwit reached down; the man lowered the - child a little. She reached farther; that moment five or six - men caught her arm, and tried to pull her down; but all who - were in the house could not do that. One man chopped her arm - right off with a flint knife, and threw it out; she fell to the - ground where her arm was, she picked it up, and ran home. - - -_The Hard Gilla._ - -This tale has a special interest, in that it gives the cause of the -Battle of Ventry, described in the next tale. The cause, like that of the -Trojan war, was a woman. The daughter of the High King of the World goes -to Fin at first, and is then stolen away by him afterwards. - - -THE END. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Hero-Tales of Ireland, by Jeremiah Curtin - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERO-TALES OF IRELAND *** - -***** This file should be named 63866-0.txt or 63866-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/8/6/63866/ - -Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Hero-Tales of Ireland - -Author: Jeremiah Curtin - -Release Date: November 23, 2020 [EBook #63866] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERO-TALES OF IRELAND *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_i"></a>[i]</span></p> - -<p class="titlepage larger"><span class="smcap">Hero-Tales<br /> -<span class="smaller">of</span><br /> -Ireland</span></p> - -<p class="titlepage"><span class="smaller">COLLECTED BY</span><br /> -JEREMIAH CURTIN</p> - -<p class="titlepage">LONDON<br /> -MACMILLAN AND CO.<br /> -1894</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_ii"></a>[ii]</span></p> - -<p class="titlepage"><span class="gothic">University Press:</span><br /> -<span class="smcap">John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U.S.A.</span></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_iii"></a>[iii]</span></p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_iv"></a>[iv]</span></p> - -<p class="titlepage larger"><span class="smaller">TO</span><br /> -THE RIGHT HON. JOHN MORLEY,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Secretary of State for Ireland</span>.</p> - -<p class="noindent"><span class="smcap">Sir</span>,—</p> - -<p>To you, a thinker who values every age of human -history, and a statesman who takes deep interest in the -nation which produced and kept these tales, I beg to -dedicate this volume.</p> - -<p class="right">JEREMIAH CURTIN.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_v"></a>[v]</span></p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_vi"></a>[vi]</span></p> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="nobreak">CONTENTS.</h2> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_vii"></a>[vii]</span></p> - -<table summary="Contents"> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td class="tdpg"><span class="smcap">Page</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Introduction</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#INTRODUCTION">ix</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Elin Gow, the Swordsmith from Erin, and - the Cow Glas Gainach</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#ELIN_GOW_THE_SWORDSMITH_FROM">1</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Mor’s Sons and the Herder from Under - the Sea</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#MORS_SONS_AND_THE_HERDER_FROM">35</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Saudan Og and the Daughter of the King of - Spain; Young Conal and the Yellow King’s Daughter</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#SAUDAN_OG_AND_THE_DAUGHTER">58</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Black Thief and King Conal’s Three - Horses</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#THE_BLACK_THIEF_AND_KING_CONALS">93</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The King’s Son from Erin, the Sprisawn, and - the Dark King</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#THE_KINGS_SON_FROM_ERIN_THE">114</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Amadan Mor and the Gruagach of the Castle - of Gold</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#THE_AMADAN_MOR_AND_THE_GRUAGACH">140</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The King’s Son and the White-Bearded - Scolog</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#THE_KINGS_SON_AND_THE_WHITE-BEARDED">163</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Dyeermud Ulta and the King in South Erin</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#DYEERMUD_ULTA_AND_THE_KING_IN">182</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Cud, Cad, and Micad, Three Sons of the King - of Urhu</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CUD_CAD_AND_MICAD_THREE_SONS">198</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Cahal, Son of King Conor, in Erin, and Bloom - of Youth, Daughter of the King of Hathony</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#CAHAL_SON_OF_KING_CONOR_IN_ERIN">223</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Coldfeet and the Queen of Lonesome Island</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#COLDFEET_AND_THE_QUEEN_OF">242</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Lawn Dyarrig, Son of the King of Erin, and - the Knight of Terrible Valley</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#LAWN_DYARRIG_SON_OF_THE_KING">262</a><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_viii"></a>[viii]</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Balor on Tory Island</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#BALOR_ON_TORY_ISLAND">283</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Balor of the Evil Eye and Lui Lavada, - his Grandson</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#BALOR_OF_THE_EVIL_EYE_AND_LUI">296</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Art, the King’s Son, and Balor Beimenach, - Two Sons-in-law of King Under the Wave</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#ART_THE_KINGS_SON_AND_BALOR_BEIMENACH">312</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Shawn MacBreogan and the King of the White - Nation</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#SHAWN_MACBREOGAN_AND_THE">335</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Cotter’s Son and the Half Slim - Champion</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#THE_COTTERS_SON_AND_THE_HALF">356</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Blaiman, Son of Apple, in the Kingdom of the - White Strand</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#BLAIMAN_SON_OF_APPLE_IN_THE">373</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Fin MacCool and the Daughter of the King of - the White Nation</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#FIN_MACCOOL_AND_THE_DAUGHTER">407</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Fin MacCool, the Three Giants, and the - Small Men</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#FIN_MACCOOL_THE_THREE_GIANTS">438</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Fin MacCool, Ceadach Og, and the - Fish-Hag</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#FIN_MACCOOL_CEADACH_OG_AND">463</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Fin MacCool, Faolan, and the Mountain - of Happiness</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#FIN_MACCOOL_FAOLAN_AND_THE">484</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Fin MacCool, the Hard Gilla, and the - High King</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#FIN_MACCOOL_THE_HARD_GILLA_AND">514</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">The Battle of Ventry</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#THE_BATTLE_OF_VENTRY">530</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td><span class="smcap">Notes</span></td> - <td class="tdpg"><a href="#NOTES">547</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_ix"></a>[ix]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="INTRODUCTION">INTRODUCTION.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>The tales included in this volume, though told in -modern speech, relate to heroes and adventures -of an ancient time, and contain elements peculiar to early -ages of story-telling. The chief actors in most of them -are represented as men; but we may be quite sure that -these men are substitutes for heroes who were not considered -human when the stories were told to Keltic audiences -originally. To make the position of these Gaelic -tales clear, it is best to explain, first of all, what an ancient -tale is; and to do this we must turn to uncivilized men -who possess such tales yet in their primitive integrity.</p> - -<p>We have now in North America a number of groups of -tales obtained from the Indians which, when considered -together, illustrate and supplement one another; they -constitute, in fact, a whole system. These tales we -may describe as forming collectively the Creation myth -of the New World. Since the primitive tribes of North -America have not emerged yet from the Stone Age of -development, their tales are complete and in good preservation. -In some cases simple and transparent, it is -not difficult to recognize the heroes; they are distinguishable -at once either by their names or their actions or<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_x"></a>[x]</span> -both. In other cases these tales are more involved, and -the heroes are not so easily known, because they are -concealed by names and epithets. Taken as a whole, -however, the Indian tales are remarkably clear; and a -comparison of them with the Gaelic throws much light -on the latter.</p> - -<p>What is the substance and sense of these Indian tales, -of what do they treat? To begin with, they give an -account of how the present order of things arose in the -world, and are taken up with the exploits, adventures, and -struggles of various elements, animals, birds, reptiles, insects, -plants, rocks, and other objects before they became -what they are. In other words, the Indian tales give an -account of what all those individualities accomplished, or -suffered, before they fell from their former positions into -the state in which they are now. According to the earliest -tales of North America, this world was occupied, prior -to the appearance of man, by beings called variously “the -first people,” “the outside people,” or simply “people,”—the -same term in all cases being used for people that -is applied to Indians at present.</p> - -<p>These people, who were very numerous, lived together -for ages in harmony. There were no collisions among -them, no disputes during that period; all were in perfect -accord. In some mysterious fashion, however, each individual -was changing imperceptibly; an internal movement -was going on. At last, a time came when the differences -were sufficient to cause conflict, except in the case of a -group to be mentioned hereafter, and struggles began.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xi"></a>[xi]</span> -These struggles were gigantic, for the “first people” had -mighty power; they had also wonderful perception and -knowledge. They felt the approach of friends or enemies -even at a distance; they knew the thought in another’s -heart. If one of them expressed a wish, it was accomplished -immediately; nay, if he even thought of a thing, -it was there before him. Endowed with such powers and -qualities, it would seem that their struggles would be endless -and indecisive; but such was not the case. Though -opponents might be equally dexterous, and have the power -of the wish or the word in a similar degree, one of them -would conquer in the end through wishing for more effective -and better things, and thus become the hero of a -higher cause; that is, a cause from which benefit would -accrue to mankind, the coming race.</p> - -<p>The accounts of these struggles and conflicts form the -substance of the first cycle of American tales, which contain -the adventures of the various living creatures, plants, -elements, objects, and phenomena in this world before -they became what they are as we see them. Among -living creatures, we are not to reckon man, for man does -not appear in any of those myth tales; they relate solely -to extra-human existences, and describe the battle and -agony of creation, not the adventures of anything in the -world since it received its present form and office. -According to popular modes of thought and speech, all -this would be termed the fall of the gods; for the “first -people” of the Indian tales correspond to the earliest -gods of other races, including those of the Kelts. We<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xii"></a>[xii]</span> -have thus, in America, a remarkable projection of thought, -something quite as far-reaching for the world of mind as is -the nebular hypothesis for the world of matter. According -to the nebular hypothesis, the whole physical universe -is evolved by the rotary motion of a primeval, misty substance -which fills all space, and which seems homogeneous. -From a uniform motion of this attenuated matter, -continued through eons of ages, is produced that infinite -variety in the material universe which we observe and -discover, day by day; from it we have the countless host -of suns and planets whose positions in space correspond -to their sizes and densities, that endless choral dance -of heavenly bodies with its marvellous figures and complications, -that ceaseless movement of each body in its -own proper path, and that movement of each group -or system with reference to others. From this motion, -come climates, succession of seasons, with all the variety -in this world of sense which we inhabit. In the theory -of spiritual evolution, worked out by the aboriginal mind -of America, all kinds of moral quality and character -are represented as coming from an internal movement -through which the latent, unevolved personality of each -individual of these “first people,” or gods, is produced. -Once that personality is produced, every species of -dramatic situation and tragic catastrophe follows as an -inevitable sequence. There is no more peace after that; -there are only collisions followed by combats which are -continued by the gods till they are turned into all the -things,—animal, vegetable, and mineral,—which are either<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xiii"></a>[xiii]</span> -useful or harmful to man, and thus creation is accomplished. -During the period of struggles, the gods organize -institutions, social and religious, according to which -they live. These are bequeathed to man; and nothing -that an Indian has is of human invention, all is divine. An -avowed innovation, anything that we call reform, anything -invented by man, would be looked on as sacrilege, -a terrible, an inexpiable crime. The Indian lives in a -world prepared by the gods, and follows in their footsteps,—that -is the only morality, the one pure and holy religion. -The struggles in which creation began, and the continuance -of which was creation itself, were bequeathed to -aboriginal man; and the play of passions which caused -the downfall of the gods has raged ever since, throughout -every corner of savage life in America.</p> - -<p>This Creation myth of the New World is a work of -great value, for by aid of it we can bring order into mythology, -and reconstruct, at least in outline, and provisionally, -that early system of belief which was common to all -races: a system which, though expressed in many languages, -and in endlessly varying details, has one meaning, -and was, in the fullest sense of the word, one,—a religion -truly Catholic and Œcumenical, for it was believed in by -all people, wherever resident, and believed in with a vividness -of faith, and a sincerity of attachment, which no -civilized man can even imagine, unless he has had long -experience of primitive races. In the struggle between -these “first people,” or gods, there were never drawn -battles: one side was always victorious, the other always<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xiv"></a>[xiv]</span> -vanquished; but each could give one command, one fateful -utterance, which no power could resist or gainsay. The -victor always said to the vanquished: “Henceforth, you’ll -be nothing but a ——,” and here he named the beast, -bird, insect, reptile, fish, or plant, which his opponent was -to be. That moment the vanquished retorted, and said: -“You’ll be nothing but a ——,” mentioning what he was -to be. Thereupon each became what his opponent had -made him, and went away over the earth. As a rule, -there is given with the sentence a characteristic description; -for example: “The people to come hereafter will -hunt you, and kill you to eat you;” or, “will kill you for -your skin;” or, “will kill you because they hate you.”</p> - -<p>One opponent might be turned into a wolf, the other -into a squirrel; or one into a bear, the other into a fox: -there is always a strict correspondence, however, between -the former nature of each combatant and the present character -of the creature into which he has been transformed, -looked at, of course, from the point of view of the original -myth-maker.</p> - -<p>The war between the gods continued till it produced -on land, in the water, and the air, all creatures that move, -and all plants that grow. There is not a beast, bird, fish, -reptile, insect, or plant which is not a fallen divinity; -and for every one noted there is a story of its previous -existence.</p> - -<p>This transformation of the former people, or divinities, -of America was finished just before the present race of -men—that is, the Indians—appeared. This transformation<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xv"></a>[xv]</span> -does not take place in every American mythology as a -result of single combat. Sometimes a great hero goes -about ridding the world of terrible oppressors and monsters: -he beats them, turns them into something insignificant; -after defeat they have no power over him. We -may see in the woods some weak worm or insect which, -in the first age, was an awful power, but a bad one. -Stories of this kind present some of the finest adventures, -and most striking situations, as well as qualities of character -in the hero that invite admiration.</p> - -<p>In some mythologies a few personages who are left -unchanged at the eve of man’s coming, transform themselves -voluntarily. The details of the change vary from -tribe to tribe; but in all it takes place in some described -way, and forms part of the general change, or metamorphosis, -which is the vital element in the American system. -In many, perhaps in all, the mythologies, there is an -account of how some of the former people, or gods, -instead of fighting and taking part in the struggle of creation, -and being transformed, retained their original character, -and either went above the sky, or sailed away westward -to where the sky comes down, and passed out under -it, and beyond, to a pleasant region where they live in -delight. This is that contingent to which I have referred, -that part of “the first people” in which no passion was -developed; they remained in primitive simplicity, undifferentiated, -and are happy at present. They correspond to -those gods of classic antiquity who enjoyed themselves -apart, and took no interest whatever in the sufferings or -the joys of mankind.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xvi"></a>[xvi]</span></p> - -<p>It is evident, at once, that to the aborigines of America -the field for beautiful stories was very extensive.</p> - -<p>Everything in nature had a tale of its own, if some one -would but tell it; and during the epoch of constructive -power in the race,—the epoch when languages were built -up, and great stories made,—few things of importance to -people of that time were left unconsidered; hence, there -was among the Indians of America a volume of tales as -immense, one might say, as an ocean river. This statement -I make in view of materials which I have gathered -myself, and which are still unpublished,—materials which, -though voluminous, are comparatively meagre, merely a -hint of what in some tribes was lost, and of what in others -is still uncollected. What is true of the Indians with -reference to the volume of their stories, is true of all races.</p> - -<p>From what is known of the mind of antiquity, and -from what data we have touching savage life in the -present, we may affirm as a theory that primitive beliefs, -in all places, are of the same system essentially as the -American. In that system, every individual existence -beyond man is a divinity, but a divinity under sentence,—a -divinity weighed down by fate; a divinity with a -history behind it, a history which is tragedy or comedy as -the case may be. These histories extend along the whole -line of experience, and include every combination conceivable -to primitive man.</p> - -<p>Of the pre-Christian beliefs of the Kelts, not much -is known yet in detail and with certainty. What we may -say at present is this, that they form a very interesting<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xvii"></a>[xvii]</span> -variant of that aforementioned Œcumenical religion held -in early ages by all men. The peculiarities and value of the -variant will be shown when the tales, beliefs, and literary -monuments of the race are brought fully into evidence.</p> - -<p>Now that some statement has been made touching -Indian tales and their contents, we may give, for purposes -of comparison, two or three of them, either in part or condensed. -These examples may serve to show what Gaelic -tales were before they were modified in structure, and before -human substitutes were put in place of the primitive -heroes.</p> - -<p>It should be stated here that these accounts of a former -people, and the life of the world before this, as given in the -tales, were delivered in one place and another by some of -these “former people” who were the last to be transformed, -and who found means to give needful instruction -to men. On the Klamath River, in Northwestern California, -there is a sacred tree, a former divinity, which has -been a great source of revelation. On a branch of the -Upper Columbia is a rock which has told whole histories -of a world before this.</p> - -<p>Among the Iroquois, I found a story in possession of a -doctor,—that is, a magician, or sorcerer,—who, so far as -I could learn, was the only man who knew it, though others -knew of it. This story is in substance as follows:</p> - -<p>Once there was an orphan boy who had no friends; a -poor, childless widow took the little fellow, and reared -him. When the boy had grown up somewhat, he was very -fond of bows and arrows, became a wonderful shot. As is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xviii"></a>[xviii]</span> -usual with orphans, he was wiser than others, and was able -to hunt when much smaller than his comrades.</p> - -<p>He began to kill birds for his foster-mother; gradually -he went farther from home, and found more game. The -widow had plenty in her house now, and something to -give her friends. The boy and the woman lived on in this -fashion a whole year. He was good, thoughtful, serious, a -wise boy, and brought game every day. The widow was -happy with her foster-son.</p> - -<p>At last he came late one evening, later than ever before, -and hadn’t half so much game.</p> - -<p>“Why so late, my son; and why have you so little -game?” asked the widow.</p> - -<p>“Oh, my mother, game is getting scarce around here; -I had to go far to find any, and then it was too late to kill -more.”</p> - -<p>The next day he was late again, a little later than the -day before, and had no more game; he gave the same excuse. -This conduct continued a week; the woman grew -suspicious, and sent out a boy to follow her foster-son, and -see what he was doing.</p> - -<p>Now what had happened to the boy? He had gone far -into the forest on the day when he was belated, farther -than ever before. In a thick and dense place he found a -round, grassy opening; in the middle of this space was a -large rock, shaped like a millstone, and lying on one side, -the upper part was flat and level. He placed his birds on -the rock, sprang up, and sat on it to rest; the time was -just after midday. While he was sitting there, he heard<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xix"></a>[xix]</span> -a voice in the stone, which asked: “Do you want me -to tell a story?” He was astonished, said nothing. -Again the voice spoke, and he answered: “Yes, tell me -a story.”</p> - -<p>The voice began, and told him a wonderful story, such -as he had never heard before. He was delighted; never -had he known such pleasure. About the middle of the -afternoon, the story was finished; and the voice said: -“Now, you must give me your birds for the story; leave -them where you put them.” He went away toward home, -shot what birds he could find, but did not kill many.</p> - -<p>He came the next day, with birds, and heard a second -story; and so it went on till the eighth day, when the boy -sent by the foster-mother followed secretly. That boy -heard the story too, discovered himself, and promised not -to tell. Two days later the widow sent a second boy to -watch those two, and three days after that a third one. The -boys were true to the orphan, however, and would not tell; -the magic of the stories overcame them.</p> - -<p>At last the woman went to the chief with her trouble; -he sent a man to watch the boys. This man joined the boys, -and would not tell. The chief then sent his most trusty -friend, whom nothing could turn aside from his errand. -He came on the boys and the man, while they were listening -to a story, and threatened them, was very angry. The -voice stopped then, and said: “I will tell no more to-day; -but, you boys and you men, listen to me, take a message -to the chief and the people,—tell them to come here to-morrow, -to come all of them, for I have a great word to -say to every person.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xx"></a>[xx]</span></p> - -<p>The boys and men went home, and delivered the message. -On the following day, the whole people went out -in a body. They cleared away the thick grass in the open -space; and all sat down around the stone, from which the -voice came as follows:—</p> - -<p>“Now, you chief and you people, there was a world before -this, and a people different from the people in the -world now,—another kind of people. I am going to tell -you of that people. I will tell you all about them,—what -they did; how they fixed this world; and what they became -themselves. You will come here every day till I have told -all the stories of the former people; and each time you -will bring a little present of what you have at home.”</p> - -<p>The stone began, told a story that day, told more the -next day. The people came day after day, week after -week, till the stone told all it knew. Then it said: “You -have heard all the stories of the former world; you will -keep them, preserve them as long as you live. In after -times some man will remember nearly all of these stories; -another will remember a good many; a third, not so -many; a fourth man, a few; a fifth, one story; a sixth, -parts of some stories, but not all of any story. No man will -remember every story; only the whole people can remember -all. When one man goes to another who knows stories, -and he tells them, the first man will give him some present,—tobacco, -a bit of venison, a bird, or whatever he has. -He will do as you have done to me. I have finished.”</p> - -<p>Very interesting and important are these statements -touching the origin of stories; they indicate in the Indian<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxi"></a>[xxi]</span> -system revelation as often as it is needed. In Ireland, the -origin of every Fenian tale is explained in a way somewhat -similar. All the accounts of Fin Mac Cool and his men -were given to Saint Patrick by Ossian, after his return from -Tir nan Og, the Land of the Young, where he had lived three -hundred years. These Fenian tales were written down at -that time, it is stated; but Saint Patrick gave an order soon -after to destroy two-thirds of the number, for they were -so entertaining, he said, that the people of Erin would do -nothing but listen to them.</p> - -<p>In every case the Fenian tales of Ireland, like the tales -of America, are made up of the adventures of heroes who -are not human. Some writers assert that there have never -been such persons on earth as Fin Mac Cool and his men; -others consider them real characters in Irish history. In -either case, the substantial character of the tales is not -changed. If Fin and his men are historical personages, -deeds of myth-heroes, ancient gods of Gaelic mythology, -have been attributed to them, or they have been substituted -for heroes who were in the tales previously. If -Fin and his men are not historical, they are either the -original non-human heroes, or a later company of similar -character substituted in the tales for the original heroes, -or for some successors of those heroes; at this date it -would be difficult to decide how often such substitutions -may have been made.</p> - -<p>The following tale of Pitis and Klakherrit, though condensed, -is complete; it is given here not because it is the -best for illustration, but because it is accessible. The tale<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxii"></a>[xxii]</span> -is dramatic; the characters are well known; it is ancient, -and may be used to show how easily the character of stories -may be modified without changing their structure, simply -by changing the heroes. This tale of Pitis and Klakherrit -is not more than third rate, if compared with other Indian -tales, perhaps not so high in rank as that, still, it is a good -story.</p> - -<p>At a place called Memtachnokolton lived the Pitis -people; they were numerous, all children of one father. -They lived as they liked for a long time, till one of them -who had gone hunting did not return in the evening. -Next day two of his brothers went to look for him, and -found his headless body four or five miles away, at the -side of a deer-trail. They carried the body home, and -buried it.</p> - -<p>On the following day, another went to hunt, and spent -the night out in like manner. Next day his headless -body was found, brought home, and buried. Each day a -Pitis went to hunt till the last one was killed; and the way -they died was this:—</p> - -<p>Not very far south of the deer-trail were the Klak people, -at Klakkewilton. They lived together in one great -house, and were all blind except one Klakherrit, who was -young and strong, bad, a great liar, and very fond of -gambling. This Klakherrit hated the Pitis people, and -wanted to kill them all; he used to go out and watch for -them. When a Pitis went hunting, and was following the -deer, Klakherrit sat down at the trail, some distance ahead; -and, as the Pitis came up, he would groan, and call out,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxiii"></a>[xxiii]</span> -“Oh, I have a big splinter in my foot; I cannot take it -out alone, help me!”</p> - -<p>The Pitis pitied him always, and said: “I will pull it -out for you;” then he sat down, took the foot in his hand, -looked at it, and pulled at the splinter.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you cannot pull it out with your fingers; you -must take it between your teeth.” The Pitis took the -end of the splinter between his teeth, and began to pull; -that moment Klakherrit cut his head off, and carried it to -Klakkewilton, leaving the body by the roadside.</p> - -<p>When Klakherrit killed the last Pitis, he took his skin, -put it on and became just like Pitis. He went then to -Memtachnokolton, and said to the Pitis women and children, -“I killed a deer to-day; but Klakherrit ran off with -it, so I come home with nothing.”</p> - -<p>“We have enough to eat; never mind,” said the women, -who thought he was their man.</p> - -<p>About dark that evening, Klakherrit, the counterfeit -Pitis, killed all the women and children except one little -child, a boy, who escaped by some wonderful fortune, and -hid under the weeds. Klakherrit burned the village then, -and went home, thinking: “I have killed every Pitis.”</p> - -<p>Next morning little Pitis came out of his hiding-place, -and wandered around the burnt village, crying. Soon an -old woman, Tsosokpokaila, heard the child, found him, -took him home, called him grandson, and reared him; she -gave him seeds to eat which she took from her own people,—a -great many of them lived in her village. She was -a small person, but active.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxiv"></a>[xxiv]</span></p> - -<p>In a few days, little Pitis began to talk; and soon he was -able to run around, and play with bows and arrows. The -old woman said to him then: “My grandson, you must -never go to the south nor to the east. Go always to the -north or west, and don’t go far; you needn’t think to -meet any of your people, they are dead, every one of -them.”</p> - -<p>All this time Klakherrit went out every morning, and -listened long and carefully; hearing no sound of a Pitis, -he went in one day, and said to his blind relatives: “I -hear nothing, I see nothing of the Pitis people; they are -all dead.”</p> - -<p>There was one old man in the house, an uncle of Klakherrit, -and he answered: “My nephew, I can’t see anything; -but some day you may see a Pitis. I don’t think all -the Pitis people are dead yet; I think some are living in -this world somewhere.”</p> - -<p>Klakherrit said nothing, but went out every morning as -before; at last he saw far away in the west a little smoke -rising, a slender streak of it. “Some people are living off -there,” thought he; “who can they be, I must know.” He -hurried to the house for his choicest clothes, and weapons, -and made ready. He took his best bow, and a large quiver -of black fox-skin, this he filled with arrows; then he put -beads of waterbone on his neck, and a girdle of shining -shells around his waist. When dressed to his wish, he started, -and went straight toward the fire. As he came near it, he -walked slowly, to see who was there; for a time he saw no -one, but he heard pounding at the other side of a big pine-tree.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxv"></a>[xxv]</span> -He went around slowly to the other side, and saw a -man pounding something. He would pound a while, and -then pick up nuts, crack the shells with his teeth, and eat -the kernels. This person was Kaisusherrit; and he was so -busy that he did not see Klakherrit, who stood looking -on a good while. “Hallo, my friend!” said Klakherrit, -at last, “why are you alone; does no one else live around -here?”</p> - -<p>Kaisusherrit said nothing; he went on pounding pine -cones, getting nuts out of them, didn’t look at the -stranger. Around his neck he had a net bag filled with -pine nuts. After a while he stopped pounding, cracked -some nuts, put the kernels in his mouth, and then pounded -pine cones again.</p> - -<p>“My friend, you are alone in this place. I came here by -myself; there are only two of us. I saw your smoke this -morning; and I said, before I started, ‘I will go and see a -good man to-day.’ I thought that you were here, and I -found you.”</p> - -<p>Kaisusherrit said nothing, but pounded away.</p> - -<p>“My friend, why not talk to me; why not say something? -Let us gamble: there is plenty of shade under -the trees here; we might as well play.”</p> - -<p>Kaisusherrit was silent, didn’t take his eyes off the pine -cones.</p> - -<p>“Why not talk to me, my friend? If you don’t talk -to me, who will; there are only two of us in this place. I -came to see you this morning, to have a talk with you. I -thought you would tell me what is going on around here<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxvi"></a>[xxvi]</span> -where you live; and I would tell you what I know. Stop -eating; let’s gamble, and have a good talk.”</p> - -<p>Klakherrit talked, and teased, and begged, all the forenoon. -He didn’t sit down once; he was on his feet all the -time. At last, a little after noon, Kaisusherrit looked up, -and said: “Why do you make all this fuss? That is not -the way for one grown person to talk to another. You -act like some little boy, teasing, and talking, and hanging -around. Why don’t you sit down quietly, and tell me -who you are, what you know, and where you live? Then -I can tell you what I like, and talk to you.”</p> - -<p>Klakherrit sat down, and told who he was. Then he -began again: “Well, my friend, let us play; the shade is -good here under the trees.”</p> - -<p>“Why do you want to play?” asked Kaisusherrit; “do -you see anything here that you like? I have nothing to bet -against your things.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you have,” said Klakherrit,—“you have your -pounding stone, your net full of nuts, your pine cones.”</p> - -<p>“Very well,” said Kaisusherrit; “I will bet my things -against yours;” and he placed them in one pile. Klakherrit -took off his weapons and ornaments, and tied them -up with Kaisusherrit’s things in one bundle, so that the -winner might have them all ready to carry away. Kaisusherrit -brought sticks to play with, and grass to use with -the sticks. He sat down then with his back to the tree, and -motioned to the other to sit down in front. The bundle -was near the tree, and each had a pile of grass behind him.</p> - -<p>“Let us go away from this tree to the shade out there; -I don’t like to be near a tree,” said Klakherrit.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxvii"></a>[xxvii]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, I can’t go there; I must have my back against a -tree when I play,” said Kaisusherrit. “Oh, come, I like -that place; let us go out there.” “No, my back aches -unless I lean against a tree; I must stay here.” “Never -mind this time; come on, I want to play out there,” urged -Klakherrit. “I won’t go,” said Kaisusherrit; “I must -play here.”</p> - -<p>They talked and disputed about the place till the middle -of the afternoon: but Kaisusherrit wouldn’t stir; and -Klakherrit, who was dying to play, agreed at last to let -Kaisusherrit put his back to the tree, and to sit opposite -himself. They began, and were playing about two -hours, when Klakherrit was getting the advantage; he was -winning. Both were playing their best now, and watching -each other. Kaisusherrit said then in his mind, “You, -Klakherrit’s grass, be all gone, be grass no more, be -dust.” The grass in Klakherrit’s hand turned to dust. -He reached behind to get more grass, but found none; -then he looked to see where it was. That moment Kaisusherrit -snatched the bundle, and ran up the tree. -Klakherrit sprang to his feet, looked through the branches; -and there he saw Kaisusherrit with the bundle on his -back.</p> - -<p>“Oh, my friend,” cried he, “what is the matter; what -are you doing?” Kaisusherrit said nothing, sat on a limb, -and looked at the stranger. “Oh, my friend, why go up -in the tree? Come, let us finish the game; maybe you’ll -win all my things. Come down.”</p> - -<p>Klakherrit talked and talked. Kaisusherrit began to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxviii"></a>[xxviii]</span> -come down slowly, stopping every little while; he reached -the lower limbs. Klakherrit thought he was coming surely; -all at once he turned, and hurried up again, went to the -very top, and sat there. Klakherrit walked around the -tree, persuading and begging. Kaisusherrit slipped down -a second time, was near the ground, seemed to be getting -off the tree; Klakherrit was glad. Kaisusherrit didn’t -get off, though; he went up to the next limb, smiled, and -looked at Klakherrit, who was getting terribly angry. -Kaisusherrit went higher. Klakherrit could hold in no -longer; he was raging. He ran, picked up sharp rocks, -and hurled them at Kaisusherrit. The first one hit the limb -on which he was sitting, and cut it right off; but he was -very quick and sprang on to another. Klakherrit hurled -stone after stone at the tree, with such force and venom that -a limb fell whenever a stone struck it. At dusk there wasn’t -a limb left on the tree; but Kaisusherrit was there yet. He -was very quick and resolute, and dodged every stone. -Klakherrit drew breath a moment, and began again to -hurl stones at Kaisusherrit; wherever one struck the tree, it -took the bark off. At dark the tree was all naked and -battered, not a branch nor a bit of bark left. Kaisusherrit -was on it yet; but Klakherrit couldn’t see him. Klakherrit -had to go home; when he went into the house, he -said, “Well, I’ve met a man to-day who is lucky; he won -all my things in play.”</p> - -<p>“My son,” said Klakherrit’s father, who was very old, -“you have been telling us that you are a great player; but -I thought all the time that you would meet a person some<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxix"></a>[xxix]</span> -day who would beat you. You have travelled much to -find such a one; you have found him.”</p> - -<p>Next morning Klakherrit went out, and saw a smoke in -the west. “That is my friend,” said he; “I must see -him.” He took his best dress and weapons, and soon -reached the fire. “Hallo, my friend,” said Klakherrit, -“I’ve come to play with you to-day.” “Very well,” -answered Kaisusherrit, who was wearing Klakherrit’s -clothes that he had carried up the tree. “But, my friend, -you won’t do as you did yesterday?” “Oh, no; I’ll play -nicely to-day, I’ll play to please you.” They tied the -stakes in one bundle, brought sticks and grass. Kaisusherrit -put his back to a tree much larger than the first -one. Klakherrit wished to play in the open; Kaisusherrit -wouldn’t go there. They disputed and quarrelled till -Klakherrit had to yield; but he made up his mind not to -let Kaisusherrit go up the tree this time.</p> - -<p>They played as before till the middle of the afternoon, -when Klakherrit was winning. Kaisusherrit turned the -grass into dust, and was up the tree before Klakherrit -could stop him. The deeds of the day before were repeated -with greater force. Kaisusherrit was more cynical -in his conduct. Klakherrit was more enraged; he cut all -the limbs, and stripped all the bark from this tree with -stone-throwing. At dark he had to go home, leaving -Kaisusherrit unhurt.</p> - -<p>On the third morning, Klakherrit was watching for -smoke; he wanted to win back what he had lost in the -west. Soon he saw a herd of deer pass, followed by -a Pitis.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxx"></a>[xxx]</span></p> - -<p>It was the end of summer; little Pitis had grown very -fast, was a young man now. While Klakherrit was gambling, -Pitis told his grandmother that he wanted to hunt. -“Oh, my grandson,” said she, “you must never go hunting; -all your people were killed while out hunting. I don’t -want you to hunt; I don’t want you to be killed.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t want to be killed, my grandmother; but I -don’t like to stay around the house here all the time. I -want to find food and bring it home; I want, besides, to -see where my people were killed. I want to see the place -where they died; I want to look at the person who killed -them.”</p> - -<p>“My grandson, I don’t like to hear you talk in that -way; I don’t want you to go far from this house. There is -a very bad person south of us: he is the one who killed -all your people; he is Klakherrit.”</p> - -<p>“My grandmother, I can’t help going,—I must go; I -must see the place where my people were killed. If I -can find him, I must look at Klakherrit, who killed all my -relatives.”</p> - -<p>Next morning, young Pitis rose, and dressed himself -beautifully. He took a good bow, and a quiver of black fox-skin; -his arrows were pointed with white flint; in his hair -he had Winishuyat<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> to warn him of danger. “My grandmother,” -said he, at parting, “do the best you can while -I am gone.” The old woman began to cry, and said,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxxi"></a>[xxxi]</span> -“Oh, my grandson, be on the watch, and guard yourself -well; take good care, my grandson.”</p> - -<p>Pitis started off; and, when out of sight, Winishuyat said, -“My brother, a little ahead of us are deer. All your relatives -were killed by Klakherrit for the sake of these deer. -The deer obeyed your people, and went wherever they -told them.” Pitis saw twenty deer, and, a few moments -later, twenty more. He shouted; they ran around, stopped, -and looked at him. “I want you, deer,” said Pitis, “to -go toward the south, and go past Klakherrit’s house, so -that he can see you and I can see him.”</p> - -<p>Pitis shouted three times; and Klakherrit, who was watching -for Kaisusherrit’s smoke, heard him. The forty deer -went on one after another in a line, Pitis following. When -Klakherrit saw them, he ran into the house, and called to his -relatives: “Deer are coming; and a Pitis is with them!”</p> - -<p>“Oh, my nephew,” cried the blind uncle, “you kept -saying all the time that there was not another Pitis in this -world; but I knew there were some left somewhere. -Didn’t I say that you would see Pitis people; didn’t -I tell you that you hadn’t killed all that people, my -nephew? You will meet a Pitis to-day.”</p> - -<p>Klakherrit made no answer; he took his bow and quiver -quickly, and hurried out. The deer had passed the house -and Pitis was just passing. Klakherrit saw him well; and -Pitis had a good look at Klakherrit. Klakherrit went away -on one side of the trail, got ahead of the deer, and sat -down at the side of the trail near a rock. When they -came up, the deer passed him; but Winishuyat said to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxxii"></a>[xxxii]</span> -Pitis, “My brother, Klakherrit is near that rock right there; -when you pass, don’t stop, don’t speak to him. It is he -who killed our people; he wants to kill you.”</p> - -<p>When Pitis came to the rock; Klakherrit jumped up on -one leg, and cried, “Oh, my friend, I can’t travel farther. -I was going to help you, but I have this great splinter in -my foot; draw it out for me.” Pitis didn’t look at him, -went straight past. A little later, Winishuyat said, “My -brother, on the other side of that clump of bushes your -enemy is sitting: go by; don’t speak to him.” When -Pitis came, Klakherrit begged him again to pull the splinter -out of his foot; but Pitis didn’t stop, didn’t speak to -him. Five times that day did Klakherrit run ahead by -side-paths, and beg Pitis to pull a splinter out of his foot; -but Pitis never stopped, never answered him. In the evening, -Pitis said to the deer, “You, deer, meet me in the -morning where you met me to-day.” That night, Pitis -said to his grandmother, “I saw Klakherrit; he bothered -me all day. Five times he was ahead of me with a sore -foot; but if his foot is sore, how can he travel so? There -must be a great many of his people just like him.”</p> - -<p>“My grandson, Klakherrit has many relatives; but he -is the only one of that people who can travel. All the rest -are blind; he is the one who was ahead of you all day.”</p> - -<p>“Well, grandmother, I have seen Klakherrit; I know -all about him. I know what I can do to him; I shall follow -the deer to-morrow.” (Pitis didn’t hunt deer; he -just followed them.) Next morning, Pitis rose very early, -bathed in the creek, ate his breakfast, and dressed for the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxxiii"></a>[xxxiii]</span> -road; then he brought two flat stones, a blue and a white -one, each about a foot wide, put them down before the -old woman, and said, “My grandmother, watch these -two stones all day. If you see thick black spots of blood -on the blue stone, you may know that I am killed; but if -you see light red blood on the white stone, you may know -that I am safe.” The old woman began to cry; but he -went to the place where he met the deer the day before. -He sent them by the same road; and, after a while, he met -Klakherrit, who begged him to pull the splinter out of -his foot. Pitis passed in silence; when out of sight, he -stopped the deer, and said, “Now, my deer, let the -strongest of you go ahead; and if Klakherrit is by the -trail again, run at him, and stamp him into the ground -with your fore-feet; jump on him, every one of you.”</p> - -<p>Some distance farther on, they saw Klakherrit sitting -at the side of the trail. The first deer ran and thrust his -hoofs into his body; the second and the third did the -same, and so did the whole forty. He was all cut to -pieces, one lump of dirt and blood. The deer went on; -Pitis followed. Soon Pitis called to the deer, “We’ll go -back again;” and he walked ahead till they returned to -where they had trampled his enemy. Klakherrit was up -again, begging, “Oh, my friend, pull this great splinter -out of my foot; I cannot do it alone, help me!” Pitis -sent the deer at him again; they trampled him into the -ground, and went on. When they had gone perhaps two -miles, Klakherrit was sitting at the roadside as before, and -begged Pitis to pull the splinter out of his foot. Pitis<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxxiv"></a>[xxxiv]</span> -was terribly angry now; he stopped in front of Klakherrit, -and walked up to him. “My friend,” said he, “what are -you talking about; what do you want? Are you one person, -or are there many like you? You bothered me all -yesterday; what do you want to-day?”</p> - -<p>“I am only one person,” said Klakherrit; “but, my -friend, pull this splinter out; my foot pains me terribly.”</p> - -<p>“But how do you run so fast, and go ahead of me -every time, if your foot is hurt; how do you pull the splinter -out?”</p> - -<p>“I get it out at last, and run ahead; but by that time -there is another splinter in my foot.”</p> - -<p>“Why do you follow me; what do you want; why don’t -you let me alone?” inquired Pitis, sitting down.</p> - -<p>“Oh, my friend, pull this splinter out; my foot is so -sore I cannot talk. Pull the splinter, and I will tell you.”</p> - -<p>Pitis took hold of the splinter and pulled, but no use, -he could not draw it out. “Take it between your teeth, -that is the only way,” said Klakherrit.</p> - -<p>“My brother,” said Winishuyat, “look out for your -life now; that is the way in which Klakherrit killed all -your people. Do what he says; but dodge when I tell -you.”</p> - -<p>Pitis took the splinter between his teeth, and began to -pull. That moment Klakherrit drew his knife, and struck; -but before the knife came down, Winishuyat cried, -“Dodge to the left!” Pitis dodged, and just escaped. -Pitis struck now with his white-flint knife. Every blow he -gave hit Klakherrit; he dodged every blow himself so<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxxv"></a>[xxxv]</span> -that it struck only his clothes. Klakherrit was very -strong, and fought fiercely. Pitis was quick, and hit all -the time. The fight was a hard one. In the middle of -the afternoon, Pitis was very tired, and had all his clothes -cut to pieces; and Klakherrit’s head was cut off. But -the head would not die; it fought on, and Pitis cut at it -with his knife.</p> - -<p>Now Winishuyat called out, “My brother, you can’t -kill Klakherrit in that way; you can’t kill him with any -weapon on this earth. Klakherrit’s life is in the sky; -Klakherrit’s heart is up there on the right side of the -place where the sun is at midday.”</p> - -<p>Pitis looked up, and saw the heart. He stretched out -his right hand then, pulled down the heart, and squeezed -it; that moment Klakherrit died.</p> - -<p>Pitis took the skin off Klakherrit’s body, put it on himself, -and became just like him. He cut up his enemy’s -flesh, then carried it to Klakkewilton, went into the house -and said, “I have some venison to-day; I will roast it.” -He roasted Klakherrit’s flesh, and gave it to his relatives. -All ate except the old uncle, who grumbled, and said, -“This meat doesn’t seem right to me; it has the smell -of our people.” Pitis walked out, pulled off Klakherrit’s -skin, threw it into the house, and was himself again; then -he set fire to the house, and stopped the door. He listened; -there was a great noise inside and an uproar. If -any broke through, he threw them back again. At last -one woman burst out, and rushed away; she escaped, and -from her were born all the Klaks in the world. But she<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxxvi"></a>[xxxvi]</span> -and they were a people no longer; they had become rattlesnakes. -The Pitis people became quails, and Kaisusherrit’s -people, gray squirrels.</p> - -<p>The old woman, Tsosokpokaila, who reared Pitis, became -a weed about a foot high, which produces many -seeds; the quails are fond of these seeds.</p> - -<p>The following summary shows in outline the main parts -of a tale which could not be so easily modified as the -preceding, and one which is much more important as to -contents.</p> - -<p>Before thunder and lightning were in this world, Sulapokaila -(trout old woman) had a house on the river Winimem, -near Mount Shasta. One evening, a maiden called -Wimaloimis (grisly bear maiden) came, and asked a -night’s lodging of the old woman; she gave it. Next -morning, Wimaloimis wanted to eat Sulapokaila, and had -almost caught her, when the old woman turned into water, -and escaped. Wimaloimis went her way then, but remained -in the neighborhood. She built a house, lay down -near the door, and gazed at the sun for a long time; at -last she grew pregnant from gazing. In time she had -twins. When the first one was born, she tried to swallow -it; but the infant gave out a great flash of light and frightened -her. When the second child was born, she tried to -eat that; but it roared terribly, and she was so frightened -that she rushed out of the house, and ran off. The old -woman, Sulapokaila, came and took the children home, -washed them, cared for them, named the first-born Walokit -(Lightning), and the second Tumukit (Thunder).</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxxvii"></a>[xxxvii]</span></p> - -<p>The boys grew very fast, and were soon young men. -One day, Walokit asked, “Brother, do you know who our -mother is, who our father is?”</p> - -<p>“I do not know,” answered Tumukit; “let us ask our -grandmother.”</p> - -<p>They went and asked the old woman. “I know your -father and mother,” replied the old woman. “Your mother -is very bad; she came to my house, and tried to eat me. -She wanted to eat trees, bushes, everything she saw. -When you were born, she tried to eat you; but somehow -you little boys frightened her. She ran away, and is living -on that mountain yonder. Your father is good; he is living -up there in the sky.”</p> - -<p>A couple of days later, Walokit said to his brother, -“Let us go and find our mother.” They went off, and -found her half-way up on the slope of a mountain, sitting -in front of her house, and weaving a basket. Her head -was down; she did not see them even when near. They -stood awhile in silence, and then walked right up to her.</p> - -<p>“Oh, my children!” cried she, putting the basket -aside, “come into the house, and sit down.” She went -in; the boys followed. She sat down.</p> - -<p>“Come here, and I’ll comb your hair; come both of -you, my children.” They sat down in front of her, and -bent their heads. She stroked their hair, took her comb, -and began to comb; next, she opened her mouth wide, -and was going to swallow both at one gulp. That moment -some voice said, “Look out, boys; she is going to -eat you.” They saw no one, but heard the voice. Next<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxxviii"></a>[xxxviii]</span> -instant, Walokit flashed, and Tumukit roared. The -mother, dazzled, deafened, rushed out of the house in -great terror.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe she is our mother,” said Tumukit.</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe she is either,” answered Walokit. -They were both very angry, and said, “She is a bad -woman anyhow. She may be our mother; but she is a -bad woman.”</p> - -<p>They went home, and later Walokit found his mother, -and killed her. Tumukit merely stood by, and roared. -The woman’s body was torn to pieces, and scattered. -The brothers wept, and went to their grandmother, who -sent them to various sacred springs to purify themselves, -and wash away the blood of their mother. When they -had done that, after many pilgrimages, they said, “We -will go to our father, if we can.”</p> - -<p>Next day they said, “Grandmother, we will stay with -you to-morrow, and leave you the next day.” On the second -morning, they said, “We are going, and you, our -grandmother, must do the best you can without us.”</p> - -<p>“To what place are you going, my grandsons?”</p> - -<p>“We are going to our father, if we can.”</p> - -<p>When the old woman heard this, she went into the -house, and brought out a basket cup full of trout blood -(water), and gave it to Walokit, “Rub this over your -whole body; use it always; it will give you strength. -No matter how much you use the blood, the basket will -never be empty.”</p> - -<p>They took farewell of the old woman, and went to the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xxxix"></a>[xxxix]</span> -upper side of the sky, but did not go to their father. -They live up there now, and go over the whole world, -sometimes to find their father, sometimes for other purposes. -When they move, we see one, and hear the other.</p> - -<p>This tale has a few of the disagreeable features peculiar -to some of the early myth-tales of all races,—tales which, -if not forgotten, are misunderstood as the race advances, -and then become tragedies of horror. Still, such tales -are among the most precious for science, if analyzed -thoroughly.</p> - -<p>In another tale, told me by the same man who related -this one, the sun, after his road had been marked out, -finally, was warned against his own children, the grisly -bears, who would beset his path through the sky, and do -their best to devour him.</p> - -<p>The grisly bear maiden, Wimaloimis, is a terrible criminal; -she piles horror upon horror. She tries to eat up the -hospitable trout woman who gives her lodging; she has -twins from her own father; she tries to eat her own -children; she brings them to commit matricide under -cruel conditions. The house of Pelops and Lot’s daughters, -combined, barely match her. If the tale of Wimaloimis -had belonged to early Greece, and had survived -till the time of the Attic tragedians, the real nature of the -actors in it would have been lost, in all likelihood, and -then it might have served as a striking example of sin -and its punishment. Instead of discovering who the -<i>dramatis personæ</i> were really, the people of that time -would have made them all human. In our day, we try<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xl"></a>[xl]</span> -to discover the point of view of the old myth-maker, to -learn what it really was that he dealt with. In case we -succeed, we are able to see that many of the repulsive -features of ancient myths were not only natural and explicable, -but absolutely unavoidable. The cloud, a grisly -bear, is a true daughter of the sun. The sun and the -cloud are undoubtedly the parents of the twin brothers, -Thunder and Lightning; there are no other parents possible -for them. That the cloud, according to myth description, -tried to devour her own children, and was -destroyed at last, and torn to pieces by them, is quite true. -When we know the real elements of the tale, we find it -perfectly accurate and truthful. If the personages in it -were represented as human, it would become at once, what -many a tale like it is made to be, repulsive and horrible.</p> - -<p>Among Gaelic tales there are few in which the heroes -are of the earliest period, though there are many in which -primitive elements are prominent, and some in which they -predominate. In a time sufficiently remote, Gaelic tales -were made up altogether of the adventures of non-human -heroes similar to those in the tales of America,—that is, -heroes in the character of beasts, birds, and other living -creatures, as well as the phenomena and elements of -nature.</p> - -<p>Beasts and birds are frequent in Gaelic tales yet; but -they never fill the chief rôle in any tale. At most they are -friends of the hero, and help him; not infrequently he could -not gain victory without them. If on the bad side, the -rôle is more prominent, a monster, or terrible beast, may<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xli"></a>[xli]</span> -be the leading opponent, or be one in a series of powerful -enemies.</p> - -<p>In a few Gaelic tales, phenomena or processes of nature -appear still as chief actors; but they appear in human guise. -The two tales in which this position is most evident, are -those of Mor and Glas Gainach,—not the tale of Mor as -given in this volume, but an older tale, and one which, so -far as I know, exists only in fragments and sayings. This -tale of Mor, which I gathered bit by bit in one place and -another through West Kerry, is, in substance, as follows:</p> - -<p>Mor (big), a very large woman, came by sea to Dunmore -Head, with her husband, Lear, who could not live with -Mor, and went around by sea to the extreme north, where -he stayed, thus putting, as the phrase runs, “All Ireland -between himself and the wife.” Mor had sons, and lived -at Dun Quin (the ruins of her house Tivorye [Mor’s -house], are shown yet) at the foot of Mount Eagle. She -lived on pleasantly; much came to her from the sea. She -was very proud of her sons, and cared for no one in the -world except them. The woman increased greatly in substance, -was rich and happy till her sons were enticed -away, and went to sea.</p> - -<p>One day, she climbed to the top of Mount Eagle, and, -for the first time, saw Dingle Bay with the highlands of -Iveragh and Killarney. “Oh, but isn’t Erin the big country; -isn’t it widely spread out!” cried she. Mor was -enormously bulky, and exerted herself to the utmost in -climbing the mountain. At the top, certain necessities of -nature came on her; as a result of relieving these, a number<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xlii"></a>[xlii]</span> -of deep gullies were made in Mount Eagle, in various -directions. These serve to this day as water-courses; and -torrents go through them to the ocean during rainfalls.</p> - -<p>News was brought to Mor on the mountain that her -sons had been enticed away to sea by magic and deceit. -Left alone, all her power and property vanished; she withered, -lost her strength, went mad, and then disappeared, -no man knew whither. “All that she had came by the -sea,” as people say, “and went with the sea.” She who -had been disagreeable and proud to such a degree that -her own husband had to leave her; the woman whose delight -was in her children and her wealth,—became the most -desolate person in Erin, childless, destitute, a famishing -maniac that disappeared without a trace.</p> - -<p>There is an interesting variant to this story, referring to -Lear, Mor’s husband. This represents him not as going to -the other end of Erin, but as stopping where he touched -land first; there he died, and was buried. This is the version -confirmed by the grave mound at Dunmore Head.</p> - -<p>From the artistic point of view, it is to be regretted that -the tale of Mor has not come down to us complete with -its variants; but we may be thankful for what we have. -The fragments extant, and the sayings, establish the character -of the tale, especially in view of a most interesting -bit of testimony preserved in a book published in 1757.</p> - -<p>After I had collected all the discoverable scraps and -remnants of the tale, I came upon the statement in Smith’s -“History of Kerry,” page 182, that Dunmore Head was -called by the people thereabout, “Mary Geerane’s<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xliii"></a>[xliii]</span> -house.” The author adds the name in Gaelic (which he -did not know), in the following incorrect form: “Ty-Vorney -Geerane.” Now this sentence does not mean Mary -Geerane’s house at all, but the house of Mor, daughter of -the sun, Tigh Mhoire ni Greine, pronounced, “Thee Vorye -nyee Grainye.” Here is the final fact needed,—a fact preserved -with an ignorance of its nature and value that is -absolutely trustworthy.</p> - -<p>What does the story mean now? Mor, daughter of the -sun, leaves her husband, Lear, and comes to land herself. -The husband cannot follow; for Lear is the plain of the sea,—the -sea itself in its outward aspect. Lear is the Neptune -of the Gaels. One version represents Lear as coming to -his end at Dunmore Head; the other, as going around the -island to Donaghedee, to live separated from a proud and -disagreeable wife by the land of all Ireland. Each of -these variants is equally consonant with the character of -the couple. Let us pursue the tale further. Mor, the -cloud woman,—for this she is,—has issue at Dun Quin, -has sons (the rain-drops), and is prosperous, is proud of -her sons, cares only for them; but her sons cannot stay -with her, they are drawn to the sea irresistibly. She climbs -Mount Eagle, is amazed at the view from the summit, sits -down there and performs her last act on earth, the result -of which is those tortuous and remarkably deep channels -on the sides of Mount Eagle. After that she hears on -the mountain that her sons are gone, she vanishes from -human ken, is borne out of sight from the top of Mount -Eagle.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xliv"></a>[xliv]</span></p> - -<p>Such is the myth of the cloud woman, Mor (the big -one), a thing of wonder for the people.</p> - -<p>In “Glas Gainach,” with which this volume opens, we -have, perhaps, the best tale preserved by memory in -Ireland. The tale itself is perfect, apparently, and its -elements are ancient.</p> - -<p>The prize for exertion, the motive for action, in this -tale, is a present from King Under the Wave to his friend -the King of Spain. This King of Spain is, of course, -supposititious. Who the former friend was whose place he -usurped, we have no means of knowing; but we shall not -be far out of the way, I think, if we consider him to be -the monarch of a cloud-land,—a realm as intangible -as the Nephelokokkygia of Aristophanes, but real.</p> - -<p>In Elin Gow, the swordsmith, we have a character -quite as primitive as the cow or her owners. Elin Gow -is found in Scotland as well as in Ireland. Ellin Gowan’s -Height, in Guy Mannering, is simply Elin Gow’s Height, -<i>Gowan</i> (<i>Gobhan</i> in Gaelic) being merely the genitive -case of <i>Gow</i> (<i>Gobha</i>). Elin Gow means simply Elin -the smith. Under whatever name, or wherever he may -be, Elin Gow occupies a position in Gaelic similar to that -of Hephæstos in Greek, or Vulcan in Latin mythology; -he is the maker of weapons, the forger of the bolt.</p> - -<p>In a short tale of Glas Gavlen, which I obtained near -Carrick, County Donegal, it is stated that the cow came -down from the sky. According to the tale, she gives -milk in unlimited quantities to all people without exception. -Time after time the rich or powerful try to keep<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xlv"></a>[xlv]</span> -her for their own use exclusively, but she escapes. Appearing -first at Dun Kinealy, she goes finally to Glen -Columkil near the ocean, where a strong man tries to -confine her; but she rises in the air, and, clearing the high -ridge on the northern side of the glen, disappears. Since -then, there is no free milk in Erin, and none but that -which common cows give.</p> - -<p>The cow, Glas Gainach or Gaunach or Gavlen, for all -three refer to the same beast, betrays at once her relationship -with those cows of India so famous in the Rig Veda, -those cloud cows whose milk was rain, cows which the -demon Vritra used to steal and hide away, thus causing -drought and suffering. Indra brought death to this -demon with a lightning bolt; for this deed he received -the name Vritrahan (slayer of Vritra). The cows were -freed then from confinement; and the world was refreshed -by their milk, which came to all, rich and poor, in like -manner. So far the main characters of the tale are quite -recognizable. Cian and Cormac are simply names current -in Irish history, and are substituted for names -of original heroes, who were characters as far from human -and as mythologic as King Under the Wave or Glas -Gainach.</p> - -<p>A comparison of Gaelic tales with the Indian tales of -America shows that the Gaelic contain materials some of -which is as ancient as the Indian, while the tales themselves -are less primitive.</p> - -<p>There are many Indian tales which we can analyze, -genuine myths,—a myth, in its earliest form, being a tale<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xlvi"></a>[xlvi]</span> -the substance of which is an account of some process in -nature, or some collision between forces in nature, the -whole account being given as a narrative of personal -adventure.</p> - -<p>Among the Irish tales there are very few ancient myths -pure and simple, though there are many made up of myth -materials altogether. The tale of Mor, reconstructed -from fragments, is a myth from beginning to end; the -history of a cloud in the guise of a woman, as Glas Gainach -is the history of a cloud in the guise of a cow.</p> - -<p>Tales like Glas Gainach and Mor are not frequent in -Gaelic at present; but tales of modified structure, composite -tales to which something has been added, and from -which something has been taken away, are met with -oftener than any. The elements added or taken away -are not modern, however; they are, if we except certain -heroes, quite ancient.</p> - -<p>In course of time, and through change of religion, -ancient heroes were forgotten in some cases, rejected -in others, and new ones substituted; when the argument -of a tale, or part of it, grew less distinct, it was strengthened -from the general stock, made more complete and -vivid. In this way came adventure tales, constructed -of materials purely mythic and ancient. Parts were -transferred from one tale to another, the same incidents -and heroes being found in tales quite different in other -respects.</p> - -<p>The results to be obtained from a comparison of systems -of thought like the Indian and the Gaelic would<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xlvii"></a>[xlvii]</span> -be great, if made thoroughly. If extended to all races, -such a comparison would render possible a history of the -human mind in a form such as few men at present even -dream of,—a history with a basis as firm as that which -lies under geology. If this work is to be accomplished, -we must make large additions indeed to our knowledge -of primitive peoples. We must complete the work begun -in America. We must collect the great tales of Africa, -Asia, and the islands of the Pacific,—tales which embody -the philosophy of the races that made them. The -undertaking is arduous, and there is need to engage in it -promptly. The forces of civilized society, at present, are -destroying on all sides, not saving that which is precious -in primitive people. Civilized society supposes that man, -in an early degree of development, should be stripped -of all that he owns, both material and mental, and then -be refashioned to serve the society that stripped him. -If he will not yield to the stripping and training, then -slay him.</p> - -<p>In view of this state of things, there is no time for -delay; primitive man is changing, and the work is -extensive.</p> - -<p>Of Chinese thought we know very little, especially of -Taoism, the most ancient system of the country,—the -one which has grown up from Chinese myth-tales. Of -African tales, only few have been collected, and those -of small value mainly.</p> - -<p>In Asia and Eastern Europe, the Russians have done -the best work by far; besides many good volumes of Slav<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xlviii"></a>[xlviii]</span> -tales, they have given us much from the Tartars and -Mongols of exceptional value and ancient. In the -United States, little was accomplished till recent years; -of late, however, public interest has been roused somewhat, -and, since Major Powell entered the field, and -became Director of the Bureau of Ethnology, more has -been done in studying the native races of America than -had been done from the discovery of the country up to -that time.</p> - -<p>To sum up, we may say, that the Indian tales reveal -to us a whole system of religion, philosophy, and social -polity. They take us back to the beginning of things; they -describe Creation and the establishment of the present -order in the world.</p> - -<p>Those tales form a complete series. The whole mental -and social life of the race to which they belong is evident -in them. The Gaelic tales are a fragment of a former -system. The earliest tales in that system are lost; those -which formed the Creation myth, and related directly to -the ancient faith and religious practices of the Gaels, were -set aside and prohibited at the introduction of Christianity. -In many of those that remained, leading heroes -were changed by design, or forgotten, and others put in -their places. In general, they were modified consciously -and unconsciously,—some greatly, others to a less degree, -and a few very little.</p> - -<p>We find various resemblances in the two systems, some -of which are very striking in details, and others in -general features; the question, therefore, rises readily<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_xlix"></a>[xlix]</span> -enough: Can we not use the complete system to aid us -in explaining and reconstructing, in some degree, the -imperfect one? We can undoubtedly; and if to materials -preserved by oral tradition, like those in this volume, be -added manuscript tales, and those scattered through -chronicles ecclesiastical and secular, we may hope to give -some idea of what the ancient system of Gaelic thought -was, and discover whether the Gaelic gods had a similar -origin with the Indian. What is true of the Gaelic is true -also of other ancient systems in Europe, such as the Slav -and Teutonic. These have much less literary material -than the Gaelic; but the Slav has vastly greater stores of -oral tradition, and tales which contain much precious -thought from pre-Christian ages.</p> - -<p>During eight years of investigation among Indian tribes -in North America, I obtained the various parts of that Creation -myth mentioned in this introduction, from tribes that -were remote from one another, and in different degrees of -development. Such tales I found in the east, in the central -regions, and finally in California and Oregon. Over -this space, the extreme points of which are three thousand -miles apart, each tribe has the Creation myth,—one portion -being brought out with special emphasis in one tribe, and -another portion in a different one. In tribes least developed, -the earliest tales are very distinct, and specially valuable -on some points relating to the origin and fall of the -gods. Materials from the extreme west are more archaic -and simple than those of the east. In fact the two regions -present the two extremes, in North America, of least<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_l"></a>[l]</span> -developed and most developed aboriginal thought. In -this is their interest. They form one complete system, a -single conception richly illustrated.</p> - -<p>Shall we find among tribes of Africa, Australia, and the -Pacific Islands, tales which are component parts of -great Creation myths like that of North America? We -shall find them no doubt, if we spend time and skilled -labor sufficient.</p> - -<p>The discovery and collection of these materials, and the -proper use of them afterward, constitute, for scientific zeal -and activity, a task as important as self-knowledge is -important to man.</p> - -<p class="tb">In 1887, I made a journey to Ireland; when I collected -tales from which were selected the twenty forming the -“Myths and Folk-lore of Ireland,” Boston, Little, Brown, -and Company, 1889. While in Ireland, during that first -visit, and this one, I have met with much good will and -kindness which are pleasant to remember.</p> - -<p>I must mention, to begin with, my indebtedness to -Rev. P. A. Walsh, of the St. Vincent Fathers, Cork, a -widely known Gaelic scholar, and a man whose acquaintance -with the South of Ireland is extensive and intimate. -Father Walsh gave me much information concerning the -people, and letters to priests. I am greatly obliged to -J. J. MacSweeny, Esq., of the Royal Irish Academy, for -help in many ways, and for letters to people in Donegal. -To Rev. Eugene O’Growney, Professor of Gaelic at Maynooth, -I am grateful for letters and advice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_li"></a>[li]</span></p> - -<p>If I were to mention all who have done me deeds of -kindness, the list would be long indeed. I must name, -however, in Dingle, the venerable Canon O’Sullivan and -Father Scollard, in Bally Ferriter, Rev. John O’Leary. -To Mr. Patrick Ferriter, of Dingle, a man of keen intelligence -and an excellent Gaelic scholar, I am deeply -indebted for assistance in Gaelic. Canon Brosnan, of -Cahirciveen, placed all his knowledge of the region where -he lives at my service, and on one occasion led in an -unwilling story-teller. Father MacDevitt, of Carrick, -County Donegal, assisted me much in his neighborhood. -Rev. James MacFadden, of Glena, County Donegal, and -his curate, Rev. John Boyle, of Falcarra, helped me -effectively, and showed the most courteous hospitality. -I should return special thanks to Prof. Brian O’Looney, -of Dublin, whose knowledge of ancient Gaelic lore is unmatched, -and who at all times was as willing as he was -able to aid me.</p> - -<p>In America, the list of my obligations is short; there is -only one man on that continent to whom thanks are due -in connection with this volume, but that man, like the -hero in Gaelic tales, was worth more than the thousands -on all four sides of him. The contents of this book -would not have been collected without the co-operation of -Hon. Charles A. Dana, who published fifty of these Gaelic -tales in the Sunday edition of “The Sun.” At that time -no other editor was willing to join in the enterprise; and I -did not feel able to endure both the financial burden and -the labor of finding and collecting Gaelic tales, as I had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_lii"></a>[lii]</span> -done in 1887. Mr. Dana, with his keen eye for literary -character, noted at once in the “Myths and Folk-lore” -the originality of Gaelic tales and their heroes. When -I told him that relics like the Cuculin and Gilla na -Grakin of my first book were on the verge of extinction, -he joined hands with me to save them, and I set out on -my second journey to Ireland.</p> - -<p class="right">JEREMIAH CURTIN.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">London, England</span>, August, 1894.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_1"></a>[1]</span></p> - -<h1>HERO-TALES OF IRELAND.</h1> - -</div> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ELIN_GOW_THE_SWORDSMITH_FROM">ELIN GOW, THE SWORDSMITH FROM -ERIN, AND THE COW GLAS -GAINACH.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>Once King Under the Wave went on a visit -to the King of Spain, for the two were -great friends. The King of Spain was complaining, -and very sorry that he had not butter -enough. He had a great herd of cows; but for -all that, he had not what butter he wanted. He -said that he’d be the richest man in the world -if he had butter in plenty for himself and his -people.</p> - -<p>“Do not trouble your mind,” said King Under -the Wave. “I will give you Glas Gainach,—a -cow that is better than a thousand cows, and her -milk is nearly all butter.”</p> - -<p>The King of Spain thanked his guest for the -promise, and was very glad. King Under the -Wave kept his word; he sent Glas Gainach, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_2"></a>[2]</span> -a messenger with instructions how to care for -the cow, and said that if she was angered in any -way she would not stay out at pasture. So the -king took great care of her; and the report went -through all nations that the King of Spain had -the cow called Glas Gainach.</p> - -<p>The King of Spain had an only daughter, and -he was to give the cow with the daughter; and -the cow was a great fortune, the best dower in -the world at that time. The king said that the -man who would do what he put on him would get -the daughter and the cow.</p> - -<p>Champions came from every part of the world, -each man to try his fortune. In a short time -hundreds and thousands of men lost their heads -in combat. The king agreed then that any man -who would serve seven years, and bring the cow -safe and sound every day of that time to the -castle, would have her.</p> - -<p>In minding the cow, the man had to follow her -always, never go before her, or stop her, or hold -her. If he did, she would run home to the castle. -The man must stop with her when she wanted to -get a bite or a drink. She never travelled less -than sixty miles a day, eating a good bite here -and a good bite there, and going hither and -over.</p> - -<p>The King of Spain never told men how to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_3"></a>[3]</span> -mind the cow; he wanted them to lose their -heads, for then he got their work without wages.</p> - -<p>One man would mind her for a day; another -would follow her to the castle for two days; a -third might go with her for a week, and sometimes -a man could not come home with her the -first day. The man should be loose and swift -to keep up with Glas Gainach. The day she -walked least she walked sixty miles; some days -she walked much more.</p> - -<p>It was known in Erin that there was such a -cow, and there was a smith in Cluainte above -here, three miles north of Fintra, and his name -was Elin Gow. He was the best man in Erin to -make a sword or any weapon of combat. From -all parts of Erin, and from other lands also, -young princes who were going to seek their fortunes -came to him to have him make swords for -them. Now what should happen but this? It -came to him in a dream three nights in succession -that he was to go for Glas Gainach, the -wonderful cow. At last he said, “I will go and -knock a trial out of her; I will go toward her.”</p> - -<p>He went to Tramor, where there were some -vessels. It was to the King of Munster that -he went, and asked would he lend him a vessel. -Elin Gow had made many swords for the king. -The king said that he would lend the vessel with<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_4"></a>[4]</span> -willingness, and that if he could do more for him -he would do it. Elin Gow got the vessel, and -put stores in it for a day and a year. He turned -its prow then to sea and its stern to land, and -was ploughing the main ocean till he steered -into the kingdom of Spain as well as if he had -had three pilots, and there was no one but himself -in it. He let the wind guide the ship, and -she came into the very harbor of the province -where the king’s castle was.</p> - -<p>When Elin Gow came in, he cast two anchors -at the ocean side and one at the shore side, and -settled the ship in such a way that there was not -a wave to strike her, nor a wind to rock her, nor -a crow to drop on her; and he left her so that -nothing would disturb her, and a fine, smooth -strand before her: he left her fixed for a day and -a year, though he might not be absent an hour.</p> - -<p>He left the vessel about midday, and went his -way walking, not knowing where was he or in -what kingdom. He met no man or beast in the -place. Late in the evening he saw, on a broad -green field at a distance, a beautiful castle, the -grandest he had ever set eyes on.</p> - -<p>When he drew near the castle, the first house -he found was a cottage at the wayside; and when -he was passing, who should see him but a very -old man inside in the cottage. The old man<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_5"></a>[5]</span> -rose up, and putting his two hands on the jambs -of the door, reached out his head and hailed him. -Elin Gow turned on his heel; then the old man -beckoned to him to enter.</p> - -<p>There were four men in front of the castle, -champions of valor, practising feats of arms. -Flashes of light came from their swords. These -men were so trained that they would not let a -sword-stroke touch any part of their bodies.</p> - -<p>“Come in,” said the old man; “maybe you -would like to have dinner. You have eaten -nothing on the way.”</p> - -<p>“That was a mistake of my own,” said Elin -Gow; “for in my ship are provisions of all kinds -in plenty.”</p> - -<p>“Never mind,” said the old man; “you will -not need them in this place;” and going to a -chest, he took out a cloth which he spread on a -table, and that moment there came on it food for -a king or a champion. Elin Gow had never -seen a better dinner in Erin.</p> - -<p>“What is your name and from what place are -you?” asked the old man of his guest.</p> - -<p>“From Erin,” said he, “and my name is Elin -Gow. What country is this, and what castle is -that out before us?”</p> - -<p>“Have you ever heard talk of the kingdom of -Spain?” asked the old man.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_6"></a>[6]</span></p> - -<p>“I have, and ’tis to find it that I left home.”</p> - -<p>“Well, this is the kingdom of Spain, and that -building beyond is the castle of the king.”</p> - -<p>“And is it here that Glas Gainach is?”</p> - -<p>“It is,” said the old man. “And is it for her -that you left Erin?”</p> - -<p>“It is then,” said Elin Gow.</p> - -<p>“I pity you,” said the old man; “it would be -fitter for you to stop at home and mind something -else than to come hither for that cow. -’Tis not hundreds but thousands of men that -have lost their heads for her, and I am in dread -that you’ll meet the same luck.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I will try my fortune,” said Elin Gow. -“’Tis through dreams that I came.”</p> - -<p>“I pity you,” said the old man, “and moreover -because you are from Erin. I am half of -your country, for my mother was from Erin. Do -you know now how this cow will be got?”</p> - -<p>“I do not,” said Elin Gow; “I know nothing -in the world about it.”</p> - -<p>“You will not be long,” said the old man, -“without knowledge. I’ll tell you about her, -and what conditions will be put on you by the -king. He will bind you for the term of seven -years to bring the cow home safe and sound to -his castle every evening. If you fail to bring -her, your head will be cut off that same evening.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_7"></a>[7]</span> -That is one way by which many kings’ sons and -champions that came from every part of the -world were destroyed. There are spikes all -around behind the castle, and a head on each -spike of them. You will see for yourself to-morrow -when you go to the castle, and a dreadful -sight it is, for you will not be able to count -the heads that are there on the spikes. I will -give you now an advice that I have never given -any man before this, but I have heard of you -from my mother. You would be a loss to the -country you came from. You are a great man -to make swords and all kinds of weapons for -champions.</p> - -<p>“The king will not tell you what to do, but I’ll -tell you: you’ll be as swift as you can when you -go with the cow; keep up with her always. The -day she moves least she will travel thirty miles -going and thirty miles coming, and you will have -rest only while she’ll be feeding, and she will -take only a few minutes here and a few minutes -there; wherever she sees the best place she’ll -take a bite; and do not disturb her wherever she -turns or walks, and do not go before her or drive -her. If you do what I say, there will be no fear -of you, if you can be so swift as to keep up with -the cow.”</p> - -<p>“I am not in dread of falling back,” said Elin -Gow.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_8"></a>[8]</span></p> - -<p>“Then there will be no fear of you at all,” said -the old man.</p> - -<p>Elin Gow remained in the cottage that night. -In the morning the old man spread his cloth on -the table; food and drink for a king or a champion -were on it that moment. Elin Gow ate and -drank heartily, left good health with the old -man, and went to the castle. The king had a -man called the Tongue-speaker, who met and -announced every stranger. “Who are you or -why do you come to the castle?” asked this man -of Elin Gow.</p> - -<p>“I wish to speak to the king about Glas -Gainach.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the speaker, “you are badly wanted, -for it is three days since the last man that was -after her lost his head. Come, and I will show -it to you on the spike, and I am in dread your -own head will be in a like place.”</p> - -<p>“Never mind,” said Elin Gow; “misfortune -cannot be avoided. We will do our best.”</p> - -<p>The Tongue-speaker went to the king then, and -said, “There is a man outside who has come for -Glas Gainach.”</p> - -<p>The king went out, and asked Elin Gow what -he wanted or what brought him. He told him, -as he told the speaker, that it was for the cow he -had come.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_9"></a>[9]</span></p> - -<p>“And is it in combat or in peace that you want -to get her?”</p> - -<p>“’Tis in peace,” said Elin Gow.</p> - -<p>“You can try with swords or with herding, -whichever you wish.”</p> - -<p>“We will choose the herding,” said Elin Gow.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the king, “this is how we will -bind ourselves. You are to bring Glas Gainach -here to me every evening safe and sound during -seven years, and, if you fail, ’tis your head that -you will lose. Do you see those heads on the -spikes there behind? ’Tis on account of Glas -Gainach they are there. If you come home with -the cow every night, she will be yours when seven -years are spent,—I bind myself to that,” said -the king.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Elin Gow, “I am satisfied with -the conditions.”</p> - -<p>Next morning Glas Gainach was let out, and -both went together all day, she and Elin Gow. -She went so swiftly that he threw his cap from -him; he could not carry it half the day. All the -rest he had was while she was feeding in any -place. He was after her then till she came -home, and he brought her back as safe and sound -as in the morning. The king came out and welcomed -him, saying, “You’ve taken good care of -her; many a man went after her that did not -bring her home the first day.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_10"></a>[10]</span></p> - -<p>“Life is sweet,” said Elin Gow; “I did the -best hand I could. I know what I have to get -if I fail to bring her.”</p> - -<p>The king gave Elin Gow good food and drink, -so that he was more improving than failing in -strength, and made his way and brought the cow -every day till he had the seven years spent; then -he said to the king, “My time is up; will I get -the cow?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, why not?” said the king. “You will: -you have earned her well; you have done more -than any man who walked the way before. See -now how many have lost their heads; count -them. You are better than any of them. I -would not deny or break my word or agreement. -You were bound to bring her, and I am bound to -give her. Now she is yours and not mine, but -if she comes back here again, don’t have any eye -after her; you’ll not get her.”</p> - -<p>“That will do,” said Elin Gow. “I will take -good care not to let her come to you. I minded -her the last seven years.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the king, “I don’t doubt you.”</p> - -<p>They gave the cow food that morning inside; -did not let her out at all. Elin Gow bound the -cow in every way he wished, to bring her to the -vessel. He used all his strength, raised the two -anchors on the ocean side, pulled in the vessel<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_11"></a>[11]</span> -to put the cow on board. When Elin Gow was -on board, he turned the stem of the ship toward -the sea, and the stern toward land. He was sailing -across the wide ocean till he came to Tramor, -the port in Erin from which he had started when -going to Spain. Elin Gow brought Glas Gainach -on shore, took her to Cluainte, and was minding -her as carefully as when he was with the King -of Spain.</p> - -<p>Elin Gow was the best man in Erin to make -swords and all weapons for champions; his name -was in all lands. The King of Munster had four -sons, and the third from the oldest was Cian. He -was neither dreaming nor thinking of anything -night or day but feats of valor; his grandfather, -Art Mac Cuin, had been a great champion, and -was very fond of Cian. He used to say, “Kind -father and grandfather for him; he is not like -his three brothers.”</p> - -<p>When twenty years old, Cian said,“I will go -to try my fortune. My father has heirs enough. -I would try other kingdoms if I had a sword.”</p> - -<p>“You may have my sword,” said the father.</p> - -<p>Cian gave the sword a trial, and at the first -turn he broke it. “No sword will please me,” -said Cian, “unless, while grasping the hilt with -the blade pointed forward, I can bend the blade -till its point touches my elbow on the upper<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_12"></a>[12]</span> -side, then let it spring back and bend it again -till the point touches my elbow on the under -side.”</p> - -<p>“There is not a man in Erin who could make -a sword like that,” said the father, “but Elin -Gow, and I am full sure that he will not make it -at this time, for he is minding Glas Gainach. -He earned her well, and he will guard her; seven -years did he travel bareheaded without hat or -cap,—a thing which no man could do before -him. It would be useless to go to him, for he has -never worked a stroke in the forge since he -brought Glas Gainach to Erin, and he would not -let her go. He would make the sword but for -that. It’s many a sword he made for me.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I will try him,” said Cian. “I will ask -him to make the sword.”</p> - -<p>Cian started, and never stopped till he stood -before Elin Gow at Cluainte, and told him who -he was.</p> - -<p>Elin Gow welcomed the son of the king, and -said, “Your father and I were good friends in -our young years. It was often I made swords -and other weapons for him. And what is it that -brought you to-day?”</p> - -<p>“It is a sword I want. I wish to go and seek -my fortune in some foreign land. I want a good -sword, and my father says you are the best man -in Erin to make one.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_13"></a>[13]</span></p> - -<p>“I was,” said Elin Gow; “and I am sorry -that I cannot make you one now. I am engaged -in minding Glas Gainach; and I would not trust -any one after her but myself, and I have enough -to do to mind her.”</p> - -<p>Cian told how the sword was to be made.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Elin Gow, “I would make it in -any way you like but for the cow, and I would -not wish to let your father’s son go away without -a sword. I will direct you to five or six -smiths that are making swords now, in place of -me since I went for Glas Gainach.”</p> - -<p>He gave the names, and the king’s son went -away.</p> - -<p>None of them could make the sword in the -way Cian wanted. He came back to Elin Gow.</p> - -<p>“You have your round made?” said Elin -Gow.</p> - -<p>“I have,” said Cian, “but in vain; for none -of them would make the sword in the way asked -of him.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I do not wish to let you go. I will -take the risk.”</p> - -<p>“Very well,” said Cian; “I will go after Glas -Gainach to-morrow, while you are making the -sword, and if I don’t bring her, you may have -my head in the evening.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Elin Gow, “I am afraid to trust<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_14"></a>[14]</span> -you, for many a champion lost his head on account -of her before; but I’ll run the risk. I -must make the sword for you.”</p> - -<p>The king’s son stopped that night with Elin -Gow, who gave him the best food and drink he -had, and let out Glas Gainach before him next -morning, and told him not to come in front of her -in any place where she might want to feed or -drink. He advised him in every way how to -take care of her. Away went Cian with the cow, -and he was doing the right thing all day. She -moved on always, and went as far as Caorha, -southwest of Tralee, the best spot of land in -Kerry for grass. When she had eaten enough, -she turned toward home, and Cian was at her tail -all the day. When he and Glas Gainach were -five miles this side of Tralee, near the water at -Derrymor, where she used to drink, Cian saw -her going close to deep water; he came before -her, and turned her back; and what did she do -but jump through the air like a bird, and then -she went out through the sea and left him. He -walked home sad and mournful, and came to Elin -Gow’s house. The smith asked him had he the -cow, and he said, “I have not. I was doing -well till I came to Derrymor, and she went so -near deep water that I was afraid she would go -from me. I stopped her, and what did she do<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_15"></a>[15]</span> -but fly away like a bird, and go out through the -sea.”</p> - -<p>“God help us,” said Elin Gow, “but the misfortune -cannot be helped.”</p> - -<p>“I am the cause,” said Cian; “you may have -my head.”</p> - -<p>“What is done, is done. I would never take -the head off you, but she is a great loss to me.”</p> - -<p>“I am willing and satisfied to give you my -head,” said Cian. “Have you the sword made?”</p> - -<p>“I have,” said Elin Gow.</p> - -<p>Cian took the blade, tested it in every way, and -found that he had the sword he wanted.</p> - -<p>He swore an oath then to Elin Gow that he -would not delay day or night, nor rest anywhere, -till he had lost his head or brought back Glas -Gainach.</p> - -<p>“I am afraid your labor will be useless,” said -Elin Gow, “and that you will never be able to -bring her back. I could not have brought her -myself but for the advice of an old man that I -met before I saw the King of Spain.”</p> - -<p>Cian went home to his father’s castle. The -king saw him coming with the sword. “I see -that Elin Gow did not refuse you.”</p> - -<p>“He did not,” said Cian. “He made the -sword, and it is a sore piece of work for him. -He has parted with Glas Gainach. I promised<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_16"></a>[16]</span> -to give my head if I did not bring her home to -him in safety while he was making the sword. -I minded her well all day till she came to a place -where she used to drink water. I did not know -that; but it was my duty to know it, for he -directed me in every way needful how to mind -her. I was bringing her home in safety till I -brought her to Derrymor River; and I went before -her to turn her back,—and that was foolish, -for he told me not to turn her while I was with -her,—and she did nothing but spring like a bird -and out to sea and away. I promised Elin Gow -in the morning if I did not bring the cow to give -him my head; and I offered it when I came, as I -had not the cow, but he said, ‘I will never take -the head off a son of your father, even for a -greater loss.’ And for this reason I will never -rest nor delay till I go for Glas Gainach and -bring her back to Elin Gow, or lose my head; so -make ready your best ship.”</p> - -<p>“The best ship,” said the king, “is the one -that Elin Gow took.”</p> - -<p>The king’s son put provisions for a day and a -year in the vessel. He set sail alone and away -with him through the main ocean, and he never -stopped till he reached the same place to which -Elin Gow had sailed before. He cast two -anchors on the ocean side, and one next the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_17"></a>[17]</span> -shore, and left the ship where there was no wind -to blow on her, no waves of the ocean to touch -her, no crows of the air to drop on her. He -went his way then, and was walking always till -evening, when he saw at a distance the finest -castle he had ever set eyes on. He went toward -it; and when he was near, he saw four champions -at exercise near the castle. He was going on -the very same road that Elin Gow had taken, -and was passing the same cottage, when the old -man saw him and hailed him. He turned toward -the cottage.</p> - -<p>“Come to my house and rest,” said the old -man. “From what country are you, and what -brought you?”</p> - -<p>“I am a son of the King of Munster in Erin; -and now will you tell me what place is -this?”</p> - -<p>“You are in Spain, and the building beyond -there is the king’s castle.”</p> - -<p>“Very well and good. It was to see the king -that I left Erin,” said Cian.</p> - -<p>“It is for Glas Gainach that you are here, I suppose,” -said the old man. “It is useless for you to -try; you never can bring her from the king. It -was a hundred times easier when Elin Gow -brought her; it is not that way now, but by force -and bravery she is to be taken. It is a pity to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_18"></a>[18]</span> -have you lose your head, like so many kings and -champions.”</p> - -<p>“I must try,” said Cian; “for it was through -me that Elin Gow lost Glas Gainach. I wanted -a sword to try my fortune, and there was not a -smith in Erin who could make it as I wanted -except Elin Gow; he refused. I told him that I -would give my head if I did not bring the cow -home to him in safety. I followed her well till, -on the way home, she went to drink near the sea, -and I went before her; that moment she sprang -away like a bird, and went out through the -water.”</p> - -<p>“I am afraid,” said the old man, “that to get -her is more than you can do. You see those four -men? You must fight and conquer them before -you get Glas Gainach.”</p> - -<p>The old man spread out the table-cloth, and -they ate.</p> - -<p>“I care not,” said the king’s son, “what comes. -I am willing to lose my head unless I can bring -back the cow.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the old man, “you can try.”</p> - -<p>Next morning breakfast was ready for Cian; -he rose, washed his hands and face, prayed for -mercy and strength, ate, and going to the pole -of combat gave the greatest blow ever given -before on it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_19"></a>[19]</span></p> - -<p>“Run out,” said the king to the Tongue-speaker; -“see who is abroad.”</p> - -<p>“What do you want?” asked the Tongue-speaker -of Cian.</p> - -<p>“The king’s daughter and Glas Gainach,” said -Cian.</p> - -<p>The speaker hurried in and told the king. -The king went out and asked, “Are you the man -who wants my daughter and Glas Gainach?”</p> - -<p>“I am,” answered Cian.</p> - -<p>“You will get them if you earn them,” said -the king.</p> - -<p>“If I do not earn them, I want neither the -daughter nor the cow,” replied Cian.</p> - -<p>The king ordered out then the four knights of -valor to kill Cian. He was as well trained as -they, for he had been practising from his twelfth -year, and he was more active. They were at -him all day, and he at them: he did not let one -blow from them touch his body; and if a man -were to go from the Eastern to the Western World -to see champions, ’tis at them he would have -to look. At last, when Cian was hungry, and -late evening near, he sprang with the strength -of his limbs out of the joints of his bones, and -rose above them, and swept the heads off the -four before he touched ground.</p> - -<p>The young champion was tired after the day,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_20"></a>[20]</span> -and went to the old man. The old man asked, -“What have you done?”</p> - -<p>“I have knocked the heads off the four champions -of valor.”</p> - -<p>The old man was delighted that the first day -had thriven in that way with Cian. He looked -at the sword. “Oh, there is no danger,” cried -he; “you have the best sword I have ever seen, -and you’ll need it, for you’ll have more forces -against you to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>The old man and Cian spent the night in three -parts,—the first part in eating and drinking, the -second in telling tales and singing songs, the -third in sound sleep.</p> - -<p>The old man told how he had been the champion -of Spain, and at last when he grew old the -king gave him that house.</p> - -<p>Next morning Cian washed his face and hands, -prayed for help and mercy, ate breakfast with the -old man, went to the pole of combat, and gave a -greater blow still than before.</p> - -<p>“What do you want this day?” asked the -Tongue-speaker.</p> - -<p>“I want three hundred men on my right hand, -three hundred on my left, three hundred after -my poll, three hundred out in front of me.” The -king sent the men out four deep through four -gates. Cian went at them, and as they came he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_21"></a>[21]</span> -struck the heads off them; and though they -fought bravely, in the evening he had the heads -off the twelve hundred. Cian then left the field, -and went to the old man.</p> - -<p>“What have you done after the day?” asked -the old man.</p> - -<p>“I have stretched the king’s forces.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll do well,” said the old man.</p> - -<p>The old champion put the cloth on the table, -and there was food for a king or a champion. -They made three parts of that night,—the first -for eating and drinking, the second for telling -tales and singing songs, the third for sleep and -sound rest.</p> - -<p>Next morning, Cian gave such a blow on the -pole of combat that the king in his chamber was -frightened.</p> - -<p>“What do you want this time?” asked the -Tongue-speaker.</p> - -<p>“I want the same number of men as yesterday.”</p> - -<p>The king sent the men out; and the same fate -befell them as the other twelve hundred, and Cian -went home to the old man untouched. Next -morning Cian made small bits of the king’s pole -of combat.</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you want?” asked the Tongue-speaker.</p> - -<p>“Whatever I want, I don’t want to be losing -time. Let out all your forces against me at once.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_22"></a>[22]</span></p> - -<p>The king sent out all the forces he wished that -morning. The battle was more terrible than all -the others put together; but Cian went through -the king’s forces, and at sunset not a man of -them was living, and he let no one nearer than -the point of his sword.</p> - -<p>“How did the day thrive with you?” asked -the old man when Cian came in.</p> - -<p>“I have killed all the king’s champions.”</p> - -<p>“I think,” said the old man, “that you have -the last of his forces down now; but what you -have done is nothing to what is before you. The -king will come out and say to-morrow that you -will not get the daughter with Glas Gainach till -you eat on one biscuit what butter there is in -his storehouses, and they are all full; you are to -do this in the space of four hours. He will give -you the biscuit. Take this biscuit from me, and -do you hide the one that he will give you,—never -mind it; put as much as you will eat on -this, and there’ll be no tidings of what butter -there is in the king’s stores within one hour,—it -will vanish and disappear.”</p> - -<p>Cian was very glad when the old man told him -what to do. They spent that night as they had -the nights before. Next morning Cian breakfasted, -and went to the castle. The king saw -him coming, and was out before him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_23"></a>[23]</span></p> - -<p>“What do you want this morning?” asked the -king.</p> - -<p>“I want your daughter and Glas Gainach,” said -Cian.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the king, “you will not get my -daughter and Glas Gainach unless within four -hours you eat on this biscuit what butter there -is in all my storehouses in Spain; and if you do -not eat the butter, your head will be on a spike -this evening.”</p> - -<p>The king gave him the biscuit. Cian went to -the first storehouse, dropped the king’s biscuit -into his pocket, took out the one the old man -had given him, buttered it, and began to eat. -He went his way then, and in one hour there was -neither sign nor trace of butter in any storehouse -the king had.</p> - -<p>That night Cian and the old man passed the -time in three parts as usual. “You will have -hard work to-morrow,” said the old man, “but I -will tell you how to do it. The king will say -that you cannot have his daughter and Glas -Gainach unless within four hours you tan all the -hides in Spain, dry and green, and tan them as -well as a hand’s breadth of leather that he will -give you. Here is a piece of leather like the -piece the king will give. Clap this on the first -hide you come to; and all the hides in Spain<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_24"></a>[24]</span> -will be tanned in one hour, and be as soft and -smooth as the king’s piece.”</p> - -<p>Next morning the king saw Cian coming, and -was out before him. “What do you want now?” -asked the king.</p> - -<p>“Your daughter and Glas Gainach,” said Cian.</p> - -<p>“You are not to get my daughter and Glas -Gainach unless within four hours you tan all the -dry and green hides in Spain to be as soft and -smooth as this piece; and if you do not tan them, -your head will be on one of the spikes there -behind my castle this evening.”</p> - -<p>Cian took the leather, dropped it into his -pocket, and, taking the old man’s piece, placed -it on the first hide that he touched. In one hour -all the hides in Spain were tanned, and they were -as soft and fine as the piece which the king gave -to Cian.</p> - -<p>The old man and Cian spent this night as they -had the others.</p> - -<p>“You will have the hardest task of all to-morrow,” -said the old man.</p> - -<p>“What is that?” asked the young champion.</p> - -<p>“The king’s daughter will come to a window in -the highest chamber of the castle with a ball in -her hand: she will throw the ball through the -window, and you must catch it on your hurley, -and keep it up during two hours and a half;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_25"></a>[25]</span> -never let it touch the ground. There will be a -hundred champions striving to take the ball from -you, but follow my advice. The champions, not -knowing where the ball will come down when the -king’s daughter throws it, will gather near the -front of the castle; and if either of them should -get the ball, he might keep it and spoil you. Do -you stand far outside; you will have the best -chance. I don’t know, though, what you are to -do, as you have no hurley, but wait. In my -youth I was great to play at hurley, and I never -met a man that could match me. The hurley I -had then must be in this house somewhere.”</p> - -<p>The old man searched the house through, and -where did he find the hurley but up in the loft, -and it full of dust; he brought it down. Cian -swung it, knocked the dust from the hurley, and -it was as clean as when made.</p> - -<p>“It is glad I am to find this, for any other -hurley in the kingdom would not do you, but only -this very one. This hurley has the virtue in it, -and only for that it would not do.”</p> - -<p>Both were very glad, and made three parts of -that night, as they had of the nights before. Next -morning Cian rose, washed his hands and face, -and begged mercy and help of God for that day.</p> - -<p>After breakfast he went to the king’s castle, -and soon many champions came around him.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_26"></a>[26]</span> -The king was outside before him, and asked what -he wanted that day.</p> - -<p>“I want your daughter and Glas Gainach.”</p> - -<p>“You will not get my daughter and Glas -Gainach till you do the work I’ll give, and I’ll -give you the toughest task ever put before you. -At midday, my daughter will throw out a ball -through the window, and you must keep that ball -in the air for two hours and a half: it must never -touch ground in that time, and when the two -hours and a half are spent, you must drive it in -through the same window through which it went -out; if not, I will have your head on a spike this -evening.”</p> - -<p>“God help us!” said Cian.</p> - -<p>All the champions were together to see which -man would get the ball first; but Cian, thinking -of the old man’s advice, stood outside them all. -At midday the king’s daughter sent out the ball -through the highest window; and to whom should -it go but to Cian, and he had the luck of getting -it first. He drove the ball with his hurley, and -for two hours and a half he kept it in the air, and -did not let another man touch it. Then he gave -it a directing blow, and sent it in through the -window to the king’s daughter.</p> - -<p>The king watched the ball closely; and when -it went in, he ran to Cian, shook his hand warmly,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_27"></a>[27]</span> -and never stopped till he took him to his daughter’s -high chamber. She kissed him with joy -and great gladness. He had done a thing that -no other had ever done.</p> - -<p>“I have won the daughter and Glas Gainach -from you now,” said Cian.</p> - -<p>“You have,” said the king; “and they are both -yours. I give them with all my heart. You -have earned them well, and done what no other -man could do. I will give you one-half of the -kingdom till my death, and all of it from that -out.”</p> - -<p>Cian and the king’s daughter were married. -A great feast was made, and a command given -out that all people of the kingdom must come to -the wedding. Every one came; and the wedding -lasted seven days and nights, to the pleasure of -all, and the greatest delight of the king. Cian -remained with the king; and after a time his wife -had a son, the finest and fairest child ever born -in Spain, and he was increasing so that what of -him didn’t grow in the day grew in the night, -and what did not grow in the night grew in the -day, and if the sun shone on any child, it shone -on that one. The boy was called Cormac after -Cian’s father, Cormac Mac Art.</p> - -<p>Cian remained with the King of Spain till -Cormac’s age was a year and a half. Then he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_28"></a>[28]</span> -remembered his promise to Elin Gow to bring -back Glas Gainach.</p> - -<p>Cian put stores in the vessel in which he had -come, and placed Glas Gainach inside, firmly -fettered. He gave then the stem of his ship to -the ocean, the stern to land, raised the limber -sails; and there was the work of a hundred men -on each side, though Cian did the work all alone. -He sailed through the main ocean with safety -till he came to Tramor,—the best landing-place -in Erin at that time. Glas Gainach was brought -to shore carefully, and Cian went on his way -with her to go to Elin Gow’s house at Cluainte.</p> - -<p>There was no highway from Tramor but the -one; and on that one were three brothers, three -robbers, the worst at that time in Erin. These -men knew all kinds of magic, and had a rod of -enchantment. Cian had brought much gold with -him on the way, coming as a present to his father.</p> - -<p>The three brothers stopped Cian, saluted him, -and asked would he play a game. He said that -he would. They played, and toward evening the -robbers had the gold won; then they said to -Cian, “Now bet the cow against the gold you -have lost, and we will put twice as much with it.” -He laid the cow as a wager, and lost her.</p> - -<p>One of the three robber brothers struck Cian -with the rod of enchantment, and made a stone<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_29"></a>[29]</span> -pillar of him, and made an earth mound of Glas -Gainach with another blow. The two remained -there, the man and the cow, by the roadside.</p> - -<p>Cian’s son Cormac was growing to manhood in -Spain, and heard his mother and grandfather talk -of his father, and he thought to himself, “There -was no man on earth that could fight with my -father; and I promise now to travel and be walking -always till I find out the place where he -is, living or dead.”</p> - -<p>As Cormac had heard that his father was from -Erin, to Erin he faced, first of all. The mother -was grieved, and advised him not to go wandering. -“Your father must be dead, or on the promise -he made me he’d be here long ago.”</p> - -<p>“There is no use in talking; the world will -not stop me till I know what has happened to -my father,” said Cormac.</p> - -<p>The mother could not stop him; she gave her -consent. He turned then to his grandfather. -“Make ready for me the best vessel you have,” -said he. The vessel was soon ready with provisions -for a day and a year, and gold two thousand -pieces. He embarked, and went through the -main ocean faster than his father had gone till -he sailed into Tramor. He was on his way walking -till he came to the robbers about midday.</p> - -<p>They saluted him kindly, thinking he had gold, -and asked, “Will you play a game with us?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_30"></a>[30]</span></p> - -<p>“I will,” said Cormac; “I have never refused.”</p> - -<p>They played. The robbers gained, and let -him gain; they were at him the best of the day, -till they won the last piece of gold of his two -thousand pieces.</p> - -<p>When he had lost what he had, he was like a -wild man, and knew not what to do for a while. -At last Cormac said to himself, “It is an old -saying never contradicted that strength will get -the upper hand of enchantment.” He jumped -then, and caught two of the three robbers, one -in each hand, and set them under his two knees. -The third was coming to help the two; but -Cormac caught that one with his hand and held -the three, kept them there, and said, “I will -knock the heads off every man of you.”</p> - -<p>“Do not do that,” begged the three. “Who -are you? We will do what you ask of us.”</p> - -<p>“I am seeking my father, Cian Mac Cormac, -who left Spain eighteen years ago with Glas -Gainach.”</p> - -<p>“Spare us,” said the three brothers; “we will -give back your gold and raise up your father with -Glas Gainach.”</p> - -<p>“How can ye do that,” asked Cormac, “or -where is my father?”</p> - -<p>“He is that pillar there opposite.”</p> - -<p>“And where is Glas Gainach?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_31"></a>[31]</span></p> - -<p>They showed him the earth mound.</p> - -<p>“How can ye bring them back to their own -shapes?” asked Cormac.</p> - -<p>“We have a rod of enchantment,” said the -brothers; and they told where the rod was. -When Cormac had a true account of the rod, -what he did was to draw out his sword and cut -the heads off the three brothers, saying, “Ye -will never again rob any man who walks this -way.” Cormac then found the rod of enchantment, -went to the pillar, gave it a blow, and -his father came forth as well and healthy as -ever.</p> - -<p>“Who are you?” asked Cian of Cormac.</p> - -<p>“I am your son Cormac.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, my dear son, how old are you?”</p> - -<p>“I’m in my twentieth year,” said Cormac. -“I heard my mother and grandfather talk of your -bravery, and I made up my mind to go in search -of you, and be walking always till I found you. -I said I’d face Erin first, for ’twas there you -went with Glas Gainach. I landed this morning, -met these three robbers; they won all my gold. -I was like a wild man. I caught them, and swore -I would kill them. They asked who was I; I -told them. They said you were the stone pillar; -that they had a rod that would raise you up with -Glas Gainach. They told where the rod was. I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_32"></a>[32]</span> -took the heads off them, and raised you with the -rod.”</p> - -<p>Now Cormac struck the earth mound, and Glas -Gainach rose up as well as before. Everything -was now in its own place, and they were glad. -Cian would not stop till he brought Glas Gainach -to Elin Gow, so he was walking night and day -till he came here behind to Cluainte, where -Elin Gow was living. He screeched out Elin -Gow’s name, told him to come. He came out; -and when he saw Cian and Glas Gainach he -came near fainting from joy. Cian put Glas -Gainach’s horn in his hand, and said, “I wished -to keep the promise I made when you spared -my head; and it was gentle of you to spare it, -for great was the loss that I caused you;” and -he told all that had happened,—how he had -won and lost Glas Gainach, and lost her through -the robbers.</p> - -<p>“Who is this brave youthful champion with -you?” asked Elin Gow.</p> - -<p>“This is my son, and but for him I’d be forever -where the three robbers put me. I was -eighteen years where they left me; but for that, -the cow would have been with you long ago. -What were you doing all this time?” asked -Cian of Elin Gow.</p> - -<p>“Making swords and weapons, but I could not -have lived without the support of your father.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_33"></a>[33]</span></p> - -<p>“He promised me that,” said Cian, “before I -left Erin. I knew that he would help you.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he did!” said Elin Gow.</p> - -<p>The father and son left good health with Elin -Gow, and never stopped nor stayed till they -reached the castle of Cian’s father. The old -king had thought that Cian was dead, as he had -received no account of him for so many years. -Great was his joy and gladness, and great was the -feast that he made.</p> - -<p>Cian remained for a month, and then went to -the house of the robbers, took out all its treasures, -locked up the place in the way that no man -could open it; then he gave one-half his wealth -to his father. He took the rest to Spain with -his son, and lived there.</p> - -<p>Elin Gow had grown old, and he was in dread -that he had not the strength to follow Glas -Gainach, and sent a message to Caol na Crua, -the fleetest champion in Kerry. Caol came. -Elin Gow agreed to pay him his price for minding -the cow, and was glad to get him. He told -Caol carefully how to herd the cow. She -travelled as before, and was always at home -before nightfall.</p> - -<p>Glas Gainach had milk for all; and when any -one came to milk her she would stop, and there -never was a vessel that she did not fill. One<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_34"></a>[34]</span> -woman heard this; and once when Glas Gainach -was near a river, the woman brought a sieve -and began to milk. She milked a long time. -At last the cow saw the river white with milk; -then she raised her leg, gave the woman a kick -on the forehead, and killed her.</p> - -<p>Caol na Crua was doing well, minding the -cow all the time, till one evening Glas Gainach -walked between the two pillars where she used -to scratch herself; when she was full, her sides -would touch both pillars. This evening she -bellowed, and Elin Gow heard her. Instead of -going home then, she went down to a place -northwest of Cluainte, near a ruin; she used to -drink there at times, but not often. Caol na -Crua did not know this. He thought she was -going into the sea, and caught her tail to hold -her back. With that, instead of drinking, she -went straight toward the water. Caol tried to -hold her. She swept him along and went -through the ocean, he keeping the grip he had, -and she going with such swiftness that he was -lying flat on the sea behind her; and she took -him with her to Spain and went to the king, and -very joyful was the king, for they were in great -distress for butter while Glas Gainach was gone.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_35"></a>[35]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="MORS_SONS_AND_THE_HERDER_FROM">MOR’S SONS AND THE HERDER FROM -UNDER THE SEA.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>In old times, there was a great woman in the -southwest of Erin, and she was called Mor. -This woman lived at Dun Quin; and when she -came to that place the first time with her husband -Lear, she was very poor. People say that it -was by the water she came to Dun Quin. Whatever -road she took, all she had came by the sea, -and went the same way.</p> - -<p>She built a small house, and their property was -increasing little by little. After a while she -had three sons, and these grew to be very fine -boys and then strong young men.</p> - -<p>The two elder sons set out to try their fortunes; -they got a vessel, sailed away on the sea, -and never stopped nor halted till they came to -the Kingdom of the White Strand, in the eastern -world. There they stayed for seven years, goaling -and sporting with the people.</p> - -<p>The king of that country wished to keep them -forever, because they were strong men, and had -risen to be great champions.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_36"></a>[36]</span></p> - -<p>The youngest son remained at home all the -time, growing to be as good a man as his -brothers. One day he went out to look at a -large field of wheat which his mother had, and -found it much injured.</p> - -<p>“Well, mother,” said he when he came in, “all -our field is destroyed by something. I don’t -know for the world what is it. Something comes -in, tramples the grain and eats it.”</p> - -<p>“Watch the field to-night, my son, and see -what is devouring our grain.”</p> - -<p>“Well, mother, boil something for me to eat -to give me strength and good luck for the -night.”</p> - -<p>Mor baked a loaf, and boiled some meat for her -son, and told him to watch well till the hour of -night, when perhaps the cattle would be before -him.</p> - -<p>He was watching and looking there, till all at -once, a little after midnight, he saw the field -full of cattle of different colors,—beautiful colors, -blue, and red, and white. He was looking at -them for a long time, they were so beautiful. -The young man wanted to drive the beasts home -with him, to show his mother the cattle that were -spoiling the grain. He had them out of the field -on the road when a herder stood before him, and -said, “Leave the cattle behind you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_37"></a>[37]</span></p> - -<p>“I will not,” said Mor’s son; “I will drive -them home to my mother.”</p> - -<p>“I will not let them with you,” said the -herder.</p> - -<p>“I’ll carry them in spite of you,” replied -Mor’s son.</p> - -<p>He had a good strong green stick, and so had -the herder; the two faced each other, and began -to fight. The herder was too strong for Mor’s -son, and he drove off the cattle into the sea.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the herder, as he was going, “your -mother did not boil your meat or bake your loaf -rightly last night; she gave too much fire to the -loaf and the meat, took the strength out of them. -You might do something if your mother knew -how to cook.”</p> - -<p>When Mor’s son went home, his mother asked, -“Did you see any cattle, my son?”</p> - -<p>“I did, mother; the field was full of them. And -when I was bringing the herd home with me to -show you, a man stood there on the road to take -the beasts from me; we fought, and when he -beat me and was driving the cattle into the sea, -what did he say but that you boiled the meat and -baked the loaf too much last night. To-night, -when you boil my meat, do not give it half the -fire; leave all the strength in the meat and the -loaf.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_38"></a>[38]</span></p> - -<p>“I will,” said the mother.</p> - -<p>When night came, the dinner was ready. The -young man ate twice as much of the meat and -the loaf as the evening before. About the same -hour, just after midnight, he went to the field, -for he knew now what time the cattle would be -in it. The field was full of the same cattle of -beautiful colors.</p> - -<p>Mor’s son drove the beasts out, and was going -to drive them home, when the herder, who was -not visible hitherto, came before him and said, -“I will not let the cattle with you.”</p> - -<p>“I will take them in spite of you,” replied -Mor’s son.</p> - -<p>The two began to fight, and Mor’s son was -stronger this time.</p> - -<p>“Why do you not keep your cattle out of my -wheat?” asked he of the herder.</p> - -<p>“Because I know very well that you are not -able to take them with you.”</p> - -<p>“If I am not able to take the cattle, you may -have them and the wheat as well,” said Mor’s -son.</p> - -<p>The herder was driving the cattle one way, and -Mor’s son was driving them the opposite way; -and after they had done that for a while, they -faced each other and began to fight again.</p> - -<p>Mor’s son was doubly angry at the herder this<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_39"></a>[39]</span> -night for the short answers that he gave. They -fought two hours; then the herder got the upper -hand. Mor’s son was sorry; and the herder, as -he drove the cattle to the sea, called out, “Your -mother gave too much fire to the meat and the -loaf; still you are stronger to-night than you were -last night.”</p> - -<p>Mor’s son went home.</p> - -<p>“Well, my son,” asked the mother, “have you -any news of the cattle and the herder?”</p> - -<p>“I have seen them, mother.”</p> - -<p>“And what did the herder do?”</p> - -<p>“He was too strong for me a second time, and -drove the cattle into the sea.”</p> - -<p>“What are we to do now?” asked the mother. -“If he keeps on in this way, we’ll soon be poor, -and must leave the country altogether.”</p> - -<p>“The herder said, as he drove the cattle away, -‘Your mother gave too much fire to the meat and -the loaf; still you are stronger to-night than you -were last night.’ Well, mother, if you gave too -much fire to my dinner last night, give but little -to-night, and I will leave my life outside or have -the cattle home with me this time. If I do not -beat him, he may have the wheat as well as the -cattle after to-night.”</p> - -<p>Mor prepared the dinner; and this time she -barely let the water on the meat begin to bubble, -and to the bread she gave but one roast.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_40"></a>[40]</span></p> - -<p>He ate and drank twice as much as the day -before. The dinner gave him such strength that -he said, “I’ll bring the cattle to-night.”</p> - -<p>He went to the field, and soon after midnight -it was full of cattle of the same beautiful colors; -the grain was spoiled altogether. He drove the -cattle to the road, and thought he had them. He -got no sight of the herder till every beast was -outside the field, and he ready to drive them -home to his mother. Then the herder stood -before him, and began to drive the cattle toward -the sea.</p> - -<p>“You’ll not take them this time,” said Mor’s -son.</p> - -<p>“I will,” said the herder.</p> - -<p>They began to fight, caught each other, -dragged, and struggled long, and in the heel of -the battle Mor’s son was getting the better of -the herder.</p> - -<p>“I think that you’ll have the upper hand of -me this time,” said the herder; “and ’tis my -own advice I blame for it. You’ll take the -cattle to-night in spite of me. Let me go now, -and take them away with you.”</p> - -<p>“I will,” said Mor’s son. “I will take them -to the house, and please my mother.”</p> - -<p>He drove the cattle home, and said to his -mother, “I have the cattle here now for you, -and do whatever you wish with them.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_41"></a>[41]</span></p> - -<p>The herder followed Mor’s son to the house.</p> - -<p>“Why did you destroy all my grain with your -cattle?” asked Mor.</p> - -<p>“Let the cattle go with me now, and I promise -that after to-night your field of wheat will be the -best in the country.”</p> - -<p>“What are we to do?” asked Mor of the son. -“Is it to let the cattle go with him for the -promise he gives?”</p> - -<p>“I will do what you say, mother.”</p> - -<p>“We will give him the cattle,” said Mor.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the son to the herder, “my -mother is going to give you the cattle for the -promise that our grain will be the best in the -country when ’tis reaped. We ought to be -friends after the fighting; and now take your -cattle home with you, though you vexed and -hurt me badly.”</p> - -<p>“I am very grateful to you,” said the herder -to Mor’s son, “and for your kindness you will -have plenty of cattle and plenty of wheat before -you die, and seeing that you are such a good man -I will give you a chance before I leave you. -The King of Mayo has an only daughter; the -fairies will take her from him to-morrow. They -will bring her through Daingean, on the shoulders -of four men, to the fairy fort at Cnoc na -Hown. Be at the cross-roads about two o’clock<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_42"></a>[42]</span> -to-morrow night. Jump up quickly, put your -shoulder under the coffin, the four men will -disappear and leave the coffin on the road; do -you bring what’s in the coffin home with you.”</p> - -<p>Mor’s son followed the herder’s directions. -He went toward Daingean in the night, for he -knew the road very well. After midnight, he -was at the cross-roads, waiting and hidden. -Soon he saw the coffin coming out against him, -and the four men carrying it on their shoulders.</p> - -<p>The young man put his shoulder under the -coffin; the four dropped it that minute, and -disappeared. Mor’s son took the lid off the -coffin; and what did he find lying inside but a -beautiful woman, warm and ruddy, sleeping as if -at home in her bed. He took out the young -woman, knowing well that she was alive, and -placing her on his back, left the coffin behind -at the wayside.</p> - -<p>The woman could neither walk nor speak, and -he brought her home to his mother. Mor opened -the door, and he put the young woman down in -the corner.</p> - -<p>“What’s this you brought me? What do I -want with the like of her in the house?”</p> - -<p>“Never mind, mother; it may be our luck that -will come with her.”</p> - -<p>They gave her every kind of drink and nourishing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_43"></a>[43]</span> -food, for she was very weak; when daylight -came, she was growing stronger, and could speak. -The first words she said were, “I am no good to -you in the way that I am now; but if you are a -brave man, you will meet with your luck to-morrow -night. All the fairies will be gathered at a -feast in the fort at Cnoc na Hown; there will be -a horn of drink on the table. If you bring that -horn, and I get three sips from it (if you have the -heart of a brave man you will go to the fort, seize -the horn, and bring it here), I shall be as well -and strong as ever, and you will be as rich yourself -as any king in Erin.”</p> - -<p>“I have stood in great danger before from the -like of them,” replied Mor’s son. “I will make -a trial of this work, too.”</p> - -<p>“Between one and two o’clock in the night -you must go to the fort,” said the young woman, -“and you must carry a stick of green rowan wood -in your hand.”</p> - -<p>The young man went to the fairy fort, keeping -the stick carefully and firmly in his hand. At -parting, the young woman warned him, saying, -“They can do you no harm in the world while -you have the stick, but without the stick there -is no telling what they might do.”</p> - -<p>When Mor’s son came to Cnoc na Hown, and -went in through the gate of the fairy fort, he saw<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_44"></a>[44]</span> -a house and saw many lights flashing in different -places. In the kitchen was a great table with all -sorts of food and drink, and around it a crowd of -small men. When he was making toward the -table, he heard one of the men say,—</p> - -<p>“Very little good will the girl be to Mor’s -son. He may keep her in the corner by his -mother. There will be neither health nor -strength in her; but if she had three drinks out -of this horn on the table here, she would be as -well as ever.”</p> - -<p>He faced them then, and, catching the horn, -said, “She will not be long without the drink!”</p> - -<p>All the little men looked at one another as he -hurried through the door and disappeared. He -had the stick, and they could not help themselves; -but all began to scold one another for not having -the courage to seize him and take the horn from -him.</p> - -<p>Mor’s son reached home with the horn. -“Well, mother,” said he, “we have the cure -now;” and he didn’t put the horn down till the -young woman had taken three drinks out of it, -and then she said,—</p> - -<p>“You are the best champion ever born in Erin, -and now take the horn back to Cnoc na Hown; -I am as well and hearty as ever.”</p> - -<p>He took the horn back to the fairy fort, placed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_45"></a>[45]</span> -it on the table, and hurried home. The fairies -looked at one another, but not a thing could they -do, for the stick was in his hand yet.</p> - -<p>“The woman is as well as ever now,” said one -of the fairies when Mor’s son had gone, “and we -have lost her;” and they began to scold one -another for letting the horn go with him. But -that was all the good it did them; the young -woman was cured.</p> - -<p>Next day the young woman said to Mor’s son, -“I am well now, and I will give you a token to -take to my father and mother in Mayo.”</p> - -<p>“I will not take the token,” said he; “I will go -and seek out your father, and bring back some -token to you first.”</p> - -<p>He went away, searched and inquired till he -made out the king’s castle; and when he was -there, he went around all the cattle and went -away home to his mother at Tivorye with every -four-footed beast that belonged to the king.</p> - -<p>“Well, mother,” said he, “it is the luck we -have now; and we’ll have the whole parish under -stock from this out.”</p> - -<p>The young woman was not satisfied yet, and -said, “You must go and carry a token to my -father and mother.”</p> - -<p>“Wait awhile, and be quiet,” answered Mor’s -son. “Your father will send herders to hunt for<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_46"></a>[46]</span> -the stock, and these men will have token enough -when they come.”</p> - -<p>Well, sure enough, the king’s men hunted over -hills and valleys, found that the cattle had been -one day in such a place and another day in -another place; and they followed on till at length -and at last they came near Mor’s house, and -there they saw the cattle grazing above on the -mountain.</p> - -<p>There was no house in Dun Quin at that time -but Mor’s house, and there was not another in -it for many a year after.</p> - -<p>“We will send a man down to that house,” -said the herders, “to know can we get any -account of what great champion it was that -brought the cattle all this distance.”</p> - -<p>What did the man see when he came near the -house but his own king’s daughter. He knew -the young woman, and was struck dumb when he -saw her, and she buried two months before at her -father’s castle in Mayo. He had no power to -say a word, he forgot where he was, or why he -was sent. At last he turned, ran up to the men -above on the mountain, and said, “The king’s -daughter is living below in that house.”</p> - -<p>The herders would not believe a word he said, -but at last three other men went down to see for -themselves. They knew the king’s daughter, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_47"></a>[47]</span> -were frightened; but they had more courage, and -after a while asked, “Where is the man that -brought the cattle?”</p> - -<p>“He is sleeping,” said the king’s daughter. -“He is tired after the long journey; if you wish, -I will wake him.”</p> - -<p>She woke Mor’s son, and he came out.</p> - -<p>“What brought you here?” asked he of the -men.</p> - -<p>“We came looking for our master’s cattle; -they are above on the mountain, driven to this -place by you, as it seems. We have travelled -hither and over till we found them.”</p> - -<p>“Go and tell your master,” said Mor’s son, -“that I brought the cattle; that Lear is my -father, and Mor is my mother, and that I have -his daughter here with me.”</p> - -<p>“There is no use in sending them with that -message,” said the young woman; “my father -would not believe them.”</p> - -<p>“Tell your master,” said Mor’s son, “that it -is I who brought the cattle, and that I have his -daughter here in good health, and ’tis by my -bravery that I saved her.”</p> - -<p>“If they go to my father with that message, he -will kill them. I will give them a token for -him.”</p> - -<p>“What token will you give?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_48"></a>[48]</span></p> - -<p>“I will give them this ring with my name and -my father’s name and my mother’s name written -inside on it. Do not give the ring,” said she to -the men, “till ye tell my father all ye have seen; -if he will not believe you, then give the ring.”</p> - -<p>Away went the men, and not a foot of the -cattle did they take; and if all the men in Mayo -had come, Mor’s son would not have let the -cattle go with them, for he had risen to be the -best champion in Erin. The men went home by -the straightest roads; and they were not half the -time going to the king’s castle that they were in -finding the cattle.</p> - -<p>On the way home, one man said to the others, -“It is a great story we have and good news to -tell; the king will make rich men of us for the -tidings we are taking him.”</p> - -<p>When they reached the king’s castle, there was -a welcome before them.</p> - -<p>“Have ye any news for me after the long -journey?” asked the king.</p> - -<p>“We found your daughter with a man in -Tivorye in the southwest of Erin, and all your -cattle are with the same man.”</p> - -<p>“Ye may have found my cattle, but ye could -not get a sight of my daughter.”</p> - -<p>“If you do not believe us in this way, you will, -in another. We may as well tell you all.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_49"></a>[49]</span></p> - -<p>“Ye may as well keep silent. I’ll not believe -a word of what ye say about my daughter.”</p> - -<p>“I will give you a token from your daughter,” -said one of the men, pulling out a purse. He -had the purse rolled carefully in linen. (And he -did well, for the fairies cannot touch linen, and -it is the best guard in the world against them. -Linen thread, too, is strong against the fairies. -A man might travel all the fairy forts of the -world if he had a skein of flax thread around his -neck, and a steel knife with a black handle in -his pocket.) He took out the ring, and gave it -to the king. The king sent for the queen. She -came. He put the ring in her hand and said, -“Look at this, and see do you know it.”</p> - -<p>“I do indeed,” said she; “and how did you -come by this ring?”</p> - -<p>The king told the whole story that the men -had brought.</p> - -<p>“This is our daughter’s ring. It was on her -finger when we buried her,” said the queen.</p> - -<p>“It was,” said the king, “and what the men -say must be true.” He would have killed them -but for the ring.</p> - -<p>On the following morning, the king and queen -set out with horses, and never stopped till they -came to Tivorye (Mor’s house). The king knew -the cattle the moment he saw them above on the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_50"></a>[50]</span> -mountain, and then he was sure of the rest. -They were sorry to find the daughter in such a -small cabin, but glad that she was alive. The -guide was sent to the house to say the king and -queen were coming.</p> - -<p>“Your father and mother are coming,” said he -to the king’s daughter.</p> - -<p>She made ready, and was standing in the door -before them. The father and mother felt weak -and faint when they looked at her; but she ran -out, took them by the hands, and said, “Have -courage; I am alive and well, no ghost, and ye -ought to thank the man who brought me away -from my enemies.”</p> - -<p>“Bring him to us,” said they; “we wish to see -him.”</p> - -<p>“He is asleep, but I will wake him.”</p> - -<p>“Wake him,” said the father, “for he is the -man we wish to see now.”</p> - -<p>The king’s daughter roused Mor’s son, and -said, “My father and mother are above in the -kitchen. Go quickly, and welcome them.”</p> - -<p>He welcomed them heartily, and he was ten -times gladder to see them than they were to -see him. They inquired then how he got the -daughter, and she buried at home two months -before. And he told the whole story from first -to last: How the herder from the sea had told<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_51"></a>[51]</span> -him, and how he had saved her at Cnoc na Hown. -They had a joyful night in the cabin after the -long journey, and anything that would be in any -king’s castle they had in Mor’s house that night, -for the king had plenty of everything with him -from the castle. Next morning the king and -queen were for taking the daughter home with -them; but she refused firmly, and said,—</p> - -<p>“I will never leave the man who saved me -from such straits. I’ll never marry any man but -him, for I’m sure that he is the best hero ever -reared in Erin, after the courage that he has -shown.”</p> - -<p>“We will never carry you away, since you like -him so well; and we will send him twice as many -cattle, and money besides.”</p> - -<p>They brought in the priest of whatever religion -was in it at the time (to be sure, it was not -Catholic priests were in Erin in those days), and -Mor’s son and the king’s daughter were married. -The father and mother left her behind in Tivorye, -and enjoyed themselves on the way home, they -were that glad after finding the daughter alive.</p> - -<p>When Mor’s son was strong and rich, he could -not be satisfied till he found his two brothers, -who had left home years before, and were in the -kingdom of the White Strand, though he did not -know it. He made up a fine ship then, and got<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_52"></a>[52]</span> -provisions for a day and a year, went into it, set -sail, and went on over the wide ocean till he -came to the chief port of the King of the White -Strand. He was seven days on the water; and -when he came in on the strand, the king saw him, -and thought that he must be a brave man to -come alone on a ship to that kingdom.</p> - -<p>“That must be a great hero,” said he to his -men. “Let some of the best of you go down -and knock a trial out of him before he comes to -the castle.”</p> - -<p>The king was so in dread of the stranger that -out of all the men he selected Mor’s two elder -sons. They were the best and strongest men he -had, and he sent them to know what activity was -in the new-comer. They took two hurleys for -themselves and one for the stranger, and a ball.</p> - -<p>The second brother challenged the stranger to -play. When the day was closing, the stranger -was getting the upper hand. They invited him -to the king’s castle for the night, and the elder -brother challenged him to play a game on the -following day.</p> - -<p>“How did the trial turn out?” asked the king -of the elder brother.</p> - -<p>“I sent my brother to try him, and it was the -strange champion that got the upper hand.”</p> - -<p>Mor’s son remained at the castle that night,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_53"></a>[53]</span> -and found good welcome and cheer. He ate -breakfast next morning, and a good breakfast it -was. They took three hurleys then and a ball, -and went to the strand. Said the eldest brother -to the second, “Stop here and look at us, and -see what the trial will be between us.”</p> - -<p>They gave the stranger a choice of the hurleys, -and the game began. It couldn’t be told who -was the better of the two brothers. The king -was in dread that the stranger would injure himself -and his men. In the middle of the day, -when it could not be determined who was the -better man, the elder brother said, “We will try -wrestling now, to know which of us can win that -way.”</p> - -<p>“I’m well satisfied,” said Mor’s son.</p> - -<p>They began to wrestle. The elder brother -gave Mor’s son several knocks, and he made -several turns on the elder.</p> - -<p>“Well, if I live,” said the elder, “you are my -brother; for when we used to wrestle at home, I -had the knocks, and you had the turns. You are -my younger brother, for no man was able to -wrestle with me when I was at Tivorye but -you.”</p> - -<p>They knew each other then, and embraced. -Each told his story.</p> - -<p>“Come home with me now,” said the youngest<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_54"></a>[54]</span> -brother, “and see our mother. I am as rich as -any king, and can give you good entertainment.”</p> - -<p>The three went to the King of the White -Strand, and told him everything. The eldest -and second brother asked leave of him to go -home to see their father and mother. The king -gave them leave, and filled their vessel with -every kind of good food, and the two promised -to come back.</p> - -<p>The three brothers set sail then, and after -seven days came in on the strand near Tivorye. -The two found their brother richer than any king -in any country. They were enjoying themselves -at home for a long time, having everything that -their hearts could wish, when one day above -another they saw a vessel passing Dun Quin, -and it drew up at the quay in Daingean harbor. -Next day people went to the ship; but if they did, -not a man went on board, for no man was allowed -to go.</p> - -<p>There was a green cat on deck. The cat was -master of the vessel, and would not let a soul -come near it. A report went out through the -town that the green cat would allow no one to -go near the ship, and for three weeks this report -was spreading. No one was seen on the vessel -but the cat, and he the size of a big man.</p> - -<p>Mor’s sons heard of the ship and the green cat<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_55"></a>[55]</span> -at Daingean, and they said, “Let us have a -day’s pleasure, and go to the ship and see the -cat.”</p> - -<p>Mor bade them stay at home. “Don’t mind -the ship or the cat,” said she, “and follow my -advice.” But the sons would not follow her -advice, nor be said by her, and away they went, -in spite of all she could do.</p> - -<p>When the cat saw them coming, he knew very -well who were in it. He jumped out on the -shore, stood on two legs, and shook hands with -the three brothers. He was as tall himself as -the largest man, and as friendly as he could be. -The three brothers were glad to receive an honor -which no one else could get.</p> - -<p>“Come down now to the cabin and have a trial -of my cooking,” said the cat.</p> - -<p>He brought them to the cabin, and the finest -dinner was on the table before them,—meat and -drink as good as ever they tasted either in -Tivorye or the kingdom of the White Strand.</p> - -<p>When the cat had them below in the cabin, -and they eating and drinking with great pleasure -and delight, he went on deck, screwed down -the hatches, raised the sails, and away went the -vessel sailing out of the harbor; and before the -three brothers knew where they were, the ship -was miles out on the ocean, and they thought<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_56"></a>[56]</span> -they were eating dinner at the side of the quay -in Daingean.</p> - -<p>“We’ll go up now,” said they when their dinner -was eaten, “thank the cat, and go on shore -for ourselves.”</p> - -<p>When on deck, they saw water on all sides, and -did not know in the world where they were. -The cat never stopped till he sailed to his own -kingdom, which was the kingdom of the White -Strand, for who should the cat be but the King -of the White Strand. He had come for the two -brothers himself, for he knew that they would -never come of their own will, and he could not -trust another to go for them. The king needed -them, for they were the best men he had. In -getting back the two, he took the third, and Mor -was left without any son.</p> - -<p>Mor heard in the evening that the ship was -gone, and her own three sons inside in it.</p> - -<p>“This is my misfortune,” cried she. “After -rearing my three sons, they are gone from me in -this way.” She began to cry and lament then, -and to screech wonderfully.</p> - -<p>Mor never knew who the cat was, or what -became of her sons. The wife of Mor’s youngest -son went away to her father in Mayo, and everything -she had went with her. Mor’s husband, -Lear, had died long before, and was buried at<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_57"></a>[57]</span> -Dunmore Head. His grave is there to this day. -Mor became half demented, and died soon after.</p> - -<p>If women are scolding at the present time, it -happens often that one says to another, “May -your children go from you as Mor’s sons went -with the enchanted cat!”</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_58"></a>[58]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="SAUDAN_OG_AND_THE_DAUGHTER">SAUDAN OG AND THE DAUGHTER -OF THE KING OF SPAIN; YOUNG -CONAL AND THE YELLOW KING’S -DAUGHTER.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>Ri Na Durkach (the King of the Turks) -lived many years in Erin, where he had -one son, Saudan Og. When this son grew up -to be twenty years old, he was a prince whose -equal was hard to be found.</p> - -<p>The old king was anxious to find a king’s -daughter as wife for his son, and began to inquire -of all wayfarers, rich and poor, high and low, -where was there a king’s daughter fit for his -son, but no one could tell him.</p> - -<p>At last the king called his old druid. “Do -you know,” asked he, “where to find a king’s -daughter for Saudan Og?”</p> - -<p>“I do not,” said the druid; “but do you order -your guards to stop all people passing your castle, -and inquire of them where such a woman may -be.”</p> - -<p>As the druid advised, the king commanded; but -no man made him a bit the wiser.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_59"></a>[59]</span></p> - -<p>A year later, an old ship captain walked the -way, and the guards brought him to the king.</p> - -<p>“Do you know where a fitting wife for my son -might be found?” asked the king.</p> - -<p>“I do,” said the captain; “but my advice to -you, and it may be a good one, is to seek a wife -for your son in the land where he was born, and -not go abroad for her. You can find plenty of -good women in Erin.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the king, “tell me first who is -the woman you have in mind.”</p> - -<p>“If you must know,” said the old captain, “the -daughter of the King of Spain is the woman.”</p> - -<p>Straightway the king had a notice put up on -the high-road to bring no more tidings to the -castle, as he had no need of them.</p> - -<p>When Saudan Og saw this notice, he knew that -his father had the tidings, but would not give -them. Next morning he went to the father and -begged him to tell. “I know,” said he, “that -the old captain told you.”</p> - -<p>The king would say nothing for he feared that -his son might fall into trouble.</p> - -<p>“I will start to-morrow,” said Saudan Og at -last, “in search of the woman; and if I do not -find her, I will never come back to you, so it is -better to tell me at once.”</p> - -<p>“The daughter of the King of Spain is the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_60"></a>[60]</span> -woman,” said the father; “but if you take my -advice, you’ll stay at home.”</p> - -<p>On the following day, Saudan Og dressed himself -splendidly, mounted a white steed, and rode -away, overtaking the wind before him; but the -wind behind could not overtake him. He travelled -all that was dry of Erin, and came to the -seashore; so he had nowhere else to travel on -land, unless he went back to his father. He -turned toward a wood then, and saw a great ash-tree: -he grasped the tree, and tore it out with its -roots; and, stripping the earth from the roots, he -threw the great ash into the sea. Leaving the -steed behind him, he sat on the tree, and never -stopped nor stayed till he came to Spain. When -he landed, he sent word to the king that Saudan -Og wished to see him.</p> - -<p>The answer that Saudan got was not to come -till the king had his castle prepared to receive -such a great champion.</p> - -<p>When the castle was ready, the King of Spain -sent a bellman to give notice that every man, -woman, or child found asleep within seven days -and nights would lose their heads, for all must -sing, dance, and enjoy themselves in honor of -the high guest.</p> - -<p>The king feasted Saudan Og for seven days -and nights, and never asked him where was he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_61"></a>[61]</span> -going or what was his business. On the evening -of the seventh day, Saudan said to the king, -“You do not ask me what brought me this way, -or what is my business.”</p> - -<p>“Were you to stay twenty years I would not -ask. I’m not surprised that a prince of your -blood and in full youthful beauty should travel -the world to see what is in it.”</p> - -<p>“It was not to see the world that I came,” said -Saudan Og, “but hearing that you have a beautiful -daughter, I wished her for wife; and if I do -not get her with your consent, I will take her in -spite of you.”</p> - -<p>“You would get my daughter with a hundred -thousand welcomes,” said the king; “but as you -have boasted, you must show action.”</p> - -<p>The king then sent a messenger to three kings—to -Ri Fohin, Ri Laian, and Conal Gulban—to -help him. “If you will not come,” said he, “I -am destroyed, for Saudan Og will take my -daughter in spite of me.”</p> - -<p>The kings made ready to sail for Spain. When -Conal Gulban was going, he called up his three -sons and said, “Stay here and care for the -kingdom while I am gone.”</p> - -<p>“I will not stay,” said the eldest son. “You -are old and feeble: I am young and strong; let -me go in place of you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_62"></a>[62]</span></p> - -<p>The second son gave a like answer. The -youngest had his father’s name, Conal, and the -king said to him, “Stay here at home and care -for the kingdom while I am gone, since your -brothers will not obey me.”</p> - -<p>“I will do what you bid me,” said Conal.</p> - -<p>“Now I am going,” said the old king; “and if -I and your brothers never return, be not bribed -by the rich to injure the poor. Do justice to all, -so that rich and poor may love you as they loved -your father before you.”</p> - -<p>He left young Conal twelve advisers, and said, -“If we do not return in a day and a year, be sure -that we are killed; you may then do as you like -in the kingdom. If your twelve advisers tell -you to marry a king’s daughter of wealth and -high rank, it will be of help to you in defending -the kingdom. You will be two powers instead -of one.”</p> - -<p>The day and the year passed, and no tidings -came of Conal’s two brothers and father. At -the end of the day and the year, the twelve told -him they had chosen a king’s daughter for him, -a very beautiful maiden. When the twelve spoke -of marriage, Conal let three screeches out of -him, that drove stones from the walls of old -buildings for miles around the castle.</p> - -<p>Now an old druid that his father had twenty<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_63"></a>[63]</span> -years before heard the three screeches, and said, -“Young Conal is in great trouble. I will go -to him to know can I help him.”</p> - -<p>The druid cleared a mountain at a leap, a -valley at a hop, twelve miles at a running leap, -so that he passed hills, dales, and valleys; and in -the evening of the same day, he struck his back -against the kitchen door of Conal’s castle just as -the sun was setting.</p> - -<p>When the druid came to the castle, young -Conal was out in the garden thinking to himself, -“My father and brothers are in Spain; perhaps -they are killed.” The dew was beginning to fall, -so he turned to go, and saw the old man at the -door. The druid was the first to speak; but not -knowing Conal, he said,—</p> - -<p>“Who are you coming here to trouble the -child? It would be fitter for you to stay in your -own place than to be trying to wake young Conal -with your screeches.”</p> - -<p>“Are you,” asked Conal, “the druid that my -father had here years ago?”</p> - -<p>“I am that old druid; but are you little -Conal?”</p> - -<p>“I am,” said Conal, and he gave the druid a -hundred thousand welcomes.</p> - -<p>“I was in the north of Erin,” said the druid, -“when I heard the three screeches, and I knew<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_64"></a>[64]</span> -that some one was troubling you, and your father -in a foreign land. My heart was grieved, and -I came hither in haste. I hear that your twelve -advisers have chosen a princess, and that you are -to marry to-morrow. Put out of your head the -thought of that princess; she is not your equal -in rank or power. Be advised by me, as your -father was. The right wife for you is the -daughter of the Yellow King, Haughty and -Strong. If the king will not give her, take her -by force, as your fathers before you took their -queens.”</p> - -<p>Conal was roused on the following morning by -his advisers, who said, “Make ready and go with -us to the king’s daughter we have chosen.”</p> - -<p>He mounted his steed, and rode away with -the twelve till they came to a cross-road. The -twelve wished to turn to one side; and when -Conal saw this, he put spurs to his horse, took -the straight road, and never stopped till he put -seven miles between himself and the twelve. -Then he turned, hurried back to the cross-road, -came up to the adviser whom he liked best, and, -giving him the keys of the castle, said,—</p> - -<p>“Go back and rule till I or my father or -brothers return. I give you the advice that I -myself got: Never let the poor blame you for -taking bribes from the rich; live justly, and do<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_65"></a>[65]</span> -good to the poor, that the rich and the poor may -like you. If you twelve had not advised me -to marry, I might be going around with a ball -and a hurley, as befits my age; but now I will -go out in the world and seek my own fortune.”</p> - -<p>He took farewell of them then, and set his face -toward the Yellow King’s castle. A long time -before it was prophesied that young Conal, son -of Gulban, would cut the head off the Yellow -King, so seven great walls had been built around -the castle, and a gate to each wall. At the first -gate, there were seven hundred blind men to -obstruct the entrance; at the second, seven hundred -deaf men; at the third, seven hundred -cripples; at the fourth, seven hundred sensible -women; at the fifth, seven hundred idiots; at the -sixth, seven hundred people of small account; at -the seventh, the seven hundred best champions -that the Yellow King had in his service.</p> - -<p>All these walls and defenders were there to -prevent any man from taking the Yellow King’s -daughter; for it had been predicted that the man -who would marry the daughter would take the -king’s head, and that this man would be Conal, -son of Conal Gulban.</p> - -<p>The only sleep that the guards at the seven -gates had was half an hour before sunrise and -half an hour after sunset. During these two<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_66"></a>[66]</span> -half hours, a plover stood on the top of each gate; -and if any one came, the bird would scream, and -wake all the people in one instant.</p> - -<p>The Yellow King’s daughter was in the highest -story of the castle, and twelve waiting-maids -serving her. She was so closely confined that -she looked on herself as a prisoner; so one morning -early she said to the twelve maids, “I am -confined here as a criminal,—I am never free even -to walk in the garden; and I wish in my heart -that some powerful young king’s son would come -the way to me. I would fly off with him, and no -blood would be shed for me.”</p> - -<p>It was about this time that young Conal came, -and, seeing all asleep, put spurs to his steed, and -cleared the walls at a bound. If the birds called -out, he had the gates cleared and was in before -the champions were roused; and when he was -inside, they did not attack him.</p> - -<p>He let his horse out to graze near the castle, -where he saw three poles, and on each one of -two of them a skull.</p> - -<p>“These are the heads of two king’s sons who -came to win the Yellow King’s daughter,” -thought Conal, “and I suppose mine will be the -third head; but if I die, I shall have company.”</p> - -<p>At this time the twelve waiting-maids cast lots -to know who was to walk in the yard, and see if a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_67"></a>[67]</span> -champion had come who was worthy of the princess. -The maid on whom the lot fell came back -in a hurry, saying, “I have seen the finest man -that I ever laid eyes on. He is beautiful, but -slender and young yet. If there is a man born -for you, it is that one.”</p> - -<p>“Go again,” said the Yellow King’s daughter, -“and face him. Do not speak to him for your -life till he speaks to you; say then that I sent -you, and that he is to come under my window.”</p> - -<p>The maid went and crossed Conal’s path three -times, but he spoke not; she crossed a fourth -time, and he said, “I suppose it is not for good -that you cross my path so early?”</p> - -<p>(It is thought unlucky to meet a woman first -in the morning.)</p> - -<p>“My mistress wishes you to go under her -window.”</p> - -<p>Conal went under the window; and the king’s -daughter, looking down, fell deeply in love with -him. “I am too high, and you are too low,” -said the Yellow King’s daughter. “If we speak, -people will hear us all over the castle; but I’ll -take some golden cord, and try can I draw you up -to me, that we may speak a few words to each -other.”</p> - -<p>“It would be a poor case for me,” said young -Conal, “to wait till you could tie strings together<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_68"></a>[68]</span> -to raise me.” He stuck his sword in the earth -then, and, making one bound, went in at the -window. The princess embraced him and kissed -him; she knew not what to give him to eat or -to drink, or what would please him most.</p> - -<p>“Have you seen the people at the seven -gates?” asked the Yellow King’s daughter.</p> - -<p>“I have,” answered Conal.</p> - -<p>“They are all awake now, and I will go down -and walk through the gates with you; seeing me, -the guards will not stop us.”</p> - -<p>“I will not do that. It will never be said of -young Conal of Erin that he stole his wife from -her father. I will win you with strength, or not -have you.”</p> - -<p>“I’m afraid there is too much against you,” -said the Yellow King’s daughter.</p> - -<p>These words enraged Conal, and, making one -bound through the window, he went to the pole -of combat, and struck a blow that roused the old -hag in the eastern world, and shook the castle -with all the land around it. The Yellow King -was sleeping at the time; the shake that he got -threw him out of his bed. He fell to the floor -with such force that a great lump came out on -his forehead; he was so frightened that he said -to the old druid who ran in to help him, “Many -a year have I lived without hearing the like of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_69"></a>[69]</span> -that blow. There must be a great champion -outside the castle.”</p> - -<p>The guard was sent to see if any one was left -alive near the castle. “For,” said the king, -“such a champion must have killed all the people -at the gates.” The guard went, saw no one dead, -but every one living, and a champion walking -around, sword in hand.</p> - -<p>The guard hurried back, and said to the king, -“There is a champion in front of the castle, -handsome, but slender and young.”</p> - -<p>“Go to him,” said the king, “and ask how -many men does he want for the combat.” The -guard went out and asked.</p> - -<p>“I want seven hundred at my right hand, seven -hundred at my left, seven hundred behind me, -and as many as all these out in front of me. Let -them come four deep through the gates: do you -take no part in this battle; if I am victorious, -I will see you rewarded.”</p> - -<p>The guard told the king how many men the -champion demanded. Before the king opened -the gates for his men, he said to the chief of -them, “This youth must be mad, or a very great -champion. Before I let my men out, I must see -him.”</p> - -<p>The king walked out to young Conal, and -saluted him. Conal returned the salute. “Are<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_70"></a>[70]</span> -you the champion who ordered out all these men -of mine?” asked the king.</p> - -<p>“I am,” said young Conal.</p> - -<p>“There is not one among them who would not -kill a dozen like you,” said the king. “Your -bones are soft and young. It is better for you -to go out as you came in.”</p> - -<p>“You need not mind what will happen me,” -answered Conal. “Let out the men; the more -the men, the quicker the work. If one man -would kill me in a short time, many will do it in -less time.”</p> - -<p>The men were let out, and Conal went through -them as a hawk goes through a flock of birds; and -when one man fell before him, he knocked the -next man, and had his head off. At sunset -every head was cut from its body. Next he -made a heap of the bodies, a heap of the heads, -and a heap of the weapons. Young Conal then -stretched himself on the grass, cut and bruised, -his clothes in small pieces from the blows that -had struck him.</p> - -<p>“It is a hard thing,” said Conal, “for me to -have fought such a battle, and to lie here dying -without one glimpse of the woman I love; could -I see her even once, I would be satisfied.”</p> - -<p>Crawling on his hands and knees, he dragged -himself to the window to tell her it was for her<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_71"></a>[71]</span> -he was dying. The princess saw him, and told -him to lie there till she could draw him up to her -and care for him.</p> - -<p>“It is a hard thing if I have to wait here till -strings and cords are fastened together to raise -me,” said he, and, making one bound from where -he was lying on the flat of his back, he went up -to her window; she snatched at him, and pulled -him into the chamber.</p> - -<p>There was a magic well in the castle; the -Yellow King’s daughter bathed him in the water -of it, and he was made whole and sound as before -he went to battle. “Now,” said she, “you must -fly with me from this castle.”</p> - -<p>“I will not go while there is anything that -may be cast on my honor in time to come,” -answered Conal.</p> - -<p>Next day he struck the pole of combat with -double the force of the first time, so that the -king got a staggering fit from the shock that it -gave him.</p> - -<p>The Yellow King had no forces now but the -deaf, the blind, the cripples, the sensible women, -the idiots, and the people of small account. So -out went the king in his own person. He and -young Conal made the hills, dales, and valleys -tremble, and clear spring wells to rise out of -hard, gravelly places. Thus they fought for<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_72"></a>[72]</span> -three days and two nights. On the evening of -the third day, the king asked Conal for a time to -rest and take food and drink.</p> - -<p>“I have never begun any work,” said Conal, -“without finishing it. Fight to the end, then -you can rest as long as you like.”</p> - -<p>So they went at it again, and fought seven -days and seven nights without food, drink, or -rest, and each trying to get the advantage of the -other. On the seventh evening, Conal swept the -head off the king with one blow.</p> - -<p>“’Tis your own skull that will be on the pole -in place of mine, and I’ll have the daughter,” -said Conal.</p> - -<p>The Yellow King’s daughter came down and -asked, “Will you go with me now, or will you -take the kingdom?”</p> - -<p>“I will go,” answered Conal.</p> - -<p>“You did not go to the battle?” asked Conal -of the guard.</p> - -<p>“I did not.”</p> - -<p>“Well for you that you did not. Now,” said -Conal to the princess, “whomever of the maids -you like best, the guard may marry, and they -will care for this kingdom till we return.”</p> - -<p>The guard and maid were married, and put in -charge of the kingdom. The following morning -young Conal got his steed ready and set out for<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_73"></a>[73]</span> -home with the princess. As they were riding -along near the foot of a mountain, Conal grew -very sleepy, and said to the princess, “I’ll go -down now and take a sleep.”</p> - -<p>The place was lonely,—hardly two houses in -twenty miles. The Yellow King’s daughter -advised Conal: “Take me to some habitation -and sleep there; this place is too wild.”</p> - -<p>“I cannot wait,—I’m too drowsy and weary -after the long battle; but if I might sleep a little, -I could fight for seven days and seven nights -again.” He dismounted, and she sat on a green -mossy bank. Putting his head on her lap, he -fell asleep, and his steed went away on the mountain -side grazing.</p> - -<p>Conal had slept for three days and two nights -with his head in the lap of the Yellow King’s -daughter, when on the evening of the third day -the princess saw the largest man she had ever -set eyes on, walking toward her through the sea -and a basket on his back. The sea did not -reach to his knees; a shield could not pass between -his head and the sky. This was the High -King of the World. This big man faced up to -where Conal and his bride were; and, taking the -tips of her fingers, he kissed her three times. -“Bad luck to me,” said the King of the World, -“if the young woman I am going for were beyond<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_74"></a>[74]</span> -the ditch there I would not go to her. You are -fairer and better than she.”</p> - -<p>“Where were you going?” asked the princess. -“Don’t mind me, but go on.”</p> - -<p>“I was going for the Yellow King’s daughter, -but will not go a step further now that I see -you.”</p> - -<p>“Go your way to her, for she is the finest princess -on earth; I am a simple woman, and another -man’s wife.”</p> - -<p>“Well, pain and torments to me if I go beyond -this without taking you with me!”</p> - -<p>“If this man here were awake,” said the -Yellow King’s daughter, “he would put a stop -to you.” She was trying all this time to rouse -Conal.</p> - -<p>“It is better for him to be as he is,” said the -High King; “if he were awake, it’s harm he’d -get from me, and that would vex you.”</p> - -<p>When she saw that he would take her surely, -she bound him not to make her his wife for a day -and a year.</p> - -<p>“This is the worst promise that ever I have -made,” said the High King, “but I will keep it.”</p> - -<p>“If this man here were awake, he would stop -you,” said the princess.</p> - -<p>The High King of the World thrust the tip -of his forefinger under the sword-belt of Conal,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_75"></a>[75]</span> -and hurled him up five miles in the air. When -Conal came down, he let out three waves of blood -from his mouth.</p> - -<p>“Do you think that is enough?” asked the -king of the princess.</p> - -<p>“Throw him a second time,” said the Yellow -King’s daughter.</p> - -<p>He threw him still higher, and Conal put out -three greater waves. “Is that enough?”</p> - -<p>“Try him a third time.” He threw him still -higher this time. Conal put out three greater -waves, but waked not.</p> - -<p>While the High King was throwing up Conal, -the princess was writing a letter telling all,—that -she knew not whither she was going, that she -had bound the High King of the World not to -make her his wife for a day and a year, “and,” said -she, “I’m sure that you will find me in that -time.”</p> - -<p>The king took her in his arms, and away he -went walking in the sea, throwing fish into his -basket as he travelled through the water.</p> - -<p>Conal slept a hero’s sleep of seven days and -nights, and woke four days after his bride had -been stolen. He rubbed his eyes, and, glancing -toward the mountain side, saw neither steed nor -wife, and said, “No wonder that I cannot see -wife nor horse when I’m so sleepy; what am I -to do?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_76"></a>[76]</span></p> - -<p>Not far away were some small boys, and they -herding cows. The boys began to make sport of -Conal for sleeping seven days and nights. “I -do not blame you for laughing,” said Conal (ever -since, when there is a great sleeper, people say -that he sleeps like Conal on the side of Beann -Edain), “but have you tidings of my wife and -my steed; where are they, or has any man taken -them?”</p> - -<p>A boy older and wiser than the others said, -“Your horse is on the mountain side feeding; -and every day he came hither and sniffed you, and -you sleeping, and then went away grazing for -himself. Four days ago the greatest giant ever -seen by the eye of man walked in through the -ocean; he tossed you three times in the air. -Every time we thought you’d be broken to dust; -and the lady you had, wrote something and put it -under your belt.”</p> - -<p>Conal read the letter, and knew that, in spite -of her, the Yellow King’s daughter had been -carried away. He then preferred battle to peace, -and asked the boys was there a ship that could -take him to sea.</p> - -<p>“There is no right ship in the place, but there -is an old vessel wrecked in a cove there beyond,” -said the oldest boy.</p> - -<p>The boys went with Conal, and showed him the -vessel.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_77"></a>[77]</span></p> - -<p>“Put your backs to her now, and help me,” said -Conal.</p> - -<p>The boys laughed, thinking that two hundred -men could not move such a vessel. Conal -scowled, and then they were in dread of him, -and with one shove they and Conal put the ship -in the sea; but the water was going in and out -through her. Conal knew not at first what to -do, as there was no timber near by, but he killed -seven cows, fastened the hides on the ship, and -made it proof against water. When the boys -saw the cows slaughtered, they began to cry, -saying, “How can we go home now, and our -cows killed?”</p> - -<p>“There is not a cow killed,” said Conal, “but -you will get two cows in place of her.” He gave -two prices for each cow of the seven, and said -to the boys, “Go home now, and tell what has -happened.”</p> - -<p>Conal sailed away for himself; and when his -ship was in the ocean, he let her go with the -wind. On the third afternoon, he saw three -islands, and on the middle island a fine open -strand, with a great crowd of people. He threw -out three anchors, two at the ocean side and one -at the shore side, so that the ship would not stir, -no matter what wind blew, and, planting his -sword in the deck, he gave one bound and went<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_78"></a>[78]</span> -out on the strand seven miles distant. He -saluted a good-looking man, and asked, “Why are -so many people here? What is their business?”</p> - -<p>“Where do you live? Of what nation are you -that you ask such a question?”</p> - -<p>“I am a stranger,” said Conal, “just come to -this island.”</p> - -<p>The islander showed Conal a man sitting on -the beach as large as twelve of the big men of -the island. “Do you see him?”</p> - -<p>“I do,” said Conal.</p> - -<p>“There are three brothers of us on these three -islands; that man is our youngest brother, and -he has grown so strong and terrible that we are -in dread he will drive us from our share of the -islands, and that is why we are here to-day. My -eldest brother and I have come with what men -we have to this middle island, which belongs to -our youngest brother. We are to play ball -against all his forces; if we beat them, we shall -think ourselves safe. Now, which side will you -take, young champion?”</p> - -<p>“If I go on your side, some may say that I fear -your men; and if I go with your younger brother, -you and your elder brother may say that I fear -your strong brother’s forces. Bring all the men -of the three islands. I will play against them.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” asked the stranger, “what wager will -you lay?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_79"></a>[79]</span></p> - -<p>“I’ll wager,” said Conal, “those two islands -out there on the ocean side.”</p> - -<p>“They are ours already,” said the man.</p> - -<p>“Bad luck to you! Why claim everything?” -said Conal. “Well, I’ll lay another wager. -If I lose, I’ll stand in the middle of the strand, -and every man of the three islands may give -me a blow of the hurley; and if I win, I am to -have a blow on every man who played against -me. But first, I must have my choice of the -hurleys; all must be thrown in a heap. I will -take the one I like best.”</p> - -<p>This was done, and Conal took the largest and -strongest hurley he could find. The ball was -struck about the middle of the strand; and there -was a goal at each end of it, and these goals were -fourteen miles apart. Conal took the ball with -hurley, hand and foot, and never let it touch -ground till he put it through the goal. “Is that a -fair inning?” asked he of the other side.</p> - -<p>Some said it was foul, for he kept the ball in -the air all the time.</p> - -<p>“Well, I’ll make a second trial; I will put it -through the opposite goal.” He struck the ball -in the middle of the strand, and sent it toward the -other goal with such force that whoever tipped it -never drew breath again, and every man whom it -passed was driven sixty feet to one side or the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_80"></a>[80]</span> -other. Conal was always within a few yards of -the ball, and he put it through the goal seven -miles distant from the middle of the strand with -two blows.</p> - -<p>“Is that a fair inning?” asked Conal.</p> - -<p>“It would be hard to say that it is not,” said -one man, and no man gainsaid him.</p> - -<p>“Let all stand now in ranks two deep, till I -get my blow on each man of you.”</p> - -<p>All the men were arranged two deep; and when -Conal came up, the foremost man sprang behind -the one in the rear of him, and that one behind -the man at his side, and so on throughout. None -would stand to receive Conal’s blow.</p> - -<p>Away rushed every man, woman, and child, -and never stopped till they were inside in their -houses. First of all, ran the brothers of the -islands.</p> - -<p>When they reached the castle, they began to -lament because they had insulted the champion, -and knew not who he was or whence he had come.</p> - -<p>The three brothers had one sister; and when -she saw them lamenting and grieving, she asked: -“What trouble is on you?”</p> - -<p>“We fled from the champion, and the people -followed us.”</p> - -<p>“None of you invited the champion to the -castle,” said the sister; “now he will fall into<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_81"></a>[81]</span> -such a rage on the strand that in one hour he -will not leave a person alive on the islands. If -I had some one to go with me, I would invite -him, and the people would be spared.”</p> - -<p>“I will go with you,” said her chief maid.</p> - -<p>Away they went, walking toward the strand; -and when they had come near, they threw themselves -on their knees before Conal. He asked -who they were and what brought them.</p> - -<p>“My brothers sent me to beg pardon for them, -and invite you to the castle.”</p> - -<p>“I will go,” said Conal; “and if you had not -come, I would not have left a man alive on the -three islands.” Conal went with the princess, -and saw at the castle a very old and large man; -and the old man rose up before him and said, -“A hundred thousand welcomes to you, young -Conal from Erin.”</p> - -<p>“Who are you who know me, and I never -before on this island?” asked Conal.</p> - -<p>“My name is Donach the Druid, from Erin. -I was often in your father’s house, and it was a -good place for rich or poor to visit, for they were -alike there; and now I hope you will take me -home to be buried among my own people. It -was God who drove you hither to this island to -take me home.”</p> - -<p>“And I will do that,” said Conal, “if I go<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_82"></a>[82]</span> -there myself. Tell me now how you came to -this place.”</p> - -<p>“I was taken,” said Donach, “out on the wild -arm of the wind, and was thrown in on this island. -I am here ever since. I am old now, and I wish -to be home in my own place in Erin.”</p> - -<p>Now young Conal, the sister, and three -brothers sat down to dinner. When dinner was -over, and they had eaten and drunk, they were -as happy as if they had lived a thousand years -together. The three brothers asked Conal where -was he going, and what was his business. Conal -did not say that he was in search of his wife, but -he said that he was going to his own castle and -kingdom. The old druid, two of the brothers, -and the sister said, “We will go with you, and -serve you till you come to your kingdom.”</p> - -<p>They got a boat and took him to the ship. He -weighed anchor, and sailed away. For two or -three days they saw nothing wonderful. The -fourth day they came to a great island; and as -they neared it, they saw three champions inside, -and the three fighting with swords and spears. -Young Conal was surprised to see three fighting -at the same time.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said he, “it is nothing to see two -champions in combat, but ’tis strange to see -three. I will go in and see why they are fighting.”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_83"></a>[83]</span> -He threw out his chains, and made his -ship fast; then he made a rush from the stern of -the vessel to the bow, and as he ran, he caught -Donach the Druid and carried him, and with one -leap was in on the strand, seven miles from the -ship.</p> - -<p>Young Conal faced the champions, and, saluting -the one he thought best, asked the cause of -their battle. The champion sat down, and -began. “I will tell you the reason,” said he. -“Seven miles from this place there stands a -castle; in that castle is the most beautiful woman -that the eye of man has ever seen, and the three -of us are in love with her. She says she will -take only the best man; and we are striving to -know who is best, but no man of us three can -get the upper hand of another. We can kill every -man who comes to the island, but no man of us -can kill another of the three.”</p> - -<p>When Conal heard this he sprang up, and told -the champions to face him and he would see what -they could do. The three faced him, and went at -him. Soon he swept the heads off two of them, -but the third man was pressing hard on Conal. -His name was the Short Dun Champion; but in -the end Conal knocked him with a blow, and no -sooner had he him knocked than Donach the -Druid had him tied with strong cords and strings<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_84"></a>[84]</span> -of enchantment. Then young Conal spoke to -Donach the Druid and said, “Come to this -champion’s breastbone and split it, take out his -heart and his liver, and give them to my young -hound to eat;” and turning to the Short Dun -Champion, he asked, “Have you ever been so -near a fearful death as you are at this moment?”</p> - -<p>“’Tis hard for me to answer you,” said he, -“for ’tis firmly I am bound by your Druid, bad -luck to him.”</p> - -<p>“Unbind the champion,” said Conal, “till he -tells us at his ease was he ever nearer a fearful -death than he is at this moment.”</p> - -<p>“I was,” said the champion to Conal. “Sit -down there on that stool. I will sit here and -tell you. I did not think much of your torture, -for I knew that when my heart and liver were -taken, I should be gone in that moment. Once -I had a longer torture to suffer. Not many -months ago, I was sailing on my ship in mid-ocean -when I saw the biggest man ever seen on -earth, and he with a beautiful woman in his -hand. The moment I saw that woman I was in -love with her, and I sailed toward the High King -of the World, for it was he that was in it; but if -I did, he let my ship go out in full sail between -his two legs, and travelled on in another direction. -I turned the ship again, and went after<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_85"></a>[85]</span> -him. I climbed to the topmast, and stood there. -I came up to the King of the World, for wind -and wave were with me, and, being almost as -high as the woman in his hand, I made a grasp -at her; he let my ship out between his legs, -but if he did, I took the woman with me and -kissed her three times. This enraged the High -King. He came to my ship, bound and tied me -with strong hempen cords, then, putting a finger -under me, he tossed me out on the sea and -let my ship drift with the wind. I had some -enchantment of my own, and the sea did not -drown me. When little fish came my way, I -swallowed them, and thus I got food. I was in -this state for many days, and the hempen cords -began to rot and weaken. Through good luck or -ill, I was thrown in on this island. I pulled the -cords, and struggled with them till one hand was -free; then I unbound myself. I came to shore -where the island is wildest. A bird called Nails -of Daring had a nest in a high, rugged cliff. -This bird came down, and, seizing me, rose in the -air. Then she dropped me. I fell like a ball, and -struck the sea close to land. I feigned death -well, and was up and down with the waves that -she might not seize me a second time, but soon -she swooped down and placed her ear near me to -know was I living. I held my breath, and she,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_86"></a>[86]</span> -thinking me dead, flew away. I rose up, and ran -with all speed to the first house I found. Now, -was I not nearer a worse death than the one to -which you condemned me? Nails of Daring -would have given me a frightful and slow death, -and you wished to give me a quick one.”</p> - -<p>“Short Dun Champion,” said Conal, “the -woman you saw with the High King was my -wife. It was luck that brought me in your way, -and it was luck that Donach the Druid tied you -in such a fashion. Now you must guide me to -the castle of the High King.”</p> - -<p>“Come, now, druid, bind my hands and feet, -take my heart and liver and give them to young -Conal’s hound whelp, rather than take me to that -king. I got dread enough before from him.”</p> - -<p>“Believe me, all I want of you now is to guide -my ship; you will come back in safety and -health,” said young Conal.</p> - -<p>“I will go with you and guide you, if you -put me beneath your ship’s ballast when you -see him nearing us, for fear he will get a glimpse -of me.”</p> - -<p>“I will do that,” said Conal.</p> - -<p>Now they went out to the ship, and steered -away, with the Short Dun Champion as pilot. -They were the fifth day at sea when he steered -the ship toward the castle of the High King.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_87"></a>[87]</span> -“That,” said the Short Dun Champion, pointing -to a great building on an island, “is the castle -of the High King of the World; but as good a -champion as you are, you cannot free your wife -from it. That castle revolves; and as it goes -around it throws out poison, and if one drop of -that poison were to fall on you the flesh would -melt from your bones. But the King of the -World is not at home now, for to-morrow the -day and the year will be up since he stole -the wife from you. I have some power of enchantment -and I will bring the woman to you in -the ship.”</p> - -<p>The Short Dun Champion went with one leap -from the deck of the ship to the strand, and, -caring for no man, walked straight to the castle -where the Yellow King’s daughter was held. -The castle had an opening underneath, and the -Short Dun Champion, keeping the poison away -by his power, passed in, found the princess, and -wrapping her in the skirt of an enchanted cloak -that he had, took her out, and running to the -strand was in on the deck of the ship with one -bound.</p> - -<p>The moment the princess set eyes on Conal, -she gave such a scream that the High King heard -her, and he off in the Western World inviting -all the great people to his wedding. He started<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_88"></a>[88]</span> -that minute for the castle, and did not wait to -throw fish in his basket as he went through the -sea. When he came home, the princess was not -there before him. “Where has my bride gone, -or has some one stolen her?” asked he.</p> - -<p>“A man who has a ship in the harbor came -and stole the lady.”</p> - -<p>“A thousand deaths! What shall I do, and all -the high people on the way to the wedding?”</p> - -<p>He seized a great club and killed half his servants, -then rushed to the strand, and seeing the -ship still at anchor, shouted for battle.</p> - -<p>When the Short Dun Champion heard the -king’s voice, he screamed to be put under the -ballast. He was put there and hidden from -sight. “If I whistle with my fingers,” asked -young Conal, “will you come to me?”</p> - -<p>“I will, if I were to die the next moment,” -said the Short Dun Champion.</p> - -<p>Conal told Donach the Druid to stand at the -bows of the ship, then, walking to the stern, he -was so glad at having his wife on the vessel, and -he going to fight with the High King, that he -made a run, seized the druid, and carried him -with one leap to the strand, eleven miles distant.</p> - -<p>The High King demanded his wife.</p> - -<p>“She is not your wife, but mine,” said young -Conal. “I won her with my sword, and you<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_89"></a>[89]</span> -stole her away like a thief, and I sleeping. -Though she is mine, I did not flee when I took -her away from you.”</p> - -<p>“It is time for battle,” said the king, and the -two closed in combat. The king, being so tall, -had the advantage. “I might as well make him -shorter,” thought Conal, and with one blow he -cut the two legs off the king at the knee joints. -The king fell. No sooner was he down than the -druid had him tied with hard cords of enchantment. -Conal whistled through his finger. The -Short Dun Champion, hearing the whistle, -screamed to be freed from the ballast. The men -took him out. He went in on the strand with -one bound, and when he came up to where the -High King was lying, Conal said, “Cut this man -at the breastbone, take out his heart with his -liver, and give them as food to my hound whelp.”</p> - -<p>“He is well bound by your druid; but firmly -as he is bound, I am in dread to go near him to -do this.”</p> - -<p>Conal then drew his own sword, and with a -blow swept the head off the High King. Then -Conal, Donach the Druid, and the Short Dun -Champion went to the ship and sailed homeward. -On their way, where should they sail but along -the coast of Spain? While they were sailing, -Conal espied three great castles, and not far -from them a herd of cattle grazing.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_90"></a>[90]</span></p> - -<p>“Will one of you go and inquire why these -three castles are built near together?” asked -Conal of the two island brothers.</p> - -<p>“I will go,” said the elder.</p> - -<p>He went on shore to the herdsman and asked, -“Why are those three castles so near one -another?”</p> - -<p>“I will tell you,” said the herdsman; “but you -must come first and touch my finger-tips.”</p> - -<p>No sooner had the champion done this, than -the man drew a rod of enchantment, struck him -a blow, and turned him to stone.</p> - -<p>Conal saw this from the ship, and asked, “Who -will go in now?”</p> - -<p>“I will go,” said the second brother. “I have -the best right.” He went and met the same fate -as his brother.</p> - -<p>“I will go this time,” said Conal.</p> - -<p>The Yellow King’s daughter, Donach the -Druid, and the Short Dun Champion seized -Conal to keep him from going.</p> - -<p>“If I do not live but a moment, I must go and -knock satisfaction out of the herdsman for what -he has done to my men,” cried out Conal. So he -went, and walking up to the herdsman, asked the -same questions as the two brothers.</p> - -<p>“Come here and touch my finger tips.”</p> - -<p>Conal walked up to the herdsman, caught his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_91"></a>[91]</span> -fingers, then ran under the rod and seized the -herdsman; but if he did, the herdsman had him -that moment on the flat of his back. But Conal -was up, and had the herdsman down, and, drawing -his sword, said, “I’ll have your head now unless -you tell me why these three castles are here close -together.”</p> - -<p>“I will tell you, but do you remember, young -Conal, when in our father’s castle how I used to -get the first blow on you?”</p> - -<p>“Are you my brother?” asked Conal.</p> - -<p>“I am,” said the herdsman.</p> - -<p>“Why did you kill my men?”</p> - -<p>“If I killed them, I can raise them;” and going -to the two brothers, he struck each a blow, and -they rose up as well and strong as ever.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the brother to Conal, “Saudan -Og arrived in Spain the day before we did, and -he had one-third of the kingdom taken before -us. We went against him the following day, and -kept him inside that third, and we have neither -gained nor lost since. The King of Spain had -a castle here; my father and the King of Leinster -built a second castle near that; Saudan Og built -the third near the two, for himself and his men, -and that is why the three castles are here. We -are ever since in battle; Saudan has the one-third, -and we the rest of Spain.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_92"></a>[92]</span></p> - -<p>Conal arrayed himself as a champion next -morning, and went to Saudan’s castle. He struck -a blow on the pole of combat that shook the -whole kingdom, and that day he killed Saudan -and every man of his forces.</p> - -<p>Conal’s eldest brother married the daughter of -the King of Spain. He took the second brother -with him, married him to the sister of the two -island brothers, and gave him the three islands. -He went home then, gave the kingdom of the -Yellow King to the Short Dun Champion, and -had the two island brothers well married to king’s -daughters in Erin. All lived happily and well; -if they did not, may we!</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_93"></a>[93]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_BLACK_THIEF_AND_KING_CONALS">THE BLACK THIEF AND KING CONAL’S -THREE HORSES.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>There was a king once in Erin who had a -beautiful queen, and the queen’s heart was -as good as her looks. Every one loved her, but, -above all, the poor people. There wasn’t a -needy man or woman within a day’s journey of -the castle who was not blessing the beautiful -queen. On a time this queen fell ill suddenly, -and said to the king, “If I die and you marry a -second wife, leave not my three sons to a strange -woman’s rule. Send them away to be reared till -they come to age and maturity.”</p> - -<p>The queen died soon after. The king mourned -for her one year and a second; then his chief -men and counsellors urged him to seek out a new -queen.</p> - -<p>The king built a castle in a distant part of -his kingdom, and put his three sons there with -teachers and servants to care for them. He married -a second wife then; and the two lived on happily -till the new wife had a son. The young queen -never knew that the king had other children than<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_94"></a>[94]</span> -her son, or that there was a queen in the kingdom -before her.</p> - -<p>On a day when the king was out hunting in -the mountains, the queen went to walk near the -castle, and as she was passing the cottage of a -greedy old henwife, she stumbled and fell.</p> - -<p>“May the like of that meet you always!” said -the henwife.</p> - -<p>“Why do you say that?” asked the queen, who -overheard her.</p> - -<p>“It is all one to you what I say. It is little -you care for me or the like of me. It wasn’t -the same with the queen that was here before -you. There wasn’t a week that she did not -give support to poor people, and she showed kindness -to every one always.”</p> - -<p>“Had the king a wife before me?” asked the -queen.</p> - -<p>“He had, indeed; and I could tell enough to -keep you thinking for a day and a year, if you -would pay me.”</p> - -<p>“I will pay you well if you tell all about the -queen that was in it before me.”</p> - -<p>“If you give me one hundred speckled goats, -one hundred sheep, and one hundred cows I will -tell you.”</p> - -<p>“I will give you all those,” said the queen, -“if you tell everything.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_95"></a>[95]</span></p> - -<p>“The queen that was here at first had three -sons; and before the king married you, he prepared -a great castle, and the sons are in that -castle now with teachers and men taking care of -them. When the three are of age, your son -will be without a place for his head.”</p> - -<p>“What am I to do to keep my son in the kingdom?” -asked the queen.</p> - -<p>“Persuade the king to bring his three sons to -the castle, then play chess with them. I will give -you a board with which you can win. When you -have won of the three young men, put them under -bonds to go for the three steeds of King Conal -for you to ride three times around all the boundaries -of the kingdom. Many and many is the -champion and hero who went for King Conal’s -horses; but not a man of them was seen again, -and so it will be with these three. Your son -will be safe at home, and will be king himself -when his time comes.”</p> - -<p>The queen went home to the castle, and if ever -she had a head full of plans it was that time. -She began the same night with the king.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it a shame for you to keep your children -away from me, and I waiting this long time for -you to bring them home to us?”</p> - -<p>“How am I keeping my children from you?” -asked the king. “Haven’t you your own son -and mine with you always?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_96"></a>[96]</span></p> - -<p>“You have three sons of your own. You were -married before you saw me. Bring your children -home. I will be as fond of them as you are.”</p> - -<p>No matter what the king said, the queen kept -up her complaining with sweet words and -promises, and never stopped till the king brought -his sons to the castle.</p> - -<p>The king gave a great feast in honor of the -young men. After the feast the queen played -chess for a sentence with the eldest. She played -twice; won a game and lost one. Next day she -played one game with the second son. On the -third day, she played with the youngest; won one -game and lost one.</p> - -<p>On the fourth day, the three were in the queen’s -company.</p> - -<p>“What sentence do you put on me and my -brothers?” asked the eldest.</p> - -<p>“I put you and your brothers under sentence -not to sleep two nights in the same house, nor -to eat twice off the same table, till you bring me -the three steeds of King Conal, so that I may -ride three times around the kingdom.”</p> - -<p>“Will you tell me,” asked the eldest son, -“where to find King Conal?”</p> - -<p>“There are four quarters in the world; I am -sure it is in one of these that he lives,” said -the queen.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_97"></a>[97]</span></p> - -<p>“I might as well give you sentence now,” said -the eldest brother. “I put you under bonds of -enchantment to stand on the top of the castle -and stay there without coming down, and watch -for us till we come back with the horses.”</p> - -<p>“Remove from me your sentence; I will remove -mine,” said the queen.</p> - -<p>“If a young man is relieved of the first sentence -put on him, he will never do anything -good,” said the king’s son. “We will go for the -horses.”</p> - -<p>Next day the three brothers set out for the -castle of King Conal. They travelled one day -after another, stopping one night in one place -and the next in another, and they were that way -walking till one evening, when whom should -they meet but a limping man in a black cap. -The man saluted them, and they returned the -salute.</p> - -<p>“What brought you this road, and where are -you going?” asked the stranger.</p> - -<p>“We are going to the castle of King Conal to -know can we bring his three horses home with -us.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the man, “my house is nearby, -and the dark night is coming; stay with me till -morning, and perhaps I can help you.”</p> - -<p>The young men went with the stranger, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_98"></a>[98]</span> -soon came to his house. After supper the man -said, “It is the most difficult feat in the world -to steal King Conal’s three horses. Many a -good man went for them, and never came back. -Why do you go for those horses?”</p> - -<p>“Our father is a king in Erin, and he married -a second time. Our stepmother bound us to -bring the three horses, so she may ride three -times around our father’s kingdom.”</p> - -<p>“I will go with you,” said the man. “Without -me, you would lose your lives; together, we may -bring the horses.”</p> - -<p>Next morning the four set out, and went their -way, walking one day after another, till at long -last they reached the castle of King Conal at -nightfall.</p> - -<p>On that night, whatever the reason was, the -guards fell asleep at the stables. The stranger -and the three young men made their way to the -horses; but if they did, the moment they touched -them the horses let three screeches out of them -that shook the whole castle and woke every man -in the country around it.</p> - -<p>The guards seized the young men with the -stranger, and took the four to King Conal.</p> - -<p>The king was in a great room on the ground-floor -of his castle. In front of him was an awfully -big pot full of oil, and it boiling.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_99"></a>[99]</span></p> - -<p>“Well,” said the king when he saw the stranger -before him, “only that the Black Thief is dead, -I’d say you were that man.”</p> - -<p>“I am the Black Thief,” said the stranger.</p> - -<p>“We will know that in time,” said the king; -“and who are these three young men?”</p> - -<p>“Three sons of a king in Erin.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll begin with the youngest. But stir up -the fire there, one of you,” said King Conal to the -attendants; “the oil is not hot enough.” And -turning to the Black Thief, he asked, “Isn’t that -young man very near his death at this moment?”</p> - -<p>“I was nearer death than he is, and I escaped,” -said the Black Thief.</p> - -<p>“Tell me the story,” said the king. “If you -were nearer death than he is, I will give his -life to that young man.”</p> - -<p>“When I was young,” said the Black Thief, -“I lived on my land with ease and plenty, till -three witches came the way, and destroyed all -my property. I took to the roads and deep -forests then, and became the most famous thief -that ever lived in Erin. This is the story of the -witches who robbed and tried to kill me:—</p> - -<p>“There was a king not long ago in Erin, and -he had three beautiful daughters. When they -grew up to be old enough for marriage, they were -enchanted in the way that the three became<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_100"></a>[100]</span> -brazen-faced, old-looking, venomous hags every -night, and were three beautiful, harmless young -women every day, as before.</p> - -<p>“I was living for myself on my land, and -had laid in turf enough for seven years, and I -thought it the size of a mountain. I went out at -midnight, and what did I see but the hags at -my reek; and they never stopped till they put -every sod of the turf into three creels on their -backs, and made off with it.</p> - -<p>“The following season I brought turf for -another seven years, and the next midnight the -witches stole it all from me; but this time I -followed them. They went about five miles, and -disappeared in a broad hole twenty fathoms deep. -I waited, then looked down, and saw a great fire -under a pot with a whole bullock in it. There -was a round stone at the mouth of the hole. I -used all my strength, rolled it down, broke the -pot, and spoiled the broth on the witches.</p> - -<p>“Away I ran then, but was not long on the -road when I saw the three racing after me. I -climbed a tree to escape from them. The -witches came in a rage, stopped under the tree, -and looked up at me. The eldest rested awhile, -then made a sharp axe of the second, and a -venomous hound of the third, to destroy me. -She took the axe herself then, gave one blow<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_101"></a>[101]</span> -of it, and cut one-third of the tree; she gave a -second blow, and cut another third; she had the -axe raised a third time when a cock crowed, and -there before my eyes the axe turned into a beautiful -woman, the hag who had raised it into a -second, and the venomous hound into a third. -The three walked away then, harmless and innocent -as any young women in Erin. Wasn’t I -nearer death that time than this young man?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you were,” said the king; “I give him -his life, and it’s his brother that’s near death -now. He has but ten minutes to live.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I was nearer death than that young -man,” said the Black Thief.</p> - -<p>“Tell how it was. If you convince me, I’ll -give him his life, too.”</p> - -<p>“After I broke their pot, the witches destroyed -my property night after night, and I had to leave -that place and find my support on the roads and -in forests. I was faring well enough till a year -of hunger and want came. I went out once into -a great wood, walked up and down to know could -I find any food to take home to my wife and -my children.</p> - -<p>“I found an old white horse and a cow without -horns. I tied the tails of the two to each other, -and was driving them home for myself with great -labor; for when the white horse pulled backward,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_102"></a>[102]</span> -the cow would pull forward, and when the horse -tried to go on, the cow wouldn’t go with him. -They were that way in disagreement till they -drew the night on themselves and on me. I had -a bit of flint in my pocket, and put down a fire. -I could not make my way out of the wood in the -night-time, and sat down by the fire. I was not -long sitting when thirteen cats, wild and enormous, -stood out before me. Of these, twelve were -each the bulk of a man; the thirteenth, a red -one, the master of the twelve, was much larger. -They began to purr on the opposite side of the -fire, and make a noise like the rumbling of thunder. -At last the big red cat lifted his head, -opened his wide eyes, and said to me, ‘I’ll be -this way no longer; give me something to eat.’”</p> - -<p>“I have nothing to give you,” said I, “unless -you take that white horse below there and kill -him.”</p> - -<p>“He went down then, and made two halves of -the horse, left half to the twelve, and ate the -other half himself. They picked every bone, and -were not long at it.</p> - -<p>“The thirteen came up again, sat opposite me -at the fire, and were purring. The big red cat -soon spoke a second time, ‘I’ll not be long -this way. Give me more food to satisfy my -hunger.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_103"></a>[103]</span></p> - -<p>“‘I have nothing to give unless you take the -cow without horns,’ replied I.</p> - -<p>“He made two halves of the cow, ate one-half -himself, and left the other to the twelve. While -they were eating the cow, I took off my coat, for -I knew what was coming, wrapped it around a -block which I made like myself, and then climbed -a tree quickly. The red cat came up to the fire a -third time, opened his great eyes, looked toward -my coat, and said, ‘I’ll not be long this way; -give me more food.’</p> - -<p>“My coat gave no answer. The big cat sprang -at it, struck the block with his tail, and found -it was wood.</p> - -<p>“‘Ah,’ said he, ‘you are gone; but whether -above ground or under ground, we will find you.’</p> - -<p>“He put six cats above and six under ground -to find me. The twelve cats were gone in a -breath. The big red cat sat there waiting; and -when the other twelve had run through all Erin, -above ground and under ground, and come back -to the fire, he looked up, saw me, and cried, -‘Ah, there you are, you deceiver. You thought -to escape, but you will not. Come, now,’ said -he to the cats, ‘and gnaw down this tree.’</p> - -<p>“The twelve sprang at the tree under me, and -they were not long cutting it through. Before -it fell, I escaped to another tree near by, and they<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_104"></a>[104]</span> -attacked that, gnawing it down. I sprang to a -third. We were that way, I escaping and they -cutting, till near daybreak, when I was on the -last tree next the open country. When the tree -was half cut, what should come the way but thirteen -terrible wolves,—twelve, and a thirteenth -above them, their master. They fell upon the -cats, and fought desperately a good while. At -length the twelve on each side were stretched, -but the two chiefs were fighting each other yet. -At last the wolf nearly took the head off the cat -with one snap; the cat whirled in falling, struck -the wolf with the sharp hook in his tail, made -two halves of his skull, and the two fell dead, -side by side.</p> - -<p>“I slipped down then, but the tree shook in -the way that I was in dread it would tumble -beneath me, but it didn’t. Now, wasn’t I -nearer death that time than this young man?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you were,” said King Conal. “He’s -not near death at all, for I give his life to him; -but if the two have escaped, we’ll put the third -man in the pot; and have you ever seen any one -nearer death than he is?”</p> - -<p>“I was nearer myself,” said the Black Thief.</p> - -<p>“If you were, I will give his life to this young -man as well as his brothers.”</p> - -<p>“I had apprentices in my time,” said the Black<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_105"></a>[105]</span> -Thief. “Among them was one, a young man of -great wit, and he pleased me. I gave no real -learning to any but this one; and in the heel -of the story he was a greater man than myself,—in -his own mind. There was a giant in the other -end of the kingdom; he lived in a mountain den, -and had great wealth gathered in there. I made -up my mind to go with the apprentice, and take -that giant’s treasures. We travelled many days -till we reached the mountain den. We hid, and -watched the ways of the giant. He went out -every day, brought back many things, but often -men’s bodies. At last we went to the place in -his absence. There was only one entrance, from -the top. I was lowering the young man with -a rope, but when half-way to the bottom he called -out as if in pain. I drew him up. ‘I am in -dread,’ said he, ‘to go down in that place. Go -yourself. I will do the work here for you.’</p> - -<p>“I went down, found gold and precious things -in plenty, and sent up what one man could carry. -‘I will go out of this now,’ thought I, ‘before -the giant comes on me.’ I called to the apprentice; -no answer. I called again; not a word -from him. At last he looked down and said,—</p> - -<p>“‘You gave me good learning, and I am grateful; -I will gain my own living from this out. I -hope you’ll spend a pleasant night with the -giant.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_106"></a>[106]</span></p> - -<p>“With that, he made off with himself, and -carried the treasure. Oh, but I was in trouble -then! How was I to bring my life home with -me? How was I to escape from the giant? I -looked, but found no way of escape. In one -corner of the giant’s kitchen were bodies brought -in from time to time. I lay down with these, -and seemed dead. I was watching. After a -while I heard a great noise at the entrance, and -soon the giant came in carrying three bodies; -these he threw aside with the others. He put -down a great fire then, and placed a pot on it: he -brought a basket to the bodies, and began to fill -it; me he threw in first, and put six bodies on the -top of me. He turned the basket bottom upward -over the pot, and six bodies fell in. I held firmly -to my place. The giant put the basket aside -in a corner bottom upward,—I was saved that -time. When the supper was ready, the giant ate -the six bodies, and then lay down and slept -soundly. I crept from under the basket, went -to the entrance; a tree trunk, standing upright in -the wall at one end of it, was turned around. -There were steps in its side from bottom to top; -this was the giant’s ladder. Whenever the giant -wished to go up, he turned the tree till the steps -came outside; and when on top, he turned it till -the smooth side was out in the way no one could<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_107"></a>[107]</span> -go down in his absence. When he wished to -go down, he turned the steps out; and when at -the bottom, he turned them in again in the way -no one could follow him. This time he forgot -to turn the tree, and that gave me the ladder. -I went up without trouble; and, by my hand, I -was glad, for I was much nearer death at the giant’s -pot than this man at yours.”</p> - -<p>“You were, indeed, very near death,” said -King Conal, “and I give his life to the third -man. The turn is on you now; the three young -men are safe, and it’s you that will go into the -pot.”</p> - -<p>“Must I die?” asked the Black Thief.</p> - -<p>“You must, indeed,” said King Conal, “and -you are very near death.”</p> - -<p>“Near as I am,” said the Black Thief, “I was -nearer.”</p> - -<p>“Tell me the story; and if you were ever -nearer death than you are at this minute, I will -give your life to you.”</p> - -<p>“I set out another day,” said the Black Thief, -“and travelled far. I came at last to a house, -and went into it. Inside was a woman with a -child on her knee, a knife in her hand, and she -crying. Twice she made an offer of the knife -at the child to kill it. The beautiful child -laughed, and held out its hands to her.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_108"></a>[108]</span></p> - -<p>“‘Why do you raise the knife on the child,’ -asked I, ‘and why are you crying?’</p> - -<p>“‘I was at a fair,’ said the woman, ‘last year -with my father and mother; and while the people -were busy each with his own work, three giants -came in on a sudden. The man who had a bite -of bread in his hand did not put the bread to his -mouth, and the man who had a bite in his mouth -did not swallow it. The giants robbed this one -and that, took me from my father and mother, -and brought me to this place. I bound them, -and they promised that none of the three would -marry me before I was eighteen years of age. -I’ll be that in a few days, and there is no escape -for me now unless I raise hands on myself.</p> - -<p>“‘Yesterday the giants brought this child; -they said it was the son of some king, and told -me to have it cooked and prepared in a pie for -their supper this evening.’</p> - -<p>“‘Spare the child,’ said I. ‘I have a young -pig that I brought to roast for myself on the -road; take that, and prepare it instead of the -child.’</p> - -<p>“‘The giants would know the pig, and kill me,’ -said the woman.</p> - -<p>“‘They would not,’ said I; ‘there is only a -small difference between the flesh of a young -pig and a child. We will cut off the first joint<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_109"></a>[109]</span> -of the left little finger. If they make a remark, -show them that.’</p> - -<p>“She cooked the pie, and I watched outside -for the giants. At last I saw the three coming. -She hid the child in a safe place aside; and I -went to the cellar, where I found many dead -bodies. I lay down among them, and waited. -When the giants came home, the eldest ate the -pie, and called to the woman, ‘That would be -very good if we had enough of it.’ Then he -turned to his second brother, and sent him down -to the cellar to bring a slice from one of the -bodies. The brother came down, took hold of -one body, then another, and, catching me, cut a -slice from the end of my back, and went up with -it. He was not long gone when he came down -again, raised me on his back, and turned to take -me with him. He had not gone many steps when -I sent my knife to his heart, and there he fell -on his face under me. I went back, and lay in -my old place.</p> - -<p>“The chief giant, who had tasted my flesh and -was anxious for more of it, now sent the youngest -brother. He came, saw the middle brother lying -there, and cried out,—</p> - -<p>“‘Oh, but you are the lazy messenger, to be -sleeping when sent on an errand!’</p> - -<p>“With that, he raised me on his back, and was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_110"></a>[110]</span> -going, when I stabbed him and stretched him on -the ground not far from his brother.</p> - -<p>“The big giant waited and waited, grew angry, -took his great iron club with nine lumps and -nine hooks on it. He hurried down to the cellar, -saw his two brothers, shook them, found them -dead. I had no chance of life but to fight for it; -I rose and stood a fair distance in front of the -giant. He ran toward me, raised the club, and -brought it down with what strength there was in -him. I stepped aside quickly; the club sank in -the earth to the depth of a common man’s knee. -While the giant was drawing the club with both -hands, I stabbed him three times in the stomach, -and sprang away to some distance. He ran forward -a second time, and came very near hitting -me; again the club sank in the ground, and I -stabbed him four times, for he was weaker from -blood loss, and was a longer time freeing the -club. The third time the club grazed me, and -tore my whole side with a sharp iron hook. The -giant fell to his knees, but could neither rise -nor make a cast of the club at me; soon he was -on his elbow, gnashing his teeth and raging. I -was growing weaker, and knew that I was lost -unless some one assisted me. The young woman -had come down, and was present at the struggle. -‘Run now,’ said I to her, ‘for the giant’s sword,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_111"></a>[111]</span> -and take the head off him.’ She ran quickly, -brought the sword, and as brave as a man took -the head off the giant.</p> - -<p>“‘Death is not far from me now,’ said I.</p> - -<p>“‘I will carry you quickly to the giant’s -caldron of cure, and give you life,’ said the -woman.</p> - -<p>“With that, she raised me on her back, and -hurried out of the cellar. When she had me -on the edge of the caldron, the death faint was -on me, I was dying; but I was not long in the -pot when I revived, and soon was as well as -ever.</p> - -<p>“We searched the whole house of the giants, -found all their treasures. I gave some to the -woman, kept some myself, and hid the remainder. -I took the woman home to her father and mother. -She kept the child, which was well but for the tip -of its little finger. Now wasn’t I nearer death -that time than I was when I began this story?”</p> - -<p>“You were, indeed,” said King Conal; “and -even if you were not, I would not put you in the -pot, for if you had not been in the house of the -three giants that day there would be no sign of me -now in this castle. I was that child. Look here -at my left little finger. My father searched for -you, and so did I when I grew up, but we could -not find you. We made out only one thing, that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_112"></a>[112]</span> -it was the Black Thief who saved me. Men told -me that the Black Thief was dead, and I never -hoped to see you. A hundred thousand welcomes! -Now we’ll have a feast. The three -young men will get the three horses for your -sake, and take them home after we have feasted -together. You will stay with me now for the -rest of your life.”</p> - -<p>“I must go with the young men as far as my -own house,” said the Black Thief; “then I’ll -come back to you.”</p> - -<p>King Conal made a feast the like of which had -never been in his kingdom. When the feast was -over, he gave the three horses to the young men, -and said at parting, “When you have done the -work with the horses, let them go, and they will -run home to me; no man could stop them.”</p> - -<p>“We will do that,” said the brothers.</p> - -<p>They set out then with them, stopped one -night with the Black Thief at his house, and -after that travelled home to their father, and -stood in front of the castle. The stepmother -was above, watching for them. She was glad -when she saw them, and said, “Ye brought the -horses, and I am to have them.”</p> - -<p>“If we were bound to bring the horses,” said -the elder brother, “we were not bound to give -them to you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_113"></a>[113]</span></p> - -<p>With that, he turned the horses’ heads from -the castle, and let them go. They ran home to -King Conal.</p> - -<p>“I will go down now,” said the queen, “and it -is time for me.”</p> - -<p>“You will not go yet,” said the youngest; “I -have a sentence which I had no time to give -when we were going. I put you under sentence -to stay where you are till you find three sons of -a king to go again to King Conal for the horses.”</p> - -<p>When she heard that sentence, she dropped -dead from the castle.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_114"></a>[114]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_KINGS_SON_FROM_ERIN_THE">THE KING’S SON FROM ERIN, THE -SPRISAWN, AND THE DARK KING.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>There was a king in Erin long ago who -was called King of Lochlinn, and his wife -died. He had two sons. The elder of the two -was Miach Lay; the second was Manus. Miach -Lay was a fine champion, and trained in every -art that befitted a king’s son.</p> - -<p>One day the father called Miach Lay to his -presence, and said, “It is time for you to marry, -and I have chosen for you a maiden of great -beauty and high birth.”</p> - -<p>“I am willing to marry,” said Miach Lay.</p> - -<p>The king and his son then left the castle, and -went to the house of the young woman’s father, -and there they spent seven days and seven -nights. On their way home, the king said to -his son, “How do you like the young lady?”</p> - -<p>“I like her well, but I’ll not marry her.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, my shame!” said the father. “How can -I ever face those people a second time?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot help that,” said Miach Lay.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_115"></a>[115]</span></p> - -<p>The king was greatly confused. After another -while he said to his son, “I have another maiden -chosen for you, and it is well for us to go to her -father’s, and settle the match.”</p> - -<p>“I am willing,” said Miach Lay.</p> - -<p>They went away together, and never stopped -nor stayed till they reached the house of the -young lady’s father. They were welcomed there -warmly, and spent seven days and seven nights, -and were better attended each day than the day -before.</p> - -<p>“Well, my son,” asked the father, “how do -you like this match?”</p> - -<p>“Well, and very well,” said Miach Lay; “but I -will not marry this lady either. She is ten times -better than the first; and if I had married the -first, I could not marry this one, and so I will -not marry the second any more than the first -lady.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, my shame!” said the father. “I can -never show my face to these people again.”</p> - -<p>After another while the king told Miach Lay -that he had a better lady than ever selected, -and asked him to go with him to arrange the -marriage.</p> - -<p>“I am willing,” answered the son.</p> - -<p>The two went to the father of the maiden; -they spent seven days and seven nights at his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_116"></a>[116]</span> -house, and were fully satisfied with everything. -They were on the way home a third time. -“Well,” said the king, “you have no reason to -refuse this time.”</p> - -<p>“Well, and very well, do I like the match,” -said Miach Lay; “but I will not marry this lady. -If I had married the first lady, I should have had -no chance of getting the second, and the second -is ten times better than the first; if I had married -the second lady, I should have had no chance -of this one, and she is twenty times better than -the second.”</p> - -<p>“I have lost all patience with you,” said the -king, “and I turn the back of my hand to you -from this out.”</p> - -<p>“I’m fully satisfied,” said Miach Lay, so they -came home, and passed that night without conversation. -The following morning, when Miach -Lay rose, he said to his father, “I am for leaving -the house now; will you prepare for me the -best ship that you have, and put in it a good -store of provisions for a long voyage?”</p> - -<p>The vessel was prepared, and fully provisioned -for a day and a year. The king’s son went on -board, sailed out of the harbor, and off to sea. -He never stopped sailing till he entered a harbor -in the kingdom of Greece. There was a guard -there on watch at the harbor with a keen eye<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_117"></a>[117]</span> -on all ships that were passing or coming. The -King of Greece was at war in that time with the -King of Spain, and knew not what moment his -kingdom would be invaded.</p> - -<p>The guard saw the vessel coming when she -was so small to the eye that he could not tell -was it a bird or a vessel that he was looking at. -He took quick tidings to the castle; and the -king ordered him to go a second time and bring -tidings. When he reached the sea, the ship -was inside, in the harbor.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the king, when the guard ran to him -a second time, “that is a wonderful vessel that -was so far away a few minutes ago as not to be -told from a bird, and is now sailing into harbor.”</p> - -<p>“There is but one man to be seen on board,” -said the guard.</p> - -<p>In front of the king’s castle was the landing-place, -the only one of the harbor; and even there -no one went beyond the shore without passing -through a gate where every man had to give an -account of himself. There was a chosen champion -guarding the gate, who spoke to Miach -Lay, and asked, “Who are you, and from what -country?”</p> - -<p>“It is not the custom for a man of my people to -answer a question like that till he is told first what -country he is in, and who asks the question.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_118"></a>[118]</span></p> - -<p>“It was I asked the question,” said the champion; -“and you must tell me who you are, first -of all.”</p> - -<p>“I will not tell you,” said Miach Lay. With -that, he drew his ship nearer land till it grounded; -then, taking an oar, he put the blade end in the -sand, and sprang to shore. He asked then the -champion at the gate to let him pass, but the -champion refused. Miach Lay raised his hand, -gave him a blow on the ear, and sent him backward -spinning like a top, till he struck the pillar -of the gate and broke his skull. As Miach Lay -had no thought to kill the man, he was grieved, -and, delaying a short time, went to the castle of -the king, not knowing what country he was in or -what city.</p> - -<p>When he came to the castle, he knelt down in -front of it. The people in the castle saw a -young champion with bared head outside; the -king came out, and asked what trouble was on -him. Miach Lay told of all that had happened -at the harbor, and how he had killed the champion -at the gate without wishing it.</p> - -<p>“Never mind that,” said the king.</p> - -<p>“I did not intend to kill or harm him at all,” -said Miach Lay; “he wanted to know who I was, -and from what country. By the custom of my -land, I cannot tell that till I know where I am,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_119"></a>[119]</span> -and who are the people among whom I am -travelling.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know now where you are?”</p> - -<p>“I do not,” answered Miach Lay.</p> - -<p>“You are in front of the castle of the King of -Greece, and I am that king.”</p> - -<p>“I am the son of the King of Lochlinn from -Erin,” said Miach Lay, “and have come this way -to seek my fortune.”</p> - -<p>The King of Greece welcomed him then, took -the young champion by the hand, and did not -stop till he brought him to where all the princes -and nobles were assembled; he was rejoiced at -his coming, for, being at war, he expected aid -from this champion.</p> - -<p>“Will you remain with me for a day and a -year,” asked the king, “and perform what service -I ask of you?”</p> - -<p>“I will,” said Miach Lay.</p> - -<p>Manus, the second son of the King of Lochlinn, -stopped going to school when Miach Lay, -his elder brother, left home, and, after a time, -the father wished him to marry. As the elder -son had acted, so did the second; he refused to -marry each of the three maidens whom the king -had chosen, and left his father at last.</p> - -<p>Manus was watching when his brother sailed -away, and noticed the course of the vessel, so -now he sailed the same way.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_120"></a>[120]</span></p> - -<p>Miach Lay was gaining favor continually; and -just as the day and the year of his service were -out to a month, the king’s guard saw a vessel -sailing in swiftly. He ran with tidings to the -king, and added, “There is only one man on -board.”</p> - -<p>The king and the nobles said it was best not -to let him land till he gave an account of himself. -Miach Lay was sent to the landing-place -to get account of him.</p> - -<p>He was not long at the landing-place when the -vessel came within hailing, and Miach Lay asked -the one man on board who was he and from what -land he came. The man would not tell, as it -was not the custom in his country. “But,” said -he, “I want something to eat.”</p> - -<p>“There is plenty here,” said Miach Lay; “but -if there is, you will get none of it,—you would -better be sailing away.”</p> - -<p>“I have enough of the sea; I’ll come in.”</p> - -<p>He put down the blade of his oar, and sprang -ashore. No sooner had he touched land than he -was grappled by Miach Lay. As neither man -knew the other, they were in hand grips all day. -They were nearly equal in strength, but at last -Miach Lay was getting the worst of it. He -asked Manus for a truce.</p> - -<p>“I will grant you that,” said Manus; “but you -do not deserve it, for you began the battle.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_121"></a>[121]</span></p> - -<p>They sat apart then, and Miach Lay asked, -“How long can you hold out?”</p> - -<p>“It is getting stronger and braver I am,” -replied Manus.</p> - -<p>“Not so with me. I could not hold out five -minutes longer,” said Miach Lay. “My bones -were all falling asunder, and I thought the earth -was trembling beneath me. Till this day I -thought to myself, ‘There is no champion I -cannot conquer.’ Now tell me your name and -your country.”</p> - -<p>“I am from Erin and a son of the King of -Lochlinn,” said Manus.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Miach Lay, “you are my brother.”</p> - -<p>“Are you Miach Lay?” inquired Manus.</p> - -<p>“I am.”</p> - -<p>They embraced each other, and sat down then -to eat. Miach Lay was so tired that he could -taste nothing, but Manus ate his fill. Then they -went arm in arm to the castle. The king and all -the nobles of Greece had seen the combat from -the castle, and were surprised to see the men -coming toward them in such friendliness, and all -went out to know the reason. The king asked -Miach Lay, “How is all this?”</p> - -<p>“This man is my brother,” said Miach Lay. -“I left him at home in Erin, and did not know -him at the harbor till after the combat.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_122"></a>[122]</span></p> - -<p>The king was well pleased that he had another -champion. The following day Manus saw the -king’s daughter, and fell in love with her and -she with him. Then the daughter told the king -if she did not get Manus as husband, the life -would leave her.</p> - -<p>The king called Miach Lay to his presence, -and asked, “Will you let your brother marry my -daughter?”</p> - -<p>“If Manus wishes to marry her, I am willing -and satisfied,” answered Miach Lay. He asked -his brother, and Manus said he would marry the -king’s daughter.</p> - -<p>The marriage was celebrated without delay, and -there was a wedding feast for three days and -three nights; and the third night, when they were -going to their own chamber, the king said, “This -is the third husband married to my daughter, and -after the first night no tidings could be had of -the other two, and from that time to this no one -knows where they are.”</p> - -<p>Miach Lay was greatly enraged that the king -had permitted the marriage without mentioning -this matter first.</p> - -<p>“I will do to-night,” said the king, “what has -never been done hitherto; I will place sentries -all around the grounds, and my daughter and -Manus will not lodge in the castle at all, but in -one of the houses apart from it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_123"></a>[123]</span></p> - -<p>“I’ll watch myself,” said Miach Lay; “and if -it is the devil that is taking the husbands, I’ll -not let him take my brother.”</p> - -<p>Sentries were stationed in all parts; a house -was prepared in the courtyard. Miach Lay stood -on guard at the entrance all the time. Soon -after midnight a gust of wind blew through the -yard; it blew Miach Lay to the ground, and he -fainted. When he recovered, he rushed to search -for his brother, but he was not in his chamber. -He then roused the king’s daughter, and asked, -“Where is my brother?”</p> - -<p>“I cannot tell where he is,” said she: “it is -you who were on guard; it is you who should -know where to find him.”</p> - -<p>“I will have your head, wicked woman, unless -you give tidings of my brother.”</p> - -<p>“Do not take my head; it would not serve -you. I have no account of what happened to -your brother.”</p> - -<p>Miach Lay then refrained from touching her, -and waited till morning. The king came in the -morning to see was Manus well; and when Miach -Lay saw him, he ran at him to destroy him, but -the king fled away. After a while, when the -household was roused, the king’s daughter was -brought in and asked where was her husband, or -could she give any account of him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_124"></a>[124]</span></p> - -<p>“I cannot tell,” replied she; “but one day -before I was married the first time, something -came to my chamber window in the form of a -black bee, and asked would I let it in. I said -that I would not. The bee remained outside all -the day, watching to see could it enter my chamber. -I did not let it come in; before going away -in the evening, the black bee said, ‘Well, I will -worry the heart in you yet.’”</p> - -<p>The king’s old druid, who was present, slapped -his knee with his hand, and said,“I know the -story now; that was Ri Doracha (the Dark King). -He is a mighty magician, and it is he who has -taken the husbands.”</p> - -<p>“I will travel the world till I find my lost -brother,” said Miach Lay.</p> - -<p>“I will go with you, and take all my forces,” -said Red Bow, the son of the King of Greece.</p> - -<p>“I need no assistance,” said Miach Lay. “If -I myself cannot find him, I think that no man -can; but if you wish to come, you are welcome.”</p> - -<p>Miach Lay went to his vessel; and Red Bow -chose the best ship from all that his father had, -and went on board of it. The two ships sailed -away together. In time they neared land; and -on reaching the mouth of the harbor, they saw a -third ship sailing toward them as swiftly as the -wind blew, and it was not long till it came alongside.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_125"></a>[125]</span> -There was only one man on board; he -hailed Miach Lay, and asked, “Where are you -going?”</p> - -<p>“It would not be the custom of my country for -me to tell you what you ask till you tell me who -you are yourself, and where your own journey -lies.”</p> - -<p>“I know myself,” said the warrior, “where -you are going; you are in search of the Dark -King, and I myself would like to see him.”</p> - -<p>With that, he took a bundle of branches he had -on deck, and blew them overboard. Then every -rod and twig of the bundle became an enormous -log of wood, so that the harbor was covered with -one raft of timber, and then he sailed away without -waiting.</p> - -<p>After much struggling with the logs, shoving -them hither and over, Miach Lay was able by -pushing with oars to make room for his vessel, -and at last came to land. Red Bow and his men -were cast into deep sleep by the man on the -vessel that had sailed away.</p> - -<p>After Miach Lay landed, he passed through -a great stretch of wild country, and, drawing -near a large forest, saw rising up a small, slender -smoke far in among trees. He made for -the place where the smoke was, and there he -discovered a large, splendid castle in the depth<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_126"></a>[126]</span> -of the forest, but could find no sign of an -entrance.</p> - -<p>When Miach Lay had stood outside some -time, a young woman looked through the window, -hailed him, and said, “You are a stranger, -and will find no lodgings in these parts; -but if I could at all, I would let you come in -here.”</p> - -<p>“Open the window if you are able,” said Miach -Lay.</p> - -<p>The window had hinges, and she opened it in -the middle; he stepped backward nine yards, and -went in at one bound to the chamber.</p> - -<p>“You are welcome,” said she, and soon she had -dinner prepared for him. When he had eaten, -she inquired who was he, from what place had he -come, and what brought him that way.</p> - -<p>He told her all that had happened to him from -the first; and when he had finished, he said, “I -know not where to find my brother.”</p> - -<p>“You are not far from him now,” said she; -“’tis in this country he is living, and the land -he is in bounds our land.”</p> - -<p>When they had talked long, she said, “You are -tired and need rest, so sleep in this chamber.” -She went then to her own place. The following -morning his breakfast was ready before him; and -after he had eaten, the young woman said, “I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_127"></a>[127]</span> -suppose you will be thankful if I tell you where -to find the castle of the Dark King.”</p> - -<p>“I shall, indeed,” said he. Then she gave him -full directions how to go. He took his sword -then, and sprang out as he had sprung in, in the -evening, and went in the direction which she -told him to take. About midday he met a man, -who hailed him, and asked, “Who are you, and -from what country?”</p> - -<p>“’Tis not the custom for a man of my country -to answer that question till told where he is, -and to whom he is speaking.”</p> - -<p>“I know who you are and whither you are -going. You are going to the castle of the Dark -King, and here he is before you; now show your -daring.”</p> - -<p>They made at each other; and if they did, they -made soft ground hard and hard ground soft, -they made high places low and low places high, -they brought cold spring water through dry, -gravelly places, and if any one were to come from -the Eastern to the Western World, it is to look -at these two he should come.</p> - -<p>They were this way till evening, and neither -had the better of the other. Miach Lay was -equal to the Dark King; but the Dark King, -having magic, blew a gust of wind at Miach Lay -which knocked him flat on the earth, and left<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_128"></a>[128]</span> -him half dead. Then the Dark King took Miach -Lay’s sword, and went away. When he recovered, -Miach Lay regretted his sword more than all else, -and went back to the castle where he had spent -the night before. He was barely able to go in -at the window.</p> - -<p>“How have you fared this day?” asked the -young woman.</p> - -<p>He told her of all that had happened.</p> - -<p>“Be not grieved; you will meet him another -time,” said the young woman.</p> - -<p>“What is the use? I have no sword now.”</p> - -<p>“If ’tis a sword you need, I will bring you a -blade far better than the one which the Dark -King took from you.”</p> - -<p>After breakfast next morning she brought him -her father’s sword, which he grasped in his hand, -and shook. Miach Lay bade farewell to the -young woman, and sprang out through the window. -Knowing the way better this time, he hastened -forward, and met the Dark King just where he -met him before.</p> - -<p>“Did not yesterday tire you?” asked the king.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Miach Lay.</p> - -<p>“Your journey is useless,” said the king.</p> - -<p>“We shall see,” answered Miach Lay, and they -made at each other; and terrible as the battle -was on the first day, it was more terrible on the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_129"></a>[129]</span> -second; but when the Dark King thought it -time to go home, he blew a gust of wind which -threw Miach Lay to the earth, and left him senseless. -The Dark King did not take the sword -this time.</p> - -<p>After the Dark King had gone, another man -came the way, who was called Sprisawn Wooden -Leg.<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></p> - -<p>“Well, my good man, you are nearly dead,” -said the Sprisawn.</p> - -<p>“I am,” said Miach Lay, rousing up.</p> - -<p>“You are his equal but for the magic. I -watched the combat these two days, and you -would have overcome him but for his magic; he -will finish you to-night if he finds you. He has -three magic tricksters who are leaving his house -at this moment. They have a spear which the -rear man of the three hurls forward, the trickster -in front catches the spear in the heel of his foot, -and in turn hurls it with all his force forward; -those behind rush ahead of the front man, and -in turn catch the spear in their heels. No matter -how far nor how often the spear is thrown forward, -there is always a man there before it to -catch it. They are rushing hither a long distance -apart.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_130"></a>[130]</span></p> - -<p>The Sprisawn saw the tricksters approach, and -told Miach Lay that they were coming. When -they came within a spear-cast, one of them hurled -the spear at Miach Lay; it went through his -heart, passed out through his body, and killed -him.</p> - -<p>When the Sprisawn saw Miach Lay lying dead, -he fell to weeping and wailing; and so loud was -his wail that every one heard it throughout the -whole kingdom. Red Bow was sleeping yet in -the harbor; but so loud was the wail of the -mourning Sprisawn that it roused him from the -slumber which the Dark King had put on him. -He landed at once with his forces, and made on -toward the wailing. When they came to the -place, and saw Miach Lay lying dead, they themselves -began to wail; they asked the Sprisawn -then, “Are there any means by which we might -raise him to life?”</p> - -<p>“There are,” replied the Sprisawn. “The -Dark King is rejoicing now in his castle with -the King of Mangling, and the Gruagach of -Shields. They are drinking each other’s health -from a horn, and the Dark King is telling the -other two that Miach Lay was the best man that -ever stood in front of him; and if he could drink -from that horn, he would rise up as well as he -ever was.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_131"></a>[131]</span></p> - -<p>“I with my men will go for that horn,” said -Red Bow.</p> - -<p>“Not you nor all the men like you living -on earth could bring that horn from the castle -of the Dark King,” replied the Sprisawn. “That -castle is surrounded by three walls. Each wall -is four feet in thickness and twenty feet high. -Each wall has a gate as high and as thick as the -wall is itself. How could you pass through those -walls? Remain here and watch over this body; -I will bring the horn hither myself.”</p> - -<p>Off went the Sprisawn, and he had more control -over magic than even the Dark King. When he -arrived at the castle, he struck the gate with the -heel of his wooden foot and it opened before -him; the second and third gate opened too, in -like manner, when he struck them. In he -went to the room where the king and his two -friends were drinking. There he found them -raising toasts to each other. He was himself -invisible. As soon as they rested the horn on -the table, he snatched it and made off for the -place where Miach Lay was lying dead. Then -Red Bow and his men raised up the dead man, -and poured down his throat some of the wine or -whatever liquor was held in the horn.</p> - -<p>After a time Miach Lay opened his eyes, and -yawned. They were all so delighted that they -raised three shouts of joy.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_132"></a>[132]</span></p> - -<p>“Come on with me now,” said the Sprisawn, -“to the castle of the Dark King. We will have a -trial of strength with him. I will take the Dark -King in hand myself. Do you, Miach Lay, take -the King of Mangling, and you, Red Bow, take -the Gruagach of Shields.”</p> - -<p>“This will be very good for us to keep,” said -Red Bow, when he saw the virtue of the horn.</p> - -<p>“No,” said the Sprisawn; “it is good for the -man who owns it, and I will return it.”</p> - -<p>The Sprisawn, who could travel as swiftly as -his own thought, vanished with the horn, placed -it on the table from which he had snatched it, -and came back to the others. No one had missed -the horn; when they turned to use it, it was there -on the table before them, in the chamber of the -Dark King. Miach Lay and his friends went -on together, and never stopped till they stood -in the chamber where the Dark King was sitting -with his friends. The gates had remained open -since the Sprisawn opened them. When the -Dark King saw the dead man alive, standing in -his chamber before him, he said, “Never a welcome -to you, you miserable creature with the -wooden foot. What brought you hither, or how -did you come?”</p> - -<p>“I have come to you with combat,” said the -Sprisawn; “and now do you choose the manner -of fighting.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_133"></a>[133]</span></p> - -<p>In the castle were three chambers, in each -chamber a cross-beam as high from the floor -as a man’s throat; in the middle of each cross-beam -was a hole, through this hole passed a -chain, at each end of the chain was an iron loop; -above the hole and lengthwise with the beam -was a sword with a keen edge on it. Each pair -of champions was to take one room of the three, -and each man of them was to place a loop on his -own neck; each then was to pull the other to the -hole if he could, and then pull till the sword cut -his head off.</p> - -<p>The Sprisawn and the Dark King took one -room, Miach Lay and the King of Mangling -another, Red Bow and the Gruagach of Shields -took the third.</p> - -<p>The first pair were not long at each other, as -the Sprisawn was greatly anxious for the other -two, and with the second pull that he gave he -had the head off the Dark King. He ran then -to see how it fared with Miach Lay. Miach Lay -was tired and nearly beaten.</p> - -<p>“Come out of that for me,” said the Sprisawn. -“What playing is it you have with him?”</p> - -<p>“Fully satisfied am I to give this place to -you,” said Miach Lay, raising the loop; and the -Sprisawn put it quickly on his own neck.</p> - -<p>With the first pull the Sprisawn gave he had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_134"></a>[134]</span> -the head off the King of Mangling. They ran -then to Red Bow, whose head was within two -feet of the sword.</p> - -<p>“Go on out of this,” said the Sprisawn, putting -the loop on his own neck. The Gruagach, by -reason of having Red Bow so near the beam, was -himself at a distance, but at the first pull which -the Sprisawn gave he drew the Gruagach within -a foot of the beam. Fearing that if he killed -the third man there would be no one to give an -account of those carried off by the Dark King, -the Sprisawn offered the Gruagach his life if he -told him where Manus and the other two husbands -of the king’s daughter were.</p> - -<p>“If I tell you that,” said the Gruagach, “the -Dark King will knock the head off me.”</p> - -<p>“If you saw the head of the Dark King would -you tell me?”</p> - -<p>“I would.”</p> - -<p>The Sprisawn sent Miach Lay for the head of -the Dark King; he brought it.</p> - -<p>“Is that his head?” asked the Sprisawn.</p> - -<p>“It is,” said the Gruagach.</p> - -<p>“Well, tell me now.”</p> - -<p>“Were I to tell you,” said the Gruagach, “the -King of Mangling would knock the head off -me.”</p> - -<p>“If you saw his head would you tell me?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_135"></a>[135]</span></p> - -<p>“I would.”</p> - -<p>The head of the King of Mangling was brought.</p> - -<p>“Is this the head?”</p> - -<p>“It is.”</p> - -<p>“Well, tell me, or you’ll lose your own head.”</p> - -<p>“Near this castle is a lake,” said the Gruagach, -“and under its water is an enchanted -steel tower, with high walls three feet in thickness; -around that tower on the outside a long -serpent has wound herself closely from the bottom -to the top. This serpent is called the Worm of -Nine Eyes. Inside in the tower are the three -men.”</p> - -<p>“And how can we come at them?” asked the -Sprisawn.</p> - -<p>“Whoever wants to free them,” said the -Gruagach, “must stand on the shore of the lake -and shout to the serpent, calling her the Worm -of Nine Eyes. Hearing this, the serpent will -unwind, and with lashing will drive all the water -of the lake in showers through the country and -flood the whole land. The basin of the lake will -be dry then, and the serpent will rush at the man -who uttered the insult and try to devour him. -The serpent must be killed, and the champion -must run to the tower; if he can break in, he -will rescue the three men.”</p> - -<p>“Is that all?” asked the Sprisawn.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_136"></a>[136]</span></p> - -<p>“It is,” said the Gruagach. “I have no further -account of the matter; that is all I know.”</p> - -<p>“Then you’ll lose your head, too,” said the -Sprisawn; and with one pull of the chain he -swept the head off the Gruagach. The three -champions went to the lake then. Miach Lay -and Red Bow wished to help the Sprisawn, but he -forced them to remain behind, saying that they -would be swept away by the waters if they went.</p> - -<p>The Sprisawn, coming to the bank of the lake, -shouted: “Worm of Nine Eyes!” No sooner -did the serpent hear the name than she uncoiled -from the tower, lashed the lake, and sent the -water over the country. When the lake bed was -dry the serpent rushed toward the Sprisawn with -open mouth. When the Sprisawn saw the serpent -he took his sword in both hands and held -it crosswise in front of his face, and when the -serpent was coming to swallow him so great was -the force with which she rushed forward and -sucked the air to draw him in, that the Sprisawn -split her in two from the mouth to the tail, -dividing the back from the belly, and the two -pieces fell apart like the two halves of a split -log of timber.</p> - -<p>Miach Lay and Red Bow came then to the -Sprisawn and went to the tower, but if they did, -they could not go in.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_137"></a>[137]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the Sprisawn, “if you had all the -arms in the world you could not break through -that tower.” He went himself to the door then, -and striking it slightly with his wooden foot, for -fear of killing the men inside by too hard a blow, -he burst in the door. The three men inside -came out, and Miach Lay embraced his own -brother. All were glad, and all started for home, -but had not gone far when the other two men -began to dispute whose would the king’s daughter -be. The first husband said his claim was -strongest; the second said his was. The Sprisawn -tried to settle the quarrel, but could not. -“I would advise you,” said he, “to leave the -matter to the first man you meet.”</p> - -<p>All agreed to do this.</p> - -<p>The Sprisawn now left them and vanished as -if he had never been with them. They had not -gone far when they met a man. “Well met,” -said they; “we are glad to see you.”</p> - -<p>“What is the trouble that is on you?” asked -the man.</p> - -<p>“So and so,” said they, telling him the whole -story; “and now you are to be our judge.”</p> - -<p>“I will do my best,” said the man, “if each -one will be satisfied with my decision.”</p> - -<p>“We will,” said they.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_138"></a>[138]</span></p> - -<p>“Now let each man tell his story.”</p> - -<p>Each man told his story to the end.</p> - -<p>“Who rescued you?” asked he.</p> - -<p>“Miach Lay and his forces,” said they.</p> - -<p>“Had not this man and his forces come, you -would have been there till this time?”</p> - -<p>“We should,” said the three.</p> - -<p>“If so,” said the man, “my decision is that -the first and second husband should each be -thankful, go to his own people, and get another -wife for himself; and that the daughter of the -King of Greece belongs to the brother of the -man who rescued all three.”</p> - -<p>The two princes went away toward their own -homes, and the man remained, and who was he -when he took his own form again but the -Sprisawn. They went then to the castle where -the young lady had entertained Miach Lay, and -whose castle was it but the Sprisawn’s; the -young woman was his daughter. After resting -there for some days, the Sprisawn asked Miach -Lay would he marry his daughter. Miach Lay -was willing and glad, and remained there.</p> - -<p>Manus and Red Bow returned to the King of -Greece. Manus lived in Greece happily, and so -did his children.</p> - -<p>The two brothers did well not to marry any<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_139"></a>[139]</span> -woman their father found for them, for they -would not have had the grand ladies that they -had in the end, and Miach Lay had the dominions -of the Dark King, as well as those of the -Sprisawn, and they were very rich kingdoms.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_140"></a>[140]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_AMADAN_MOR_AND_THE_GRUAGACH">THE AMADAN MOR AND THE GRUAGACH -OF THE CASTLE OF GOLD.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>On a time in Erin the King of Leinster -resolved to make war on the King of -Munster, and sent him a message to be ready for -battle on a day mentioned. They raised flags -for combat when the day came, and stood face -to face. The forces closed in battle, and were -at one another then till the King of Leinster -and his men killed all the warriors of the King -of Munster and the king himself.</p> - -<p>After the King of Munster and all his champions -were slain, the King of Leinster thought -it better to live in Munster than in his own -kingdom, so he took possession of Munster and -went to live in the king’s castle.</p> - -<p>The wife of the King of Munster fled in haste -to a forest, a thing easily done, for all Erin was -under forests in that time. The queen had a -son in the forest, and after a time she had no -clothes for herself or the child. Hair came out -on them as on wild beasts of the wilderness. -The child was thriving and growing; what of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_141"></a>[141]</span> -him did not grow in the day grew threefold at -night, till at last there was no knowing what -size was he.</p> - -<p>The queen was seven years without leaving the -place around her hut in the forest. In the eighth -year she went forth from the forest and saw her -husband’s castle and open kingdom, and began -to weep and lament. There was a great crowd -of people around the castle where she had herself -lived in past years. She went to see what was -happening. It was a summer of great want, and -the king was giving out doles of meal to people -daily, and the man who was giving the meal gave -her a dole also. He was greatly surprised when -he saw her, and in the evening he was telling the -king that he had never seen such a sight in his -life; she was all covered with hair like a beast -of the forest.</p> - -<p>“She will come again to-morrow,” said the -king; “then do you inquire what sort is she, -and where is her place of abode.”</p> - -<p>She went next day to the castle; the man in -charge gave her meal. After she had gone he -followed her, and when he was coming near she -sat down at the roadside from shame.</p> - -<p>“Fear me not,” said the man. “I wish to -know if you are of the dead or the living, and -what sort are you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_142"></a>[142]</span></p> - -<p>“I am a living person, though I may seem like -one from the dead.”</p> - -<p>“Where do you live?”</p> - -<p>“I have no house or home save a small hut in -the forest, and I have the look of a beast because -I eat fruits and leaves of trees and grass of the -earth.”</p> - -<p>The man told the king, and the king said, -“Tell the woman to-morrow that I will give her -a house of some kind to live in.”</p> - -<p>The king gave the strange woman a house, and -she went to live with her son in it. The son -was seven years old at that time, and not able -to walk or speak, although he was larger than -any giant. His mother had called him Micky, -and soon he was known as Micky Mor (Big -Micky).</p> - -<p>She was there for awhile in the house with -her son, and she taking doles of food like any -poor person. One fine summer day she was -sitting at the doorstep, and she began to weep -and lament.</p> - -<p>“What is the cause of your crying?” asked -the boy, who had never spoken before till that -moment.</p> - -<p>“God’s help be with us,” said the mother. -“It is time for you to get speech. Thank God -you are able to talk now.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_143"></a>[143]</span></p> - -<p>“It is never too late, mother.”</p> - -<p>“That is right, my child,” said she, “it is -better late than never.”</p> - -<p>“Tell me, mother, why do you cry in this way -and lament?”</p> - -<p>“It is no use for me to tell you, my child; -three men have just gone back to the strand, -and once I was able to give the like of them a -good warm dinner.”</p> - -<p>“Well, mother, you must go and invite them -to dinner this time.”</p> - -<p>“What have I to give them to eat, my poor -child?”</p> - -<p>“If you have nothing to give them but only -to be talking till morning, you will have to go -and invite them.”</p> - -<p>When she was ready he said: “Mother, before -you go tie my two hands to the beam that is here -in the house above the hearth, that I may not fall -in the fire while you are absent.”</p> - -<p>Before the mother went out she passed a rope -under his arms, tied him to the cross-beam, and -put a stool under his feet. He kicked the stool -away; he had to pull and drag himself to swing, -the fire was catching his feet, the beam was -cracking from his weight and the swinging. -The sinews of his legs stretched, he got his -footing then, and walked to the door.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_144"></a>[144]</span></p> - -<p>“Thanks be to God,” said the mother, when -she came back. “It is curious how your talk -and your walk came to you on the one day.”</p> - -<p>“It is nearly always the case that ’tis together -talk and walk come to a child; but now it is time -for us to be providing something for the friends -that are coming to-night.”</p> - -<p>He went away then and asked the man who -brought turf out of the reeks to the king’s castle -to give him as much as would make fire for -himself and his mother for the night.</p> - -<p>“Go away,” said the man; “I will not give -you a sod of turf. Go to the king and get an -order; then I will give you turf in plenty.”</p> - -<p>“I would not be tiring myself going for an -order, but I will have plenty in spite of you.”</p> - -<p>Micky took away then a great basket of turf -and no thanks to the man.</p> - -<p>“Well, mother,” said he, “here is turf enough -for you, and make down a good fire.”</p> - -<p>He went to the mill and said to the miller: -“My mother sent me for flour. There will be -three at the house to-night, and what will not be -used will be brought to you in the morning.”</p> - -<p>“You stump of a fool, why should I give you -flour? Go to my master, the king; if he gives -an order, I will give you flour in plenty.”</p> - -<p>Micky caught the miller. “I will put you,”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_145"></a>[145]</span> -said he, “in one of the hoppers of the mill -unless you make away with yourself out of -this.”</p> - -<p>The miller ran away in dread that Micky would -kill him. Micky laid hold of a strong, weighty -chain, and tied a great sack of flour and put it -on his back. When the sack was across his back -he could not pass through the doorway, and knew -not what to do.</p> - -<p>“It would be a shame for me to say of the -first load I put on my back that I left that same -after me.” He stepped backward some paces and -made such a rush that he carried out the frame of -the door with him.</p> - -<p>“Well, mother,” said he, “we have fire and -flour enough now, and let you be making loaves -for the visitors.”</p> - -<p>He went next to the woman in charge of the -milk-house. “It is hither my mother sent me -for a firkin of butter. There are three strangers -above in our house. What will be left of the -butter I will bring back in the morning, and all -my own help and assistance to you for a week -to come.”</p> - -<p>“Be out of my milk-house, you stump of a -fool,” said the woman. “What assistance can -you give to pay for my milk and butter?”</p> - -<p>“Let you be out of this, my good woman,”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_146"></a>[146]</span> -said Micky, “or I will not leave much life in you -from this day out.”</p> - -<p>She went away in a hurry, and he carried a -firkin of butter home on his shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Now, mother,” said he, “you have bread, -fire, butter, and all things you need. If we had -a bit of meat, that would be all that we care -for.”</p> - -<p>He went away then and never stopped nor -stayed till he reached the place where all the -king’s fine fat sheep were. He caught up one -and brought it home on his shoulder.</p> - -<p>Next day the turf-keeper, the miller, the dairywoman, -and the shepherd went to complain to -the king of what Micky had done.</p> - -<p>“It is not luck we asked for the first day we -drew him on us,” said the king.</p> - -<p>The king started and never stopped nor stayed -till he went to his old druid. “Such a man as -we have brought on us,” said the king. “Tell -me now how to put an end to him.”</p> - -<p>“There is,” said the druid, “a black mad hound -in a wood beyond the mountain. Tell Micky -that you lost that hound one day in the hunt, -and to bring her and he will be well paid for -his trouble.”</p> - -<p>The king sent for Micky, and told him all as -the druid advised.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_147"></a>[147]</span></p> - -<p>“Will you send any man with me to show me -the road?”</p> - -<p>“I will,” said the king.</p> - -<p>Micky and the man were soon travelling along -the road toward the mountain. When Micky -thought it too slow the man was walking, he -asked, “Have you any walk better than that?”</p> - -<p>“Why, then, I have not,” said the man, “and -I am tired, and it is because I have such a good -walk that I was sent with you.”</p> - -<p>Micky took up his guide, put him under his -arm, with the man’s head near his own breast, -and they began to talk as Micky moved forward. -When they came near the wood, the man said, -“Put me down, and beware of the hound. Be -not rash with her, or she may harm you.”</p> - -<p>“If she is a hound belonging to a king or a -man of high degree, it must be that she has -training and will come with me quietly. If she -will not come gently, I will make her come in -spite of her.”</p> - -<p>When he went into the wood the hound smelt -him and rushed at his throat to tear him to -pieces. He hurled her off quickly, and then she -made a second drive at him, and a fierce one.</p> - -<p>“Indeed,” said Micky, “you are an impudent -hound to belong to a king;” and, taking a long, -strong tree branch, he gave her a blow on the -flank that raised her high in the air.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_148"></a>[148]</span></p> - -<p>After that blow the hound ran away as fast as -her legs could carry her, and Micky made after -her with all the speed of his own legs to catch -her. On account of the blow she was losing -breath fast, and he was coming nearer and nearer, -till at length he ran before her and drove her -in against the ditch. When she tried to go one -way he shook the branch before her, and when -she tried to rush off in another direction, he -shook it there too, till he forced her into the -road, and then she was mild and quiet and came -with him as gently as any dog.</p> - -<p>When he was near home some one saw Micky -and the mad hound with him. A messenger ran -and told the king he was coming and the mad -hound walking with him. The king gave orders -to close every door in the castle. He was in -dread that the hound would devour every one -living.</p> - -<p>When the hound was brought before the closed -door of the castle the king put his head out the -window and said, “That hound has been so long -astray that she is of no use to me now; take her -to your mother, and she will mind the house for -her.”</p> - -<p>Micky took the hound home, and she was that -tame and watchful that not a hen, nor a duck, -nor a goose belonging to the king’s castle could -come near the house.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_149"></a>[149]</span></p> - -<p>The king went to the druid a second time, and -asked, “What can I do to kill Micky Mor?”</p> - -<p>“There is a raging wild boar in the woods -there beyond that will tear him to pieces,” said -the druid. “Tell Micky Mor that one of the -servants, when coming from the town, lost a -young pig, that the pig is in that wood, and to -bring him.”</p> - -<p>The king sent for the boy, and said, “One of -my men lost a young pig while coming from the -town; it is in that wood there beyond. If you’ll -go to the wood and bring the pig hither, I’ll pay -you well when you come.”</p> - -<p>“I will go,” said the boy, “if you will send -some one to show me the wood where the pig is.”</p> - -<p>The king sent a man, but not the man who -went the first time with Micky Mor, for that man -said, “I am tired, and haven’t the strength to -go.” They went on then, walking toward the -wood. This guide grew tired like the first man, -for the wood was far distant from the castle of -the king. When he was tired, the boy put him -under his arm, and the two began to chat away -as they journeyed. When near the wood, the -man begged and said, “Micky Mor, put me -down now: it is a mad boar that is in the -wood; and if you are not careful, he will tear -you to pieces.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_150"></a>[150]</span></p> - -<p>“God help you!” said Micky; “’tis the innocent -man you are to let such a small thing put -dread on you.”</p> - -<p>“I will leave you,” said the guide: “I cannot -help you; you are able to fight the battle -yourself.”</p> - -<p>Away went the man; and when Micky Mor -entered the wood, the wild boar was facing him, -and the beast foaming from both sides of the -mouth. As the guide had warned him to be on -his guard, Micky gave one spring out of his body, -and came to the boar with such a kick that his -leg went right into the mouth of the beast, and -split his jaw back to the breast. The wild boar -dropped lifeless, and the boy was going home, -leaving the great beast behind him. He stopped -then, and said to himself, “If I go back without -the boar, the king will not believe that I -met him at all.” He turned back, caught the -wild boar by the hind legs, and threw him across -his shoulders.</p> - -<p>The king thought, “As he brought the mad -hound the first day, he may bring the wild boar -to me this time.” He placed guards on all roads -leading to the castle.</p> - -<p>The guards saw Micky coming with the boar -on his back. Thinking the boar alive, they ran -hither and over, closed every door, window, hole,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_151"></a>[151]</span> -or place that a mouse might pass through, for -fear the wild boar would tear them to pieces.</p> - -<p>The youth went up to the castle, and struck the -door; the king put his head out the window, and -asked, “Can it be that you have the wild boar?”</p> - -<p>“I have him; but if I have, he is dead.”</p> - -<p>“As he is dead, you might take him home to -your mother; and, believe me, he will keep you -in meat for a long while.”</p> - -<p>The king went to the druid again.</p> - -<p>“I have no advice for you this time,” said the -druid, “but one: he is of as good blood as yourself; -and the best thing you can do is to give him -your daughter to marry.”</p> - -<p>This daughter was the king’s only child, and -her name was Eilin Og. The king sent for the -youth then, and said, “I will give you my -daughter to marry.”</p> - -<p>“It is well,” said Micky Mor; “if you give her -in friendship, I will take her.”</p> - -<p>Micky Mor made himself ready; they gave -him fine clothes, and he seemed fit to marry any -king’s daughter. After the marriage he was a -full week without going to see his own mother.</p> - -<p>When he went to her at the end of the week, -she cried out, “What is keeping you away from -me a whole week?”</p> - -<p>“Dear mother,” said he, “it is I that have<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_152"></a>[152]</span> -met with the luck. I got the king’s daughter -to marry.”</p> - -<p>“Go away out of my sight, and never come -near me again!”</p> - -<p>“Why so, mother, what ails you? Could I get -a better wife than a king’s daughter?”</p> - -<p>“My dear son, if she is a king’s daughter, you -are a king’s son, so you are as high as she.”</p> - -<p>“If I am a king’s son, why have you and I -been so poor?”</p> - -<p>She told him then that the king had killed his -father and all his forces, and that the whole -castle and kingdom had belonged to his father.</p> - -<p>“Why did you not tell me that long ago?”</p> - -<p>“I would never have told you,” said she, “but -that you have married the murderer’s daughter.”</p> - -<p>Away went the son when he heard what his -mother said, and the eyes going out of his head -with wild rage, and he saying that he would kill -every one living about the king’s castle. The -people in the castle saw him coming, and thought -from his looks that his mother had said some -strong words to him, and they closed every door -and window against him. The young man put -his shoulder to the door of the castle, and it flew -in before him. He never stopped nor stayed till -he went to the highest chamber of the castle to -the king and queen, killing every one that came<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_153"></a>[153]</span> -in his way. “Pardon me! Spare me!” cried the -king.</p> - -<p>“I will never kill you between my own two -hands; but I’ll give you the chance that you -gave my own father while the spear was going -from the hand to his breast.” With that, he -caught the king, and threw him out through the -window. When he had all killed who did not -flee before him, he could find no sight of his own -wife, though he looked for her everywhere.</p> - -<p>“Well, mother,” said he when he went home, -“I have all killed before me, but I cannot find -my own wife.”</p> - -<p>The mother went with him to search for the -wife, and they found her in a box. When they -opened the box, she screamed wildly.</p> - -<p>“Sure, you know well that I did not marry you -to kill you; have no fear.”</p> - -<p>She was glad to have her life. Micky Mor -then moved into the castle, and had his father’s -kingdom and property back again. After awhile -he went to walk one day with his wife, Eilin Og. -While he was walking for himself, the sky grew -so dark that it seemed like night, and he knew -not where to go; but he went on till he came at -last to a roomy dark glen. When he was inside -in the glen, the greatest drowsiness that ever -came over a man came over him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_154"></a>[154]</span></p> - -<p>“Eilin Og,” said he, “come quickly under my -head, for sleep is coming on me.”</p> - -<p>“It is not sleep that is troubling you, but -something in this great gloomy glen, where you -were never before in your life.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, Eilin Og, come quickly under my head.”</p> - -<p>She came under his head, and he got a short -nap of sleep. When he woke, hunger and thirst -came on him greater than ever came upon any -man ever born. Then a vessel came to him filled -with food, and one with drink.</p> - -<p>“Taste not the drink, take not a bite of the -food, in this dark glen, till you know what kind -of a place is it.”</p> - -<p>“Eilin Og, I must take one drink. I’ll drink -it whomsoever it vexes.”</p> - -<p>He took a draught hard and strong from the -vessel; and that moment the two legs dropped off -Micky Mor from the knees down.</p> - -<p>When Eilin Og saw this, she fell to wailing -and weeping.</p> - -<p>“Hold, hold, Eilin Og! silence your grief; a -head or a leg will not be in the country unless -I get my two legs again.”</p> - -<p>The fog now dispersed, and the sky became -clear. When he saw the sky clear, he knew -where to go; and he put his knife and spear -and wife on the point of his shoulder. Then his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_155"></a>[155]</span> -strength and activity were greater, and he was -swifter on his two knees than nine times nine -other men that had the use of their whole legs.</p> - -<p>While he was going on, he saw huntsmen coming -toward him. A deer passed him. He threw -the spear that he had in his hand; it went through -the deer, in one side and out through the other. -A white dog rushed straightway after the deer. -Micky Mor caught the deer and the dog, and kept -them.</p> - -<p>Now a young Gruagach, light and loose, was -the first of the huntsmen to follow the white dog. -“Micky Mor,” said he, “give me the white dog -and the deer.”</p> - -<p>“I will not,” said Micky. “For it is myself -that did the slaughter, strong and fierce, that -threw the spear out of my right hand and put it -through the two sides of the deer; and whoever -it be, you or I, who has the strongest hand, let -him have the white dog and the deer.”</p> - -<p>“Micky Mor,” said Eilin Og, “yield up the -white dog and the deer.”</p> - -<p>“I will,” said he, “and more if you ask; for -had I obeyed you in the glen, the two legs from -the knees down would not have gone from me.”</p> - -<p>The hunter, who was the Gruagach of Dun an -Oir, was so glad to get his white dog and deer -that he said, “Come with me, Micky Mor, to my -castle to dinner.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_156"></a>[156]</span></p> - -<p>The three were then passing along by the -strand of Ard na Conye to the Gruagach’s castle, -when whom should they meet but a champion who -began to talk with the men; but, seeing Eilin -Og, he stopped on a sudden and asked Micky -Mor, “Who is this woman with you? I think -there is not another of such beauty in all the -great world.”</p> - -<p>“That is my wife, Eilin Og,” said Micky Mor.</p> - -<p>“It is to find her that I am here, and to take -her in spite of herself or her father,” said the -champion.</p> - -<p>“If you take her, you will take her in spite of -me,” said Micky Mor; “but what champion are -you with such words?”</p> - -<p>“I am Maragach of the Green Gloves from -Great Island. I have travelled the world twice, -and have met no man to match me. No weapons -have hurt my skin yet or my body. Where are -your arms of defence in this great world, Micky -Mor?”</p> - -<p>“I have never wished for a weapon but my own -two fists that were born with me.”</p> - -<p>“I name you now and forever,” said Maragach, -“the Big Fool (Amadan Mor).”</p> - -<p>“Not talk of the mouth performs deeds of -valor, but active, strong bones. Let us draw -back now, and close with each other. We shall<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_157"></a>[157]</span> -know then who is the best man; and if there is -valor in you, as you say, you dirty little Maragach, -I will give you a blow with strength that -will open your mouth to the bone.”</p> - -<p>They went toward each other then threateningly, -and closed like two striking Balors or two -wild boars in the days of the Fenians, or two -hawks of Cold Cliff, or two otters of Blue Pool. -They met in close, mighty struggle, with more -screeching than comes from a thousand. They -made high places low, and low places high. -The clods that were shot away by them, as they -wrestled, struck out the eye of the hag in the -Eastern World, and she spinning thread at her -wheel.</p> - -<p>Now Maragach drew his sword strong, keen-edged, -and flawless; this sword always took with -the second blow what it did not cut with the -first; but there was no blow of it that time which -the Big Fool did not dodge, and when the sun -was yellow at setting, the sword was in small -bits, save what remained in the hand of the -champion. That moment the Fool struck the -champion a blow ’twixt neck and skull, and took -the head off his body.</p> - -<p>The three went on then to the castle of Dun -an Oir (Castle of Gold), and had a fine dinner. -During the dinner they were discoursing and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_158"></a>[158]</span> -telling tales; and the Gruagach’s wife took -greatly to heart the looks that her husband was -giving Eilin Og, and asked, “Which is it that -you will have, Negil Og’s daughter or the wife -of the Big Fool?”</p> - -<p>Said Eilin Og to the Gruagach’s wife, “This -man’s name is not the Big Fool in truth or in -justice, for he is a hero strong and active; he is -master of all alive and of every place. All the -world is under his command, and I with the -rest.”</p> - -<p>“If he is all this, why did he let the legs go -from him?” asked the Gruagach’s wife.</p> - -<p>Eilin Og answered, “I have said that he has -high virtues and powers; and only for the drink -that was brought him in the dark lonely glen, -he would not have let the legs go from him.”</p> - -<p>The Gruagach was in dread that the Big Fool -might grow angry over their talks, and that -enchantment would not get the upper hand of -strength, and said, “Give no heed to woman’s -talk, Micky Mor, but guard my castle, my property, -and my wife, while I go to the Dun of the -Hunt and return.”</p> - -<p>“If any man comes in in spite of me,” said -Micky Mor, “while you are absent, believe me, he -will not go out in spite of me till you return.”</p> - -<p>The Gruagach went off then, and with the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_159"></a>[159]</span> -power of his enchantment put a heavy sleep on -Micky Mor.</p> - -<p>“Eilin Og,” said he, “come quickly under my -head, for over-strong sleep has come on me.”</p> - -<p>Eilin Og came under his head, and he got a -short nap of sleep. The Gruagach returned soon -in a different form altogether, and he took a kiss -from his own wife.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Eilin Og to her husband, “you -are in your sleep, and it is to my grief that you -are in it, and not at the right time.”</p> - -<p>Micky Mor heard her, and he, between sleeping -and waking, gave one leap from his body -when he heard Eilin Og’s words, and stopped at -the door. It would have been a greater task to -break any anvil or block made by blacksmith -or wood-worker, than to force the Big Fool from -the door.</p> - -<p>“Micky Mor,” said the Gruagach, disguised, -“let me out.”</p> - -<p>“I will not let you out till the Gruagach of -Dun an Oir comes home, and then you will pay -for the kiss that you took from his wife.”</p> - -<p>“I will give you a leg swift and strong as your -own was; it is a leg I took from the Knight of -the Cross when he was entering his ship.”</p> - -<p>“If you give me one of my legs swift and -strong as ever, perhaps I may let you go out.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_160"></a>[160]</span></p> - -<p>That moment the Fool got the leg. He -jumped up then, and said, “This is my own leg, -as strong and as active as ever.</p> - -<p>“The other leg now, or your head!” said -Micky Mor.</p> - -<p>The Gruagach gave him the other leg, blew it -under him with power of enchantment. Micky -Mor jumped up. “These are my own legs in -strength and activity. You’ll not go out of this -now till the Gruagach comes, and you pay for the -kiss you took from his wife.”</p> - -<p>“I have no wish to knock a trial out of you,” -said the Gruagach, and he changed himself into -his own form again. “You see who I am; and I -am the huntsman who took your legs with the -drink that you got from the cup, and I am your -own brother born and bred.”</p> - -<p>“Where were you,” asked the Big Fool, “when -my father was killed with all his men?”</p> - -<p>“I was in the Eastern World at that time, -learning enchantment and magic.”</p> - -<p>“If you are my brother,” said the Big Fool, -“we will go with each other forevermore. Come -with me now to such a wood. We will fight -there four giants who are doing great harm to our -people these many years.”</p> - -<p>“Dear brother,” said the Gruagach, “there is -no use for us to go against the four giants; they<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_161"></a>[161]</span> -are too powerful and strong for us, they will kill -us.”</p> - -<p>“Let me fight with three of them,” said Micky -Mor, “and I’ll not leave a foot or a hand of them -living on earth; you can settle one.”</p> - -<p>The Gruagach had his great stallion of the -road brought from the stable for himself and his -brother to ride. When they led him out, the -stallion gave three neighs,—a neigh of lamentation, -a neigh of loyalty, and a neigh of gladness.</p> - -<p>This stallion had the three qualities of Fin -MacCool’s slim bay steed,—a keen rush against -a hill, a swift run on the level, a high running -leap; three qualities of the fox,—the gait of a -fox gay and proud, a look straight ahead taking -in both sides and turning to no side, neat in his -tread on the road; three qualities of a bull,—a -full eye, a thick neck, a bold forehead.</p> - -<p>They rode to the forest of the giants; and the -moment they entered, the giants sniffed them, -and one of them cried out, “I find the smell of -men from Erin, their livers and lights for my -supper of nights, their blood for my morning -dram, their jawbones for stepping-stones, and -their shins for hurleys. We think you are too -big for one bite and too small for two bites, and -sooner or later we’ll have you out of the way.”</p> - -<p>The Big Fool and three of the giants made at<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_162"></a>[162]</span> -one another then; and he didn’t leave a hand -nor a foot of the three alive. He stood looking -then at his brother and the other giant. The -young Gruagach was getting too much from the -giant; and he called out, “Dear born brother, -give me some aid, or the giant will put me out -of the world.”</p> - -<p>“I will give him,” said the Big Fool, “a blow -of my fist that will drive his head through the -air.”</p> - -<p>He ran to him then, gave the giant one blow -under the jawbone, and sent his head through -the air. It is not known to man, woman, -or child to this day where the head stopped, -or did it stop in any place.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_163"></a>[163]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_KINGS_SON_AND_THE_WHITE-BEARDED">THE KING’S SON AND THE WHITE-BEARDED -SCOLOG.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>Not in our time, nor the time of our fathers, -but long ago, there lived an old king in -Erin. This king had but the one son, and the -son had risen up to be a fine strong hero; no -man in the kingdom could stand before him in -combat.</p> - -<p>The queen was dead, and the king was gloomy -and bitter in himself because old age was on -him. The strength had gone from his limbs, -and gladness from his heart. No matter what -people said, they could not drive sorrow from -him.</p> - -<p>One day the king called up his son, and this is -what he said to him, “You are of age to marry. -We cannot tell how long I’ll be here, and it -would cheer and delight me to see your wife; -she might be a daughter to me in my last days.”</p> - -<p>“I am willing to obey you,” said the son; “but -I know no woman that I care for. I have never -seen any one that I would marry.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_164"></a>[164]</span></p> - -<p>With that, the old king sent for a druid, and -said, “You must tell where my son can find the -right bride for himself. You must tell us what -woman he should marry.”</p> - -<p>“There is but one woman,” said the druid, -“who can be the right wife for your son, and she -is the youngest daughter of the white-bearded -scolog; she is the wisest young woman in the -world, and has the most power.”</p> - -<p>“Where does her father live, and how are we to -settle it?” asked the king of the druid.</p> - -<p>“I have no knowledge of the place where that -scolog lives,” said the druid, “and there is no -one here who knows. Your son must go himself, -and walk the world till he finds the young -woman. If he finds her and gets her, he’ll have -the best bride that ever came to a king’s son.”</p> - -<p>“I am willing to go in search of the scolog’s -daughter,” said the young man, “and I’ll never -stop till I find her.”</p> - -<p>With that, he left his father and the druid, and -never stopped till he went to his foster-mother -and told her the whole story,—told her the wish -of his father, and the advice the old druid had -given him.</p> - -<p>“My three brothers live on the road you must -travel,” said the foster-mother; “and the eldest -one knows how to find that scolog, but without<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_165"></a>[165]</span> -the friendship of all of them, you’ll not be able -to make the journey. I’ll give you something -that will gain their good-will for you.”</p> - -<p>With that, she went to an inner room, and made -three cakes of flour and baked them. When the -three were ready, she brought them out, and gave -them to the young man.</p> - -<p>“When you come to my youngest brother’s -castle,” said she, “he will rush at you to kill -you, but do you strike him on the breast with -one of the cakes; that minute he’ll be friendly, -and give you good entertainment. The second -brother and the eldest will meet you like the -youngest.”</p> - -<p>On the following morning, the king’s son left -a blessing with his foster-mother, took one for -the road from her, and went away carrying the -three cakes with him. He travelled that day -with great swiftness over hills and through -valleys, past great towns and small villages, and -never stopped nor stayed till he came in the -evening to a very large castle. In he went, and -inside was a woman before him.</p> - -<p>“God save you!” said he to the woman.</p> - -<p>“God save yourself!” said she; “and will you -tell me what brought you the way, and where are -you going?”</p> - -<p>“I came here,” said the king’s son, “to see -the giant of this castle, and to speak with him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_166"></a>[166]</span></p> - -<p>“Be said by me,” replied the woman, “and go -away out of this without waiting for the giant.”</p> - -<p>“I will not go without seeing him,” said the -king’s son. “I have never set eyes on a giant, -and I’ll see this one.”</p> - -<p>“I pity you,” said the woman; “your time is -short in this life. You’ll not be long without -seeing the giant, and it’s not much you’ll see -in this world after setting eyes on him; and it -would be better for you to take a drink of wine -to give you strength before he comes.”</p> - -<p>The king’s son had barely swallowed the wine -when he heard a great noise beyond the castle.</p> - -<p>“Fee, faw, foh!” roared some one, in a thundering -voice.</p> - -<p>The king’s son looked out; and what should -he see but the giant with a shaggy goat going -out in front of him and another coming on behind, -a dead hag above on his shoulder, a great -hog of a wild boar under his left arm, and a yellow -flea on the club which he held in his right -hand before him.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know will I blow you into the air or -put my foot on you,” said the giant, when he -set eyes on the king’s son. With that, he threw -his load to the ground, and was making at his -visitor to kill him when the young man struck -the giant on the breast with one of the three -cakes which he had from the foster-mother.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_167"></a>[167]</span></p> - -<p>That minute the giant knew who was before -him, and called out, “Isn’t it the fine welcome -I was giving my sister’s son from Erin?”</p> - -<p>With that, he changed entirely, and was so -glad to see the king’s son that he didn’t know -what to do for him or where to put him. He -made a great feast that evening; the two ate -and drank with contentment and delight. The -giant was so pleased with the king’s son that -he took him to his own bed. He wasn’t three -minutes in the bed when he was sound asleep -and snoring. With every breath that the giant -took in, he drew the king’s son into his mouth -and as far as the butt of his tongue; with every -breath that he sent out, he drove him to the -rafters of the castle, and the king’s son was that -way going up and down between the bed and the -roof until daybreak, when the giant let a breath -out of him, and closed his mouth; next moment -the king’s son was down on his lips.</p> - -<p>“What are you doing to me?” cried the giant.</p> - -<p>“Nothing,” said the king’s son; “but you -didn’t let me close an eye all the night. With -every breath you let out of you, you drove me -up to the rafters; and with every breath you took -in, you drew me into your mouth and as far as -the butt of your tongue.”</p> - -<p>“Why didn’t you wake me?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_168"></a>[168]</span></p> - -<p>“How could I wake you when time failed me -to do it?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, then, sister’s son from Erin,” said the -giant, “it’s the poor night’s rest I gave you; -but if you had a bad bed, you must have a good -breakfast.”</p> - -<p>With that, the giant rose, and the two ate the -best breakfast that could be had out of Erin.</p> - -<p>After breakfast, the king’s son took the giant’s -blessing with him, and left his own behind. He -travelled all that day with great speed and without -halt or rest, till he came in the evening to the -castle of the second giant. In front of the door -was a pavement of sharp razors, edges upward, -a pavement which no man could walk on. Long, -poisonous needles, set as thickly as bristles in a -brush, were fixed, points downward, under the -lintel of the door, and the door was low.</p> - -<p>The king’s son went in with one start over -the razors and under the needles, without grazing -his head or cutting his feet. When inside, he -saw a woman before him.</p> - -<p>“God save you!” said the king’s son.</p> - -<p>“God save yourself!” said the woman.</p> - -<p>The same conversation passed between them -then as passed between himself and the woman -in the first castle.</p> - -<p>“God help you!” said the woman, when she<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_169"></a>[169]</span> -heard his story. “’Tis not long you’ll be alive -after the giant comes. Here’s a drink of wine -to strengthen you.”</p> - -<p>Barely had he the wine swallowed when there -was a great noise behind the castle, and the next -moment the giant came in with a thundering and -rattling.</p> - -<p>“Who is this that I see?” asked he, and with -that, he sprang at the stranger to put the life out -of him; but the king’s son struck him on the -breast with the second cake which he got from -his foster-mother. That moment the giant knew -him, and called out, “A strange welcome I had -for you, sister’s son from Erin, but you’ll get -good treatment from me now.”</p> - -<p>The giant and the king’s son made three parts -of that night. One part they spent in telling -tales, the second in eating and drinking, and the -third in sound, sweet slumber.</p> - -<p>Next morning the young man went away after -breakfast, and never stopped till he came to the -castle of the third giant; and a beautiful castle -it was, thatched with the down of cotton grass, -the roof was as white as milk, beautiful to look -at from afar or near by. The third giant was -as angry at meeting him as the other two; but -when he was struck in the breast with the third -cake, he was as kind as the best man could be.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_170"></a>[170]</span></p> - -<p>When they had taken supper together, the -giant said to his sister’s son, “Will you tell me -what journey you are on?”</p> - -<p>“I will, indeed,” said the king’s son; and he -told his whole story from beginning to end.</p> - -<p>“It is well that you told me,” said the giant, -“for I can help you; and if you do what I tell, -you’ll finish your journey in safety. At midday -to-morrow you’ll come to a lake; hide in the -rushes that are growing at one side of the water. -You’ll not be long there when twelve swans will -alight near the rushes and take the crests from -their heads; with that, the swan skins will fall -from them, and they will rise up the most beautiful -women that you have ever set eyes on. -When they go in to bathe, take the crest of the -youngest, put it in your bosom next the skin, -take the eleven others and hold them in your -hand. When the young women come out, give -the eleven crests to their owners; but when the -twelfth comes, you’ll not give her the crest -unless she carries you to her father’s castle in -Ardilawn Dreeachta (High Island of Enchantment). -She will refuse, and say that strength -fails her to carry you, and she will beg for the -crest. Be firm, and keep it in your bosom; never -give it up till she promises to take you. She will -do that when she sees there is no help for it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_171"></a>[171]</span></p> - -<p>Next morning the king’s son set out after -breakfast, and at midday he was hidden in the -rushes. He was barely there when the swans -came. Everything happened as the giant had -said, and the king’s son followed his counsels.</p> - -<p>When the twelve swans came out of the lake, -he gave the eleven crests to the older ones, but -kept the twelfth, the crest of the youngest, and -gave it only when she promised to carry him to -her father’s. The moment she put the crest on -her head, she was in love with the king’s son. -When she came in sight of the island, however -much she loved him when they started from the -lakeside, she loved him twice as much now. She -came to the ground at some distance from the -castle, and said to the young man at parting,—</p> - -<p>“Thousands of kings’ sons and champions have -come to give greeting to my father at the door of -his castle, but every man of them perished. You -will be saved if you obey me. Stand with your -right foot inside the threshold and your left foot -outside; put your head under the lintel. If your -head is inside, my father will cut it from your -shoulders; if it is outside, he will cut it off also. -If it is under the lintel when you cry ‘God save -you!’ he’ll let you go in safety.”</p> - -<p>They parted there; she went to her own place -and he went to the scolog’s castle, put his right<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_172"></a>[172]</span> -foot inside the threshold, his left foot outside, -and his head under the lintel. “God save you!” -called he to the scolog.</p> - -<p>“A blessing on you!” cried the scolog, “but -my curse on your teacher. I’ll give you lodgings -to-night, and I’ll come to you myself in the -morning;” and with that he sent a servant with -the king’s son to a building outside. The servant -took a bundle of straw with some turf and -potatoes, and, putting these down inside the door, -said, “Here are bed, supper, and fire for you.”</p> - -<p>The king’s son made no use of food or bed, -and he had no need of them, for the scolog’s -daughter came soon after, spread a cloth, took -a small bundle from her pocket, and opened it. -That moment the finest food and drink were there -before them.</p> - -<p>The king’s son ate and drank with relish, and -good reason he had after the long journey. -When supper was over, the young woman whittled -a small shaving from a staff which she brought -with her; and that moment the finest bed that -any man could have was there in the room.</p> - -<p>“I will leave you now,” said she; “my father -will come early in the morning to give you a -task. Before he comes, turn the bed over; ’twill -be a shaving again, and then you can throw -it into the fire. I will make you a new bed -to-morrow.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_173"></a>[173]</span></p> - -<p>With that, she went away, and the young man -slept till daybreak. Up he sprang, then turned -the bed over, made a shaving of it, and burned -it. It was not long till the scolog came, and -this is what he said to the king’s son, “I have a -task for you to-day, and I hope you will be able -to do it. There is a lake on my land not far -from this, and a swamp at one side of it. You -are to drain that lake and dry the swamp for me, -and have the work finished this evening; if not, -I will take the head from you at sunset. To -drain the lake, you are to dig through a neck of -land two miles in width; here is a good spade, -and I’ll show you the place where you’re to -use it.”</p> - -<p>The king’s son went with the scolog, who -showed the ground, and then left him.</p> - -<p>“What am I to do?” said the king’s son. -“Sure, a thousand men couldn’t dig that land out -in ten years, and they working night and day; -how am I to do it between this and sunset?”</p> - -<p>However it was, he began to dig; but if he did, -for every sod he threw out, seven sods came in, -and soon he saw that, in place of mending his -trouble, ’twas making it worse he was. He cast -aside the spade then, sat down on the sod heap, -and began to lament. He wasn’t long there -when the scolog’s daughter came with a cloth -in her hand and the small bundle in her pocket.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_174"></a>[174]</span></p> - -<p>“Why are you lamenting there like a child?” -asked she of the king’s son.</p> - -<p>“Why shouldn’t I lament when the head will -be taken from me at sunset?”</p> - -<p>“’Tis a long time from this to sunset. Eat -your breakfast first of all; see what will happen -then,” said she. Taking out the little bundle, -she put down before him the best breakfast a -man could have. While he was eating, she took -the spade, cut out one sod, and threw it away. -When she did that, every spadeful of earth in -the neck of land followed the first spadeful; the -whole neck of land was gone, and before midday -there wasn’t a spoonful of water in the lake or -the swamp,—the whole place was dry.</p> - -<p>“You have your head saved to-day, whatever -you’ll do to-morrow,” said she, and she left -him.</p> - -<p>Toward evening the scolog came, and, meeting -the king’s son, cried out, “You are the best man -that ever came the way, or that ever I expected -to look at.”</p> - -<p>The king’s son went to his lodging. In the -evening the scolog’s daughter came with supper, -and made a bed for him as good as the first one. -Next morning the king’s son rose at daybreak, -destroyed his bed, and waited to see what would -happen.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_175"></a>[175]</span></p> - -<p>The scolog came early, and said, “I have a -field outside, a mile long and a mile wide, with -a very tall tree in the middle of it. Here are -two wedges, a sharp axe, and a fine new drawing -knife. You are to cut down the tree, and -make from it barrels to cover the whole field. -You are to make the barrels and fill them with -water before sunset, or the head will be taken -from you.”</p> - -<p>The king’s son went to the field, faced the -tree, and gave it a blow with his axe; but if he -did, the axe bounded back from the trunk, struck -him on the forehead, stretched him on the flat -of his back, and raised a lump on the place where -it hit him. He gave three blows, was served -each time in the same way, and had three lumps -on his forehead. He was rising from the third -blow, the life almost gone from him, and he -crying bitterly, when the scolog’s daughter came -with his breakfast. While he was eating the -breakfast, she struck one little chip from the tree; -that chip became a barrel, and then the whole -tree turned into barrels, which took their places -in rows, and covered the field. Between the rows -there was just room for a man to walk. Not a -barrel but was filled with water. From a chip -she had in her hand, the young woman made a -wooden dipper, from another chip she made a -pail, and said to the king’s son,—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_176"></a>[176]</span></p> - -<p>“You’ll have these in your two hands, and be -walking up and down between the rows of barrels, -putting a little water into this and a little -into that barrel. When my father comes, he will -see you at the work and invite you to the castle -to-night, but you are not to go with him. You -will say that you are content to lodge to-night -where you lodged the other nights.” With that, -she went away, and the king’s son was going -around among the barrels pouring a little water -into one and another of them, when the scolog -came.</p> - -<p>“You have the work done,” said he, “and you -must come to the castle for the night.”</p> - -<p>“I am well satisfied to lodge where I am, and -to sleep as I slept since I came here,” said the -young man, and the scolog left him.</p> - -<p>The young woman brought the supper, and gave -a fresh bed. Next morning the scolog came the -third time, and said, “Come with me now; I have -a third task for you.” With that, the two went -to a quarry.</p> - -<p>“Here are tools,” said the scolog, pointing to -a crowbar, a pickaxe, a trowel, and every implement -used in quarrying and building. “You -are to quarry stones to-day, and build between -this and sunset the finest and largest castle -in the world, with outhouses and stables, with -cellars and kitchens. There must be cooks,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_177"></a>[177]</span> -with men and women to serve; there must be -dishes and utensils of every kind and furniture -of every description; not a thing is to be lacking, -or the head will go from you this evening -at sunset.”</p> - -<p>The scolog went home; and the king’s son -began to quarry with crowbar and pickaxe, and -though he worked hard, the morning was far gone -when he had three small pieces of stone quarried. -He sat down to lament.</p> - -<p>“Why are you lamenting this morning?” asked -the scolog’s daughter, who came now with his -breakfast.</p> - -<p>“Why shouldn’t I lament when the head will -be gone from me this evening? I am to quarry -stones, and build the finest castle in the world -before sunset. Ten thousand men couldn’t do -the work in ten years.”</p> - -<p>“Take your breakfast,” said the young woman; -“you’ll see what to do after that.”</p> - -<p>While he was eating, she quarried one stone; -and the next moment every stone in the quarry that -was needed took its place in the finest and largest -castle ever built, with outhouses and cellars and -kitchens. A moment later, all the people were -there, men and women, with utensils of all -kinds. Everything was finished but a small spot -at the principal fireplace.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_178"></a>[178]</span></p> - -<p>“The castle is ready,” said the scolog’s daughter; -“your head will stay with you to-day, and -there are no more tasks before you at present. -Here is a trowel and mortar; you will be -finishing this small spot at the fire when my -father comes. He will invite you to his castle -to-night, and you are to go with him this time. -After dinner, he will seat you at a table, and -throw red wheat on it from his pocket. I have -two sisters older than I am; they and I will fly -in and alight on the table in the form of three -pigeons, and we’ll be eating the wheat; my -father will tell you to choose one of his three -daughters to marry. You’ll know me by this: -there will be a black quill in one of my wings. -I’ll show it; choose me.”</p> - -<p>All happened as the scolog’s daughter said; -and when the king’s son was told to make his -choice in the evening, he chose the pigeon that -he wanted. The three sprang from the table, and -when they touched the floor, they were three -beautiful women. A dish priest and a wooden -clerk were brought to the castle, and the two -were married that evening.</p> - -<p>A month passed in peace and enjoyment; but -the king’s son wished to go back now to Erin -to his father. He told the wife what he wanted; -and this is what she said to him, “My father will<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_179"></a>[179]</span> -refuse you nothing. He will tell you to go, -though he doesn’t wish to part with you. He -will give you his blessing; but this is all pretence, -for he will follow us to kill us. You -must have a horse for the journey, and the right -horse. He will send a man with you to three -fields. In the first field are the finest horses -that you have ever laid eyes on; take none of -them. In the second field are splendid horses, -but not so fine as in the first field; take none of -these either. In the third field, in the farthest -corner, near the river, is a long-haired, shaggy, -poor little old mare; take that one. The old -mare is my mother. She has great power, but -not so much as my father, who made her what -she is, because she opposed him. I will meet -you beyond the hill, and we shall not be seen -from the castle.”</p> - -<p>The king’s son brought the mare; and when -they mounted her, wings came from her sides, -and she was the grandest steed ever seen. Away -she flew over mountains, hills, and valleys, till -they came to the seashore, and then they flew -over the sea.</p> - -<p>When the servant man went home, and the -scolog knew what horse they had chosen, he -turned himself and his two daughters into red -fire, and shot after the couple. No matter how<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_180"></a>[180]</span> -swiftly the mare moved, the scolog travelled -faster, and was coming up. When the three -reached the opposite shore of the sea, the daughter -saw her father coming, and turned the mare -into a small boat, the king’s son into a fisherman, -and made a fishing-rod of herself. Soon -the scolog came, and his two daughters with him.</p> - -<p>“Have you seen a man and a woman passing -the way riding on a mare?” asked he of the -fisherman.</p> - -<p>“I have,” said the fisherman. “You’ll soon -overtake them.”</p> - -<p>On went the scolog; and he never stopped till -he raced around the whole world, and came back -to his own castle.</p> - -<p>“Oh, then, we were the fools,” said the scolog -to his daughters. “Sure, they were the fisherman, -the boat, and the rod.”</p> - -<p>Off they went a second time in three balls of -red fire; and they were coming near again when -the scolog’s youngest daughter made a spinning-wheel -of her mother, a bundle of flax of herself, -and an old woman of her husband. Up rushed -the scolog, and spoke to the spinner, “Have you -seen a mare pass the way and two on her back?” -asked he.</p> - -<p>“I have, indeed,” said the old woman; “and -she is not far ahead of you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_181"></a>[181]</span></p> - -<p>Away rushed the scolog; and he never stopped -till he raced around the whole world, and came -back to his own castle a second time.</p> - -<p>“Oh, but we were the fools!” said the scolog. -“Sure, they were the old woman with the spinning-wheel -and the flax, and they are gone from -us now; for they are in Erin, and we cannot take -our power over the border, nor work against them -unless they are outside of Erin. There is no use -in our following them; we might as well stay -where we are.”</p> - -<p>The scolog and his daughters remained in the -castle at Ardilawn of Enchantment; but the -king’s son rode home on the winged mare, with -his wife on a pillion behind him.</p> - -<p>When near the castle of the old king in Erin, -the couple dismounted, and the mare took her -own form of a woman. She could do that in -Erin. The three never stopped till they went -to the old king. Great was the welcome before -them; and if ever there was joy in a castle, there -was joy then in that one.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_182"></a>[182]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="DYEERMUD_ULTA_AND_THE_KING_IN">DYEERMUD ULTA AND THE KING IN -SOUTH ERIN.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>There was a king in South Erin once, and -he had an only daughter of great beauty. -The daughter said that she would marry no man -but the man who would sail to her father’s castle -in a three-masted ship, and the castle was twenty -miles from deep water. The father said that -even if the daughter was willing, he’d never give -her to any man but the man who would come in -a ship.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud Ulta was the grandson of a great -man from Spain who had settled in Erin, and -he lived near Kilcar. Dyeermud heard of the -daughter of the king in South Erin, and fixed -in his mind to provide such a ship and go to the -castle of the king.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud left home one day, and was walking -toward Killybegs, thinking how to find such a -ship, or the man who would make it. When he -had gone as far as Buttermilk Cliff, he saw a red -champion coming against him in a ship that was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_183"></a>[183]</span> -sailing along over the country like any ship on -the sea.</p> - -<p>“What journey are you on?” asked the red -champion of Dyeermud; “and where are you -going?”</p> - -<p>“I am going,” answered Dyeermud, “to the -castle of a king in South Erin to know will he -give me his daughter in marriage, and to know -if the daughter herself is willing to marry me. -The daughter will have no husband unless a man -who brings a ship to her father’s castle, and the -king will give her to no other.”</p> - -<p>“Come with me,” said the red man. “Take -me as comrade, and what will you give me.”</p> - -<p>“I will give you what is right,” said Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“What will you give me?”</p> - -<p>“I will give you the worth of your trouble.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud went in the ship, and they sailed on -till they came to Conlun, a mile above Killybegs. -There they saw twelve men cutting sods, and a -thirteenth eating every sod that they cut.</p> - -<p>“You must be a strange man to eat what sods -twelve others can cut for you,” said Dyeermud; -“what is your name?”</p> - -<p>“Sod-eater.”</p> - -<p>“We are going,” said the red man, “to the -castle of a king in South Erin. Will you come -with us?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_184"></a>[184]</span></p> - -<p>“What wages will you give me?”</p> - -<p>“Five gold-pieces,” said the red man.</p> - -<p>“I will go with you.”</p> - -<p>The three sailed on till they came to the river -Kinvara, one mile below Killybegs, and saw a -man with one foot on each bank, with his back -toward the sea and his face to the current. The -man did not let one drop of water in the river -pass him, but drank every drop of it.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the red man, “what a thirst there -is on you to drink a whole river! How are you -so thirsty?”</p> - -<p>“When I was a boy, my mother used to send -me to school, and I did not wish to go there. She -flogged and beat me every day, and I cried and -lamented so much that a black spot rose on my -heart from the beating; that is why there is such -thirst on me now.”</p> - -<p>“What is your name, and will you go with us?”</p> - -<p>“My name is Gulping-a-River. I will go with -you if you give me wages.”</p> - -<p>“I will give you five gold-pieces,” said the red -man.</p> - -<p>“I will go with you,” said Gulping-a-River.</p> - -<p>They sailed on then to Howling River, within -one mile of Dun Kinealy. There they saw a -man blowing up stream with one nostril, and the -other stopped with a plug.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_185"></a>[185]</span></p> - -<p>“Why blow with one nostril?” asked the red -man.</p> - -<p>“If I were to blow with the two,” replied the -stranger, “I would send you with your ship and -all that are in it up into the sky and so far away -that you would never come back again.”</p> - -<p>“Who are you, and will you take service with -me?”</p> - -<p>“My name is Greedy-of-Blowing, and I will go -with you for wages.”</p> - -<p>“You will have five gold-pieces.”</p> - -<p>“I am your man,” said Greedy-of-Blowing.</p> - -<p>They sailed away after that to Bunlaky, a place -one mile beyond Dun Kinealy; and there they -found a man crushing stones with the end of his -back, by sitting down on them suddenly.</p> - -<p>“What are you doing there?” asked the red -man.</p> - -<p>“My name is Ironback,” answered the stranger. -“I am breaking stones with the end of my back -to make a mill, a bridge, and a road.”</p> - -<p>“Will you come with us?” asked the red -man.</p> - -<p>“I will for just wages,” said Ironback.</p> - -<p>“You will get five gold-pieces.”</p> - -<p>“I will go in your company,” said Ironback.</p> - -<p>They went on sailing, and were a half a mile -below Mount Charles when they saw a man running<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_186"></a>[186]</span> -up against them faster than any wind, and -one leg tied to his shoulder.</p> - -<p>“Where are you going, and what is your hurry? -Why are you travelling on one leg?” asked the -red man.</p> - -<p>“I am running to find a master,” said the -other. “If I were to go on my two legs, no man -could see me or set eyes on me.”</p> - -<p>“What can you do? I may take you in -service.”</p> - -<p>“I am a very good messenger. My name is -Foot-on-Shoulder.”</p> - -<p>“I will give you five gold pieces.”</p> - -<p>“I will go with you,” said the other.</p> - -<p>The ship moved on now, and never stopped till -within one mile of Donegal they saw, at a place -called Kilemard, a man lying in a grass field with -his cheek to the earth.</p> - -<p>“What are you doing there?” asked the red -man.</p> - -<p>“Holding my ear to the ground, and hearing -the grass grow.”</p> - -<p>“You must have good ears. What is your -name; and will you take service with me?”</p> - -<p>“My name is Hearing Ear. I will go with -you for good wages.”</p> - -<p>“You will have five gold-pieces.”</p> - -<p>“I am your man,” said Hearing Ear.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_187"></a>[187]</span></p> - -<p>They went next to Laihy, where they found -a man named Fis Wacfis (Wise man, Son of -Knowledge), and he sitting at the roadside chewing -his thumb.</p> - -<p>“What are you doing there?” asked the red -man.</p> - -<p>“I am learning whatever I wish to know by -chewing my thumb.”</p> - -<p>“Take service with me, and come on the ship.”</p> - -<p>He went on the same terms as the others, and -they never stopped nor halted till they came to -the castle of the king. They were outside the -walls three days and three nights before any man -spoke a word to them. At last the king sent a -messenger to ask who were they and what -brought them.</p> - -<p>“I have come in a ship for your daughter, and -my name is Dyeermud Ulta,” was the answer the -king got.</p> - -<p>The king was frightened at the answer, though -he knew himself well enough that it was for the -daughter Dyeermud had come in the ship, and -was greatly in dread that she would be taken -from him. He went then to an old henwife that -lived near the castle to know could he save the -daughter, and how could he save her.</p> - -<p>“If you’ll be said by me,” said the henwife, -“you’ll bid them all come to a feast in the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_188"></a>[188]</span> -castle. Before they come, let your men put -sharp poisoned spikes under the cushions of the -seats set apart for the company. They will sit -on the spikes, swell up to the size of a horse, and -die before the day is out, every man of them.”</p> - -<p>Hearing Ear was listening, heard all the -talk between the king and the henwife, and -told it.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Fis Wacfis to Dyeermud, “the -king will invite us all to a feast to-morrow, and -you will go there and take us. It is better to -send Ironback to try our seats, and sit on them, -for under the cushion of each one will be poisoned -spikes to kill us.”</p> - -<p>That day the king sent a message to Dyeermud. -“Will you come,” said he, “with your -men, to a feast in my castle to-morrow? I am -glad to have such guests, and you are welcome.”</p> - -<p>“Very thankful am I,” said Dyeermud. “We -will come to the feast.”</p> - -<p>Before the company came, Ironback went into -the hall of feasting, looked at everything, sat -down on each place, and made splinters of the -seats.</p> - -<p>“Those seats are of no use,” said Ironback; -“they are no better than so many cabbage -stalks.”</p> - -<p>The king had iron seats brought in, strong<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_189"></a>[189]</span> -ones. There was no harm to Dyeermud and his -company from that feast.</p> - -<p>Away went the king to the henwife, and told -how the seats had been broken. “What am I to -do now?” asked he.</p> - -<p>“Say that to get your daughter they must eat -what food is in your castle at one meal.”</p> - -<p>Next day Dyeermud went to the castle, and -asked, “Am I to have your daughter now?”</p> - -<p>“You are not,” said the king, “unless your -company will eat what food is in my castle at -one meal.”</p> - -<p>“Very well,” said Dyeermud; “have the meal -ready.”</p> - -<p>The king gave command to bring out the hundred -and fifty tons of provisions in the castle all -prepared and ready for eating.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud came with his men, and Sod-eater -began; and it was as much as all the king’s servants -could do to bring food as fast as he ate it, -and he never stopped till there wasn’t a pound -of the hundred and fifty tons left.</p> - -<p>“Is this all you have to give me?” asked Sod-eater. -“I could eat three times as much.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we have no more,” said the servants.</p> - -<p>“Where is our dinner?” asked Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>The king had nothing for the others, and he -had nothing for himself. All had to go away<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_190"></a>[190]</span> -hungry, and there was great dissatisfaction in -the castle, and complaining.</p> - -<p>The king had nothing to do now but to go -to the henwife a third time for advice in his -trouble.</p> - -<p>“You have,” said she, “three hundred and fifty -pipes of wine. If his company cannot drink -every drop of the wine, don’t give him the -daughter.”</p> - -<p>Next day Dyeermud went to the castle. “Am -I to have the daughter now?” asked he of the -king.</p> - -<p>“I will not give my daughter,” said the king, -“unless you and your company will drink the -three hundred and fifty pipes of wine that are in -my castle.”</p> - -<p>“Bring out the wine,” said Dyeermud; “we’ll -come to-morrow, and do the best we can to drink -it.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud and his men went next day to where -the wine was. Gulping-a-River was the man for -drinking, and they let him at it. After he got -a taste, he was that anxious that he broke in -the head of one pipe after another, and drank -till there wasn’t a drop left in the three hundred -and fifty pipes. All the wine did was to put -thirst on Gulping-a-River; and he was that mad -with thirst that he drank up the spring well at the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_191"></a>[191]</span> -castle, and all the springs in the neighborhood, -and a loch three miles distant, so that in the -evening there wasn’t a drop of water for man -or beast in the whole place.</p> - -<p>What did the king do but go to the henwife -the fourth time.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said she, “there is no use in trying to -get rid of him this way; you can make no hand -of Dyeermud by eating or drinking. Do you -send him now to the Eastern World to get the -bottle of cure from the three sons of Sean [pronounced -Shawn,—John] Mac Glinn, and to have -it at the castle before noon to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>“Am I to get the daughter now?” asked -Dyeermud of the king.</p> - -<p>“You’ll not get my daughter,” said the king, -“unless you have for me here to-morrow the -bottle of cure which the three sons of Sean Mac -Glinn have in the Eastern World.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud went to his ship with the king’s -answer.</p> - -<p>“Let me go,” said Foot-on-Shoulder. “I will -bring you the bottle in season.”</p> - -<p>“You may go,” said Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>Away went Foot-on-Shoulder, and was at the -sea in a minute. He made a ship of his cap, a -mast of his stick, a sail of his shirt, and away -with him sailing over the sea, never stopping nor -halting till he reached the Eastern World.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_192"></a>[192]</span></p> - -<p>In five hours, he came to a castle where the -walls of defence were sixty-six feet high and -fifty-five feet thick. Sean Mac Glinn’s three -sons were playing football on the top of the -wall.</p> - -<p>“Send down the bottle of cure to me,” said -Foot-on-Shoulder, “or I’ll have your lives.”</p> - -<p>“We will not give you the bottle of cure; and -if you come up, it will be as hard to find your -brains five minutes after as to find the clay of a -cabin broken down a hundred years ago.”</p> - -<p>Foot-on-Shoulder made one spring, and rose six -feet above the wall. They were so frightened at -the sight of what he did, and were so in dread -of him that they cried, “You’ll get what you -want, only spare us,—leave us our lives. You -are the best man that we have ever seen coming -from any part; you have done what no man could -ever do before this. You’ll get the bottle of -cure; but will you send it back again?”</p> - -<p>“I will not promise that,” said Foot-on-Shoulder; -“I may send it, and I may not.”</p> - -<p>They gave him the bottle, he went his way to -his ship, and sailed home to Erin. Next morning -the henwife dressed herself up as a piper, -and, taking a rod of enchantment with her, went -away, piping on a hill which Foot-on-Shoulder -had to cross in coming to the castle. She<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_193"></a>[193]</span> -thought he would stop to listen to the music she -was making, and then she would strike him with -the rod, and make a stone of him. She was -piping away for herself on the hill like any poor -piper making his living. Hearing Ear heard the -music, and told Dyeermud. Fis Wacfis chewed -his thumb at Dyeermud’s command, and found -out that the piper was the king’s henwife, and -discovered her plans.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Fis Wacfis to Dyeermud, “unless -you take her out of that, she will make trouble -for us.”</p> - -<p>“Greedy-of-Blowing, can you make away with -that old woman on the hill?” asked Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“I can indeed,” said Greedy-of-Blowing.</p> - -<p>With that, he ran to the foot of the hill; and -with one blast from both nostrils, he sent the -old hag up into the sky, and away she went sailing -so that neither tale nor word of her ever -came back.</p> - -<p>Foot-on-Shoulder was at the ship outside the -castle walls half an hour before noon, and gave -the bottle of cure to Dyeermud. Dyeermud -went that minute to the castle, and stood before -the king.</p> - -<p>“Here is the bottle of cure which I got from -the three sons of Sean Mac Glinn in the Eastern -World. Am I to get the daughter now?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_194"></a>[194]</span></p> - -<p>“I’ll send you my answer to the ship,” said -the king.</p> - -<p>Where should the king go now in his trouble -but to find the henwife. She was not at home. -He sent men to look for the old woman; no tidings -of her that day. They waited till the next -day; not a sight of her. The following morning -the king sent servants and messengers to look -for the henwife. They searched the whole neighborhood; -could not find her. He sent all his warriors -and forces. They looked up and down, -searched the whole kingdom, searched for nine -days and nights, but found no trace of the -henwife.</p> - -<p>The king consented at last to give the daughter -to Dyeermud, and he had to consent, and no -thanks to him, for he couldn’t help himself. -The daughter was glad and willing; she loved -Dyeermud from the first, but the father would -not part with her.</p> - -<p>The wedding lasted a day and a year, and when -that time was over, Dyeermud went home on the -ship to Kilcar, and there he paid all his men -their wages, and they went each to his own -place.</p> - -<p>The red man stayed sometime in the neighborhood, -and what should he do one day but seize -Dyeermud’s wife, put her in the ship, and sail<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_195"></a>[195]</span> -away with her. When going, she put him under -injunction not to marry her for a day and a year.</p> - -<p>Now Dyeermud, who was hunting when the -red man stole his wife, was in great grief and -misery, for he knew not where the red man lived -nor where he should travel to find him. At last -he sent a message of inquiry to the King of -Spain; and the king’s answer was, “Only two -persons in the whole world know where that man -lives, Great Limper, King of Light, and Black -Thorn of Darkness. I have written to these two, -and told them to go to you.”</p> - -<p>The two men came in their own ship through -the air to Kilcar, to Dyeermud, and talked and -took counsel.</p> - -<p>“I do not know where the red man can be,” -said Black Thorn, “unless in Kilchroti; let us -go to that place.”</p> - -<p>They sailed away in their ship, and it went -straight to the place they wanted. They had -more power than the red man, and could send -their ship anywhere.</p> - -<p>In five days and nights they were at Kilchroti. -They went straight to the house, and no one in -the world could see the red man’s house there -but these two. Black Thorn struck the door, -and it flew open. The red man, who was inside, -took their hands, welcomed them heartily, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_196"></a>[196]</span> -said, “I hope it is not to do me harm that ye -are here.”</p> - -<p>“It is not to harm you or any one that we are -here,” replied they. “We are here only to get -what is right and just, but without that, we will -not go from this.”</p> - -<p>“What is the right and just that ye are here -for?” asked the red man.</p> - -<p>“Dyeermud’s wife,” replied Black Thorn, “and -it was wrong in you to take her; you must give -her up.”</p> - -<p>“I will fight rather than give her,” said the red -man.</p> - -<p>“Fighting will not serve you,” said Black -Thorn, “it is better for you to give her to us.”</p> - -<p>“Ye will not get her without seven tons of -gold,” said the red man. “If ye bring me the -gold, I will give her to you. If ye come without -it, ye’ll get fight from me.”</p> - -<p>“We will give you the gold,” said Great -Limper, “within seven days.”</p> - -<p>“Agreed,” said the red man.</p> - -<p>“Come to the ship,” said Great Limper to -Black Thorn.</p> - -<p>They went on board, and sailed away.</p> - -<p>“I was once on a ship which was wrecked on -the coast of Spain with forty-five tons of gold. -I know where that gold is; we will get it,” said -Great Limper.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_197"></a>[197]</span></p> - -<p>The two sailed to where the gold was, took -seven tons of it, and on the sixth day they had -it in Kilchroti, in front of the red man’s house. -They weighed out the gold to him. They went -then to find Dyeermud’s wife. She was behind -nine doors; each door was nine planks in thickness, -and bolted with nine bars of iron. The -red man opened the doors; all went in, and -looked at the chamber. The woman went out -first, next the red man; and, seizing the door, he -thought to close it on Great Limper and Black -Thorn, but Black Thorn was too quick for him, -and before the red man could close the door he shot -him, first with a gold and then with a silver bullet.</p> - -<p>The red man fell dead on the threshold.</p> - -<p>“I knew he was preparing some treachery,” -said Black Thorn. “When we weighed the gold -to him, he let such a loud laugh of delight out of -him.”</p> - -<p>They took the woman and the gold to Dyeermud; -they stayed nine days and nights with him -in Kilcar, eating, drinking, and making merry. -They drank to the King of Spain, to all Erin, -to themselves, and to their well-wishers. You -see, I had great work to keep up with them -these nine days and nights. I hope they will -do well hereafter.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_198"></a>[198]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CUD_CAD_AND_MICAD_THREE_SONS">CUD, CAD, AND MICAD, THREE SONS -OF THE KING OF URHU.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>There was a king once in Urhu, and he -had three sons. The eldest was three, the -second two, the youngest one year old. Their -names were Cud, Cad, and Micad. The three -brothers were playing one day near the castle, -which was hard by the seashore; and Cud ran in -to his father, and said, “I hope you will give me -what I ask.”</p> - -<p>“Anything you ask that I can give you will -get,” said the father.</p> - -<p>“’Tis all I ask,” said Cud, “that you will give -me and my brothers one of your ships to sail in -till evening.”</p> - -<p>“I will give you that and welcome, but I think -you and they are too weak to go on a ship.”</p> - -<p>“Let us be as we are; we’ll never go younger,” -said Cud.</p> - -<p>The king gave the ship. Cud hurried out, and, -catching Cad and Micad, one under each of his -arms, went with one spring to the best ship in -the roadstead. They raised the sails then, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_199"></a>[199]</span> -the three brothers did as good work as the best -and largest crew. They left the harbor with the -fairest wind a ship ever had. The wind blew in -a way that not a cable was left without stretching, -an oar without breaking, nor a helm without -cracking with all the speed the ship had. The -water rose in three terrible ridges, so that the -rough gravel of the bottom was brought to the top, -and the froth of the top was driven down to the -bottom of the sea. The sight of the kingdom -of the world soon sank from the eyes of the -brothers; and when they saw nothing but blue -sea around them, a calm fell on the water.</p> - -<p>Cud was going back and forth on the deck, -sorry for what was done; and a good right he had -to be sorry, but he was not sorry long. He saw -a small currachan (boat) a mile away, and went -with one spring from his ship to the currachan. -The finest woman in the world was sleeping in -the bottom of the boat. He put a finger under -her girdle, and went back with a spring to the -ship. When he touched his own deck, she woke.</p> - -<p>“I put you under bonds and the misfortune of -the world,” cried she, “to leave me where you -saw me first, and to be going ever and always till -you find me again.”</p> - -<p>“What name am I to call you when I go in -search of you?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_200"></a>[200]</span></p> - -<p>“The Cat of Fermalye, or the Swan of Endless -Tales,” said the woman.</p> - -<p>He took her with one spring to the little boat, -and with another spring went back to his own -ship. Whatever good wind they had coming, -they had it twice better going home. In the -evening the ship was anchored among the others -again. The brothers went ashore in a boat. -When Cud came in, his father put out a chair -for him, and gave him great welcome. Cud sat -down; but as he did, he broke three rungs in the -chair, two ribs in himself, and a rafter in the -roof of the castle.</p> - -<p>“You were put under bonds to-day,” said the -father.</p> - -<p>“I was,” said Cud.</p> - -<p>“What bonds?”</p> - -<p>“To be going ever and always till I find -the Cat of Fermalye, or the Swan of Endless -Tales.”</p> - -<p>Himself and his father spent that night -together, and they were very sad and downhearted. -As early as the dawn came, Cud rose -and ate his breakfast.</p> - -<p>“Stay with me; I’ll give you half my kingdom -now, and all when I die,” said the father.</p> - -<p>“I cannot stay under bonds; I must go,” replied -Cud.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_201"></a>[201]</span></p> - -<p>Cud took the ship he liked best, and put supplies -for a day and seven years in her.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said the father, “ask for something -else; anything in the world I can give, I will -give you.”</p> - -<p>“I want nothing but my two brothers to go -with me.”</p> - -<p>“I care not where they go if yourself leaves -me,” said the king.</p> - -<p>The three brothers went aboard the ship; and -if the wind was good the first day, it was better -this time. They never stopped nor rested till -they sailed to Fermalye. The three went on -shore, and were walking the kingdom. They -had walked only a short piece of it when they -saw a grand castle. They went to the gate; Cud -was just opening it when a cat came out. The -cat looked at Cud, bowed to him, and went her -way. They saw neither beast nor man in the -castle, or near it; only a woman at the highest -window, and she sewing.</p> - -<p>“We’ll not stop till we go as far as the -woman,” said Cud.</p> - -<p>The woman welcomed them when they came -to her, put out a gold chair to Cud and a wooden -chair to each of his brothers.</p> - -<p>“’Tis strange,” said Micad, “to show so much -greater respect to one than the other two.”</p> - -<p>“No cause for wonder in that,” said the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_202"></a>[202]</span> -woman. “I show respect to this one, for he is -my brother-in-law.”</p> - -<p>“We do not wonder now, but where is his -wife?”</p> - -<p>“She went out a cat when ye came in.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, was that she?” cried Cud.</p> - -<p>They spent the night with good cheer and -plenty of food, the taste of honey in every bit -they ate, and no bit dry. As early as the day -dawned, the three rose, and the sister-in-law had -their breakfast before them.</p> - -<p>“Grief and sorrow, I’m in dread ’tis bad cooking -ye have on the ship. Take me with you; -you’ll have better food.”</p> - -<p>“Welcome,” said Cud. “Come with us.”</p> - -<p>Each of the others welcomed her more than -Cud. The four went on board; the brothers -raised sails, and were five days going when they -saw a ship shining like gold and coming from -Western waters.</p> - -<p>“That ship has no good appearance,” said Cud. -“We must keep out of danger;” and he took -another course. Whatever course he took, the -other ship was before him always, and crossing -him.</p> - -<p>“Isn’t it narrow the ocean is, that you must be -crossing me always?” shouted Cud.</p> - -<p>“Do not wonder,” cried a man from the other -ship; “we heard that the three sons of the King<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_203"></a>[203]</span> -of Urhu were sailing on the sea, and if we find -them, it’s not long they’ll be before us.”</p> - -<p>The three strangers were the three sons of the -King of Hadone.</p> - -<p>“If it is for these you are looking,” said Cud, -“you need go no farther.”</p> - -<p>“It is to find you that we are here,” said the -man on the shining ship, “to take you on a visit -to our own kingdom for a day and seven years. -After that, we will go for the same length of time -to your kingdom.”</p> - -<p>“You will get that and welcome,” said -Cud.</p> - -<p>“Come on board my ship,” said the eldest son -of the King of Hadone: “we’ll make one company; -your ship is not much to look at.”</p> - -<p>“Of the food that our father gave us,” said -Cud, “there is no bit dry, and we have plenty on -board. If it is dry food that you have in that big -ship, leave it and come to us.”</p> - -<p>The sons of the King of Hadone went to the -small ship, and let the big one go with the wind. -When Cud saw that they let their own ship go, -he made great friends of them.</p> - -<p>“Have you been on sea ever before?” asked -he of the eldest of the strangers.</p> - -<p>“I am on sea since I was of an age to walk by -myself,” replied he.</p> - -<p>“This is my first voyage,” said Cud. “Now<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_204"></a>[204]</span> -as we are brothers and friends, and as you are -taking us to visit your kingdom, I’ll give you -command of my ship.”</p> - -<p>The king’s son took this from Cud willingly, -and steered home in a straight course.</p> - -<p>When the sons of the King of Hadone were -leaving home, they commanded all in the kingdom, -big and little, small and great, weak and -strong, to be at the port before them when they -came back with the sons of the King of Urhu. -“These,” said they, “must never be let out alive -on the shore.”</p> - -<p>In the first harbor the ship entered, the shore -was black and white with people.</p> - -<p>“Why are all those people assembled?” asked -Cud.</p> - -<p>“I have no knowledge of that,” said the king’s -son; “but if you’ll let your two brothers go with -me and my brothers, we’ll find out the reason.”</p> - -<p>They anchored the ship, put down a long-boat, -and Cad and Micad went into it with the three -sons of the King of Hadone. Cud and his sister-in-law -stayed behind on the ship. Cud never -took his eyes off his brothers as they sat in the -boat. He watched them when near the shore, -and saw them both killed. With one bound he -sprang from the bowsprit to land, and went -through all there as a hawk through small birds. -Two hours had not passed when the head was off<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_205"></a>[205]</span> -every man in the kingdom. Whatever trouble -he had in taking the heads, he had twice as -much in finding his brothers. When he had the -brothers found, it failed him to know how to bury -them. At last he saw on the beach an old ship -with three masts. He pulled out the masts, drew -the ship further on land, and said to himself, “I -will have my brothers under this ship turned -bottom upward, and come back to take them -whenever I can.”</p> - -<p>He put the bodies on the ground, turned the -ship over them, and went his way.</p> - -<p>The woman saw all the slaughter. “Never -am I to see Cud alive,” thought she, and fell -dead from sorrow.</p> - -<p>Cud took the woman to shore, and put her -under the ship with his brothers. He went to -his ship then, sailed away alone, and never -stopped till he came to the kingdom where lived -Mucan Mor Mac Ri na Sorach. Cud went -ashore, and while walking and looking for himself, -he came to a castle. He was wondering at -the pole of combat, such a terribly big one, and -he gave a small blow to it. The messenger -came out, and looked up and down to know could -he find the man who gave the blow. Not a -soul could he see but a white-haired young child -standing near the pole. He went into the castle -again.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_206"></a>[206]</span></p> - -<p>“Who struck the pole?” asked Mucan Mor.</p> - -<p>“I saw no one but a small child with white -hair; there is no danger from him.”</p> - -<p>Cud gave a harder blow.</p> - -<p>“That blow is harder,” said Mucan Mor, “than -any child can give. Go and see who is in it.”</p> - -<p>The man searched high and low, and it failed -him to find any one but the child.</p> - -<p>“It would be a wonder if you are the one, you -little child, that struck the blow.”</p> - -<p>“What harm,” said the little child, “if I gave -the pole a touch?”</p> - -<p>“Mucan Mor is going to dinner soon,” said -the messenger; “and if you vex him again, ’tis -yourself that he’ll eat in place of the dinner.”</p> - -<p>“Is dinner ready?” asked Cud.</p> - -<p>“It is going to be left down,” was the answer -he got.</p> - -<p>When the man went in, Cud gave the pole a -hard blow, and didn’t leave calf, foal, lamb, kid, -or child awaiting its birth, or a bag of poor oats -or rye, that didn’t turn five times to the left, -and five to the right with the fright that it got. -He made such a noise and crash that dishes were -broken, knives hurled around, and the castle -shaken to its bottom stone. Mucan Mor himself -was turned five times to the left and five to the -right before he could put the soles of his feet<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_207"></a>[207]</span> -under him. When he went out, and saw the -small child, he asked, “Was it you that struck -the pole?”</p> - -<p>“I gave it a little tip,” said Cud.</p> - -<p>“You are a child of no sense to be lying so, -and it is yourself that I’ll eat for my supper.”</p> - -<p>He thought he had only to take Cud into the -castle, and roast him on the spit. He went to -catch the child; but if he did, the child faced -him, and soon they were fighting like two bulls -in high grass. When it was very late in the day, -Mucan Mor rose up in a lump of fog, and Cud -didn’t know where he had gone.</p> - -<p>All Cud had to do was to go to the forest, and -gather twigs for a fire to keep himself warm -until morning. It wasn’t many twigs he had -gathered when twelve swans came near him.</p> - -<p>“Love me!” said he. “I believe ye are the -blessed birds that came from my father’s kingdom -to be food to relieve me in need.”</p> - -<p>“Sorry am I that I have ever looked on you -or you on me,” said one of the swans; and the -twelve rose and flew away.</p> - -<p>Cud gathered the twigs for the fire, and dried -the blood in his wounds. In the morning, Mucan -Mor struck his own pole of combat. He and -Cud faced each other, and fought till late in the -day, when Mucan Mor rose as a lump of fog in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_208"></a>[208]</span> -the air. Cud went to the forest as before to -gather twigs. It was few he had gathered when -the twelve swans came again.</p> - -<p>“Are ye the blessed birds from my own kingdom?” -asked he.</p> - -<p>“No,” said one of the swans; “but I put you -under bonds not to turn me away as you did last -night.”</p> - -<p>“As you put me under bonds,” said Cud, “I -will not turn you away.”</p> - -<p>The twelve began to gather twigs, and it wasn’t -long till they had a great fire made. One of the -twelve sat at the fire then with Cud, and said, -“There is nothing in the world to kill Mucan -Mor but a certain apple. For the last three days -I have been looking for that apple. I found it -to-day, and have it here for you. To-morrow -you’ll be getting the upper hand of Mucan Mor -earlier than other days. He has no power to -rise as a fog until a given hour. When the time -comes, he’ll raise his two hands and be striving -to go in the air. If you strike him then in the -right side in the ribs with the apple, you’ll make -a green stone of him. If you do not, he’ll come -down and make a green stone of you.”</p> - -<p>Cud took the apple, and had great thanks for -the swan. She left down the best food then -before him. She had the food with her always.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_209"></a>[209]</span> -Glad was he, for he was greatly in want of it after -the fast of two days. She put her own wing and -head over his head and sheltered him till day -break. There wasn’t a wound on him next -morning that wasn’t cured. As early as the day -dawned she roused him.</p> - -<p>“Be up now,” said she, “and have the soles of -your feet under you.”</p> - -<p>He went first to the pole and struck a blow -that took three turns out of the stomach of Mucan -Mor and three more out of his brain, before he -could stand on the soles of his feet, so great was -the dread that came on him.</p> - -<p>They fought the third day, and it wasn’t very -late when Cud was getting the upper hand. -Mucan Mor raised his two arms toward the sky, -striving to escape in a fog from his enemy. Cud -struck him then with the apple, and made a green -stone of him. Hardly had he Mucan Mor killed -when he saw an old hag racing up; she took one -hill at a step and two at a leap.</p> - -<p>“Your face and your health to you,” said the -hag, when she stood before Cud. “I am looking -at you for three days, fighting without food or -drink. I hope that you’ll come with me now.”</p> - -<p>“It’s long that you were thinking of asking -me,” said he.</p> - -<p>“I hope you’ll not refuse me,” said the hag.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_210"></a>[210]</span></p> - -<p>“I will not,” replied Cud.</p> - -<p>“Give me your hand,” said the hag, “and I’ll -help you to walk.”</p> - -<p>He took the hag’s hand. There wasn’t a -jump that she gave while she had a grip of his -hand but he thought she was dragging the arm -from him.</p> - -<p>“Curses on you for an old hag! Is it little I -have gone through that you treat me in this -way?”</p> - -<p>“I have a cloth about my shoulders. Go into -that, and I will carry you,” said the hag.</p> - -<p>There wasn’t a joint in the hag’s back that -wasn’t three inches long. When she had him -on her back there wasn’t a leap that she gave -that the joints of her backbone were not going -into Cud’s body.</p> - -<p>“Hard luck to you for a hag, after all I have -gone through to have me killed at last.”</p> - -<p>“You have not far to go now,” said she; and -after a few leaps she was at the end of her journey. -She took him into a grand castle. The -best table of food that he had ever set eyes on -was left down there before him.</p> - -<p>“Sit there, now, son of the King of Urhu; eat -and drink.”</p> - -<p>“I have never taken food without company,” -said Cud, “and I will not take it this time.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_211"></a>[211]</span></p> - -<p>“Will you eat with me?”</p> - -<p>“Bad luck to you for a hag, I will not.”</p> - -<p>She opened a door and let in twelve pigs, and -one pig, the thirteenth, without a head.</p> - -<p>“Will you take food with these, son of the -King of Urhu?”</p> - -<p>“Indeed, then, old hag, bad as you are yourself, -I’d rather eat with you than with these, and -I’ll not eat with you.”</p> - -<p>She put them back, opened another door and -let out twelve of the rustiest, foulest, ugliest old -hags that man could set eyes on.</p> - -<p>“Will you take food with these?” asked she.</p> - -<p>“Indeed, then, I will not.”</p> - -<p>She hurried them back, opened a door, and -brought out twelve beautiful young women.</p> - -<p>“Will you take food with these?”</p> - -<p>“These are fit to take food with any one,” said -Cud.</p> - -<p>They sat down and ate with good-will and -pleasure. When they had the dinner eaten the -hag opened the door, and the twelve went back -to their own chamber.</p> - -<p>“I’ll get great blame,” said the old hag, “for -all the delay I’ve had. I’ll be going now.”</p> - -<p>“What trouble is on you that you’ll be blamed -for your delay?”</p> - -<p>“Those twelve pigs that you saw,” said the hag,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_212"></a>[212]</span> -“are twelve sons of mine, and the pig without a -head is my husband. Those twelve foul, yellow -hags that you saw are my twelve daughters. The -twelve beautiful women who ate with you are my -daughters’ attendants.”</p> - -<p>“Why are your twelve sons and your husband -pigs, and your twelve daughters yellow old -hags?”</p> - -<p>“The Awus in that house there beyond has -them enchanted and held in subjection. There -isn’t a night but I must go with a gold apple to -him.”</p> - -<p>“I will go with you to-night,” said Cud.</p> - -<p>“There is no use in going,” said the hag.</p> - -<p>They were talking a long time before she -would let him go. She went first, and he followed. -She knocked, and they opened the door. -Cud was in with her that instant. One Awus -rose and put seven bolts and seven locks on the -door. Cud rose and put on seven locks and -seven bolts more. All began to laugh when -they saw Cud doing this. The old chief, who -was standing at the hearth, let such a roar out of -him that Cud saw the heart inside in his body.</p> - -<p>“Why are you laughing?” asked Cud.</p> - -<p>“We think you a nice bit of meat to roast on -the spit. Rise up,” said he to a small attendant, -“and tie that fellow.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_213"></a>[213]</span></p> - -<p>The attendant rose and tried to tie Cud, but -soon Cud had him down and tied.</p> - -<p>“Bad luck to you, ’tis sorry I am that I ever -lost food on the like of you,” said the old chief -to the small attendant. “Rise up,” said he to a -big attendant, “and tie him.”</p> - -<p>The big one rose up, and whatever time the -small one lasted, the big one didn’t last half that -length. Cud drew strings from his pocket and -began tying the Awuses. He caught the old -Awus by the shins, dragged him down, and put -his knee on him.</p> - -<p>“You are the best champion ever I have seen,” -said the old Awus. “Give me quarter for my -soul; there is never a place where you need it -but my help will attend you with bravery. I’ll -give you also my sword of light that shines in -the dark, my pot of cure that makes the dead -alive, and the rod of enchantment to help the -pot of cure.”</p> - -<p>“Where can I find them?” asked Cud.</p> - -<p>“In a hole in the floor under the post of my -bed. You cannot get them without help.”</p> - -<p>“It cannot be but I can do anything that has -been done ever in your house,” said Cud.</p> - -<p>With that he went to the bed, and whatever -work he had in his life he never found a harder -task than to move the post of the bed; but he<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_214"></a>[214]</span> -found the sword of light, the pot of cure, and -the rod of enchantment. He came to the Awus -with the sword in one hand, and the two other -things in the other hand.</p> - -<p>“The head off you now if you don’t take this -hag and her family from under enchantment. -Make men and women of her sons and daughters, -a king of her husband, and a queen of herself in -this kingdom, while water is running, and grass -is growing, and you are to go to them with a -gold apple every evening and morning as long -as you live or any one lives who comes after you -to the end of all ages.”</p> - -<p>“I will do that,” said the Awus.</p> - -<p>He gave the word, and the hag was as fine a -queen as she was before. She and Cud went -back to the castle. The twelve pigs were twelve -young men, and the thirteenth without a head -was the king. She opened the chamber of the -twelve yellow hags, and they were as beautiful -as ever. All were very grateful to Cud for the -good turn he had done them.</p> - -<p>“I had one son,” said the queen; “while he -was here he gave the old Awus enough to do.”</p> - -<p>“Where is he now?” inquired Cud.</p> - -<p>“In the Eastern World, in a field seven miles -in length, and seven in width, and there isn’t a -yard of that field in which a spike is not standing<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_215"></a>[215]</span> -taller than a man. There is not a spike, except -one, without a king’s son or a champion on it, -impaled through his chin.”</p> - -<p>“What name had your son?”</p> - -<p>“Gold Boot.”</p> - -<p>“I promise to bring Gold Boot here to you, or -leave my own head on the spike.”</p> - -<p>As early as the day rose Cud was ready, and -away he went walking, and very little food had -he with him. About midday he was at the -enchanted field, in the Eastern World. He was -walking till he came to Gold Boot. When he -touched the body, the foot gave him a kick that -sent him seven acres and seven ridges away, and -put three bunches of the blood of his heart out -of him.</p> - -<p>“I believe what your mother said, that when -you were living you were strong, and the strength -you have now to be in you.”</p> - -<p>“Don’t think we are dead,” said Gold Boot; -“we are not. It is how we are enchanted and -unable to rise out of this.”</p> - -<p>“What put you in it?” asked Cud.</p> - -<p>“A man will come out by and by with pipes, -making music, and he’ll bring so much sleep on -you that he’ll put you on that empty spike, and -the field will be full. If you take my advice you -will not wait for him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_216"></a>[216]</span></p> - -<p>“My grief and my sorrow! I will never stir till -I see all that is here,” replied Cud.</p> - -<p>It wasn’t long he was waiting when the piper -came out, and the very first sound that he heard -Cud ran and caught the pipes; whatever music the -man was making, Cud played seven times better.</p> - -<p>When Cud took the pipes, the piper ran crying -into the castle where the wizard was.</p> - -<p>“What is on you?” asked the wizard.</p> - -<p>“A man caught my pipes, and he is a twice -better player than what I am.”</p> - -<p>“Never mind that, take these with you; these -are the pipes that won’t be long in putting sleep -on him.”</p> - -<p>When Cud heard the first note of these pipes, -he struck the old ones against a stone, and ran -and caught the new pipes. The piper rushed to -the wizard; the old man went out, threw himself -on his knees, and begged mercy.</p> - -<p>“Never give him mercy,” said Gold Boot, “till -he burns the hill that is standing out opposite -him.”</p> - -<p>“You have no pardon to get till you set that -hill there on fire,” answered Cud.</p> - -<p>“That is as bad for me as to lose my head,” -said the wizard.</p> - -<p>“That same is not far from you unless you do -what I bid,” replied Cud.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_217"></a>[217]</span></p> - -<p>Sooner than lose his head he lighted the hill. -When the hill began to burn, all the men except -Gold Boot came from under enchantment as sound -as ever, and rose off the spikes. Every one was -making away, and no one asking who let him -out. The hill was on fire except one spot in -the middle of it. Gold Boot was not stirring. -“Why did you not make him set all the hill on -fire?” asked he.</p> - -<p>“Why did you not set the whole hill on fire?” -demanded Cud of the wizard.</p> - -<p>“Is it not all on fire?”</p> - -<p>“Do you see the centre is not burning yet?”</p> - -<p>“To see that bit on fire,” said the wizard, “is -as bad for me as to lose the head itself.”</p> - -<p>“That same is not far from you,” said Cud.</p> - -<p>“Sooner than lose the head I will light it.”</p> - -<p>That moment he lighted the hill, and Cud saw -the very woman he saw the first day sleeping in the -little boat come toward him from the hill. He forgot -that he had seen Gold Boot or the enchanted -hag and her sons. The wizard, seeing this, -stopped the centre fire, and Gold Boot was left -on the spike. Cud and the woman embraced -till they smothered each other with kisses and -drowned each other with tears. After that they -neither stopped nor stayed till they reached his -little ship and sailed away on it; they never<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_218"></a>[218]</span> -delayed till they came to where his two brothers -and sister-in-law were under the boat. Cud took -out the three bodies, put a drop of the cure on -each one, and gave each a blow of the rod. They -rose up in good health and sound vigor. All -entered the ship and sailed toward Urhu.</p> - -<p>They had only the sailing of one day before -them, when Cud recollected his promise to bring -Gold Boot to his mother.</p> - -<p>“Take the wife to Fermalye,” said he to his -brothers. “I must go for Gold Boot; the king -will give you food till I come. If you were to -go to our own father he’d think that it is dead -I am.”</p> - -<p>Cud drew out his knife, cut a slip from a stick; -this he threw into the sea. It became a ship, -and away he sailed in that ship, and never -stopped till he entered the harbor next the -enchanted field. When he came to Gold Boot -he gave him a drop of cure and a blow of the -rod. He rose from the spike, well and strong. -The two embraced then, went to the ship, and -sailed away. They had not gone far when such -a calm came that they cast anchor near shore, -and Gold Boot began to get dinner. It wasn’t -long he was at it when they saw food at the foot -of a tree on the shore.</p> - -<p>“Who would be getting trouble with cooking,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_219"></a>[219]</span> -and such food as that on the shore?” said Gold -Boot.</p> - -<p>“Don’t mind that food,” replied Cud.</p> - -<p>“Whatever I think of I do,” said Gold Boot.</p> - -<p>He went to shore with one jump, caught the -food, sprang back, and laid it down for himself -and Cud. When this was done there was food -seven times better on the land again.</p> - -<p>“Who would taste of this, and that table over -there?” cried Gold Boot.</p> - -<p>“Never mind it,” said Cud. “If the man who -owns this table was sleeping when you took it, -he is not sleeping now.”</p> - -<p>“Whatever I think of I must do,” replied Gold -Boot.</p> - -<p>“If you did that before, I will do it now,” said -Cud, and he sprang to land. He looked up in -the tree, and there he saw a man ready to take -the life from him.</p> - -<p>“Grief and sorrow!” said the man. “I thought -it was Gold Boot again. Take this table, with -welcome, but I hope you’ll invite me to dinner.”</p> - -<p>“I will, indeed,” said Cud; “and what name -am I to give you?”</p> - -<p>“The Wet Mantle Champion.”</p> - -<p>Cud took one end of the table and the champion -the other. Out they went to the ship with one -bound. They sat down then together with Gold<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_220"></a>[220]</span> -Boot at the table. When dinner was over, the -wind rose, and they sailed on, never delaying till -they came to the castle of Gold Boot’s father, -where there was a great welcome before them, -and thanks beyond estimate.</p> - -<p>“I will give you half my kingdom while I live -and all of it when I die,” said the king, “and the -choice of my twelve daughters.”</p> - -<p>“Many thanks to you,” replied Cud; “the -promise of marriage is on me already, but perhaps -Wet Mantle is not married or promised.”</p> - -<p>“I am not,” said Wet Mantle.</p> - -<p>“You must have my chance,” said Cud.</p> - -<p>Wet Mantle took Cud’s place, and the king -sent for a big dish priest, and a great wooden -clerk. They came, and the couple were married. -When the three days’ wedding was over, Cud -went away alone. While sailing near land he -saw a castle by the sea, and as he drew near he -wondered more and more. A raven was going -in and out at the uppermost window, and each -time bringing out something white. Cud landed, -walked up from the strand, and went to the top -of the castle. He saw a woman there, and the -whole room full of white pigeons. She was -throwing them one by one from a loft to the -raven.</p> - -<p>“Why do you throw those to the raven?” asked -Cud of the woman.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_221"></a>[221]</span></p> - -<p>“The raven is an enchanted brother of mine, -who comes to this castle once in seven years. -I can see him only while I am throwing him -pigeons. I get as many pigeons as possible, to -keep him with me while I can.”</p> - -<p>“Keep him for a while yet,” said Cud.</p> - -<p>He rushed to the ship, took his rod, and ran -to the loft where the woman was. “Entice him -in further,” said Cud.</p> - -<p>Cud struck the raven a blow, and he rose up -as fine a champion as ever was seen.</p> - -<p>“Your blow on me was good,” said the champion, -“and ’tis work you have now before you. -Your two brothers are killed and under seven -feet of earth in Fermalye. Your wife and her -sister are to their knees in foul water and filth -in the stable, and are getting two mouthfuls of -water, and two of bread in the day till they die.”</p> - -<p>Cud did not wait to hear more of the story. -Away he went, and never stopped till he came -to Fermalye. When he was coming to the castle -all the children he met he was throwing at each -other, he was so vexed. He took the wife and -sister out of the stable, then dug up the brothers -and brought them to life with the rod. The five -made no delay after that, but went to the ship -and sailed to Urhu. When near land he raised -white flags on every mast.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_222"></a>[222]</span></p> - -<p>“A ship is coming!” cried a messenger, running -to the king. “I am thinking it is Cud that -is in it.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what I will never believe,” said the -king, “till he puts his hand into my hand.”</p> - -<p>Since Cud left home, the father and mother -had never risen from the fireside, but were sitting -there always and crying. When the ship was -three miles from land, Cud ran from the stern to -the stem, sprang to land, ran into the castle, -gave one hand to his mother, and the other to -his father.</p> - -<p>It wasn’t one boat, but boats, that went out to -the ship for the brothers and the women. When -they came, all spent the night with great pleasure -in the castle. Next day the king sent seven -score of ships and one ship to sea to bring supplies -for the wedding. When the ships came -back laden from foreign parts, he sent messengers -to invite all the people in the kingdom. -They were coming till they blackened the hills -and spotted the valleys. I was there myself, and -we spent nine nights and nine days in great glee -and pleasure.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_223"></a>[223]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CAHAL_SON_OF_KING_CONOR_IN_ERIN">CAHAL, SON OF KING CONOR, IN ERIN, -AND BLOOM OF YOUTH, DAUGHTER OF -THE KING OF HATHONY.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>There was a king in Hathony long ago who -had an old castle by the sea. This king -went out walking one day along the clean, -smooth strand, and, while walking, the thought -rose in him to take a sail near the shore. He -stepped into his boat with attendants and men, -and was sailing about in enjoyment and pleasure, -when a wind came with a mist of enchantment, -and drove the boat away through the sea with the -king and his men.</p> - -<p>They were going before the wind, without a -sight of sky or sea; no man in the boat could see -the man who sat next to him. They were that way -moving in the mist without knowledge of where -they were, or where they were going, and the boat -never stopped till it sailed into a narrow harbor -in a lonely place without house or habitation.</p> - -<p>The king left the boat well fastened at the -shore, and went his way, walking till he came to -a castle, and what castle should it be but the -castle of King Conor, in Erin.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_224"></a>[224]</span></p> - -<p>King Conor received the King of Hathony -with great hospitality and welcome.</p> - -<p>When the two had spent some days in company, -they became great friends, and made a -match between their two children. The King -of Hathony had a daughter called Bloom of -Youth, who was nine years of age, and King -Conor had a son ten years old, named Cahal.</p> - -<p>When the King of Hathony wished to go back -to his own land, King Conor of Erin gave a ship -to him, and the king sailed away with good -wishes and with supplies for a day and a year.</p> - -<p>Bloom of Youth grew up in such beauty that -she had not her equal in Hathony or in other -lands, and Cahal, King Conor’s son, became -such a hero that no man knew was the like -of him in any place.</p> - -<p>On a day Cahal said to his father, “Make up -some treasure for me and stores for my ship. I -must leave home now and be travelling through -the world till I know is there a better man than -myself in it.”</p> - -<p>“It is, indeed, time for you to be going,” said -King Conor, “for in three years you are to marry -Bloom of Youth, the daughter of the King of -Hathony, and you should be making out the -place now where her father lives.”</p> - -<p>Next morning Cahal took what treasures his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_225"></a>[225]</span> -father gave him, and provisions, went to his ship -and raised sails. Away he went on his voyage, -sailing over the sea in one way and another, in -this direction and that. He sailed one year and -three-quarters of a second year, but found no man -to give tale or tidings of the King of Hathony.</p> - -<p>Once on a gloomy day he was sailing along -through the waves, when a strong north wind -rose, and blew with such force that he let his -ship go with it.</p> - -<p>Three days and nights the ship went before -the north wind, and on the fourth day, in the -morning, it was thrown in on a rocky coast.</p> - -<p>Cahal saved his life and his sword, and went -away walking through the country. On the -evening of the fifth day he came to an old castle -near the seashore, and said to himself, “I will -not go in here to ask for lodgings like any poor -traveller.” With that he walked up and put a -blow on the pole of combat that made the whole -castle tremble.</p> - -<p>Out rushed the messenger. “What brought -you here, and what do you want?” asked he of -King Conor’s son.</p> - -<p>“I want men to meet me in combat, seven -hundred champions on my right hand, seven -hundred on my left, seven hundred behind me, -and the same number in front of me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_226"></a>[226]</span></p> - -<p>The man ran in and gave the message to the -king.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the King of Hathony, “that is my -son-in-law from Erin;” and out he went.</p> - -<p>“Are you the son of King Conor?” asked the -king.</p> - -<p>“I am,” said Cahal.</p> - -<p>“A hundred thousand welcomes to you,” said -the king.</p> - -<p>“Thankful am I for the welcomes, and glad to -receive them,” said Cahal. “I had great trouble -in coming; it is not easy to find you.”</p> - -<p>“It is not easy to find any man unless you -know the road to his house,” said the king.</p> - -<p>There was great feasting that night and entertainment -for Cahal. Next day the king said, -“Your bride, my daughter, is gone these two -months. Striker, son of the King of Tricks, -came to my castle and stole her away from me.”</p> - -<p>“My word for it, he will not keep her unless -he is a better man than I am,” said Cahal.</p> - -<p>“I am sure of that,” said the king, “and I said -so.”</p> - -<p>“My own ship was wrecked on your coast, and -now you must give me another in place of it,” -said Cahal.</p> - -<p>“I will,” said the king, “and a good one; but -you can do nothing on sea against Striker.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_227"></a>[227]</span></p> - -<p>“I am more used to the sea now than to land, -I am so long on it,” answered Cahal.</p> - -<p>“If you were born on the water and had lived -every day of your life on it, you could do nothing -at sea against Striker. There is not a man living -who can face him at sea.”</p> - -<p>Nothing would satisfy Cahal but to go against -Striker by sea; so he took the ship which the -king gave and sailed away, sailed week after -week till he was within a day’s journey of -Striker’s castle. Striker thrust his head up -through the top of the castle then, and let a -blast out through his mouth that sent Cahal’s -ship back twice the distance it had come.</p> - -<p>King Conor’s son sailed forward again, and -again Striker blew him back as far as he had -the first time.</p> - -<p>Cahal sailed now to the castle of the King of -Hathony.</p> - -<p>“I said that you could do nothing against -Striker on sea. If you wish to get the upper -hand of him I will tell you what to do. Take -this bridle and shake it behind the castle; whatever -beast comes to you take that one, and ride -away against Striker.”</p> - -<p>When Cahal shook the bridle, out came the -smallest and ugliest beast in the stables, a lean, -shaggy mare.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_228"></a>[228]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, then, bad luck to you for coming,” said -the king’s son, “and so many fine steeds in the -stables.”</p> - -<p>“That is the pony my daughter used to ride, -that is the best horse in the stables; take her. -She is not easy to ride though, for she is full -of tricks and enchantment, but if you are the -right man she’ll not throw you. She goes on -water as well as land, and you will be at your -enemy’s castle to-day.”</p> - -<p>Cahal mounted, and away went the mare. She -crossed one hill at the first leap, three at the -second, then twelve hills and valleys at the third -leap; went over land and sea, and never stopped -till she was in front of Striker’s castle, two hours -before sunset.</p> - -<p>Cahal sprang from the mare, and struck the -pole of combat.</p> - -<p>“What do you want?” asked the attendant, -running out.</p> - -<p>“I want seven hundred champions in combat -at my right side, seven hundred at my left, seven -hundred behind me, and seven hundred out before -my face.”</p> - -<p>The attendant went in, and out came the -twenty-eight hundred against Cahal.</p> - -<p>He went at the champions, and before sunset -he had them in three heaps, a heap of their<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_229"></a>[229]</span> -bodies, a heap of their heads, and a heap of their -weapons.</p> - -<p>Next morning Cahal struck the pole again.</p> - -<p>“What do you want this time?” asked the -attendant.</p> - -<p>“Seven thousand champions against me for -every hundred that I had yesterday.”</p> - -<p>Out came the champions in thousands. As -they were coming Cahal was going through them, -and before the day was ended he had them in -three heaps without leaving a man, a heap of -their heads, a heap of their bodies, and a heap -of their weapons.</p> - -<p>He struck the pole on the third morning, and -before the attendant had time to open his mouth, -Cahal shouted, “Send out every man in the -place. I may as well spend one day on them -all as to be calling for champions occasionally.”</p> - -<p>The forces of Striker, son of the King of -Tricks, were coming as fast as ever they could -make their way through the gates. They were -rushing at Cahal like showers of hail on a stormy -day, but they could neither kill him nor get the -upper hand. They could neither defend themselves -nor hurt him, and Cahal never stopped till -he had them all in a heap at one side.</p> - -<p>Cahal struck the pole on the fourth day.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_230"></a>[230]</span></p> - -<p>“What do you want now?” asked the attendant.</p> - -<p>“Striker, son of the King of Tricks, in combat -before me.”</p> - -<p>Out came Striker, and fell upon Cahal. The -two fought seven days and six nights without -stopping or resting, then Striker called for a -truce and got it. He went into his castle, healed -himself in his caldron of cure, ate enough, slept, -and was as fresh as ever next morning. They -spent three days and two nights in combat after -that without rest.</p> - -<p>Striker called for cessation a second time and -got it. On the eleventh morning a goldfinch -perched opposite Cahal and said, “Bad luck to -you for a foolish young man to be giving your -enemy rest, time to eat, drink, and cure himself, -and you lying outside at the foot of the wall in -hunger and cold. Keep him working till he -yields. Give him no rest till you snatch from -his breast the pin which he has in the left side -of it.”</p> - -<p>They were struggling four days and nights -without rest or cessation till the fifth morning, -when Cahal snatched the pin from the bosom of -Striker.</p> - -<p>“Oh, spare my life!” cried Striker. “I’ll be -your servant in every place, only spare me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_231"></a>[231]</span></p> - -<p>“I want nothing of you,” said Cahal, “but -this: Send out my bride to me; you took her -from her father, the King of Hathony, and she -was to be my wife soon when you took her. Send -her to me, and put no fog or enchantment on us -while we are on the way home.”</p> - -<p>“You ask more than I can give,” said Striker, -“for Wet Mantle, the hero, took that maiden -from me two months ago. When going, she put -him under bonds not to molest her for two days -and two years.”</p> - -<p>“Where can I find Wet Mantle?”</p> - -<p>“That is more than I can tell; but put your -nose before you and follow it.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a short answer, and I would take your -life for three straws on account of it; but I’ll -let some other man have his chance to take the -head off you.”</p> - -<p>Cahal mounted his mare then, and was travelling -over seas and dry land,—travelling a long -time till he came at last to Wet Mantle’s castle. -He struck the pole of combat, and out came the -messenger.</p> - -<p>“Who are you, and what do you want?”</p> - -<p>“Seven hundred at my right hand, seven hundred -at my left, seven hundred behind me, and -seven hundred before my face.”</p> - -<p>“That’s more men than you can find in this<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_232"></a>[232]</span> -place,” said the messenger. “Wet Mantle lives -here in his own way, without forces or company; -he keeps no man but me, and is very well -satisfied.”</p> - -<p>“Go then,” said Cahal, “and tell him to come -out himself to me.”</p> - -<p>Wet Mantle came out, and the two fought seven -days and six nights. Wet Mantle called for a -truce then and got it. The hero went to his -castle, cured himself, and was as fresh the eighth -morning as the first. They began to fight, and -the struggle continued three days and two nights. -Wet Mantle called for a truce, and received it the -second time. On the eleventh morning he was -well again, and ready for the struggle.</p> - -<p>“Oh, then, it is foolish and simple you are, -and small good in your travelling the world,” -cried a goldfinch to Cahal. “Why are you out -here in hunger and cold, and he cured and fresh -in his castle? Give him no rest the next time, -but fight till you tire him and take the mantle -from him. He’ll be as weak as a common man -then, for it is in the mantle his strength is.”</p> - -<p>On the eleventh morning they began for the -third time and fought fiercely all day. In the -evening Wet Mantle called for a rest.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Cahal, “you’ll get no rest. There -is no rest for either of us. You must fight till -you or I yield.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_233"></a>[233]</span></p> - -<p>They fought on till the following evening. -Wet Mantle called for rest a second time.</p> - -<p>“No rest till this battle is ended,” cried -Cahal.</p> - -<p>They held on all that night venomously, and -were fighting at noon of the following day. -Then Cahal closed on his enemy, and tore the -mantle from his body.</p> - -<p>The hero without his mantle had no more -strength than a common man.</p> - -<p>“You are the best champion that ever I have -met,” said he to Cahal. “I will give you all that -you ask, but don’t kill me.”</p> - -<p>“I have no wish to kill or to hurt you, though -good treatment is not what you deserve from me. -You caused me great trouble and hardship searching -and travelling, not knowing where to find -you. I want nothing of you but my bride, and -your promise not to put fog or magic on us or -harm us until we reach Erin in safety.”</p> - -<p>“That is more than I can promise,” said Wet -Mantle.</p> - -<p>“Why so?” asked Cahal.</p> - -<p>“The gruagach, Long Sweeper, took that -maiden from me, and she put him under bonds -not to molest her, or come near her for three -days and three years.”</p> - -<p>“Where can I find Long Sweeper?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_234"></a>[234]</span></p> - -<p>“That is more than I can tell,” said Wet -Mantle. “The world is wide, you have free passage -through it, and you can be going this way -and that till you find him; he lives in a very -high castle, and he is a tall man himself; he has -a very long broom, and when he likes he sweeps -the sky with that broom three times in the morning, -and the day that he sweeps, there is no man -in the world that can contradict him or conquer -him.”</p> - -<p>Cahal went riding his pony from the north to -the south, from the east to the west, and west to -east, three years and two days. At daylight of -the third day he saw a tall castle in the ocean -before him. So tall was the castle that he could -not tell the height of it, and a man on the summit -twice as tall as the castle itself, and he with -a broom sweeping the sky.</p> - -<p>“Ah,” said Cahal to himself, “I have you at -last.”</p> - -<p>He rode forward then to the castle, and struck -the pole of combat.</p> - -<p>“What do you want?” asked the messenger.</p> - -<p>“I want men to meet me in combat.”</p> - -<p>“Well, that is what you’ll not get in this -place. There is no man living on this island but -Long Sweeper and myself. The Black Horseman -came from the Western World three months<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_235"></a>[235]</span> -ago, and killed every man, gave Long Sweeper -great hardship and trouble, and after terrible -fighting got the upper hand of him.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if he has no men, let him come out -himself, for I’ll never leave the spot till I knock -satisfaction out of Long Sweeper for the trouble -he gave me before I could find him.”</p> - -<p>Long Sweeper came out, and they began to -fight; they fought for seven days and six nights. -Toward evening of the seventh day Long Sweeper -called for rest and got it. He went into his high -castle, ate, drank, healed himself in his caldron -of cure, and slept well and soundly, while Cahal -had to rest as best he was able on the ground -beyond the wall. The eighth morning Long -Sweeper went up on his castle and swept the sky -back and forth three times, and got such strength -that no man on earth could overcome him that -day.</p> - -<p>They fought three days and two nights, and -fought all the time without rest. Long Sweeper -called for rest then and got it, and was cured and -refreshed as before. Next morning he mounted -the castle, swept the sky three times with his -broom, and was ready for combat.</p> - -<p>Before Long Sweeper came, the goldfinch -perched in front of Cahal and said, “Misfortune -to you, son of King Conor in Erin; ’tis to a bad<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_236"></a>[236]</span> -place you came with your life to lose it, and -isn’t it foolish of you to give your enemy rest, -while yourself has nothing to lie on but the -earth, and nothing to put in your mouth but cold -air? Give neither rest nor truce to your enemy. -He will be losing strength till three days from -now. If he gets no chance to sweep the sky, -he’ll be no better than a common man.”</p> - -<p>That evening Long Sweeper called for rest.</p> - -<p>“No,” said Cahal, “you’ll get no rest from -me. We must fight till either one or the other -yields.”</p> - -<p>“That’s not fair fighting.”</p> - -<p>“It is not, indeed. I am ten days and nights -without food, drink, or rest, while you have had -them twice. We have not fought fairly so far, -but we will hereafter. You must remain as you -are now till one of us is conquered.”</p> - -<p>They were fighting till noon, the thirteenth -day. “I am beaten,” said Long Sweeper. -“Whatever I have I am willing to give you, but -spare my life, for if there is a good hero in the -world you are he.”</p> - -<p>“I want nothing of you,” said Cahal, “but to -send out to me my bride, Bloom of Youth, -daughter of the King of Hathony, the maiden -you took from Wet Mantle. You have caused -me great hardship and trouble, but I’ll let some<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_237"></a>[237]</span> -one else take your life, or may you live as you -are.”</p> - -<p>“I cannot send out your bride,” said Long -Sweeper, “for she is not in my castle. The -Black Horseman took her from me three months -ago.”</p> - -<p>“Where am I to find that man?”</p> - -<p>“I might tell you to put your nose before you -and walk after it, but I will not; I will give -you a guide. Here is a rod; whichever way the -rod turns, follow it till you come to the Western -World, where the Black Horseman lives.”</p> - -<p>Cahal mounted his mare, made off with the -rod in his hand, and rode straight to the Black -Horseman’s castle. The messenger was in front -of the castle before him.</p> - -<p>“Tell your master to send out champions -against me, or to come himself,” said Cahal.</p> - -<p>That moment the Black Horseman himself was -on the threshold. “I am here all alone,” said -he to Cahal. “I have lost all my wealth, all my -men, all my magic. I am now in a poor state, -though I was living pleasantly and in greatness -after the conflict in which I got the better of -Long Sweeper. It’s rich and strong I was after -parting with that man, and I was waiting here -to marry when White Beard from the Western -World came, made war on me, and continued it<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_238"></a>[238]</span> -for a day and a year; then he left me poor and -lonely, as I am at this moment.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Cahal, “you have caused me -great labor and hardship; but I ask nothing of -you except to send out my bride, Bloom of -Youth, to me, and not to bring fog or magic on -her or on me till we reach home in safety.”</p> - -<p>“White Beard took your bride from me, and -he cannot marry her for four days and four years, -for she put him under bond not to do so. I will -tell you now how to find her. Do you see that -broad river in front of us? It flows from the -Northern to the Southern World, and there is -no way to cross it unless a good hero does so by -springing from one bank to the other. When -White Beard took the maiden from me, they -walked to the brink of the river; he placed the -woman then on his shoulder and sprang over the -river to the west. ‘Let me down, now,’ said -the woman. ‘I will not,’ replied White Beard, -‘I have such regard for you that I will show you -every place on the road.’ He did not let her -down till he showed her everything between the -river and the castle. ‘You may come down,’ -said he, when they entered the castle (she could -see everything from his shoulder, but nothing -from the ground). When coming down she -thrust a sleeping pin that she had in the head<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_239"></a>[239]</span> -of the old man, and he fell fast asleep standing -there. She has whatever she wishes to eat or -to drink in the castle. All is in a mist of -enchantment. She can see nothing outside the -castle, but everything within. That was my -home at one time. I was born and reared in that -castle, and lived in it till White Beard drove me -away with magic and violence. I came to this -place and lived here a time without trouble, till -I took Bloom of Youth from Long Sweeper. -I was waiting to marry her, when White Beard -came, destroyed all my forces, took away my -enchantment, carried off Bloom of Youth, and -left me here without strength or defence. But -one thing is left me, and that I will give you. -Here is a torch. When you cross the river, light -it. You’ll find the road, and no one has found -it since I was there. When you light the torch -follow the road to an old cottage, at one side -from the castle. In this cottage is a henwife, -who has lived there since my childhood. She -will show the way to the castle and back to her -cottage. From there you may journey homeward -in safety, by lighting the torch a second time, -and keeping it till you ride out of the castle’s -enchantment. This is all I have to tell you.”</p> - -<p>Cahal rode briskly to the river, rode across, -lighted his torch on the other side, saw a narrow<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_240"></a>[240]</span> -bright road, but nothing on either side. The -road was a long one, but he came to the end of -it at the door of the henwife’s old cottage. Cahal -greeted the henwife.</p> - -<p>“A hundred thousand welcomes,” said the old -woman. “You are here from my master, the -Black Horseman, or you could not be in it. Can -I help you in any way?”</p> - -<p>“I want nothing of you but to show me the -way to the castle of White Beard, where my bride -is, and then bring me back to this place.”</p> - -<p>“Follow me,” said the henwife, “and leave -your horse here.”</p> - -<p>She took Cahal by the hand and went forward -till she came to the castle and entered it. There -Cahal saw the finest woman that ever he had met -in the world. “Well,” said he to himself, “I -am not sorry, after all my troubles and hardships, -if you are the woman I am to marry.”</p> - -<p>“A greeting to you, young hero,” said the -woman. “Who are you who have been able to -come to this castle, and why are you here?”</p> - -<p>“My name is Cahal, son of King Conor, in -Erin. I am long travelling and fighting to find -and to rescue my bride, Bloom of Youth, daughter -of the King of Hathony. Who are you, fair -lady?” asked Cahal.</p> - -<p>“I am the daughter of the King of Hathony.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_241"></a>[241]</span> -The day before I was taken by Striker, son of -the King of Tricks, my father told me that the -son of King Conor, in Erin, was betrothed to -me. You, I suppose, are that man?”</p> - -<p>“I am,” said Cahal. “Come with me now, I -will free you; but what are we to do with White -Beard?”</p> - -<p>“Leave him as he is. There is no knowing -what he would do should we rouse him.”</p> - -<p>The two went with the henwife to her cottage. -Cahal lighted the torch a second time, mounted -the mare, put Bloom of Youth in front, rode first -to Hathony, and then home to Erin.</p> - -<p>King Conor made a great feast of welcome for -Cahal and his bride. There were seven hundred -guests at the short table, eight hundred at the -long table, nine hundred at the round table, and -a thousand in the grand hall. I was there and -heard the whole story, but got no present except -shoes of paper and stockings of buttermilk, and -these a herder stole from me in crossing the -mountains.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_242"></a>[242]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="COLDFEET_AND_THE_QUEEN_OF">COLDFEET AND THE QUEEN OF -LONESOME ISLAND.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>Once upon a time, and a long time ago it -was, there lived an old woman in Erin. -This old woman’s house was at the northeast -corner of Mount Brandon. Of all the friends -and relatives that ever she had in the world -there was but one left, her only son, Sean,<a id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> -nicknamed Fuarcosa (Coldfeet).</p> - -<p>The reason that people called the boy Coldfeet -was this: When a child he was growing always; -what of him did not grow one hour grew another; -what did not grow in the day grew in the -night; what did not grow in the night grew -in the day; and he grew that fast that when -seven years old he could not find room enough -in his mother’s house. When night came and -he was sleeping, whatever corner of the house -his head was in, it was out of doors that his -feet were, and, of course, they were cold, especially -in winter.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_243"></a>[243]</span></p> - -<p>It was not long till his legs as well as his feet -were out of the house, first to the knees, and -then to the body. When fifteen years old it -was all that he could do to put his head in, and -he lived outdoors entirely. What the mother -could gather in a year would not support the son -for a day, he was that large and had such an -appetite.</p> - -<p>Coldfeet had to find his own food, and he had -no means of living but to bring home sheep and -bullocks from whatever place he met them.</p> - -<p>He was going on in this way, faring rather -ill than well, when one day above another he -said, “I think I must go into the great world, -mother. I am half starving in this place. I can -do little good for myself as I am, and no good -at all for you.”</p> - -<p>He rose early next morning, washed his face -and hands, asked assistance and protection of -God, and if he did not, may we. He left good -health with his mother at parting, and away he -went, crossing high hills, passing low dales, and -kept on his way without halt or rest, the clear -day going and the dark night coming, taking -lodgings each evening wherever he found them, -till at last he came to a high roomy castle.</p> - -<p>He entered the castle without delaying outside, -and when he went in, the owner asked was -he a servant in search of a master.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_244"></a>[244]</span></p> - -<p>“I am in search of a master,” said Coldfeet.</p> - -<p>He engaged to herd cows for small hire and -his keeping, and the time of his service was a -day and a year.</p> - -<p>Next morning, when Coldfeet was driving the -cattle to pasture, his master was outside in the -field before him, and said, “You must take good -care of yourself, for of all the herders who took -service with me never a man but was killed by -one or another of four giants who live next to my -pastures. One of these giants has four, the next -six, the third eight, and the fourth twelve heads -on him.”</p> - -<p>“By my hand!” said Coldfeet, “I did not come -here to be killed by the like of them. They will -not hurt me, never fear.”</p> - -<p>Coldfeet went on with the cattle, and when he -came to the boundary he put them on the land -of the giants. The cows were not long grazing -when one of the giants at his castle caught the -odor of the strange herder and rushed out. -When coming at a distance he shouted, “I smell -the blood of a man from Erin; his liver and -lights for my supper to-night, his blood for my -morning dram, his jawbones for stepping-stones, -his shins for hurleys!”</p> - -<p>When the giant came up he cried, “Ah, that -is you, Coldfeet, and wasn’t it the impudence<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_245"></a>[245]</span> -in you to come here from the butt of Brandon -Mountain and put cattle on my land to annoy -me?”</p> - -<p>“It isn’t to give satisfaction to you that I am -here, but to knock satisfaction out of your bones,” -said Coldfeet.</p> - -<p>With that the giant faced the herder, and the -two went at each other and fought till near -evening. They broke old trees and bent young -ones; they made hard places soft and soft places -hard; they made high places low and low places -high; they made spring wells dry, and brought -water through hard, gray rocks till near sunset, -when Coldfeet took the heads off the giant and -put the four skulls in muddy gaps to make a dry, -solid road for the cows.</p> - -<p>Coldfeet drove out his master’s cattle on a -second, third, and fourth morning; each day he -killed a giant, each day the battle was fiercer, -but on the fourth evening the fourth giant was -dead.</p> - -<p>On the fifth day Coldfeet was not long on the -land of the dead giants when a dreadful enchanted -old hag came out against him, and she raging -with anger. She had nails of steel on her -fingers and toes, each nail of them weighing -seven pounds.</p> - -<p>“Oh, you insolent, bloodthirsty villain,”<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_246"></a>[246]</span> -screamed she, “to come all the way from Brandon -Mountain to kill my young sons, and, poor -boys, only that timber is dear in this country -it’s in their cradles they’d be to-day instead of -being murdered by you.”</p> - -<p>“It isn’t to give satisfaction to you that I’m -here, you old witch, but to knock it out of your -wicked old bones,” said Coldfeet.</p> - -<p>“Glad would I be to tear you to pieces,” said -the hag; “but ’tis better to get some good of -you first. I put you under spells of heavy -enchantment that you cannot escape, not to eat -two meals off the one table nor to sleep two -nights in the one house till you go to the Queen -of Lonesome Island, and bring the sword of light -that never fails, the loaf of bread that is never -eaten, and the bottle of water that is never -drained.”</p> - -<p>“Where is Lonesome Island?” asked Coldfeet.</p> - -<p>“Follow your nose, and make out the place -with your own wit,” said the hag.</p> - -<p>Coldfeet drove the cows home in the evening, -and said to his master, “The giants will never -harm you again; all their heads are in the muddy -gaps from this to the end of the pasture, and -there are good roads now for your cattle. I -have been with you only five days, but another -would not do my work in a day and a year; pay<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_247"></a>[247]</span> -me my wages. You’ll never have trouble again -in finding men to mind cattle.”</p> - -<p>The man paid Coldfeet his wages, gave him a -good suit of clothes for the journey, and his -blessing.</p> - -<p>Away went Coldfeet now on the long road, -and by my word it was a strange road to him. -He went across high hills and low dales, passing -each night where he found it, till the evening of -the third day, when he came to a house where -a little old man was living. The old man had -lived in that house without leaving it for seven -hundred years, and had not seen a living soul in -that time.</p> - -<p>Coldfeet gave good health to the old man, and -received a hundred thousand welcomes in return.</p> - -<p>“Will you give me a night’s lodging?” asked -Coldfeet.</p> - -<p>“I will indeed,” said the old man, “and is it -any harm to ask, where are you going?”</p> - -<p>“What harm in a plain question? I am going -to Lonesome Island if I can find it.”</p> - -<p>“You will travel to-morrow, and if you are -loose and lively on the road you’ll come at night -to a house, and inside in it an old man like -myself, only older. He will give you lodgings, -and tell where to go the day after.”</p> - -<p>Coldfeet rose very early next morning, ate his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_248"></a>[248]</span> -breakfast, asked aid of God, and if he didn’t he -let it alone. He left good health with the old -man, and received his blessing. Away with him -then over high hills and low dales, and if any one -wished to see a great walker Coldfeet was the -man to look at. He overtook the hare in the wind -that was before him, and the hare in the wind -behind could not overtake him; he went at that -gait without halt or rest till he came in the heel -of the evening to a small house, and went in. -Inside in the house was a little old man sitting -by the fire.</p> - -<p>Coldfeet gave good health to the old man, and -got a hundred thousand welcomes with a night’s -lodging.</p> - -<p>“Why did you come, and where are you -going?” asked the old man. “Fourteen hundred -years am I in this house alone, and not a living -soul came in to see me till yourself came this -evening.”</p> - -<p>“I am going to Lonesome Island, if I can find -it.”</p> - -<p>“I have no knowledge of that place, but if you -are a swift walker you will come to-morrow evening -to an old man like myself, only older; he -will tell you all that you need, and show you the -way to the island.”</p> - -<p>Next morning early Coldfeet went away after<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_249"></a>[249]</span> -breakfast, leaving good health behind him and -taking good wishes for the road. He travelled -this day as on the other two days, only more -swiftly, and at nightfall gave a greeting to the -third old man.</p> - -<p>“A hundred thousand welcomes,” said the -old man. “I am living alone in this house -twenty-one hundred years, and not a living -soul walked the way in that time. You are the -first man I see in this house. Is it to stay with -me that you are here?”</p> - -<p>“It is not,” said Coldfeet, “for I must be -moving. I cannot spend two nights in the one -house till I go to Lonesome Island, and I have -no knowledge of where that place is.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, then, it’s the long road between this and -Lonesome Island, but I’ll tell where the place -is, and how you are to go, if you go there. The -road lies straight from my door to the sea. From -the shore to the island no man has gone unless -the queen brought him, but you may go if the -strength and the courage are in you. I will give -you this staff; it may help you. When you reach -the sea throw the staff in the water, and you’ll -have a boat that will take you without sail or -oar straight to the island. When you touch -shore pull up the boat on the strand; it will -turn into a staff and be again what it now is.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_250"></a>[250]</span> -The queen’s castle goes whirling around always. -It has only one door, and that on the roof of it. -If you lean on the staff you can rise with one -spring to the roof, go in at the door, and to the -queen’s chamber.</p> - -<p>“The queen sleeps but one day in each year, -and she will be sleeping to-morrow. The sword -of light will be hanging at the head of her bed, -the loaf and the bottle of water on the table near -by. Seize the sword with the loaf and the -bottle, and away with you, for the journey must -be made in a day, and you must be on this side -of those hills before nightfall. Do you think -you can do that?”</p> - -<p>“I will do it, or die in the trial,” said -Coldfeet.</p> - -<p>“If you make that journey you will do what no -man has done yet,” said the old man. “Before -I came to live in this house champions and hundreds -of king’s sons tried to go to Lonesome -Island, but not a man of them had the strength -and the swiftness to go as far as the seashore, -and that is but one part of the journey. All -perished, and if their skulls are not crumbled, -you’ll see them to-morrow. The country is -open and safe in the daytime, but when night -falls the Queen of Lonesome Island sends her -wild beasts to destroy every man they can find<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_251"></a>[251]</span> -until daybreak. You must be in Lonesome -Island to-morrow before noon, leave the place -very soon after midday, and be on this side of -those hills before nightfall, or perish.”</p> - -<p>Next morning Coldfeet rose early, ate his -breakfast, and started at daybreak. Away he -went swiftly over hills, dales, and level places, -through a land where the wind never blows and -the cock never crows, and though he went -quickly the day before, he went five times more -quickly that day, for the staff added speed to -whatever man had it.</p> - -<p>Coldfeet came to the sea, threw the staff into -the water, and a boat was before him. Away he -went in the boat, and before noon was in the -chamber of the Queen of Lonesome Island. He -found everything there as the old man had told -him. Seizing the sword of light quickly and -taking the bottle and loaf, he went toward the -door; but there he halted, turned back, stopped -a while with the queen. It was very near he was -then to forgetting himself; but he sprang up, -took one of the queen’s golden garters, and away -with him.</p> - -<p>If Coldfeet strove to move swiftly when coming, -he strove more in going back. On he raced -over hills, dales, and flat places where the wind -never blows and the cock never crows; he never<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_252"></a>[252]</span> -stopped nor halted. When the sun was near -setting he saw the last line of hills, and remembering -that death was behind and not far from -him, he used his last strength and was over the -hilltops at nightfall.</p> - -<p>The whole country behind him was filled with -wild beasts.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the old man, “but you are the hero, -and I was in dread that you’d lose your life on -the journey, and by my hand you had no time to -spare.”</p> - -<p>“I had not, indeed,” answered Coldfeet. -“Here is your staff, and many thanks for it.”</p> - -<p>The two spent a pleasant evening together. -Next morning Coldfeet left his blessing with the -old man and went on, spent a night with each -of the other old men, and never stopped after -that till he reached the hag’s castle. She was -outside before him with the steel nails on her -toes and fingers.</p> - -<p>“Have you the sword, the bottle, and the -loaf?” asked she.</p> - -<p>“I have,” said Coldfeet; “here they are.”</p> - -<p>“Give them to me,” said the hag.</p> - -<p>“If I was bound to bring the three things,” -said Coldfeet, “I was not bound to give them to -you; I will keep them.”</p> - -<p>“Give them here!” screamed the hag, raising -her nails to rush at him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_253"></a>[253]</span></p> - -<p>With that Coldfeet drew the sword of light, -and sent her head spinning through the sky in -the way that ’tis not known in what part of the -world it fell or did it fall in any place. He -burned her body then, scattered the ashes, and -went his way farther.</p> - -<p>“I will go to my mother first of all,” thought -he, and he travelled till evening. When his feet -struck small stones on the road, the stones never -stopped till they knocked wool off the spinning-wheels -of old hags in the Eastern World. In the -evening he came to a house and asked lodgings.</p> - -<p>“I will give you lodgings, and welcome,” said -the man of the house; “but I have no food for -you.”</p> - -<p>“I have enough for us both,” said Coldfeet, -“and for twenty more if they were in it;” and -he put the loaf on the table.</p> - -<p>The man called his whole family. All had -their fill, and left the loaf as large as it was -before supper. The woman of the house made -a loaf in the night like the one they had eaten -from, and while Coldfeet was sleeping took his -bread and left her own in the place of it. Away -went Coldfeet next morning with the wrong loaf, -and if he travelled differently from the day before -it was because he travelled faster. In the evening -he came to a house, and asked would they -give him a night’s lodging.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_254"></a>[254]</span></p> - -<p>“We will, indeed,” said the woman, “but we -have no water to cook supper for you; the water -is far away entirely, and no one to go for it.”</p> - -<p>“I have water here in plenty,” said Coldfeet, -putting his bottle on the table.</p> - -<p>The woman took the bottle, poured water from -it, filled one pot and then another, filled every -vessel in the kitchen, and not a drop less in the -bottle. What wonder, when no man or woman -ever born could drain the bottle in a lifetime.</p> - -<p>Said the woman to her husband that night, -“If we had the bottle, we needn’t be killing -ourselves running for water.”</p> - -<p>“We need not,” said the man.</p> - -<p>What did the woman do in the night, when -Coldfeet was asleep, but take a bottle, fill it with -water from one of the pots, and put that false -bottle in place of the true one. Away went -Coldfeet next morning, without knowledge of -the harm done, and that day he travelled in the -way that when he fell in running he had not time -to rise, but rolled on till the speed that was under -him brought him to his feet again. At sunset -he was in sight of a house, and at dusk he was -in it.</p> - -<p>Coldfeet found welcome in the house, with food -and lodgings.</p> - -<p>“It is great darkness we are in,” said the man -to Coldfeet; “we have neither oil nor rushes.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_255"></a>[255]</span></p> - -<p>“I can give you light,” said Coldfeet, and he -unsheathed the sword from Lonesome Island; it -was clear inside the house as on a hilltop in -sunlight.</p> - -<p>When the people had gone to bed Coldfeet put -the sword into its sheath, and all was dark again.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the woman to her husband that -night, “if we had the sword we’d have light in -the house always. You have an old sword above -on the loft. Rise out of the bed now and put it -in the place of that bright one.”</p> - -<p>The man rose, took the two swords out doors, -put the old blade in Coldfeet’s sheath, and hid -away Coldfeet’s sword in the loft. Next morning -Coldfeet went away, and never stopped till -he came to his mother’s cabin at the foot of -Mount Brandon. The poor old woman was crying -and lamenting every day. She felt sure that -it was killed her son was, for she had never got -tale or tidings of him. Many is the welcome -she had for him, but if she had welcomes she -had little to eat.</p> - -<p>“Oh, then, mother, you needn’t be complaining,” -said Coldfeet, “we have as much bread -now as will do us a lifetime;” with that he put -the loaf on the table, cut a slice for the mother, -and began to eat himself. He was hungry, and -the next thing he knew the loaf was gone.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_256"></a>[256]</span></p> - -<p>“There is a little meal in the house,” said the -mother. “I’ll go for water and make stirabout.”</p> - -<p>“I have water here in plenty,” said Coldfeet. -“Bring a pot.”</p> - -<p>The bottle was empty in a breath, and they -hadn’t what water would make stirabout nor half -of it.</p> - -<p>“Oh, then,” said Coldfeet, “the old hag -enchanted the three things before I killed her -and knocked the strength out of every one of -them.” With that he drew the sword, and it had -no more light than any rusty old blade.</p> - -<p>The mother and son had to live in the old -way again; but as Coldfeet was far stronger than -the first time, he didn’t go hungry himself, and -the mother had plenty. There were cattle in the -country, and all the men in it couldn’t keep -them from Coldfeet or stop him. The old -woman and the son had beef and mutton, and -lived on for themselves at the foot of Brandon -Mountain.</p> - -<p>In three quarters of a year the Queen of Lonesome -Island had a son, the finest child that sun -or moon could shine on, and he grew in the way -that what of him didn’t grow in the day grew in -the night following, and what didn’t grow that -night grew the next day, and when he was two -years old he was very large entirely.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_257"></a>[257]</span></p> - -<p>The queen was grieving always for the loaf -and the bottle, and there was no light in her -chamber from the day the sword was gone. All -at once she thought, “The father of the boy took -the three things. I will never sleep two nights -in the one house till I find him.”</p> - -<p>Away she went then with the boy,—went over -the sea, went through the land where wind never -blows and where cock never crows, came to the -house of the oldest old man, stopped one night -there, then stopped with the middle and the -youngest old man. Where should she go next -night but to the woman who stole the loaf from -Coldfeet. When the queen sat down to supper -the woman brought the loaf, cut slice after slice; -the loaf was no smaller.</p> - -<p>“Where did you get that loaf?” asked the -queen.</p> - -<p>“I baked it myself.”</p> - -<p>“That is my loaf,” thought the queen.</p> - -<p>The following evening she came to a house and -found lodgings. At supper the woman poured -water from a bottle, but the bottle was full -always.</p> - -<p>“Where did you get that bottle?”</p> - -<p>“It was left to us,” said the woman; “my -grandfather had it.”</p> - -<p>“That is my bottle,” thought the queen.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_258"></a>[258]</span></p> - -<p>The next night she stopped at a house where -a sword filled the whole place with light.</p> - -<p>“Where did you find that beautiful sword?” -asked the queen.</p> - -<p>“My grandfather left it to me,” said the man. -“We have it hanging here always.”</p> - -<p>“That is my sword,” said the queen to herself.</p> - -<p>Next day the queen set out early, travelled -quickly, and never stopped till she came near -Brandon Mountain. At a distance she saw a -man coming down hill with a fat bullock under -each arm. He was carrying the beasts as easily -as another would carry two geese. The man put -the bullocks in a pen near a house at the foot of -the mountain, came out toward the queen, and -never stopped till he saluted her. When the -man stopped, the boy broke away from the mother -and ran to the stranger.</p> - -<p>“How is this?” asked the queen; “the child -knows you.” She tried to take the boy, but he -would not go to her.</p> - -<p>“Have you lived always in this place?” asked -the queen.</p> - -<p>“I was born in that house beyond, and reared -at the foot of that mountain before you. I went -away from home once and killed four giants, -the first with four, the second with six, the third -with eight, and the fourth with twelve heads on<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_259"></a>[259]</span> -him. When I had the giants killed, their mother -came out against me, and she raging with vengeance. -She wanted to kill me at first, but she -did not. She put me under bonds of enchantment -to go to the castle of the Queen of Lonesome -Island, and bring the sword of light that -can never fail to cut or give light, the loaf of -bread that can never be eaten, and the bottle of -water that can never be drained.”</p> - -<p>“Did you go?” asked the queen.</p> - -<p>“I did.”</p> - -<p>“How could you go to Lonesome Island?”</p> - -<p>“I journeyed and travelled, inquiring for the -island, stopping one night at one place, and the -next night at another, till I came to the house of -a little man seven hundred years old. He sent -me to a second man twice as old as himself, and -the second to a third three times as old as the -first man.</p> - -<p>“The third old man showed me the road to -Lonesome Island, and gave me a staff to assist -me. When I reached the sea I made a boat of -the staff, and it took me to the island. On the -island the boat was a staff again.</p> - -<p>“I sprang to the top of the queen’s turning -castle, went down and entered the chamber where -she was sleeping, took the sword of light, with -the loaf and the bottle, and was coming away<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_260"></a>[260]</span> -again. I looked at the queen. The heart -softened within me at sight of her beauty. I -turned back and came near forgetting my life -with her. I brought her gold garter with me, -took the three things, sprang down from the -castle, ran to the water, made a boat of the -staff again, came quickly to mainland, and from -that hour till darkness I ran with what strength -I could draw from each bit of my body. Hardly -had I crossed the hilltop and was before the door -of the oldest old man when the country behind -me was covered with wild beasts. I escaped -death by one moment. I brought the three -things to the hag who had sent me, but I did -not give them. I struck the head from her, but -before dying she destroyed them, for when I -came home they were useless.”</p> - -<p>“Have you the golden garter?”</p> - -<p>“Here it is,” said the young man.</p> - -<p>“What is your name?” asked the queen.</p> - -<p>“Coldfeet,” said the stranger.</p> - -<p>“You are the man,” said the queen. “Long -ago it was prophesied that a hero named Coldfeet -would come to Lonesome Island without my -request or assistance, and that our son would -cover the whole world with his power. Come -with me now to Lonesome Island.”</p> - -<p>The queen gave Coldfeet’s old mother good -clothing, and said, “You will live in my castle.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_261"></a>[261]</span></p> - -<p>They all left Brandon Mountain and journeyed -on toward Lonesome Island till they reached -the house where the sword of light was. It was -night when they came and dark outside, but -bright as day in the house from the sword, which -was hanging on the wall.</p> - -<p>“Where did you find this blade?” asked Coldfeet, -catching the hilt of the sword.</p> - -<p>“My grandfather had it,” said the woman.</p> - -<p>“He had not,” said Coldfeet, “and I ought to -take the head off your husband for stealing it -when I was here last.”</p> - -<p>Coldfeet put the sword in his scabbard and -kept it. Next day they reached the house where -the bottle was, and Coldfeet took that. The -following night he found the loaf and recovered -it. All the old men were glad to see Coldfeet, -especially the oldest, who loved him.</p> - -<p>The queen with her son and Coldfeet with his -mother arrived safely in Lonesome Island. They -lived on in happiness; there is no account of -their death, and they may be in it yet for aught -we know.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_262"></a>[262]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="LAWN_DYARRIG_SON_OF_THE_KING">LAWN DYARRIG, SON OF THE KING -OF ERIN, AND THE KNIGHT OF -TERRIBLE VALLEY.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>There was a king in his own time in Erin, -and he went hunting one day. The king -met a man whose head was out through his cap, -whose elbows and knees were out through his -clothing, and whose toes were out through his -shoes.</p> - -<p>The man went up to the king, gave him a -blow on the face, and drove three teeth from his -mouth. The same blow put the king’s head in -the dirt. When he rose from the earth the king -went back to his castle, and lay down sick and -sorrowful.</p> - -<p>The king had three sons, and their names were -Ur, Arthur, and Lawn Dyarrig. The three were -at school that day and came home in the evening. -The father sighed when the sons were coming in.</p> - -<p>“What is wrong with our father?” asked the -eldest.</p> - -<p>“Your father is sick on his bed,” said the -mother.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_263"></a>[263]</span></p> - -<p>The three sons went to their father and asked -what was on him.</p> - -<p>“A strong man that I met to-day gave me a -blow in the face, put my head in the dirt, and -knocked three teeth from my mouth. What -would you do to him if you met him?” asked -the father of the eldest son.</p> - -<p>“If I met that man,” replied Ur, “I would -make four parts of him between four horses.”</p> - -<p>“You are my son,” said the king. “What -would you do if you met him?” asked he then, -as he turned to the second son.</p> - -<p>“If I had a grip on that man I would burn him -between four fires.”</p> - -<p>“You, too, are my son. What would you do?” -asked the king of Lawn Dyarrig.</p> - -<p>“If I met that man I would do my best against -him, and he might not stand long before me.”</p> - -<p>“You are not my son. I would not lose lands -or property on you,” said the father. “You -must go from me, and leave this to-morrow.”</p> - -<p>On the following morning the three brothers -rose with the dawn; the order was given Lawn -Dyarrig to leave the castle, and make his own -way for himself. The other two brothers were -going to travel the world to know could they find -the man who had injured their father. Lawn -Dyarrig lingered outside till he saw the two, and -they going off by themselves.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_264"></a>[264]</span></p> - -<p>“It is a strange thing,” said he, “for two -men of high degree to go travelling without a -servant.”</p> - -<p>“We need no one,” said Ur.</p> - -<p>“Company wouldn’t harm us,” said Arthur.</p> - -<p>The two let Lawn Dyarrig go with them then -as a serving-boy, and set out to find the man who -had struck down their father. They spent all -that day walking, and came late to a house where -one woman was living. She shook hands with Ur -and Arthur, and greeted them. Lawn Dyarrig -she kissed and welcomed, called him son of the -King of Erin.</p> - -<p>“’Tis a strange thing to shake hands with the -elder and kiss the younger,” said Ur.</p> - -<p>“This is a story to tell,” said the woman; “the -same as if your death were in it.”</p> - -<p>They made three parts of that night. The -first part they spent in conversation, the second -in telling tales, the third in eating and drinking, -with sound sleep and sweet slumber. As early -as the day dawned next morning, the old woman -was up and had food for the young men. When -the three had eaten she spoke to Ur, and this is -what she asked of him, “What was it that drove -you from home, and what brought you to this -place?”</p> - -<p>“A champion met my father, took three teeth<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_265"></a>[265]</span> -from him, and put his head in the dirt. I am -looking for that man to find him alive or dead.”</p> - -<p>“That was the Green Knight from Terrible -Valley. He is the man who took the three teeth -from your father. I am three hundred years -living in this place, and there is not a year of -the three hundred in which three hundred heroes -fresh, young, and noble have not passed on the -way to Terrible Valley, and never have I seen -one coming back, and each of them had the look -of a man better than you. And now, where are -you going, Arthur?”</p> - -<p>“I am on the same journey with my brother.”</p> - -<p>“Where are you going, Lawn Dyarrig?”</p> - -<p>“I am going with these as a servant,” said -Lawn Dyarrig.</p> - -<p>“God’s help to you, it’s bad clothing that’s -on your body,” said the woman; “and now I -will speak to Ur. A day and a year since a -champion passed this way; he wore a suit as good -as was ever above ground. I had a daughter -sewing there in the open window. He came outside, -put a finger under her girdle, and took her -with him. Her father followed straightway to -save her, but I have never seen daughter or father -from that day to this. That man was the Green -Knight of Terrible Valley. He is better than -all the men that could stand on a field a mile in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_266"></a>[266]</span> -length and a mile in breadth. If you take my -advice you’ll turn back and go home to your -father.”</p> - -<p>’Tis how she vexed Ur with this talk, and he -made a vow to himself to go on. When Ur did -not agree to turn home, the woman said to Lawn -Dyarrig, “Go back to my chamber, you’ll find in -it the apparel of a hero.”</p> - -<p>He went back, and there was not a bit of the -apparel that he did not go into with a spring.</p> - -<p>“You may be able to do something now,” said -the woman, when Lawn Dyarrig came to the -front. “Go back to my chamber and search -through all the old swords. You will find one -at the bottom; take that.”</p> - -<p>He found the old sword, and at the first shake -that he gave he knocked seven barrels of rust out -of it; after the second shake, it was as bright as -when made.</p> - -<p>“You may be able to do well with that,” said -the woman. “Go out now to that stable abroad, -and take the slim white steed that is in it. -That one will never stop nor halt in any place -till he brings you to the Eastern World. If you -like, take these two men behind you; if not, let -them walk. But I think it is useless for you to -have them at all with you.”</p> - -<p>Lawn Dyarrig went out to the stable, took the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_267"></a>[267]</span> -slim white steed, mounted, rode to the front, -and catching the two brothers, planted them on -the horse behind him.</p> - -<p>“Now, Lawn Dyarrig,” said the woman, “this -horse will never stop till he stands on the little -white meadow in the Eastern World. When he -stops, you’ll come down and cut the turf under -his beautiful right front foot.”</p> - -<p>The horse started from the door, and at every -leap he crossed seven hills and valleys, seven -castles with villages, acres, roods, and odd -perches. He could overtake the whirlwind before -him seven hundred times before the whirlwind -behind could overtake him once. Early in the -afternoon of the next day he was in the Eastern -World. When he dismounted, Lawn Dyarrig cut -the sod from under the foot of the slim white -steed in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy -Ghost, and Terrible Valley was down under him -there. What he did next was to tighten the -reins on the neck of the steed and let him go -home.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Lawn Dyarrig to the brothers, -“which would ye rather be doing, making a -basket or twisting gads (withes)?”</p> - -<p>“We would rather be making a basket; our -help is among ourselves,” answered they.</p> - -<p>Ur and Arthur went at the basket and Lawn<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_268"></a>[268]</span> -Dyarrig at twisting the gads. When Lawn -Dyarrig came to the opening with the gads, all -twisted and made into one, they hadn’t the ribs -of the basket in the ground yet.</p> - -<p>“Oh, then, haven’t ye anything done but -that?”</p> - -<p>“Stop your mouth,” said Ur, “or we’ll make -a mortar of your head on the next stone.”</p> - -<p>“To be kind to one another is the best for us,” -said Lawn Dyarrig. “I’ll make the basket.”</p> - -<p>While they’d be putting one rod in the basket -he had the basket finished.</p> - -<p>“Oh, brother,” said they, “you are a quick -workman.”</p> - -<p>They had not called him brother since they left -home till that moment.</p> - -<p>“Who will go in the basket now?” asked -Lawn Dyarrig, when it was finished, and the gad -tied to it.</p> - -<p>“Who but me?” said Ur. “I am sure, -brothers, if I see anything to frighten me ye’ll -draw me up.”</p> - -<p>“We will,” said the other two.</p> - -<p>He went in, but had not gone far when he -cried to pull him up again.</p> - -<p>“By my father and the tooth of my father, and -by all that is in Erin dead or alive, I would not -give one other sight on Terrible Valley!” cried -he, when he stepped out of the basket.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_269"></a>[269]</span></p> - -<p>“Who will go now?” asked Lawn Dyarrig.</p> - -<p>“Who will go but me?” answered Arthur.</p> - -<p>Whatever length Ur went, Arthur didn’t go -the half of it.</p> - -<p>“By my father and the tooth of my father, I -wouldn’t give another look at Terrible Valley -for all that’s in Erin dead or alive!”</p> - -<p>“I will go now,” said Lawn Dyarrig, “and as -I put no foul play on you, I hope ye’ll not put -foul play on me.”</p> - -<p>“We will not, indeed,” said they.</p> - -<p>Whatever length the other two went, Lawn -Dyarrig didn’t go the half of it till he stepped -out of the basket and went down on his own feet. -It was not far he had travelled in Terrible Valley -when he met seven hundred heroes guarding -the country.</p> - -<p>“In what place here has the Green Knight his -castle?” asked he of the seven hundred.</p> - -<p>“What sort of a sprisawn goat or sheep from -Erin are you?” asked they.</p> - -<p>“If we had a hold of you, that’s a question -you would not put the second time; but if we -haven’t you, we’ll not be so long.”</p> - -<p>They faced Lawn Dyarrig then and attacked -him; but he went through them like a hawk or -a raven through small birds. He made a heap -of their feet, a heap of their heads, and a castle -of their arms.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_270"></a>[270]</span></p> - -<p>After that he went his way walking, and had -not gone far when he came to a spring. “I’ll -have a drink before I go farther,” thought he. -With that he stooped down and took a drink of -the water. When he had drunk he lay on the -ground and fell asleep.</p> - -<p>Now there wasn’t a morning that the lady in -the Green Knight’s castle didn’t wash in the -water of that spring, and she sent a maid for -the water each time. Whatever part of the day -it was when Lawn Dyarrig fell asleep, he was -sleeping in the morning when the girl came. -She thought it was dead the man was, and she was -so in dread of him that she would not come near -the spring for a long time. At last she saw he -was asleep, and then she took the water. Her -mistress was complaining of her for being so -long.</p> - -<p>“Do not blame me,” said the maid. “I am -sure that if it was yourself that was in my place -you’d not come back so soon.”</p> - -<p>“How so?” asked the lady.</p> - -<p>“The finest hero that a woman ever laid eyes -on is sleeping at the spring.”</p> - -<p>“That’s a thing that cannot be till Lawn -Dyarrig comes to the age of a hero. When -that time comes he’ll be sleeping at the -spring.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_271"></a>[271]</span></p> - -<p>“He is in it now,” said the girl.</p> - -<p>The lady did not stay to get any drop of the -water on herself, but ran quickly from the castle. -When she came to the spring she roused Lawn -Dyarrig. If she found him lying, she left him -standing. She smothered him with kisses, -drowned him with tears, dried him with garments -of fine silk, and with her own hair. Herself -and himself locked arms and walked into the -castle of the Green Knight. After that they -were inviting each other with the best food and -entertainment till the middle of the following -day. Then the lady said,—</p> - -<p>“When the Green Knight bore me away from -my father and mother, he brought me straight -to this castle, but I put him under bonds not to -marry me for seven years and a day, and he -cannot; still I must serve him. When he goes -fowling he spends three days away, and the next -three days at home. This is the day for him -to come back, and for me to prepare his dinner. -There is no stir that you or I have made here -to-day but that brass head beyond there will tell -of it.”</p> - -<p>“It is equal to you what it tells,” said Lawn -Dyarrig, “only make ready a clean, long chamber -for me.”</p> - -<p>She did so, and he went back into it. Herself<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_272"></a>[272]</span> -rose up then to prepare dinner for the Green -Knight. When he came she welcomed him as -every day. She left down his food before him, -and he sat to take his dinner. He was sitting -with knife and fork in hand when the brass head -spoke. “I thought when I saw you taking food -and drink with your wife that you had the blood -of a man in you. If you could see that sprisawn -of a goat or sheep out of Erin taking meat and -drink with her all day, what would you do?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, my suffering and sorrow!” cried the -knight. “I’ll never take another bite or sup -till I eat some of his liver and heart. Let three -hundred heroes fresh and young go back and -bring his heart to me, with the liver and lights, -till I eat them.”</p> - -<p>The three hundred heroes went, and hardly -were they behind in the chamber when Lawn -Dyarrig had them all dead in one heap.</p> - -<p>“He must have some exercise to delay my -men, they are so long away,” said the knight. -“Let three hundred more heroes go for his heart, -with the liver and lights, and bring them here -to me.”</p> - -<p>The second three hundred went, and as they -were entering the chamber, Lawn Dyarrig was -making a heap of them, till the last one was -inside, where there were two heaps.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_273"></a>[273]</span></p> - -<p>“He has some way of coaxing my men to delay,” -said the knight. “Do you go now, three hundred -of my savage hirelings, and bring him.”</p> - -<p>The three hundred savage hirelings went, and -Lawn Dyarrig let every man of them enter -before he raised a hand, then he caught the -bulkiest of them all by the two ankles and began -to wallop the others with him, and he walloped -them till he drove the life out of the two hundred -and ninety-nine. The bulkiest one was -worn to the shin bones that Lawn Dyarrig held -in his two hands. The Green Knight, who -thought Lawn Dyarrig was coaxing the men, -called out then, “Come down, my men, and take -dinner!”</p> - -<p>“I’ll be with you,” said Lawn Dyarrig, “and -have the best food in the house, and I’ll have -the best bed in the house. God not be good to -you for it, either.”</p> - -<p>He went down to the Green Knight and took -the food from before him and put it before himself. -Then he took the lady, set her on his own -knee, and he and she went on eating. After -dinner he put his finger under her girdle, took -her to the best chamber in the castle, and remained -there till morning. Before dawn the -lady said to Lawn Dyarrig,—</p> - -<p>“If the Green Knight strikes the pole of combat<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_274"></a>[274]</span> -first, he’ll win the day; if you strike first, -you’ll win, if you do what I tell you. The -Green Knight has so much enchantment that if -he sees it is going against him the battle is, he’ll -rise like a fog in the air, come down in the same -form, strike you, and make a green stone of -you. When yourself and himself are going out -to fight in the morning, cut a sod a perch long -in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; -you’ll leave the sod on the next little hillock -you meet. When the Green Knight is coming -down and is ready to strike, give him a blow -with the sod; you’ll make a green stone of -him.”</p> - -<p>As early as the dawn Lawn Dyarrig rose and -struck the pole of combat. The blow that he -gave did not leave calf, foal, lamb, kid, or child -waiting for birth, without turning them five -times to the left and five times to the right.</p> - -<p>“What do you want?” asked the knight.</p> - -<p>“All that’s in your kingdom to be against me -the first quarter of the day, and yourself the -second quarter.”</p> - -<p>“You have not left in the kingdom now but -myself, and it is early enough for you that I’ll -be at you.”</p> - -<p>The knight faced him, and they went at each -other and fought till late in the day. The battle<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_275"></a>[275]</span> -was strong against Lawn Dyarrig when the lady -stood in the door of the castle.</p> - -<p>“Increase on your blows and increase on your -courage,” cried she. “There is no woman here -but myself to wail over you, or to stretch you -before burial.”</p> - -<p>When the knight heard the voice, he rose in -the air like a lump of fog. As he was coming -down, Lawn Dyarrig struck him with the sod on -the right side of his breast, and made a green -stone of him.</p> - -<p>The lady rushed out then, and whatever welcome -she had for Lawn Dyarrig the first time, -she had twice as much now. Herself and himself -went into the castle and spent that night -very comfortably. In the morning they rose -early, and collected all the gold, utensils, and -treasures. Lawn Dyarrig found the three teeth -of his father in a pocket of the Green Knight, -and took them. He and the lady brought all -the riches to where the basket was. “If I send -up this beautiful lady,” thought Lawn Dyarrig, -“she may be taken from me by my brothers; if -I remain below with her, she may be taken from -me by people here.” He put her in the basket, -and she gave him a ring so that they might know -each other if they met. He shook the gad, and -she rose in the basket.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_276"></a>[276]</span></p> - -<p>When Ur saw the basket he thought, “What’s -above let it be above, and what’s below let it -stay where it is.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll have you as wife forever for myself,” -said he to the lady.</p> - -<p>“I put you under bonds,” said she, “not to lay -a hand on me for a day and three years.”</p> - -<p>“That itself would not be long even if twice -the time,” said Ur.</p> - -<p>The two brothers started home with the lady; -on the way Ur found the head of an old horse -with teeth in it and took them, saying, “These -will be my father’s three teeth.”</p> - -<p>They travelled on, and reached home at last. -Ur would not have left a tooth in his father’s -mouth, trying to put in the three that he had -brought; but the father stopped him.</p> - -<p>Lawn Dyarrig, left in Terrible Valley, began -to walk around for himself. He had been walking -but one day when whom should he meet but -the lad Shortclothes, and he saluted him. “By -what way can I leave Terrible Valley?” asked -Lawn Dyarrig.</p> - -<p>“If I had a grip on you that’s what you -wouldn’t ask of me a second time,” said Shortclothes.</p> - -<p>“If you have not touched me you will before -you are much older.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_277"></a>[277]</span></p> - -<p>“If I do, you will not treat me as you did all -my people and my master.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll do worse to you than I did to them,” said -Lawn Dyarrig.</p> - -<p>They caught each other then, one grip under -the arm and one grip on the shoulder. ’Tis not -long they were wrestling when Lawn Dyarrig -had Shortclothes on the earth, and he gave him -the five thin tyings dear and tight.</p> - -<p>“You are the best hero I have ever met,” said -Shortclothes; “give me quarter for my soul,—spare -me. When I did not tell you of my own -will, I must tell in spite of myself.”</p> - -<p>“It is as easy for me to loosen you as to tie -you,” said Lawn Dyarrig, and he freed him. -The moment he was free, Shortclothes said,—</p> - -<p>“I put you under bonds, and the misfortune of -the year to be walking and going always till you -go to the northeast point of the world, and get -the heart and liver of the serpent which is seven -years asleep and seven years awake.”</p> - -<p>Lawn Dyarrig went away then, and never -stopped till he was in the northeast of the world, -where he found the serpent asleep.</p> - -<p>“I will not go unawares on you while you are -asleep,” said Lawn Dyarrig, and he turned to go. -When he was going, the serpent drew him down -her throat with one breath.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_278"></a>[278]</span></p> - -<p>Inside he found three men playing cards in her -belly. Each laughed when he looked at Lawn -Dyarrig.</p> - -<p>“What reason have you for laughing?” asked -he.</p> - -<p>“We are laughing with glee to have another -partner to fill out our number.”</p> - -<p>Lawn Dyarrig did not sit down to play. He -drew his sword, and was searching and looking -till he found the heart and liver of the serpent. -He took a part of each, and cut out a way for himself -between two ribs. The three card-players -followed when they saw the chance of escape.</p> - -<p>Lawn Dyarrig, free of the serpent, never -stopped till he came to Shortclothes, and he was -a day and three years on the journey, and doing -the work.</p> - -<p>“Since you are not dead now,” said Shortclothes, -“there is no death allotted to you. I’ll -find a way for you to leave Terrible Valley. Go -and take that old bridle hanging there beyond -and shake it; whatever beast comes and puts its -head into the bridle will carry you.”</p> - -<p>Lawn Dyarrig shook the bridle, and a dirty, -shaggy little foal came and put head in the -bridle. Lawn Dyarrig mounted, dropped the -reins on the foal’s neck, and let him take his own -choice of roads. The foal brought Lawn Dyarrig<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_279"></a>[279]</span> -out by another way to the upper world, and took -him to Erin. Lawn Dyarrig stopped some distance -from his father’s castle, and knocked at the -house of an old weaver.</p> - -<p>“Who are you?” asked the old man.</p> - -<p>“I am a weaver,” said Lawn Dyarrig.</p> - -<p>“What can you do?”</p> - -<p>“I can spin for twelve and twist for twelve.”</p> - -<p>“This is a very good man,” said the old weaver -to his sons. “Let us try him.”</p> - -<p>The work they would be doing for a year he -had done in one hour. When dinner was over -the old man began to wash and shave, and his -two sons began to do the same.</p> - -<p>“Why is this?” asked Lawn Dyarrig.</p> - -<p>“Haven’t you heard that Ur, son of the king, -is to marry to-night the woman that he took -from the Green Knight of Terrible Valley?”</p> - -<p>“I have not,” said Lawn Dyarrig; “but as all -are going to the wedding, I suppose I may go -without offence.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you may,” said the weaver. “There will -be a hundred thousand welcomes before you.”</p> - -<p>“Are there any linen sheets within?”</p> - -<p>“There are,” said the weaver.</p> - -<p>“It is well to have bags ready for yourself and -two sons.”</p> - -<p>The weaver made bags for the three very<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_280"></a>[280]</span> -quickly. They went to the wedding. Lawn -Dyarrig put what dinner was on the first table -into the weaver’s bag, and sent the old man -home with it. The food of the second table he -put in the eldest son’s bag, filled the second -son’s bag from the third table, and sent the two -home.</p> - -<p>The complaint went to Ur that an impudent -stranger was taking all the food.</p> - -<p>“It is not right to turn any man away,” said -the bridegroom; “but if that stranger does not -mind he will be thrown out of the castle.”</p> - -<p>“Let me look at the face of the disturber,” -said the bride.</p> - -<p>“Go and bring the fellow who is troubling the -guests,” said Ur, to the servants.</p> - -<p>Lawn Dyarrig was brought right away, and -stood before the bride, who filled a glass with -wine and gave it to him. Lawn Dyarrig drank -half the wine, and dropped in the ring which the -lady had given him in Terrible Valley.</p> - -<p>When the bride took the glass again the ring -went of itself with one leap to her finger. She -knew then who was standing before her.</p> - -<p>“This is the man who conquered the Green -Knight, and saved me from Terrible Valley,” -said she to the King of Erin; “this is Lawn -Dyarrig, your son.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_281"></a>[281]</span></p> - -<p>Lawn Dyarrig took out the three teeth, and -put them in his father’s mouth. They fitted -there perfectly, and grew into their old place. -The king was satisfied; and as the lady would -marry no man but Lawn Dyarrig he was the -bridegroom.</p> - -<p>“I must give you a present,” said the bride to -the queen. “Here is a beautiful scarf which you -are to wear as a girdle this evening.”</p> - -<p>The queen put the scarf around her waist.</p> - -<p>“Tell me now,” said the bride to the queen, -“who was Ur’s father?”</p> - -<p>“What father could he have but his own father, -the King of Erin?”</p> - -<p>“Tighten, scarf,” said the bride.</p> - -<p>That moment the queen thought that her head -was in the sky, and the lower half of her body -down deep in the earth.</p> - -<p>“Oh, my grief and my woe!” cried the queen.</p> - -<p>“Answer my question in truth, and the scarf -will stop squeezing you. Who was Ur’s father?”</p> - -<p>“The gardener,” said the queen.</p> - -<p>“Whose son is Arthur?”</p> - -<p>“The king’s son.”</p> - -<p>“Tighten, scarf,” said the bride.</p> - -<p>If the queen suffered before, she suffered twice -as much this time, and screamed for help.</p> - -<p>“Answer me truly, and you’ll be without pain;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_282"></a>[282]</span> -if not, death will be on you this minute. Whose -son is Arthur?”</p> - -<p>“The swine-herd’s.”</p> - -<p>“Who is the king’s son?”</p> - -<p>“The king has no son but Lawn Dyarrig.”</p> - -<p>“Tighten, scarf.”</p> - -<p>The scarf did not tighten, and if the bride had -been commanding it for a day and a year it -would not have tightened, for the queen told the -truth that time. When the wedding was over, -the king gave Lawn Dyarrig half his kingdom, -and made Ur and Arthur his servants.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_283"></a>[283]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="BALOR_ON_TORY_ISLAND">BALOR ON TORY ISLAND.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>Long ago Ri Balor lived on Tory Island, and -he lived there because it was prophesied -that he was never to die unless he’d be killed by -the son of his only daughter.</p> - -<p>Balor, to put the daughter in the way that -she’d never have a son, went to live on Tory, -and built a castle on Tor Mor, a cliff jutting -into the ocean. He put twelve women to guard -the daughter, and all around the castle he had -cords fixed, and every one of them tied to bells, -so that no man could come in secret. If any -man touched a cord all the bells would ring and -give notice, and Balor would seize him.</p> - -<p>Balor lived that way, well satisfied. He was -full sure that his life was out of danger.</p> - -<p>Opposite on the mainland, at Druim na Teine -(hill of fire), lived a smith, Gavidin, who had his -forge there. The smith owned a cow called Glas -Gavlen, and she was his enchanted step-sister.</p> - -<p>This cow was called Gavlen because she was -giving milk, and she the fifth year without a -calf. Glas Gavlen was very choice of food;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_284"></a>[284]</span> -she would eat no grass but the best. But if the -cow ate much good grass there was no measuring -the milk she gave; she filled every vessel, and -the milk was sweet and rich.</p> - -<p>The smith set great value on Glas Gavlen, and -no wonder, for she was the first cow that came -to Erin, and at that time the only one.</p> - -<p>The smith took care of the cow himself, and -never let her out of his sight except when working -in his forge, and then he had a careful man -minding her.</p> - -<p>Balor had an eye on Glas Gavlen, and wanted -to bring her to Tory for his own use, so he told -two agents of his, Maol and Mullag, who were -living near Druim na Teine, to get the cow for -him. The smith would not part with Glas -Gavlen for any price, so there was no way left -but to steal her. There was no chance for stealing -till one time when three brothers, named -Duv, Donn, and Fin, sons of Ceanfaeligh -(Kinealy), went to the forge to have three swords -made.</p> - -<p>“Each man of you is to mind the cow while I -am working,” said the smith, “and if he loses -her I’ll take the head off him.”</p> - -<p>“We will agree to that,” said the brothers.</p> - -<p>Duv and Donn went with Glas Gavlen on the -first day and the second, and brought her back<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_285"></a>[285]</span> -to the smith safely. When his turn came Fin -took the cow out on the third day, but when -some distance from the forge he bethought himself -and ran back to tell the smith not to make -his sword so heavy as those of his brothers. The -moment he was inside in the forge Maol and -Mullag, Balor’s men, stole the cow, and away -they went quickly, driving her toward Baile -Nass. When they came to the brow of the -slope, where the sand begins, they drew her -down to the water’s edge by the tail, and put -her into a boat which they had there prepared -and ready.</p> - -<p>They sailed toward Tory, but stopped at Inis -Bofin (island of the white cow) and put the cow -out on land. She drank from a well there, which -is called since that time Tobar na Glaise (well of -the gray cow). After that they sailed on, and -landed the same day at Port na Glaise, on Tory -Island.</p> - -<p>When Fin came out of the forge he saw nothing -of Glas Gavlen,—neither trace nor sign of her. -He ran back then with the evil tidings to the -smith.</p> - -<p>“If you fail to bring her back to me within -three days,” said Gavidin, “I’ll take the head -off you, according to our bargain. I made the -sword to oblige you, and you promised to bring -the cow or give your head.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_286"></a>[286]</span></p> - -<p>Away with Fin then, travelling and lamenting, -looking for Glas Gavlen. He went toward Baile -Nass and came to a place on the strand where a -party of men were playing ball. He inquired -of them about the cow, but they began to make -game of him, he looked so queer in himself, and -was so sad. At last one of the players, whose -name was Gial Duv (Black Jaw), came up to Fin -and spoke to him: “Stand aside till the game is -over, and I’ll talk to you. This is a party of -players that you should not interfere with; they -are lucht sidhe [people of the mounds, fairies]. -I know what your trouble is. I will go with -you, and do my best to bring the cow. I know -where she is, and if I cannot bring her, no one -can.”</p> - -<p>They searched down as far as Maheroerty, and -went then to Minlara, where a boat was found. -They sailed away in the boat, and reached Tory -that night a few hours after Maol and Mullag.</p> - -<p>“Go now,” said Gial Duv to Fin, “and ask -Balor what would release the cow, and what can -you do to earn her. I’ll stay here till you come -back to me.”</p> - -<p>Fin went to Balor and asked the question.</p> - -<p>“To get the cow,” said Balor, “you must eat -seven green hides while one inch of a rush-light -is burning, and I’ll light it myself.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_287"></a>[287]</span></p> - -<p>Fin returned and told Gial Duv. “Go,” said -Gial, “and tell him you will try to do that. He -will put you in a room apart with the hides and -take the rush himself. Cut the hides quickly, -and if you can cut them I’ll make away with -them. I’ll be there with you, invisible.”</p> - -<p>All this was done. Fin cut the hides and Gial -Duv put them away. The moment the rush-light -was burned Balor came in, and there wasn’t a -hand’s breadth of the hides left.</p> - -<p>“I have the seven hides eaten,” said Fin.</p> - -<p>“Come to me to-morrow. My daughter will -throw the cow’s halter. If she throws it to you -the cow will be yours.”</p> - -<p>Fin was let out of the room then.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Gial Duv, “I’ll take you to -Balor’s daughter. There is a wall between the -castle and the rest of the island, and I’ll take you -over it. There are cords along the wall everywhere, -and whoever tries to pass over will touch -them and sound all the bells in the place. I will -raise you above them all and take you in without -noise. You will go first to Balor’s daughter; -she will be pleased with you and like you. After -that you will see all the other women, and do -you be as intimate with them as with Balor’s -daughter, so that they will not tell that you were -in it, and be sure to tell the daughter to throw -you the cow’s halter to-morrow.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_288"></a>[288]</span></p> - -<p>Fin was taken into the castle by Gial Duv without -noise, and he did all that Gial directed. Next -day Fin went to Balor and asked for the cow.</p> - -<p>“Well, come with me. Let my daughter throw -the halter. If she throws it to you the cow will -be yours.”</p> - -<p>They went. She threw the halter at Fin, and -Balor was very angry. “Oh, daughter,” cried -he, “what have you done?”</p> - -<p>“Don’t you know,” said she, “that there is a -false cast in every woman’s hand? There is a -crooked vein in my arm, and I could not help it; -that’s what gave the halter to Fin.”</p> - -<p>Balor had to give the cow and forgive the -daughter. Fin took Glas Gavlen to the mainland -that day and gave her to the smith.</p> - -<p>Before the year was out Gial Duv went to Fin -and said, “Make ready and come with me to -Tory; if you don’t Balor will find out what -happened when you were on the island, and kill -his own daughter, with the twelve women and all -the children.”</p> - -<p>The two went to Tory that evening, and when -the children were born the women gave twelve -of them to Fin in a blanket, and one, Balor’s -grandson, by himself in a separate cloth. Fin -took his place in the boat with the twelve on his -back, and one at his breast. The blanket was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_289"></a>[289]</span> -fastened at his throat with a dealg (thorn); the -thorn broke (there was a great stress on it, for -the weather was rough), and the twelve children -fell in the water at Sruth Deilg and became -seals.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” cried Gial, “the children are lost. -Have you Balor’s grandson?”</p> - -<p>“I have,” answered Fin.</p> - -<p>“That is well. We don’t care for the others -while we have him.”</p> - -<p>They brought the child to the mainland, where -a nurse was found, but the child was not thriving -with her.</p> - -<p>“Let us return to Tory with the boy,” said -Gial Duv. “There is nothing that Balor wishes -for so much as trees. He has tried often to -make trees grow on the island, but it was no use -for him. Do you promise that you’ll make a -grand forest on Tory if he’ll let some of the -women nurse the child. Tell him that your -wife died not long ago. Balor will say, ‘How -could we find a nurse here when there is no -woman on the island who has a child of her -own?’ You will say that ’tis a power this child -has that whatever woman touches him has her -breast full of milk. I will put you in with the -women in the evening, and do you tell them -what is wanted. The mother is to take the child<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_290"></a>[290]</span> -first when you go in to-morrow, and she will -hand him quickly to another and that one to a -third, and so on before any can be stopped.”</p> - -<p>Fin gave the child to Balor’s daughter before -her father could come near her; she gave him -to one of the women, and he was passed on till -all twelve had had him. It was found that all -had milk, and Balor consented to let the child -be nursed.</p> - -<p>Gial Duv made a large fine forest of various -trees. For two years Balor was delighted; he -was the gladdest man, for all he wanted was trees -and shelter on Tory Island.</p> - -<p>The child was in good hands now with his -mother and the twelve women, and when able -to walk, Fin used to bring him out in the daytime. -Once he kept him and went to the mainland. -The next day a terrible wind rose, and it -didn’t leave a tree standing on Tory. Balor -knew now that the forest was all enchantment -and deceit, and said that he would destroy Fin -and all his clan for playing such a trick on him. -Balor sent his agents and servants to watch Fin -and kill him.</p> - -<p>Fin was warned by Gial Duv, and took care of -himself for a long time, but at last they caught -him. It was his custom to hunt in Glen Ath, -for there were many deer and much game there<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_291"></a>[291]</span> -in those days, and Fin was very fond of hunting; -but he shunned all their ambushes, till one evening -when they were lying in wait for him in the -bushes by a path which he was travelling for the -first time. They leaped up when he was near, -caught him, and bound him.</p> - -<p>“Take the head off me at one blow,” said he, -“and be done with it.”</p> - -<p>They put his head on a stone and cut it off -with one blow. In this way died Fin MacKinealy, -the father of Balor’s grandson. This -grandson was a strong youth now. He was a -young man, in fact, and his name was Lui Lavada -(Lui Longhand). He was called Lavada because -his arms were so long that he could tie his shoes -without stooping. Lui did not know that he was -Balor’s grandson. He knew that his father had -been killed by Balor’s men, and he was waiting -to avenge him.</p> - -<p>A couple of years later there was a wedding on -the mainland, and it was the custom that no one -was to begin to eat at a wedding till Maol and -Mullag should carve the first slices. They did -not come this time in season, and all the guests -were impatient.</p> - -<p>“I’ll carve the meat for you,” said Balor’s -grandson. With that he carved some slices, and -all present began to eat and drink.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_292"></a>[292]</span></p> - -<p>After a while Maol and Mullag came, and they -were in a great rage because the people were -eating, drinking, and enjoying the wedding feast -without themselves.</p> - -<p>When all had finished eating and drinking, and -were ready to go home, Maol said, “The bride -will go with me.”</p> - -<p>The bride began to cry when she heard that, -and was in great distress. Lui Lavada asked -what trouble was on her, and the people told -him, that since Balor’s two deputies were ruling -on the mainland it was their custom at weddings -that Maol, the first in authority, should keep -company with the bride the first evening, and -Mullag the second evening.</p> - -<p>“It’s time to put a stop to that,” said Lui -Lavada, Balor’s grandson. With that he walked -up to the two and said, “Ye’ll go home out of -this as ye are.”</p> - -<p>Maol answered with insult, and made an offer -to strike him. Lui caught Maol then and split -his tongue; he cut a hole in each of his cheeks, -and putting one half of the tongue through the -left cheek, and the other through the right, he -thrust a sliver of wood through the tips of each -half. He took Mullag then and treated him in -like manner.</p> - -<p>The people led the two down to the seashore<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_293"></a>[293]</span> -after that. Lui put Maol in one boat and -Mullag in another, and let them go with the -wind, which carried them out in the ocean, and -there is no account that any man saved them.</p> - -<p>Balor swore vengeance on the people for -destroying his men, and especially on Lui -Lavada. He had an eye in the middle of his -forehead which he kept covered always with -nine shields of thick leather, so that he might -not open his eye and turn it on anything, for -no matter what Balor looked at with the naked -eye he burned it to ashes. He set out in a rage -then from Tory, and never stopped till he landed -at Baile Nass and went toward Gavidin’s forge. -The grandson was there before him, and had a -spear ready and red hot.</p> - -<p>When Balor had eight shields raised from the -evil eye, and was just raising the ninth, Lui -Lavada sent the red spear into it. Balor pursued -his grandson, who retreated before him, -going south, and never stopped till he reached -Dun Lui, near Errigal Mountain. There he sat -on a rock, wearied and exhausted. While he -was sitting there, everything came to his mind -that he did since the time that his men stole -Glas Gavlen from Gavidin Gow. “I see it all -now,” said he. “This is my grandson who has -given the mortal blow to me. He is the son of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_294"></a>[294]</span> -my daughter and Fin MacKinealy. No one else -could have given that spear cast but him.” -With that Balor called to the grandson and -said, “Come near now. Take the head off me -and place it above on your own a few moments. -You will know everything in the world, and no -one will be able to conquer you.”</p> - -<p>Lui took the head off his grandfather, and, -instead of putting it on his own head, he put it -on a rock. The next moment a drop came out -of the head, made a thousand pieces of the rock, -and dug a hole in the earth three times deeper -than Loch Foyle,—the deepest lake in the -world up to that time,—and so long that in that -hole are the waters of Gweedore Loch, they -have been there from that day to this.</p> - -<p class="tb">The above tale I wrote down on the mainland, -where I found also another version, but inferior -to this. On Tory itself I found two versions, -both incomplete. Though differing in particulars, -the argument is the same in all. Balor is -represented as living on Tory to escape the doom -which threatens him through a coming grandson; -he covets the cow Glas Gavlen, and finally gains -her through his agents.</p> - -<p>The theft of the cow is the first act in a series -which ends with the death of Balor at Gweedore,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_295"></a>[295]</span> -and brings about the fulfilment of the prophecy. -In all the variants of the tale Balor is the same -unrepentant, unconquerable character,—the man -whom nothing can bend, who tries to avenge his -own fate after his death by the destruction of his -grandson. The grandson does not know whom -he is about to kill. He slays Balor to avenge -his father, Fin MacKinealy, according to the -vendetta of the time.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_296"></a>[296]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="BALOR_OF_THE_EVIL_EYE_AND_LUI">BALOR OF THE EVIL EYE AND LUI -LAVADA HIS GRANDSON.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>Long ago there were people in Erin called -Firbolgs; and they lived undisturbed many -years, till a king called Balor Beiman came from -Lochlin with great forces, made war on the -Firbolgs, killed their king, and drove themselves -out of Erin.</p> - -<p>The Firbolgs went to Spain; and there they -were looking for means of support, but could -find none, unless what they got for work in -carrying mortar.</p> - -<p>They carried mortar, and lived that way till at -long last the Spaniards said, “These people are -too many in number; let us drive them out of -the country.” So the Spaniards drove out the -Firbolgs, and they came back to Erin. In Erin -they attacked Balor and his Lochlin men, but -were defeated with loss a second time. When -they left Erin again, the Firbolgs went to the -lands of Gallowna, and there they lived undisturbed -and unharmed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_297"></a>[297]</span></p> - -<p>When the Firbolgs were driven out of Erin -the second time, Balor Beiman summoned his -chief men, and said to them, “I will go back to -Lochlin now and live there in quiet. I am too -old to fight with new enemies. I will leave my -sons here with you to rule in place of myself; -and do ye obey them, and be as brave under -them as ye were under me.”</p> - -<p>With that Balor left Erin, sailed away, and -never stopped till he reached home in Lochlin.</p> - -<p>At that time there was a smith in Erin named -Gaivnin Gow, and he had a cow called Glas -Gownach. The smith had a magic halter with -which he used to tie the cow every night.</p> - -<p>Glas Gownach travelled three provinces of Erin -every day, and came home in the evening; the -halter had power over her, and she went always -to the halter in the evening if left to herself.</p> - -<p>The cow gave milk to every one on her journey -each day,—no matter how large the vessels were -that people brought, or how many, she filled -them; there was no lack of milk in Erin while -that cow was in it. She was sent to give food -and comfort to all, and she gave it, but especially -to poor people.</p> - -<p>Balor Beiman had his eye on the cow, and, -when going back to Lochlin from Erin, he -watched his chance and stole the halter. Gaivnin<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_298"></a>[298]</span> -Gow saw the theft, but too late to prevent it. -Balor escaped with the halter, and made off to -Lochlin.</p> - -<p>Gaivnin Gow ran quickly to Glas Gownach, -caught her by the tail, and held her that way till -evening, when he drove her home carefully, and -shut her up in the forge behind the bellows, -where he milked her.</p> - -<p>Gaivnin Gow stopped work in his forge now, -and did nothing but mind the cow. He went -out in the morning, followed her through every -place, and brought her back in the evening. He -held her tail all the day, and never let go his -hold of her till he had her fastened behind the -bellows.</p> - -<p>The people got milk as before from Glas -Gownach wherever she went through the country; -but the smith got no milk till he had the -cow enclosed in the forge.</p> - -<p>The widow of the king of the Firbolgs took -a new husband in the land of Gallowna, and -had seven sons there. When the eldest, Geali -Dianvir, had grown up, she said to him, “I will -give you ships now, and go you to Erin with -warriors and good champions to know can we get -satisfaction of those people who hunted us out of -our country like hares or foxes.”</p> - -<p>The son took the ships, and sailed away with<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_299"></a>[299]</span> -champions and heroes, and never stopped till he -sailed into Caola Beag (Killybegs, in Donegal). -He landed in that place, left his ships safely -fastened, and went forward travelling. He never -stopped on his way nor halted till he came to a -place called Blan Ri. He halted in that place, -for before him were three armies fighting.</p> - -<p>When they saw the new forces coming, the -armies stopped fighting.</p> - -<p>“Why are ye fighting here with three -armies?” asked Dianvir; “what is the cause of -your struggle?”</p> - -<p>The leader of one army said, “We are brothers; -our father died not long since; he was king of -three provinces, and I think it my right to be -king in his place.”</p> - -<p>The leader of the second army, the middle -brother, said, “I have as much right to be king -after my father as he has.”</p> - -<p>The third brother said, “I have as much right -to be king as either of them.”</p> - -<p>Neither of the three was willing to yield his -claim, or obey one of the others; but they were -all ready to fight while their strength lasted.</p> - -<p>“Your trouble can be settled easily,” said -Dianvir; “if ye are willing.”</p> - -<p>“Settle it, and do us a service,” said the eldest -brother.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_300"></a>[300]</span></p> - -<p>“I will; but ye must take my judgment and -obey it.”</p> - -<p>“We will,” said all the brothers. “We will -accept your decision, and do what you tell us.”</p> - -<p>“Listen, then,” said Dianvir: “you, the eldest, -will be king for this year. You, the second, -will be king in his place the second year; and -you, the youngest brother, will be king the third -year. The fourth year, you, the eldest brother, -will be king again for a year; and so it will go -on, and you and your two brothers will be spending -time happily all your lives.”</p> - -<p>The three brothers agreed, and were glad. The -eldest was king that first year. Dianvir went his -way; but he had hardly gone out of their sight -when the youngest of the three brothers said, -“That man will make trouble for us yet; my -advice is to follow him, and put an end to himself -and his men before they can harm us.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the eldest, “sure ye would not kill -the man who gave us good counsel and settled -our difficulty?”</p> - -<p>“No matter what he did,” said the youngest; -“he will give you trouble yet if ye let him go. -Follow him, put an end to him, or he will put -an end to us.”</p> - -<p>They sent men after Dianvir. As Dianvir was -a stranger in Erin he had no knowledge of the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_301"></a>[301]</span> -roads: when a lake was before him he was long -going around it; when he came to a deep river -he was long finding a ford.</p> - -<p>Dianvir’s men were cut off, most of them fell, -and he himself fell with others. A small number -escaped to the ships, took one of them, and -sailed to the land of Gallowna. They told the -queen the whole story, told how they had been -treated with treachery.</p> - -<p>“I will have satisfaction for my son,” said the -mother. “I will have it without waiting long.” -With that she had ships and boats prepared, and -went herself with her other sons, and strong -forces, to take vengeance on the brothers. The -queen and her forces were six weeks sailing -hither and over, driven by strong winds, when -one morning a sailor at the topmast cried, “I -see land!”</p> - -<p>“Is it more or less of it that you see?” asked -the queen.</p> - -<p>“I see land, the size of a pig’s back,” said the -sailor, “and a black back it is.”</p> - -<p>They sailed three days and nights longer, and -on the fourth morning they were near shore, and -landed in Bantry (White Strand). The queen -fixed her house at Ardneevy, and prepared for -action; but instead of the three brothers it was -the sons of Balor she had against her.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_302"></a>[302]</span></p> - -<p>War began, and the Lochlin men were getting -the upper hand the first days. At some distance -from their camp was a well of venom, and into -this well they dipped their swords and spears -before going to battle, and the man of the enemy -who was barely grazed by a weapon dipped in -the well was as badly off as the man whose head -was taken from him. There was no chance now -for the queen’s forces, so she called her sons and -said to them, “We’ll be destroyed to the last -one unless we find help against this venom. Go -to the Old Blind Sage, and ask advice of him.”</p> - -<p>The sons went to the sage, and the advice they -got was this,—</p> - -<p>“There is a well of venom not far from the -camp of the Lochlin men. Before going to -battle they dip their swords and spears in that -water, and the enemy who is touched by those -weapons that day is killed as surely as if the -head had been swept from him. Ye are to get -twenty measures of the milk of Glas Gownach, -and pour it into that well in the night-time; the -milk will be going down in the well and the -poison will be rising and going out till it flows -away and is lost altogether. Take, then, a hundred -swords and spears to Gaivnin Gow, the -smith, to put temper on their points and edges. -He will do this if ye follow the cow all day<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_303"></a>[303]</span> -for him and bring her home safely in the -evening.”</p> - -<p>The queen’s sons did what the sage advised. -The venom went from the well when the cow’s -milk was poured into it. From that night out -the weapons of the Lochlin men were common -swords and spears.</p> - -<p>When the queen’s sons went with the swords -and spears to Gaivnin Gow, he said, “I cannot -work for you. I am minding this cow, Glas -Gownach, that travels three provinces of Erin -every day; I must go with her wherever she -goes, bring her home, and put her behind the -bellows in the forge every night. If the cow -goes from me I am lost, with my wife and -children. We have no means of support but -her milk.”</p> - -<p>“I am as good a man as you,” said the best of -the brothers; “I will mind the cow, and bring her -back in the evening.”</p> - -<p>The smith let the cow go with him at last, and -went to work at the swords and spears. The -young man followed the cow faithfully, all day, -brought her back in the evening, left her outside -the forge, and went in himself. The smith had -the swords and spears tempered.</p> - -<p>“Where is the cow Glas Gownach?” asked -Gaivnin Gow.</p> - -<p>“Outside at the door.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_304"></a>[304]</span></p> - -<p>“Bad luck to you, she is gone from me now, -gone forever!”</p> - -<p>They went out. Not a trace of Glas Gownach. -She had gone to Balor Beiman in Lochlin, for he -had the halter.</p> - -<p>There was a great battle on the following day, -the queen fell and her sons, except two. Balor’s -sons were all killed, and the Lochlin men driven -away.</p> - -<p>Balor rose up in anger when the news came to -Lochlin. “I’ll have satisfaction for my sons,” -said he. “I will burn all Erin!”</p> - -<p>Besides his two eyes Balor had a third one, -an evil eye, in the middle of his forehead, with -the power to burn everything in the world that -it looked upon. Over this eye he kept seven -steel shields, and a lock on each one of them.</p> - -<p>“I will destroy Erin, and no man can stop me,” -said Balor; “for no man can kill me but the son -of my daughter. She has no son, and if she had -itself, he could kill me only with the red spear -made by Gaivnin Gow, and it cast into my eye -the moment I raise the last shield from it, when -I am standing on Muin Duv<a id="FNanchor_4" href="#Footnote_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> [Black Back] to -burn Erin.”</p> - -<p>One day the two brothers were talking, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_305"></a>[305]</span> -Cian, the youngest son of the queen of the -Firbolgs, said to his only living brother, “We -have done great harm to Gaivnin Gow. It is by -us that the cow went from him, and we should -bring her back.”</p> - -<p>“That is more than we can do,” said the -second brother, “unless we get help from Bark -an Tra, the druid.”</p> - -<p>The two brothers went to Bark an Tra, and -Cian told their story.</p> - -<p>“The work is a hard one; I don’t know can -you do it,” said the druid; “but you can try; I -will help you. The cow is with Balor Beiman, -in Lochlin. He stole her halter when he went -from Erin; and she followed it the day your -brother left her outside the forge. No man can -bring the cow with him unless he has the halter, -and it is hard to get that.</p> - -<p>“Balor Beiman can be killed only by the son -of his daughter; he has her behind seven locked -doors. No living person sees the daughter but -himself. He sees her every day, takes food and -drink to her. To bring back the cow you must -make the acquaintance of Balor’s daughter. I -will give you a cloak of darkness; put it over -you, and make your way to Lochlin. When -Balor goes to see his daughter, you go with him. -He opens one door, goes in and locks it, opens<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_306"></a>[306]</span> -the second, goes in and locks that, and so on. -When he is inside in his daughter’s chamber the -seven doors are locked behind him.”</p> - -<p>Cian put on the cloak of darkness, and no man -could see him; he went to Lochlin then, and -followed Balor to his daughter’s chamber. He -waited till the night when she was sleeping, -went then to her bedside, and put his hand on -her heavily.</p> - -<p>She screamed, saying, “Some one is in the -chamber.”</p> - -<p>Balor came, very angry and with an evil face, -to see who was in it. He searched the chamber -through, searched many times, found no one. -Failing to find any one, he returned to his own -place and went to bed. Cian came again and -put a heavier hand on Balor’s daughter. She -roared out that some one was in the chamber. -Balor came, searched, and looked several times, -and went away. The third time the young man -put a still heavier hand on the maiden, and she -screamed louder. Balor searched this time more -carefully, found no man, and said, “Oh, you are -a torment; it’s dreaming you are. You are hoping -for some one to be in the world to destroy -me, but that is what never will be. If I hear -another scream here I will take the head off -you surely.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_307"></a>[307]</span></p> - -<p>No sooner was Balor gone this time, and the -seven doors locked, than the young man came -again, and put a heavier hand than ever on the -maiden. She did not scream then; she was in -dread of her father, but said slowly, “Are you -a living man or a ghost?”</p> - -<p>“I am so and so,” said Cian, “the best champion -in the world, and I have come here to win -you.” He talked on till he pleased her, they -agreed then. He spent three days in her company. -On the fourth day he followed Balor out -of the chamber, and away with him back to Erin. -He went to Bark an Tra, the druid.</p> - -<p>“Were you in Lochlin with Balor?”</p> - -<p>“I was.”</p> - -<p>“How did you behave?”</p> - -<p>“So and so,” said Cian.</p> - -<p>“You must be there again at the right time.”</p> - -<p>Cian was back in Lochlin at the right time, -unseen in his cloak of darkness, and brought -away a child with him to Erin. The child was -not thriving for three years, hardly lived, and -was puny.</p> - -<p>“The child is not doing well,” said Cian to -the druid.</p> - -<p>“The child will do well yet,” answered Bark -an Tra. “Take him now to Lochlin as far as -Balor; the child will not thrive till his grandfather -calls him by name.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_308"></a>[308]</span></p> - -<p>Cian went to Balor. “Well,” said Balor, “who -are you and what journey are you on?”</p> - -<p>“I am a poor man looking for service.”</p> - -<p>“What child is that you have with you?”</p> - -<p>“My own child,” said Cian; “my wife is -dead.”</p> - -<p>“What can you do?” asked Balor.</p> - -<p>“I am the best gardener in the world.”</p> - -<p>“I have a better gardener than you,” said -Balor.</p> - -<p>“You have not. What can your gardener -do?”</p> - -<p>“The tree that he plants on Monday morning -has the finest ripe apples in the world on Saturday -night.”</p> - -<p>“That’s nothing. The tree that I plant in the -morning I’ll pluck from it in the evening the -finest ripe apples you have ever set eyes on.”</p> - -<p>“I do not like to have any child near my -castle,” said Balor; “but I will keep you for a -time, even with the child, if your wages are not -too great for me.”</p> - -<p>“I will work a day and a year for the cow.”</p> - -<p>Balor agreed to the terms, and took Cian. -Balor spoke no word to the child, good or bad, -and the boy was not thriving. One day Cian -was bringing to Balor a lot of fine apples from -one of his trees; he stumbled on the threshold,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_309"></a>[309]</span> -and the apples fell to the floor. All the people -present ran to gather the apples, the child better -than others. He worked so nimbly that he picked -up two-thirds of all that had fallen, though a -whole crowd was picking as well as himself.</p> - -<p>“Tog leat Lui Lavada [Take away with you -Little Long Hand],” cried Balor.</p> - -<p>“Oh, he has the name now,” said Cian.</p> - -<p>Cian worked his time out then, and said, “I -will take my pay another day.”</p> - -<p>“You may take it when you like,” said Balor.</p> - -<p>Cian took his son to Erin; the child grew -wonderfully after that, and was soon of full -strength.</p> - -<p>Cian went to the druid.</p> - -<p>“The time is near,” said the druid, “when -Balor will stand on Muin Duv. He’ll raise his -eye-shields; and if the red spear is not put in his -eye when the last shield is raised, all Erin will -be burned in one flash. Go now and ask Balor -Beiman for your wages; say that you want the -cow Glas Gownach, for we want her and must -have her. He will refuse, dispute, and quarrel, -give bad names. You will say that he must pay -you, must give the cow or go to judgment. He -will go to judgment rather than give the cow; -and do you choose his daughter as judge; she -will give the cow to you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_310"></a>[310]</span></p> - -<p>“I will go to judgment,” said Balor, when Cian -insisted on getting the cow. “What judgment -will you have?”</p> - -<p>“My case is a true one,” said Cian. “I ask -no judge but the one yourself will take. I ask -no judge but your own daughter.”</p> - -<p>“Let her be the judge,” said Balor.</p> - -<p>Cian put on his cloak of darkness, and, going -to the daughter, explained his case to her. Next -day Balor went in and told her all the story of -the cow Glas Gownach.</p> - -<p>“I must have nine days to think the matter -over,” said Balor’s daughter.</p> - -<p>She got the time, then she asked three days -more. On the thirteenth morning Balor went -to her and said, “The judgment must be made -to-day.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the daughter, “go out now and -stand before the window, you and the gardener, -and to whomever the halter comes from me he’ll -have the cow.”</p> - -<p>When they stood in front of the window, she -threw the halter to Cian.</p> - -<p>“How could you do that?” cried out Balor.</p> - -<p>“Oh, father, they say there is always a crooked -cast in a woman’s hand. I threw toward you; -but it’s to the gardener the halter went.”</p> - -<p>Balor let the cow go. He was very angry,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_311"></a>[311]</span> -but could not help himself. “You have Glas -Gownach; but I’ll have satisfaction in my own -time,” cried he, as Cian went away.</p> - -<p>“We have troubled you greatly with our work,” -said Cian to Gaivnin Gow; “but here is the cow -for you, and with her the halter. You can stay -at home now and rest; you need follow her no -longer.”</p> - -<p>Cian went that night to the druid, and said, “I -have the cow back in Erin.”</p> - -<p>“It is well that you have,” answered the druid. -“In five days from this Balor will be here to -burn Up Erin. He will stand on Muin Duv at -daybreak. He will raise all the shields from -his eye; and unless a spear made by Gaivnin -Gow is hurled into his eye by his grandson that -instant, he will have all Erin in flames. You -must bring Gaivnin Gow and the forge with you -to Muin Duv, have the spear made, and all things -prepared there; and your son must be ready to -throw the red spear at the right moment.”</p> - -<p>Gaivnin Gow came. They brought the forge, -the spear, and all that was needed, put them -behind a rock on the side of Muin Duv. On the -fifth morning, at daylight, Balor was on the top -of Muin Duv; and the instant the last shield -reached his upper eyelid Lui Lavada struck him -with the spear, and Balor fell dead.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_312"></a>[312]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="ART_THE_KINGS_SON_AND_BALOR_BEIMENACH">ART, THE KING’S SON, AND BALOR BEIMENACH, -TWO SONS-IN-LAW OF KING -UNDER THE WAVE.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>The King of Leinster was at war for twenty -years, and conquered all before him. He -had a son named Art; and, when the wars were -over, this son was troubled because he could find -no right bride for himself. No princess could -suit him or his father; for they wanted an only -daughter. In this trouble they went to the old -druid.</p> - -<p>“Wait,” said the druid, “till I read my book -of enchantment; and then I will tell you where -to find such a woman.”</p> - -<p>He read his book, but could find no account of -an only daughter of the right age and station. -At last the druid said to the king, “Proclaim -over all Erin that if any man knows of such a -princess he is to come to this castle and tell -you.”</p> - -<p>The king did as the druid advised. At long -last a sailor walked the way, and went to the -king. “I know,” said he, “of the woman you -wish.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_313"></a>[313]</span></p> - -<p>“Who is she?” asked the king.</p> - -<p>“The only daughter of the King of Greece, -and she is beautiful. But it is better to keep -your son at home than to send him abroad; for -there is no man who could not find a good wife -in Erin.”</p> - -<p>Art would not listen to this advice, but said, -“I will go and get that one.”</p> - -<p>Next morning he made ready, took farewell -of his father, and away he went on his journey. -He rode a fine steed to the seashore; there he -took a ship, and nothing more is told of him till -he touched land in Greece. The King of Greece -received Art with great welcome, gave a feast -of seven days in his honor, and sent heralds -through the city declaring that any man who -would fall asleep till the end of the seven days -would have the head swept off his body.</p> - -<p>Silk and satin were spread under Art’s feet, -and respect of every kind shown him. He was -entertained seven days, and at last, when the -king didn’t ask him what journey he was on, he -said, “It is a wonder to me that you do not ask -what brought me, and why I am travelling.”</p> - -<p>“I am not surprised at all,” said the king. -“A good father’s son like you, and a man of such -beauty, ought to travel all nations, and see every -people.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_314"></a>[314]</span></p> - -<p>“I am not travelling to show myself nor to see -people. Men told me that you have an only -daughter. I want her in marriage, and ’tis for -her sake that I am here.”</p> - -<p>“I have never heard news I liked better,” said -the king; “and if my daughter is willing, and -her mother is satisfied, you have my blessing.”</p> - -<p>Art went to the queen and told her the cause -of his coming.</p> - -<p>“If the king and my daughter are satisfied,” -replied she, “that is the best tale that man -could bring me.”</p> - -<p>Art went to the princess, and she said, “If my -father and mother are willing, your words are -most welcome to me; but there is one obstacle -between us,—I can marry no man but the man -who will bring me the head of the Gruagach of -Bungling Leaps.”</p> - -<p>“Where is he to be found?” asked Art.</p> - -<p>“If ’twas in the east he was, I would direct -you to the west; and if ’twas in the west he was, -I would send you to the east: but not to harm -you would I do this, for thousands of men have -gone toward that gruagach, and not a man of -them has ever come back.”</p> - -<p>“Your opinion of me is not very high. I must -follow my nose and find the road.”</p> - -<p>Next morning Art took farewell of the king,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_315"></a>[315]</span> -and went his way travelling to know could he -find the gruagach. At that time gruagachs and -heroes lived in old castles. Art inquired and -inquired till he heard where the gruagach lived.</p> - -<p>At last he came to the castle, and shouted outside; -but if he did it was no use for him, he got -no answer. Art walked in, found the gruagach -on the flat of his back, fast asleep and snoring. -The gruagach had a sword in his hand. Art -caught the sword, but could not stir it from the -grasp of the gruagach.</p> - -<p>“’Tis hard to say,” thought he, “that I could -master you awake, if I can do nothing to you in -your slumber; but it would be a shame to strike -a sleeping man.”</p> - -<p>He hit the gruagach with the flat of his sword -below the knee, and woke him. The gruagach -opened his eyes, sat up, and said, “It would be -fitter for you to be herding cows and horses than -to be coming to this place to vex me.”</p> - -<p>“I am not here to give excuse or satisfaction -to you,” said Art, “but to knock satisfaction out -of your flesh, bones, and legs, and I’ll take the -head off you if I can.”</p> - -<p>“It seems, young man, that it is a princess -you want; and she will not marry you without -my head.”</p> - -<p>“That is the truth.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_316"></a>[316]</span></p> - -<p>“What is your name?” asked the gruagach; -“and from what country do you come?”</p> - -<p>“My name is Art, and I am son of the King -of Leinster, in Erin.”</p> - -<p>“Your name is great, and there is loud talk of -you, but your size is not much; and if the princess -were in question between us, I would think -as little of putting that small hill there on the -top of the big one beyond it as of killing you. -For your father’s sake, I would not harm you; -your father is as good a man for a stranger to -walk to as there is in the world; and for that -reason go home and don’t mind me or the princess, -for your father and mother waited long for -you, and would be sorry to lose you.”</p> - -<p>“Very thankful am I,” said Art, “for your -kind speech; but as I came so far from home, -and want the princess, I’ll knock a trial out of -you before I leave this place.”</p> - -<p>Next morning the two faced each other, and -fought like wild bulls, wild geese, or wolves, -fought all day with spears and swords. Art was -growing weak, and was not injuring the gruagach -till evening, when he thought, “Far away am I -from father, mother, home, and country.” With -that he got the strength of a hundred men, gave -one blow to the gruagach under the chin, and -sent his head spinning through the air. That -moment the body went down through the earth.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_317"></a>[317]</span></p> - -<p>When the body disappeared, Art thought the -head would come down like any other thing; but -the earth opened, and the head flew into the -earth and vanished.</p> - -<p>“I will go back to the castle of the King of -Greece,” thought Art, “and tell him the whole -story.”</p> - -<p>On the way to the castle, and while passing a -cabin, a big old man came out of the cabin, and -cried, “Welcome, Art, son of the King of Leinster. -It is too far you are going to-night. Stay -with me, if you like my entertainment.”</p> - -<p>“Very thankful am I,” said Art, “and glad to -stay with you. It is weak and tired I am.”</p> - -<p>When he went in, the old man stripped him, -put him first into a caldron of venom, and then -into a caldron of cure, and he was as well as -ever.</p> - -<p>“Would go against the gruagach to-morrow?” -asked the old man.</p> - -<p>“I would if I knew where to find him.”</p> - -<p>“You will find him where he was to-day; but -he will be twice as strong to-morrow, since you -vexed him to-day.”</p> - -<p>After breakfast Art went to the castle, and -found the gruagach asleep, as the first time, -struck him with the flat of his sword, but so -hard that he saw stars.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_318"></a>[318]</span></p> - -<p>“Art, son of the King of Leinster, you are not -satisfied yet; but you will suffer.”</p> - -<p>“I am not satisfied,” said Art. “I’ll have -your head or you will have mine.”</p> - -<p>“Go home to your father and mother; don’t -trouble me: that is my advice.”</p> - -<p>“I am thankful to you,” said Art, jestingly; -“but I’ll take a trial of you.”</p> - -<p>They fought as before. The gruagach had -twice the strength of the first day; and Art was -knocking no quarters out of him, but suffering -from every blow, his flesh falling and his blood -flowing.</p> - -<p>“I am not to last long,” thought Art, “unless -I can do something.” He remembered his -father and mother then, and how far he was -from home; that moment the strength of two -hundred men came to him. With one blow he -swept off the gruagach’s head and sent it twice -as far into the sky as on the first day; the body -sank through the earth. Art stood at the place -where the body had vanished.</p> - -<p>When the head was coming down, and was -near, he caught it and held it firmly by the hair; -then, cutting a withe, he thrust it through the -ears and, throwing the head over his shoulder, -started for the castle of the King of Greece; but -before reaching the old man’s cabin, he met -three men and with them a headless body.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_319"></a>[319]</span></p> - -<p>“Where are ye going?” asked Art.</p> - -<p>“This body lost its head in the eastern world, -and we are travelling the earth to know can we -find a head to match it.”</p> - -<p>“Do you think this one would do?” asked -Art of one of the men.</p> - -<p>“I don’t know,” said he; “it is only for us -to try.”</p> - -<p>The moment the head was put on the body, -men, head, and body went down through the -earth.</p> - -<p>Art went to the old man, and told him of all -that had happened.</p> - -<p>“You were very foolish,” said the old man, -“to do what you did. Why did you not keep -the head and bring it to me? I would tell you -what to do.” The old man cured Art’s wounds, -and after supper he asked, “Will you fight the -gruagach again?”</p> - -<p>“I will.”</p> - -<p>“Well, if you have the luck to knock the head -off him a third time, never part with it till you -come to me.”</p> - -<p>Art went a third time to the gruagach, struck -him with the flat of his sword, and knocked ferns -out of his eyes.</p> - -<p>“Oh, ho! Art, son of the King of Leinster, -you are not satisfied yet, it seems. To-day will -tell all. You’ll fall here.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_320"></a>[320]</span></p> - -<p>They went at each other with venom; and each -sought the head of the other so fiercely that each -hair on him would hold an iron apple. The -gruagach had the upper hand till evening. Art -thought of home then, of the young princess, -and of the mean opinion that she had of him, -and gave such a blow that the gruagach’s head -vanished in the sky. The body went through -the earth, and Art stood as before at the place -where it sank till he saw the head coming; he -seized it, cut two withes, passed them through -the ears, threw the head over his shoulder, and -went toward the old man’s cabin. He was within -one mile of the house, when he saw, flying from -the southeast, three ravens, and each bird seemed -the size of a horse. At that time a terrible -thirst came on him; he put the gruagach’s head -on the ground, and stooped to drink from a -spring near the wayside; that moment one of -the ravens swept down and carried off the head.</p> - -<p>“I am in a worse state now than ever,” said -Art, lamenting.</p> - -<p>He went to the cabin of the old man, who -received him well, and cured him, and said, “You -may go home now, since you did not keep the -head when you had it; or you may go into a -forest where there is a boar, and that boar is far -stronger and fiercer than the gruagach: but if<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_321"></a>[321]</span> -you can kill the boar, you will win yet, if you -do what I tell you. When the boar is dead, open -the body and hide in it. The three ravens will -come after awhile to eat; you can catch one of -them, and hold it till the others bring the head.”</p> - -<p>Art went away to the forest. He was not long -in it when the boar caught the scent of him, and -ran at him, snapped at his body, and took pieces -out of it. Art defended himself till evening, -and was more losing than gaining, when he -remembered home and that princess who thought -so little of his valor. He got the strength of -four hundred men then, and made two even -halves of the boar. When Art tried to draw his -sword, it was broken at the hilt: and he let three -screeches out of him that were heard all over -the kingdom. He could not prepare the carcass, -so he went to the old man with the sword hilt.</p> - -<p>“A hundred thousand welcomes to you,” said -the old man; “and you deserve them. You are -the best man I have seen in life.”</p> - -<p>“I do not deserve the welcomes,” said Art; -“’Tis badly the day has gone with me: my sword -is broken.”</p> - -<p>“I will give you a better one,” said the old -man, taking him to a room where there was -nothing but swords. “Here are swords in -plenty; take your choice of them.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_322"></a>[322]</span></p> - -<p>Art tried many, but broke one after another. -At last he caught an old rusty blade, and shook -it. The sword screeched so fiercely that it was -heard in seven kingdoms, and his father and -mother heard it in Erin.</p> - -<p>“This blade will do,” said Art.</p> - -<p>“Come, now, and we’ll prepare the boar,” said -the old man.</p> - -<p>The two went and dressed the boar in the way -to give Art room within the body, and a place to -seize the raven. The old man went to a hilltop, -at a distance, and sat there till he heard the -three ravens coming, and they cawing as before. -“Oh, it is ye that are coming!” thought he. -The birds came to the ground, and walked about, -till at last one of them began to peck at the carcass. -Art caught that one quickly by the neck; -the bird struggled and struggled.</p> - -<p>“You might as well stop,” said Art; “you’ll -not go from me. This fellow’s head, or the head -ye took yesterday,” said Art to the other two.</p> - -<p>“Kill not our brother,” cried they; “we’ll -bring the head quickly.”</p> - -<p>“He has but two hours to live, unless ye bring -here the head ye took from me.”</p> - -<p>The ravens were not gone one hour when the -gruagach’s head was in Art’s hands, and the -raven was free.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_323"></a>[323]</span></p> - -<p>“Come home with me now,” said the old man. -Art went with him. “Show this head to the -princess,” said the old man; “but do not give it -to her; bring it back here to me.”</p> - -<p>Art went to the king’s castle, and, showing -the head to the princess, said, “Here is the head -which you wanted; but I will not marry you.” -He turned away then, went to the old man, and -gave him the head. The old man threw the -head on a body which was lying in the cabin; -the head and the body became one, and just like -the old man.</p> - -<p>“Now, Art, king’s son from Erin, the gruagach -was my brother, and for the last three hundred -years he was under the enchantment of that princess, -the only daughter of the King of Greece. -The princess is old, although young in appearance; -my brother would have killed me as quickly -as he would you; and he was to be enchanted -till you should come and cut the head off him, -and show it to the princess, and not marry her, -and I should do as I have done. My brother -and I will stay here, take care of our forests, and -be friends to you. Go you back to Erin: a man -can find a good wife near home, and need not -look after foreign women.”</p> - -<p>Art went to Erin, and lived with his father and -mother. One morning he saw a ship coming in,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_324"></a>[324]</span> -and only one man on board, the Red Gruagach, -and he having a golden apple on the end of a -silver spindle, and throwing the apple up in the -air and catching it on the spindle.</p> - -<p>The Red Gruagach came to Art, and asked, -“Will you play a game with me?”</p> - -<p>“I have never refused to play,” said Art; “but -I have no dice.”</p> - -<p>The gruagach took out dice; they played. Art -won. “What is your wish?” asked the gruagach.</p> - -<p>“Get for me in one moment the finest woman -on earth, with twelve attendant maidens and -thirteen horses.”</p> - -<p>The Red Gruagach ran to his ship, and brought -the woman with her maidens; the horses came -bridled and saddled. When Art saw the woman, -he fell in love, took her by the hand, and went -to the castle. They were married that day. The -Red Gruagach would not sail away; he stayed -near the castle and watched. Art’s young wife -knew this, and would not let her husband leave -the castle without her.</p> - -<p>Two or three months later she fell ill, and sent -for the old king. “You must guard Art, and -keep him safe,” said she, “till I recover.”</p> - -<p>Next morning the king was called aside for -some reason, and Art went out of the castle that -moment. At the gate he met the gruagach, who<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_325"></a>[325]</span> -asked him to play. They played with the -gruagach’s dice, and Art lost.</p> - -<p>“Give your sentence,” said he to the gruagach.</p> - -<p>“You will hear it too soon for your comfort. -You are to bring me the sword of light, and the -story of the man who has it.”</p> - -<p>Art’s wife saw the king coming back. “Where -is Art?” asked she.</p> - -<p>“Outside at the gate.”</p> - -<p>She sprang through the door, though sick, but -too late.</p> - -<p>“You are not a husband for me now, you must -go from me,” said she to Art. “The man who -has the sword of light is my sister’s husband; he -has the strength of thousands in him, and can run -with the speed of wild beasts. You did not -know me, did not know that I was not that gruagach’s -daughter; you did not ask me who I was. -Now you are in trouble, you must go. Sit on -the horse that I rode, and that the gruagach gave -you, take the bridle in your right hand, and let -the horse go where he pleases; he will face the -ocean, but a road will open before him, and he -will never stop till he comes to my father’s -castle. My father is King Under the Wave. -The horse will stop at steps in front of the -castle; you will dismount then. My father will -ask where you got that steed, and you will<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_326"></a>[326]</span> -say you got him when you won him and the -daughter of King Under the Wave from the Red -Gruagach.”</p> - -<p>Next morning Art took farewell of his wife -and his father and mother, started, and never -stopped nor dismounted till he came to the steps -outside the castle-yard where horsemen used to -mount and dismount. He came down then.</p> - -<p>“Where did you get that horse?” asked King -Under the Wave; “and where is the rider who -left my castle on his back?”</p> - -<p>“I won him and the daughter of King Under -the Wave from the Red Gruagach.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, ’tis easily known to me that it was the -Foxy Gruagach who stole my child. Now, who -are you, and where are you going?”</p> - -<p>“I am Art, son of the King of Leinster, in -Erin.”</p> - -<p>King Under the Wave gave a hundred thousand -welcomes to Art then, and said, “You are the -best king’s son that has ever lived; and if my -daughter was to go from me, I am glad that it is -to you she went. It is for the fortune that you -are here, I suppose?”</p> - -<p>“I am not here for a fortune; but I am in heavy -trouble. I am in search of the sword of light.”</p> - -<p>“If you are going for that sword, I fear that -you will not be a son-in-law of mine long. It is<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_327"></a>[327]</span> -the husband of another daughter of mine who -has the sword of light now; and while he has it, -he could kill the whole world. But I like you -better, and will send servants to the stable to -get you the worst horse for to-night; you will -need the best afterward. Balor Beimenach, this -son-in-law of mine, will grow stronger each time -you go to his castle. One of my men will ride -with you, and show you where Balor lives, and -show you the window of the room where he -sleeps. You will turn your horse’s back to the -window, and call out, ‘Are you asleep, Balor -Beimenach?’ He will reply, and call out, ‘What -do you want?’ You will answer, ‘The sword of -light and the story of Balor Beimenach.’ Put -spurs to your horse that instant, and ride away, -with what breath the horse has. I will have the -twelve gates of this castle open before you, to -know will you bring the life with you. Balor is -bound not to cross a gate or a wall of this castle -without my request, or to follow any man through -a gate or over a wall of mine. He must stop -outside.”</p> - -<p>On the following day, Art and a serving-man -rode away; the man pointed out Balor’s castle, -and the window of his bedchamber. In the -evening, Art rode up to the window, and shouted, -“Are you asleep, Balor Beimenach?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_328"></a>[328]</span></p> - -<p>“Not very soundly. What do you want?”</p> - -<p>“The sword of light and the story of Balor -Beimenach.”</p> - -<p>“Wait, and you will get them!”</p> - -<p>Art put spurs to his horse, and shot away. -Balor Beimenach was after him in a flash. Art’s -horse was the worst in the stables of King -Under the Wave, though better than the best -horse in another kingdom. Still Balor was gaining -on him, and when he came near the castle, -he had not time to reach the gate. He spurred -over the wall; but if he did, Balor cut his horse -in two behind the saddle, and Art fell in over -the wall with the front half.</p> - -<p>Balor was raging; he went to his castle, but -slept not a wink,—walked his chamber till -morning to know would Art come again.</p> - -<p>Next evening, Art rode to the window on a -better horse, and called out, “Balor Beimenach, -are you asleep?” and raced away. Balor followed, -and followed faster. Art could not reach -the gate before him, so he spurred his horse over -the wall. Balor cut this one in two just at the -saddle. Art tumbled down from the wall with -his life.</p> - -<p>This enraged Balor more than the first escape; -he slept not a wink that night, but was walking -around the whole castle and cursing till morning.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_329"></a>[329]</span></p> - -<p>King Under the Wave gave Art the best horse -in his stable, for the third night, and said, “This -is your last chance with horses. I hope you will -escape; but I’m greatly in dread that Balor will -catch you. Now put this horse to full speed before -you shout, and you will have some chance -if your horse runs with what speed there is in -him.”</p> - -<p>Art obeyed the king. But Balor killed that -horse as he had the other two, and came nearer -killing Art; for he cut a piece of the saddle -behind him, and Art came very near falling outside -the wall; but he fell in, and escaped with his -life.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said King Under the Wave, on the -fourth day, “no horse that ever lived could -escape him the fourth time. Every vein in his -body is wide open from thirst for blood; he -would use every power that is in him before he -would let you escape. But here is where your -chance is. Balor has not slept for three nights; -he will be sound asleep this time; the sword -of light will be hanging above his head near -his grasp. Do you slip into the room, and walk -without noise; if you can touch the sword, you -will have all Balor’s strength, and then he will -give you the story.”</p> - -<p>Art did as the king directed. He slipped into<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_330"></a>[330]</span> -the room, saw the sword of light hanging just -above Balor’s head. He went up without noise -till he caught the hilt of the sword; and that -moment it let out a screech that was heard throughout -the dominions of King Under the Wave, and -through all Erin.</p> - -<p>Balor woke, and was very weak when he saw -Art. The moment Art touched the hilt of the -sword, he had all the strength that Balor had -before. The screech that the sword gave put -Balor in such fear that he fell to the floor, struck -his face against the bed-post, and got a great -lump on his forehead.</p> - -<p>“Be quiet,” said Art; “the sword is mine, and -now I want the story.”</p> - -<p>“Who are you?” asked Balor, “and what land -are you from? It seems that you are a friend of -my father-in-law; for he is shielding and aiding -you these four nights.”</p> - -<p>“I am a friend of his, and also his son-in-law. -I wish to be your friend as well.”</p> - -<p>“What is your name?” asked Balor.</p> - -<p>“Art, son of the King of Leinster, in Erin.”</p> - -<p>“I would rather you had the sword than any -other man save myself.”</p> - -<p>Balor rose, and went to his wife, and said, -“Come with me to your father’s castle.”</p> - -<p>King Under the Wave gave a great feast, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_331"></a>[331]</span> -when the feast was over Balor Beimenach took -Art aside, and told him this story: “I was -married to my wife but a short time, and living -in that castle beyond, when I wanted to go to a -fair. When not far from the castle, I found I -had left my whip behind, and went back for it. -For years there had lived in my castle a cripple. -On returning I found that my wife had disappeared -with this cripple. I went after them in -a rage. When I reached her, she struck me with -a rod of enchantment, and made a white horse -of me. She gave me then to a servant, who was -to take grain to a mill with me. I had no saddle -on my back, only a chain to cut and gall me. -Though a horse, I had my own knowledge. I -wanted freedom. The boy who drove me misused -me, and beat me. I broke his leg with a kick, -and ran away among wild hills to pasture. I -had the best grass, and lived for a time at my -ease; but my wife heard of me, and had me -brought home. She struck me again with her -rod of enchantment, made a wolf of me. I ran -away to rocky places. The wolves of the mountains -bit and tore me; but at last they grew -friendly. I took twelve of these with me, and -we killed my wife’s cattle, day and night. She -collected hunters and hounds, who killed six of -the wolves. The other six and I were more<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_332"></a>[332]</span> -harmful than ever. A second party killed the -other six, and I was alone. They surrounded -me; there was no escape then. I saw among the -hunters my own father-in law. I ran to King -Under the Wave, fell down before him, looked -into his face; he pitied and saved me, took me -home with him.</p> - -<p>“My wife was at her father’s that day, and -knew me. She begged the king to kill me; but -he would not; he kept me. I served him well, -and he loved me. I slept in the castle. One -night a great serpent came down the chimney, -and began to crawl toward the king’s little son, -sleeping there in the cradle. I saw the serpent, -and killed it. My wife was at her father’s castle -that night, and rose first on the following morning. -She saw the child sleeping, and the serpent -lying dead. She took the child to her own -chamber, rubbed me with blood from the serpent, -and told the king that I had eaten the -child. ‘I begged you long ago to kill that wolf,’ -said she to her father; ‘if you had followed my -advice you would not be without your son now.’ -She turned and went out.</p> - -<p>“Right there on a table was the rod of enchantment, -which my wife had forgotten. I sprang -toward the king; he was startled, and struck me -with the rod, without knowing its power. I<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_333"></a>[333]</span> -became a man, was myself again, and told the -king my whole story. We went to my wife’s -chamber; there the king found his son living -and well. King Under the Wave gave command -then to bring seven loads of turf with -seven barrels of pitch, make one pile of them, -and burn his daughter and the cripple on the -top of the pile.</p> - -<p>“‘Grant me one favor,’ cried I. ‘I will,’ said -the king. ‘Spare your daughter; she may live -better now.’ ‘I will,’ said the king; ‘but they -will burn the cripple.’</p> - -<p>“That is my story for you. Go now, and tell -it to the Red Gruagach; keep the sword in your -hand while telling the story; and when you have -finished, throw the sword into the air, and say, -‘Go to Balor Beimenach!’ It will come to me. -When you need the sword, send me word; I will -throw it to you; and we’ll have the strength of -thousands between us.”</p> - -<p>Art gave a blessing to all, and mounted his -wife’s steed; the road through the sea opened -before him. The wife received him with a hundred -thousand welcomes. After that he went to -the Red Gruagach, and, holding the sword of -light in his hand, told the story. When the -story was finished, he threw the sword in the air, -and said, “Go to Balor Beimenach.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_334"></a>[334]</span></p> - -<p>“Why did you not give me the sword?” cried -the Red Gruagach, in a rage.</p> - -<p>“If I was bound to bring the sword, I was not -bound to give it to you,” answered Art. “And -now leave this place forever.”</p> - -<p>Art lived happily with his wife, and succeeded -his father.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_335"></a>[335]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="SHAWN_MACBREOGAN_AND_THE">SHAWN MACBREOGAN AND THE -KING OF THE WHITE NATION.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>There was a very rich man once who lived -near Brandon Bay, and his name was -Breogan.</p> - -<p>This Breogan had a deal of fine land, and was -well liked by all people who knew him. One -morning as he was walking on the strand for -himself, he found, above the highest tide, a little -colt, barely the size of a goat; and a very nice -colt he was.</p> - -<p>“Oh, what a beautiful little beast!” said Breogan; -“he doesn’t belong to any one in this country. -He is not mine; but still and all I’ll take -him. If an owner comes the way, sure he can -prove his claim, if he is able.”</p> - -<p>Breogan carried the colt to the stable, and fed -him as well as any beast that he had. The colt -was thriving well; and when twelve months were -passed, it was a pleasure to look at him. Breogan -put him in a stable by himself after that, and -kept him three years. At the end of the third<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_336"></a>[336]</span> -year, it isn’t a little colt he was, but a grand, -fiery steed. Breogan invited all his friends and -neighbors to a feast and a great merrymaking. -“This will be a good time,” thought he, “to find -a man to ride the strange colt.”</p> - -<p>There was a splendid race-course on the -seashore. The appointed day came, and all the -people were assembled. The horse was brought -out, bridled and saddled, and led to the strand. -The place was so crowded that a pin falling -from the sky would not fall on any place but the -head of some person old or young, some man, -woman, or child that was there at the festival.</p> - -<p>For three days the women of the village were -cooking food for all that would come; there was -enough ready, and to spare. Breogan strove to -come at a man who would ride the horse; but -not a man could he find. The horse was so fiery -that all were in dread of him.</p> - -<p>Not to spoil sport for the people, Breogan made -up his mind to ride himself. As soon as the -man mounted, and was firm in the saddle, the -horse stood on his hind-legs, rose with a leap in -the air, and away with him faster than any wind, -first over the land, and then over the sea. The -horse never stopped till he came down on his -fore-feet in Breasil, which is a part of Tir nan -Og (the Land of the Young).</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_337"></a>[337]</span></p> - -<p>Breogan found himself now in the finest country -man could set eyes on. He rode forward, -looking on all sides with delight and pleasure, -till out before him he saw a grand castle, and a -beautiful gate in front of it, and the gate partly -open.</p> - -<p>“Well,” thought he, “I’ll go in here for a bit, -to know are there people living inside.” With -that he tied the bridle to one of the bars of the -gate, and left the horse, thinking to come back -in a short time. He went to the door of the -castle, and knocked on it. A woman came and -opened the door to him.</p> - -<p>“Oh, then, a hundred thousand welcomes to -you, Breogan from Brandon,” said she.</p> - -<p>He thanked her, and was greatly surprised -when he heard her calling him by name. She -brought him then to a parlor; and, though he had -fine rooms in his own house, he hardly knew at -first how to sit in this parlor, it was that grand -and splendid. He wasn’t long sitting, when who -should come in but a young woman, a beauty; -the like of her he had never seen before in his -life. She was first in every way, in good looks -as well as in manners. She sat down at his side, -and welcomed him.</p> - -<p>Breogan remained in the castle a few hours, -eating, drinking, talking, and enjoying himself.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_338"></a>[338]</span> -At long last he thought, “I must be going;” -and then he said so.</p> - -<p>The first woman laughed. “Well, now, my -good friend,” said she, “of all the men that ever -came to this place,—and it’s many a man that -came here in my time,—there never was a worse -man to care for his horse than what you are. -Your poor beast is tied to a bar of the gate outside -since you came, and you have never as much -as thought that he was dry or hungry; and if I -had not thought of him, it’s in a bad state he’d -be now. How long do you think you are in this -castle?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, then, I am about seven hours in it.”</p> - -<p>“You are in this country just seven years,” -said the woman. “The beauty and comfort of -this Land of the Young is so great that the life -of twelve months seems the length of one hour -in another place.”</p> - -<p>“If I am here that long, I must be going this -minute,” said Breogan.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the woman, “if you are going, I -must ask you one question. There will be a -child in this castle; and as you are the father, -’tis you that should name it. Now what will -the name be?”</p> - -<p>“If ’tis a son, you’ll call him Shawn, the son -of Breogan, from Brandon in Erin. You’ll rear<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_339"></a>[339]</span> -him for seven years. At the end of that time -give him your blessing and the means of making -a journey to Erin. Tell him who I am; and if -he is anything of a hero, he’ll not fail to make -me out.”</p> - -<p>Breogan left his blessing with the women, -went to the gate, and found his horse standing -there, tied in the same way that he left him. -He untied the beast, mounted, and away through -the air with him, leaving Breasil behind, and -never stopped nor halted till he came down about -a mile from his own house, near Brandon, exactly -seven years from the day that he left it. Seeing -on the strand a great number of people, he wondered -why they were in it, and what brought -them together. A large, fine-looking man was -passing the way, and Breogan called out to him: -“What are these people all doing that I see on -the strand?” asked he.</p> - -<p>“You must be a stranger,” said the man, “not -to know what these people are here for.”</p> - -<p>“I am no stranger,” said Breogan; “but I -went out of the country a few years before this, -and while I was gone there were changes.”</p> - -<p>“If a man leaves his own country for a short -time itself,” said the other, “he will find things -changed when he comes again to it. I will tell -you why these people are here. We had in this<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_340"></a>[340]</span> -place a fine master, and it’s good and kind he was -to us. He went out to the strand one day, walking, -and found a little colt above the high tide. He -took the colt home, reared and fed him three -years. Then this man gathered the people to give -them a feast, and to know could he find some one -to ride the horse. When no one would venture, -he mounted himself; and all saw how the horse -rose in the air, made a leap over the harbor, and -then away out of sight. We think that he fell, -and was drowned in the sea; for neither Breogan -nor the horse was seen ever after. We are sorry -for the man, because he was kind to us; but ’tis -equal what became of the horse. After waiting -seven years, Breogan’s wife is to be married this -evening to some great man from the North. We -don’t know what kind is he. He may destroy us, -or drive us out of our houses.”</p> - -<p>Breogan thanked the man for his words, and -hurried on toward his own house. The servants -saw him coming, knew him, and cried, “Here -comes the master!” and there was a great stir -up and down in the house. Next minute the -wife heard the news; and out she ran to meet her -husband. Any man would think she was glad to -see Breogan. “Why are all the people here to-day?” -asked he of the wife.</p> - -<p>“And was not it this day seven years that you<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_341"></a>[341]</span> -put the country behind you, wherever you went? -You left dinner here ready; and the dinner is in -the same state it was the day you went away -from me. I thought it better to send for the -people again, and eat the dinner in memory of -you that prepared it.”</p> - -<p>The husband said nothing. The people ate -the dinner; and every man, woman, and child -went home satisfied.</p> - -<p>At the end of another seven years, Breogan -made a great dinner again. All was ready; a -great crowd of people were present. The day -being fine, you could see far in every direction.</p> - -<p>“Look, now,” said Breogan, to one of his men -who had very good eyesight. “Look out toward -the water, to know can you see any one coming. -Seven years ago to-day, I came home from -Breasil, in the Land of the Young; and my son, -if I have one, is to be here to-day. He ought to -be coming by this time.”</p> - -<p>The man looked out as well as he could. “I -see a boat with one mast coming toward us,” -said he; “and it’s sailing faster than any boat I -have ever set eyes on. In the boat I can see -only one young man; and very young he is -too.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, that is he,” said Breogan.</p> - -<p>The boat came in at full sail; and it wasn’t<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_342"></a>[342]</span> -long till the youth was standing before his -father. “Who are you?” asked Breogan.</p> - -<p>“My name is Shawn MacBreogan.”</p> - -<p>“If that is your name, sit down here at dinner; -for you are my son.”</p> - -<p>When the feast was over, the people went -home. When Breogan’s wife found out who the -boy was, she wouldn’t give the breadth of a -ha’penny piece of his body for a fortune, she was -that fond of him.</p> - -<p>Things went on well till one day when Breogan -and his son were out hunting. The day being -warm, they sat down to rest; and the son said to -the father, “Since I came to you in Erin, you -seem vexed in yourself. I have not asked what -trouble is on you, or is there anything amiss -with you.”</p> - -<p>“All things are well with me but one thing,” -said Breogan. “There is some understanding -between my wife and a man in the north of -Erin. I’m in dread of my life; for while I was -in Breasil she saw this man, and the day I came -home they were going to be married. Since -then I have not slept soundly in bed; for messages -are passing between them.”</p> - -<p>“Very well, father, I’ll put an end to that -soon,” said Shawn. He rose on the following -morning, caught his hurley in his right hand, and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_343"></a>[343]</span> -his ball in the left. He threw up the ball, then -struck it with the hurley, and was driving it -that way before him till he reached the north of -Erin, and never let his ball touch the ground -even one time. He inquired for his father’s -opponent. When he found out the house, he -knocked at the door. “Is your master inside?” -asked he.</p> - -<p>“He is,” said the servant.</p> - -<p>“Go,” said Shawn, “and tell him that I want -him, and not to delay, as I must be at dinner in -Brandon this evening.”</p> - -<p>The master of the house came out, and, seeing -a boy there before him, thought it strange that -he should speak rudely to a man like himself. -“If you don’t beg my pardon this minute, I’ll -take the head off you,” said the man.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Shawn, “I am not here to beg -pardon of you nor of any man; but I came to -have satisfaction for the trouble you put on my -father, and I far away from him.”</p> - -<p>“Who is your father?”</p> - -<p>“My father is Breogan of Brandon.”</p> - -<p>Out the man went; and the two stood on a fine -green plain, and began to fight with swords, cutting -each other’s flesh. They were not long -at the swords when Shawn said, “It is getting -late, and I must be at home before dinner to-day,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_344"></a>[344]</span> -as I promised; there is no use in delaying.” -With that he rose out of his body, and -gave the man a blow between the head and -shoulders that put the head a mile from the -body. Shawn caught the head before it touched -earth; then, grasping it by the hair, he left -the body where it fell, took his hurley in his -right hand, threw his ball in the air, and drove -it far to the south with the hurley; and he drove -it across Erin in that way, the ball never touching -ground from the far north of Erin to Brandon. -Holding the ball and hurley in his hand, he went -into the house, and laid the head at his father’s -feet.</p> - -<p>“Now, my dear father,” said he, “here is the -head of your enemy; he’ll trouble you no more -from this out.”</p> - -<p>When Breogan’s wife saw the head, she was -cut to the heart and troubled; though she would -not let any man know it. One day when the -father and son came home from killing ducks, -she was groaning, and said she was ready to -die.</p> - -<p>“Is there any cure for you here or there in the -world?” asked Shawn.</p> - -<p>“There is no getting the cure that would heal -me; there is no cure but three apples from the -white orchard in the White Nation.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_345"></a>[345]</span></p> - -<p>“Well,” said the boy, “I promise you not to -eat the third meal at the one table, nor sleep the -second night in the one bed, till I get three -apples from the White Nation.”</p> - -<p>The father was very angry when they came out -of the bed-room. “Sure,” said he, “it would be -enough for you to risk your life for your own -mother.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I must go now,” said Shawn; “the -promise is given; I’ll not break my word.” So -away with him on the following morning; and -on that day’s journey he came to a glen, and in -it a house. In the house there was no living -creature but a white mare with nine eyes.</p> - -<p>“A hundred thousand welcomes to you, Shawn -MacBreogan from Brandon. You must be tired -and hungry after the day’s journey,” cried the -mare. “Go in now to the next room, and take -supper, and strengthen yourself.”</p> - -<p>He went to the next room, and inside in it was -a table, and on the table was everything that the -best king could wish for. He ate, drank, and -went then and gave a hundred thousand thanks -for the supper. He stood near the fire for a -while; then the mare said, “Come here, and lie -under my head; wonder at nothing you see, and -let no word out of you.”</p> - -<p>He did as the mare said. About dusk three<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_346"></a>[346]</span> -seals came in, and went to the supper-room. -They threw off their sealskins, and became three -as fine young men as one could look at.</p> - -<p>“I wish Shawn MacBreogan from Brandon -were here to-night. I’d be glad to see him, and -give him a present, and have his good company,” -said one of the three.</p> - -<p>“I’d be glad to see him, too,” said the second; -“and I’d give him a present.”</p> - -<p>“So would I,” said the third.</p> - -<p>“Go to them now,” said the mare; “enjoy -their company. In the morning you’ll ask for -the presents.”</p> - -<p>He went out among them.</p> - -<p>“A hundred thousand welcomes to you, Shawn -MacBreogan,” cried the young men; “and ’tis -glad we are to see you.”</p> - -<p>They drank wine then, sang songs, and told -tales, and never slept a wink all the night. Before -sunrise they went as seals; and when going -Shawn said,“I hope you will not forget the -presents you promised last evening.”</p> - -<p>“We will not,” said the eldest. “Here is a -cloak for you. While it is on you, you’ll be the -finest man in the world to look at.”</p> - -<p>“Here is a ball,” said the second. “If you -throw it in the air, and wish for anything you -like, you will have it before the ball comes to the -ground.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_347"></a>[347]</span></p> - -<p>The third gave a whistle: “When you blow -this,” said he, “every enemy that hears it will -lie down asleep, and be powerless; and, besides, -you’re to have the white mare to ride.”</p> - -<p>He took the gifts.</p> - -<p>“Give me a feed of grain before we start,” said -the mare. “No man has sat on me without being -turned into froth and blown away, or else thrown -and killed. This will not happen to you; still -I must throw you three times: but I’ll take you -to a soft place where you’ll not be killed.”</p> - -<p>Shawn mounted her then, and she tossed him. -She threw him very far the first time. He was -badly shocked, but recovered. The second and -third times it was easier. The fourth time he -mounted for the journey. It was not long till -he came to the seashore. On the third day he -was in sight of land in the White Nation. The -mare ran over the water and swiftly, without -trouble; no bird ever went with such speed.</p> - -<p>When Shawn came near the castle, he stopped -before a house at the edge of the town, and asked -a lodging of the owner, an old man.</p> - -<p>“I’ll give you that,” said the old man, “and -welcome, and a place for your horse.” After -supper Shawn told his errand.</p> - -<p>“I pity you,” said the man. “I am in dread -you’ll lose your life; but I’ll do what I can for<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_348"></a>[348]</span> -you. No man has ever been able to get one of -those apples; and if a stranger is caught making -up to them, the king takes his head without -mercy or pardon. There is no kind of savage -beast in the world but is guarding the apples; -and there is not a minute in the night or the day -when some of the beasts are not watching.”</p> - -<p>“Do you know what virtue is in the apples?” -asked Shawn.</p> - -<p>“I do well,” said the old man; “and it’s I -that would like to have one of them. If a man -is sick, and eats even one bite of an apple, he’ll -be well; if old, he’ll grow young again, and -never know grief from that out; he will always -be happy and healthy. I’ll give you a pigeon -to let loose in the orchard; she will go flying -from one tree to another till she goes to the last -one. All the beasts will follow her; and while -they are hunting the pigeon, you will take what -you can of the apples: but I hope you will not -think it too much to give one to me.”</p> - -<p>“Never fear,” said Shawn, “if I get one apple, -you’ll have the half of it; if two, you’ll have one -of them.”</p> - -<p>The old man was glad. Next morning at daybreak -Shawn took the pigeon, mounted the mare, -and away with him then to the orchard. When -the pigeon flew in, and was going from tree to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_349"></a>[349]</span> -tree with a flutter, the beasts started after her. -Shawn sprang in on the back of the mare, left her, -and went to climb the first tree that he met for -the apples; but the king’s men were at him before -he could touch a single apple, or go back to the -mare. They caught him, and took him to the -king. The mare sprang over the wall, and ran -to the house of the old man. Shawn told the -king his whole story, said that his father was -Breogan of Brandon, and his mother the Princess -of Breasil in the Land of the Young.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the king, “you are the hero that -I am waiting for this long time. A fine part of -my kingdom is that island beyond; but ’tis taken -by a giant who holds it with an army of hirelings. -Clear that island of the giant and his -men, bring me his head, and you’ll have the -apples.”</p> - -<p>Shawn went to the old man, then to the mare, -and told her.</p> - -<p>“You can do that without trouble,” said she; -“you have the power needed to do it.”</p> - -<p>Shawn took his breakfast, then sat on the mare, -and rode toward the island. Just before the mare -touched the land, Shawn sounded the whistle; -and every one who heard it was asleep the next -instant. Shawn took his sword then, swept the -head off the giant, and before evening there<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_350"></a>[350]</span> -wasn’t a man alive on the island except Shawn -himself. He tied the giant’s head to the saddle-bow, -mounted the mare, and was ready to start, -when she spoke to him: “Be careful not to look -back toward the island till you come down from -my back.” With that she swept on, and soon -they were nearing the castle. While crossing -the yard, Shawn thought, “I have the island -cleared; the head is safe on me; and the apples -are mine.” With that he forgot the mare’s -words, and turned to look back at the island; but -as he did, he fell from the saddle, and where -should he fall but down on a dust-heap. A son -of the comb woman, a youth who fed dogs and -small animals, was lying there at the time, and -he sickly and full of sores. Shawn’s cloak -slipped from his shoulders, and fell on this dirty, -foul fellow; that moment he sprang up the finest-looking -man in the kingdom. He fastened the -cloak on his shoulders, mounted the white mare, -and rode to the castle. The king was that glad -when he looked at the head of the giant that he -didn’t know where to put the counterfeit hero -who brought it.</p> - -<p>“How did you clear the island?” asked the -king; “and was it a hard task to take the head -off the giant?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, then,” said the dog-feeder, “there was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_351"></a>[351]</span> -never such a battle in the world as the battle -to-day on that island between myself and the -giant with his forces; and ’tis well I earned -what will come to me.”</p> - -<p>“You’ll get good pay,” said the king; “I -promised you apples from my white orchard; but -I’ll give you more, I’ll give you my youngest -daughter in marriage, and that island for her -portion. My daughter will not be of age to -marry for a year and a day. Till that time is -out, you’ll live with me here in the castle.”</p> - -<p>Believe me, the dog-feeder was a great man in -his own mind that evening.</p> - -<p>There was one woman in the yard who saw the -deception, and that was the henwife. She knew -well what the dog-feeder was, and ’tis often she -said, “He’s the greatest liar on earth, and kind -mother for him.” She drew Shawn into her own -house, and he sick and full of sores, just like the -dog-feeder, not a man in the world would have -known him. She nursed and tended Shawn. -On the sixth day he was able to speak; but he -lay in great weakness, and covered with sores.</p> - -<p>“How am I to be cured?” asked he of the -henwife.</p> - -<p>“I know,” answered she; “I spoke to a wise -woman to-day, and got the right cure for you.” -With that the henwife went down to a spring<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_352"></a>[352]</span> -that belonged to the king’s youngest daughter, -and pulled up nine rushes growing near it. -Three of these she threw away, and kept six of -them. She cut the white from the green parts, -crushed them in water, gave Shawn some of the -water to drink, and rubbed the rest on his body. -A week was not gone, when he was as sound and -well as ever.</p> - -<p>Shawn heard now the whole story of the dog-feeder’s -lies and prosperity. He took service -himself in the castle; and a few days after that -the king gave a hunt, and invited all the guests -in the castle to go with him. Shawn had to go -as a basket-boy, and carry provisions like any -servant. Toward evening, when the company -were on a wild moor twenty miles from the -castle, a thick mist fell, and all were afraid that -their lives would be gone from them.</p> - -<p>“I can take you to a castle,” said Shawn.</p> - -<p>“Take us,” said the king.</p> - -<p>“I will if you will give me your daughter to -marry.”</p> - -<p>“She is promised to another,” said the king.</p> - -<p>“I have the best right to her,” said Shawn. -“It was I cleared the island.”</p> - -<p>“I don’t believe you,” said the king.</p> - -<p>“We’ll be lost, every man of us,” said the -chief hunter; “give him the promise, he may be -dead before the day of the wedding.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_353"></a>[353]</span></p> - -<p>The king gave his promise. The basket-boy -stepped behind a great rock, threw up the ball, -and wished for the finest castle on earth. Before -the ball touched the ground the king, the guests, -and attendants were in a castle far finer than any -they had looked on in daylight or seen in a -dream. The best food and drink of all kinds -were in it, shining chambers and beds of silk -and gold. When all had eaten and drunk their -fill, they fell asleep to sweet music, and slept -soundly till morning. At daybreak each man -woke up, and found himself lying on the wild -moor, a tuft of rushes under his head, and the -gray sky above him. Glad to see light, they -rose and went home.</p> - -<p>Now the henwife told the king’s daughter the -story of Shawn, who had cleared out the island, -and the comb-woman’s son, the deceiver. When -the year was ended, and the day came for the -marriage, the king’s daughter said she would -marry no man but the man who would ride the -white mare with nine eyes (the mare could either -kill or make froth of a man). The comb-woman’s -son was the first man to mount; but the cloak fell -from him, and he vanished in froth blown away by -the wind, and no one saw sight of him from that -day to this. Sixteen king’s sons tried to ride -the white mare, and were killed every man of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_354"></a>[354]</span> -them; but their bodies were found. Shawn, who -had taken the cloak, sat on the mare, and rode -three times past the castle. At the door the -mare knelt for him to come down.</p> - -<p>The king’s daughter would have jumped -through her window, and killed herself, if her -maids had not held her. She rushed down the -stairs, kissed Shawn, and embraced him. The -wedding began then. It lasted for a day and a -year, and the last was the best day of all.</p> - -<p>When the wedding was over, Shawn remembered -the mare, and went to the stable. She had -not been fed, and a white skin was all that was -left of her. When Shawn came to the mare’s -place, three young men and two women were -playing chess in it.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I forgot the mare from the first day of -the wedding till this moment,” said Shawn; and -he began to cry.</p> - -<p>“Why are you crying?” asked the elder of the -two women.</p> - -<p>He told the reason.</p> - -<p>“You needn’t cry,” said the woman; “I can -revive her.” With that she took the skin, put -it on herself; and that minute she was the white -mare. “Would you rather see me a white mare -as I am now, or the woman that I was a minute -ago?”</p> - -<p>“The woman,” said Shawn.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_355"></a>[355]</span></p> - -<p>She took off the skin, and was a woman again. -She told him then how the king, her father, made -three seals of her brothers and a white mare of -herself, to be in those forms till a hero should -come who could clear out the island. “You -cleared the island,” said she; “and we are all -free again.”</p> - -<p>The king gave the island to his son-in-law, and -as many apples from the orchard as he wished. -The first thing that Shawn did was to take an -apple to the old man who gave him lodgings -when he came to the White Nation. At the -first bite he swallowed, the old man was twenty-one -years of age, young and hearty, and so happy -that it would do any man good to have one look -at him.</p> - -<p>Shawn and his young wife lived another day -and a year with her father, and then they went -to visit his father in Brandon. From pretending -to be sick, Breogan’s wife became sick in earnest, -and died. Breogan himself was now old and -dissatisfied.</p> - -<p>“The least I can do,” thought Shawn, “is to -give him an apple.” He gave him the apple. -Breogan ate it, was twenty-one years of age; and -if ever a man was glad in Erin, ’twas he was.</p> - -<p>Shawn left the father young and happy at -Brandon, and went back himself with his wife to -the island.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_356"></a>[356]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_COTTERS_SON_AND_THE_HALF">THE COTTER’S SON AND THE HALF -SLIM CHAMPION.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>Once upon a time there was a poor cotter -in Erin, and he had three sons. Whether -it was well or ill that he reared them, he reared -them, and then died. When their father was -dead and buried, the three sons lived with their -mother for a day and a year; and at the end of -that time the eldest brother said, “I will go to -seek my fortune in the world.”</p> - -<p>He took his mother’s blessing with him, and -went away on the following morning.</p> - -<p>The two sons and the mother lived on together -for another day and a year, when the second son -said, “I will go out to seek my fortune.”</p> - -<p>He went away like the first brother.</p> - -<p>The mother and the youngest son lived on -together for a day and a year, and then the -mother died. When she was buried, the youngest -of the three brothers, whose name was Arthur, -went out in the world to seek his fortune. He -travelled, and was walking always for a day and -a year without finding a master, till on the afternoon<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_357"></a>[357]</span> -of the last day of the year he took service -with a hill.</p> - -<p>On the last day of Arthur’s service with the -hill, the Half Slim Champion came in the afternoon, -and asked would he play a game of cards.</p> - -<p>“If you win,” said the champion, “you will -have a castle with lands and cattle of all kinds; -if you lose, you will do me a service.”</p> - -<p>“I will play,” answered Arthur.</p> - -<p>With that they sat down to play; and Arthur -won. Now, Arthur had lands and a castle, cattle -of all kinds, and wealth in abundance.</p> - -<p>The Half Slim Champion went his way; and -Arthur lived for a day and a year on his lands. -On the last day of the year, the champion came -in the afternoon, and with him was the most -beautiful lady that man could set eyes on. “Will -you play a second game?” asked the champion. -“If you lose, you will do me a service; if you win, -I give you this lady as wife.”</p> - -<p>“I will play with you,” said Arthur.</p> - -<p>They played, and Arthur won.</p> - -<p>Arthur lived with his wife in the castle for a -day and a year; and on the last afternoon, the -champion came the way leading a hound.</p> - -<p>They played the third time, and Arthur won -the hound. The champion went his way; and -again Arthur lived for a day and a year with his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_358"></a>[358]</span> -wife in the castle in ease, in plenty, and in great -delight.</p> - -<p>On the afternoon of the last day, the champion -came the fourth time. Arthur’s wife saw him -at a distance, and said to her husband, “My -advice is to play no more with that champion. -Remain as you are, and keep out of harm’s -way.”</p> - -<p>But Arthur would not listen to the wife, nor be -said by her. He went out to play with the champion, -and lost.</p> - -<p>“I put you under bonds,” said the champion, -“not to sleep two nights in the same bed, nor -eat two meals off the same table; but to be walking -through the world, and searching always till -you find the birth that has never been born, and -that never will be.”</p> - -<p>The champion turned, walked away, and disappeared. -Arthur went home in grief; and when -he sat down the chair that was under him broke -into pieces.</p> - -<p>“I told you,” said the wife, “not to play with -him. What has he put on you?”</p> - -<p>“To be walking and searching, ever and -always, through the world till I find the birth -that has never been born, and never will be.”</p> - -<p>“Take the hound with you,” said the wife, -“and go first to the castle of the son of the King<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_359"></a>[359]</span> -of Lochlin. Take service with him; you may -learn something there.”</p> - -<p>Away went Arthur next morning, and the -hound with him. They were long on the road, -lodging one time at a house, and another time -where the night found them, till at last a great -castle was in sight. When the hound saw the -castle, he grew so wild with delight that he -broke his chain, and rushed away. But if he did, -Arthur followed; and when the hound sprang -into the castle, Arthur was at his side.</p> - -<p>“It was lucky for you,” cried the son of the -King of Lochlin, “to come in with the hound. -Without that you’d have been done for. Who -are you, and where are you going?”</p> - -<p>“I am a man in search of a master.”</p> - -<p>“I am seeking a man,” said the king’s son. -“Will you take service with me?”</p> - -<p>“I will,” answered Arthur.</p> - -<p>He hired for a day and a year, and wages -according to service.</p> - -<p>Arthur went to work on the following morning, -and his first task was to bring fagots from the -forest. When he went to the forest, he found -half of it green, and the other half dry. Nothing -was growing in the dry part; all was -withered and dead. Arthur collected dry fagots, -and brought them to the castle. In the evening<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_360"></a>[360]</span> -he spoke to the king’s son, and this is what he -asked of him, “Why is half of your forest green, -and the other half withered and dry?”</p> - -<p>“A day and seven years ago,” said the king’s -son, “a terrible serpent came the way, and took -half of my forest for herself. In that part she -is living till this time,—that is the green part. -She knocked the life out of my half,—that is the -dry part.”</p> - -<p>“Why do you not take wood from the green -part?” asked Arthur.</p> - -<p>“Neither you nor all who ever came before you -could do that,” said the son of the king. Next -morning Arthur went out for fagots the second -time. He stopped before the largest green tree -to be found in the forest, and was cutting away -at it. The moment the serpent saw this, she -came out, and called, “Why are you cutting my -timber?”</p> - -<p>“I am cutting it because I am sorry to see you -as you are,” said Arthur, “without a roof over -you or a shelter of any kind. I wish to build a -house to protect you.”</p> - -<p>When the serpent heard this, she was glad -and thankful to Arthur. When he had two -wedges in the tree, and it partly cut, he said, -“If yourself would only come over now, and put -your tail in the cut and help me, we could throw -down this tree.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_361"></a>[361]</span></p> - -<p>She went to him then, and put her tail in the -cut. Arthur knocked out the wedges, and left -her tail in the tree. She begged and cried, -screaming, “The tree is killing me; the tree is -killing me! Let me free! Let me out of this!”</p> - -<p>“It wasn’t to let you out that I put you in,” -replied Arthur.</p> - -<p>What he did then was to jump behind her, and -vex her until he got her in the way that, out of -rage and great strength, she tore up the tree -with its roots, and seven acres and seven ridges -of land with it. Arthur was vexing the serpent -until she rushed into the dry part of the forest, -and was fastened among the trees; then he cut -down dry trees, and piled them on the serpent -and on the green tree till they were the size of -a hill. In the evening he drove her to the castle -before him, with all the hill of dry wood on her. -When a maid was going from the castle for water, -and saw this, she ran in with the story that Arthur -was coming home with the serpent, and all the -dry wood of the forest above on her back.</p> - -<p>When the people inside heard this, they were -in dread that she’d kill them all, and they -rushed out to run away. There was one girl in -the castle who heard the tidings too late, or was -slow in preparing, for when she was ready, the -serpent was at the door.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_362"></a>[362]</span></p> - -<p>“Where are the people of the castle?” asked -Arthur.</p> - -<p>“All made away, and took their lives with -them,” said she.</p> - -<p>“Run now and call them back,” said Arthur.</p> - -<p>“I’m in dread to go out. I will not go unless -you take the head off the serpent.”</p> - -<p>Arthur swept the head off the serpent. The -girl ran after the people, and brought them back. -Arthur piled all the wood near the castle. The -king’s son was delighted to have so much fuel, -and was so glad that he took Arthur to his bed -to sleep that night with him.</p> - -<p>“It’s a wonder,” said Arthur, “such a good -king’s son as you to be without a wife.”</p> - -<p>“I had a wife,” said the king’s son; “but the -giant with five heads, five necks, and five lumps -on his heads, came and took her to the Eastern -World.”</p> - -<p>“Why did you not take her from him?”</p> - -<p>“Neither I, nor you, nor all that ever came -before us could do that.”</p> - -<p>On the following morning Arthur rose, washed -his face, rubbed his eyes, and said to the king’s -son, “I am going to the Eastern World to bring -back your wife.” Away he went; but the king’s -son would not believe that any man living could -bring back the wife.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_363"></a>[363]</span></p> - -<p>When Arthur came to the castle of the giant -in the Eastern World, the giant himself was not -in it, only the wife of the King of Lochlin’s son, -who said, “There is no use in your delaying in -this place; you’ll be killed, if you stay till the -giant comes home.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll never leave this castle till I see the -giant; and when I go home you’ll go with me.”</p> - -<p>It wasn’t long till Arthur heard the great -voice of the giant. As he came toward the -castle the bottom of the forest was rising to -the top, and the top of the forest was going to -the bottom. In front of the giant went a shaggy -goat, and another behind him. In his hand was -a club with a yellow flea on the end of it; on -one shoulder he carried a dead hag, and on the -other a great hog of a wild boar.</p> - -<p>“Fu fa my beard!” cried the giant. “I catch -the smell of a lying rogue from Erin, too big for -one bite and too small for two. I don’t know -whether to blow him away through the air, or put -him under my feet.”</p> - -<p>“You filthy giant, ’tis not to give satisfaction -to you, or the like of you, that I came, but to -knock satisfaction out of you.”</p> - -<p>“I want only time till morning to give you -what you came for,” said the giant.</p> - -<p>It was daybreak when Arthur was up and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_364"></a>[364]</span> -struck the pole of combat. There wasn’t a calf, -kid, lamb, foal, or child awaiting birth that -didn’t turn five times to the right and five -times to the left from the strength of the -blow.</p> - -<p>“What do you want?” asked the answering -man.</p> - -<p>“Seven hundred against me, and then seven -hundred to every hundred of these, till I find the -man who can put me down.”</p> - -<p>“You fool of the world, it would be better for -you to hide under a leaf than to stand before the -giant.”</p> - -<p>The giant came out to Arthur; and the two -went at each other like two lions of the desert -or two bulls of great growth, and fought with -rage. They made the softest places hardest, and -the hardest places softest; they brought spring -wells up through dry slate rocks, and great tufts -of green rushes through their own shoe-strings. -The wounds that they made on each other were -so great that little birds flew through them, and -men of small growth could crawl through on -their hands and knees.</p> - -<p>It was dark and the end of the day, when -Arthur cried out, “It is a bad thing for me, -filthy giant, to have a fine day spent on you!”</p> - -<p>With that he gave him one blow on the five<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_365"></a>[365]</span> -necks, and sent the five heads flying through the -air. After a while the heads were coming down, -croning (singing the coronach), Arthur caught -them, and struck the giant’s breast with them; -the body and heads fell dead on the ground. -The wife of the son of the King of Lochlin ran -out now, smothered Arthur with kisses, washed -him with tears, and dried him with a cloak of -fine silk; she put her hand under his arm, and -they went to the castle of the giant. The two -had good entertainment, plenty to eat, and no -bit dry. They made three parts of that night,—one -part for conversation, one for tales, and one -for soft sleep.</p> - -<p>When they rose in the morning, the woman -said, “It is a poor thing for us to go and leave -here behind all the gold the giant had.”</p> - -<p>“Let us not be in so great a hurry; we’ll find -a cure for that,” said Arthur.</p> - -<p>They went out, found three ships belonging to -the giant, and filled them with gold. When the -three ships were laden, Arthur took hawsers and -lashed the first ship to the second, the second to -the third, raised the anchors, and sailed away. -When he was in sight of Lochlin, a messenger -was walking toward the water, and saw the ships -coming. He ran to the castle, and cried to the -king’s son, “The servant-boy is coming, and -bringing your wife with him.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_366"></a>[366]</span></p> - -<p>“That I will never believe,” said the king’s -son, “till she puts her hand in my hand.”</p> - -<p>The king’s son had kept his head by the fire, -without rising from the hearth, all the time that -Arthur was away. When the wife came in, and -put her hand on his hand, he rose up, and shook -seven tons of ashes from himself, with seven -barrels of rust.</p> - -<p>There was great gladness in the castle; and the -king’s son was ready to do anything for Arthur, -he was so thankful to him. Arthur’s time was -out on the following day. The king’s son spoke -to him, and asked, “What am I to give you now -for the service? What wages do you expect?”</p> - -<p>“No more than is just. I hope that you will -find out for me who is the birth that has never -been born, and that never will be.”</p> - -<p>“That is no great thing for me to discover,” -said the king’s son.</p> - -<p>There was a hollow place in the wall of the castle -near the fireplace, and in that hollow the king’s -son kept his own father, and gave him food. He -opened a secret door, and brought out the old king.</p> - -<p>“Now tell me, father,” said he, “who is it -that has never been born, and never will be?”</p> - -<p>“That’s a thing of which no tidings have been -given, or ever will be,” replied the king.</p> - -<p>When the father wasn’t giving him the answer<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_367"></a>[367]</span> -he wanted, the son put the old king, standing, -on a red-hot iron griddle.</p> - -<p>“It’s fried and roasted you’ll be till you -answer my question, and tell who is the birth -that has never been born, and that never will -be,” said the son.</p> - -<p>The old king stood on the griddle till the -marrow was melting in the bones of his feet. -They took him off then; and the son asked him -a second time.</p> - -<p>“That’s a question not to be answered by me,” -said the king.</p> - -<p>He was put, standing, again on the red-hot -griddle, and kept on it, till the marrow was melting -in the bones to his knees.</p> - -<p>“Release me out of this now,” cried the king; -“and I will tell where that birth is.”</p> - -<p>They took him from the griddle. He sat down -then, and told this story to his son, in presence -of Arthur:—</p> - -<p>“I was walking out beyond there in the garden -one day, when I came on a beautiful rod, which -I cut and took with me. I discovered soon after -that that was a rod of enchantment, and never -let it go from me. When I went walking or -riding in the day, I took the rod with me. In -the night, I slept with it under my pillow. Misfortune -came on me at last; for I left the rod in<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_368"></a>[368]</span> -my chamber one time that I started away to go -fowling. After I had gone a good piece of road, -I remembered the rod, and hurried home then to -get it.</p> - -<p>“When I came to the castle I found a dark -tall man inside in my chamber with the queen. -They saw me, and I turned from the door to let -them slip out, and think that I had not seen them. -I went to the door not long after, and opened -it. Your mother was standing inside, not two -feet from the threshold. She struck me right there -with the rod, and made a wild deer of me.</p> - -<p>“When she had me a deer, she let out a great -pack of hounds; for every hand’s breadth of my -body there was a savage dog to tear me, and hunt -me to death. The hounds chased me, and followed -till I ran to the far away mountains. -There I escaped. So great was my swiftness -and strength that I brought my life with me.</p> - -<p>“After that I went back to injure the queen; -and I did every harm in my power to her grain, -and her crops, and her gardens.</p> - -<p>“One day she sprang up from behind a stone -wall, when I thought no one near, struck me -with the rod, and made a wolf of me. She called -a hunt then. Hounds and men chased me fiercely -till evening. At nightfall I escaped to an island -in a lake where no man was living. Next day<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_369"></a>[369]</span> -I went around each perch of that island. I -searched every place, and found only a she-wolf.</p> - -<p>“But the wolf was a woman enchanted years -before,—enchanted when she was within one -week of her time to give birth to a hero. There -she was; but the hero could not be born unless -she received her own form again.</p> - -<p>“There was little to eat on the island for the -she-wolf, and still less after I came. What I -suffered from hunger in that place no man can -know; for I had a wolf’s craving, and only scant -food to stop it. One day above another, I was -lying half asleep, half famished, and dreaming. -I thought that a kid was there near me. I -snapped at it, and awoke. I had torn open the -side of the she-wolf. Before me was an infant, -which grew to the size of a man in one moment. -That man is the birth that has never been born, -and never will be; that man is the Half Slim -Champion.</p> - -<p>“When I snapped at the she-wolf, I bit her -so deeply that I took a piece from behind the ear -of the child, and killed the mother. When you -go back to the Half Slim Champion, and he asks -who is the man that has never been born, and -never will be, you will say: Try behind your -own ear, you will find the mark on him.</p> - -<p>“The infant, grown to a man before my eyes,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_370"></a>[370]</span> -attacked me, to kill me. I ran, and he followed. -He hunted me through every part of that island. -At last I had no escape but to swim to the -country-side opposite. I sprang to the water, -though I had not the strength of the time when -I went from the hunters; but on the way were -two rocks. On these I drew breath, and then -came to land. I could not have swum five -perches farther.</p> - -<p>“I lived after that in close hiding, and met -with no danger till I was going through a small -lane one evening, and, looking behind, saw the -hero whose mother I killed on the island. I -started; he rushed along after me. I came to -a turn, and was thinking to go over the wall, and -escape by the fields, when I met my false queen. -She struck me with the rod in her fright, and I -got back my own form again. I snatched the -rod quickly, and struck her. ‘You’ll be a wolf -now,’ said I; ‘you’ll have your own share of -misfortune.’ With that she sprang over the wall, -a gray wolf, and ran off through the pastures.</p> - -<p>“The dark tall man was a little behind and -saw everything. He turned to escape; but I -struck him with the rod, and made a sheep of -the traitor, in hopes that the gray wolf might -eat him. The hero saw all, saw the wolf that -I was, turned into a man. I entered the castle; -he followed me. I took you at once with me,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_371"></a>[371]</span> -showed you this hollow place near the chimney, -and hid in it. The hero searched every foot of -the castle, but found no trace of me. He had -no knowledge of who I was; and when you denied -that I was here, he waited one day, a second day, -and then went away, taking your sister and the -best hound at the castle.</p> - -<p>“That hero of the island, whose mother I -killed, is the Half Slim Champion. There is -nothing he wishes so much as my death; and -when he hears who it was that has never been -born, and never will be, he will know that I am -alive yet, and he’ll kill half the people in -Lochlin, unless he kills me first of all, or this -champion kills him.”</p> - -<p>When Arthur heard this story, he went away -quickly from the castle of the King of Lochlin, -and never stopped till he came to the hill where -he played cards the first time. The Half Slim -Champion was before him there, standing.</p> - -<p>“Have you found the answer, and can you tell -who has never been born, and never will be?”</p> - -<p>“Try behind your own ear, and you’ll find the -mark on him.”</p> - -<p>“That’s true,” said the champion, “and the -man who killed my mother is alive yet; but if -he is, he will not be so long, and you’ll not leave -this till you and I have a trial.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_372"></a>[372]</span></p> - -<p>The two went at each other then; and it was -early enough in the day when Arthur had the -head off the champion. He put a gad through -his ears, took the head on his shoulder, hurried -back to the King of Lochlin, and threw it on -the floor, saying, “Here is the head of the Half -Slim Champion.”</p> - -<p>When the old king heard these words in his -place of concealment, he burst out the wall, and -went through the end of the castle, so great was -his joy. As soon as he was in the open air, -free from confinement and dread, he became the -best man in Lochlin.</p> - -<p>They made three parts of that night, which -they passed in great enjoyment, and discovered -that Arthur’s wife was the sister of the son of -the King of Lochlin, the lady who was carried -away by the Half Slim Champion, and lost in a -game of cards.</p> - -<p>When the old king got the head of the Half -Slim Champion, he gave the three ships full of -gold to Arthur, and would have given six ships, -if he had had them, he was so glad to be free. -Arthur took farewell of the old king and his son, -and sailed away with his three ships full of gold -to Erin, where his wife was.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_373"></a>[373]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="BLAIMAN_SON_OF_APPLE_IN_THE">BLAIMAN, SON OF APPLE, IN THE -KINGDOM OF THE WHITE STRAND.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>There was a king in Erin long ago who had -two sons and one daughter. On a day -of days, the daughter walked into her father’s -garden, in which she saw an apple-tree with -only one apple on it; she took the apple, and -ate it.</p> - -<p>There was an old druid in the castle, who saw -the king’s daughter going out, and met her -coming in.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said he, “you had the look of a maiden -when you were going out, and you have the look -of a married woman coming in.”</p> - -<p>Those who were near heard the saying of the -druid, and it was going the rounds till it came -to the king. The king went at once to the druid, -and asked, “What is this that you say about my -daughter?”</p> - -<p>“I say nothing,” answered the druid.</p> - -<p>“You must tell me your words,” said the king, -“and prove them, or lose your head.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_374"></a>[374]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, as you are going that far you must give -me time, and if a few months do not prove my -words true, you may cut the head off me.”</p> - -<p>The princess was then taken to the top of the -king’s castle, where no one could see her but her -maid. There she remained till she gave birth to -a son with a golden spot on his poll, and a silver -spot on his forehead. He was so beautiful that -if sunshine and breeze ever rested on a child, -they would rest on him; and what of him did not -grow in the day grew at night. He grew so quickly -that soon he was as large as the king’s sons, his -uncles, and rose out to be a great champion.</p> - -<p>One day when the two sons of the king were -hunting, there was snow on the ground, and they -killed a hare. Some of the hare’s blood fell on -the snow, and they said that that was a beautiful -meeting of colors. They were wondering could -any woman be found with such colors on her face, -white shining through the red. When they came -home in the evening, they asked the old druid -could a woman of that sort be found. He -answered that if she could itself, little good -would it do them; they could find wives good -enough for them near home. They said that that -was no matter, but to tell them where was the -woman they had asked for.</p> - -<p>“That woman,” said the druid, “is the daughter<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_375"></a>[375]</span> -of the King of the kingdom of the White -Strand. Hundreds of champions have lost their -heads for her; and if you go, you will lose your -heads too.”</p> - -<p>The elder son said, “We do not mind that; we -will go.”</p> - -<p>The brothers had no vessel to take them to the -kingdom of the White Strand; and the elder said -he would build one. He took tools one morning, -and started for the seashore. When just outside -the castle, he heard a voice, asking, “Where are -you going, king’s son?”</p> - -<p>“I am going to make a turkey-pen,” answered -the young man. “May you prosper in justice and -truth,” said the voice.</p> - -<p>The king’s son began to build the ship that -day; and in the evening what had he built but -a turkey-pen? When he came home, they asked -what had he made.</p> - -<p>“Nothing; I made only a turkey-pen.”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the second son, “you are a fool. -I knew that you could do nothing good.”</p> - -<p>On the following morning, the second son -started for the seashore; and the voice spoke to -him, and asked, “Where are you going, king’s -son?”</p> - -<p>“To build a pig-sty,” answered he. “May you -prosper in justice and truth,” said the voice.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_376"></a>[376]</span></p> - -<p>He worked all day; and in the evening it was -a pig-sty that he had. He came home; and now -the brothers were doleful because they had not a -ship in which to sail to the princess.</p> - -<p>The following morning, the king’s grandson -said, “Give me the tools, to see can I myself do -anything.”</p> - -<p>“What can you do, you fool?” asked the -uncles.</p> - -<p>“That matters not,” replied he. He left the -castle; and at the place where the voice spoke -to his uncles, it spoke to him also, and asked, -“What are you going to do, Blaiman, son of -Apple?” (He did not know his origin till then.)</p> - -<p>“I am going to build a ship,” said Blaiman.</p> - -<p>“That it may thrive with you in justice and -truth,” said the voice.</p> - -<p>He went off to the edge of a wood that was -growing at the seashore, gave one blow to a tree, -and it went to its own proper place in the vessel. -In the evening Blaiman had the nicest ship that -ever moved on the deep sea. When finished, -the ship was at the edge of the shore; he gave -it one blow of a sledge, and sent it out to deep -water. Blaiman went home full of gladness.</p> - -<p>“What have you made?” asked the uncles.</p> - -<p>“Go out and see for yourselves,” answered -Blaiman.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_377"></a>[377]</span></p> - -<p>The two went, and saw the ship in the harbor. -They were delighted to see the fine vessel, as -they themselves could not build it. The voice -had built it with Blaiman in return for his -truth.</p> - -<p>Next morning provisions for a day and a year -were placed in the vessel. The two sons of the -king went on board, raised the sails, and were -moving out toward the great ocean. Blaiman -saw the ship leaving, and began to cry; he was -sorry that, after building the ship, it was not he -who had the first trial of his own work. When -his mother heard him, she grew sorry too, and -asked what trouble was on him; and he told her -that after he had built the ship, he wanted to -have the first trial of it.</p> - -<p>“You are foolish,” said she. “You are only -a boy yet; your bones are not hard. You must -not think of going to strange countries.”</p> - -<p>He answered, that nothing would do him but -to go. The old king, the grandfather, wanted -Blaiman to stay; but he would not.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the king, “what I have not done -for another I will do now for you. I will give -you my sword; and you will never be put back -by any man while you keep that blade.”</p> - -<p>Blaiman left the house then; the vessel was -outside the harbor already. He ran to the mouth<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_378"></a>[378]</span> -of the harbor, and, placing the point of his sword -on the brink of the shore, gave one leap out on -board. The two uncles were amazed when they -saw what their nephew had done, and were full -of joy at having him with them. They turned -the ship’s prow to the sea, and the stern to land. -They raised to the tops of the hard, tough, -stained masts the great sweeping sails, and took -their capacious, smoothly-polished vessel past -harbors with gently sloping shores, and there -the ship left behind it pale-green wavelets. -Then, with a mighty wind, they went through -great flashing, stern-dashing waves with such -force that not a nail in the ship was unheated, -or a finger on a man inactive; and so did the -ship hurry forward that its stern rubbed its prow, -and it raised before it, by dint of sailing, a -proud, haughty ridge through the middle of the -fair, red sea.</p> - -<p>When the wind failed, they sat down with the -oars of fragrant beech or white ash, and with -every stroke they sent the ship forward three -leagues on the sea, where fishes, seals, and -monsters rose around them, making music and -sport, and giving courage to the men; and the -three never stopped nor cooled until they sailed -into the kingdom of the White Strand. Then -they drew their vessel to a place where no wave<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_379"></a>[379]</span> -was striking, nor wind rocking it, nor the sun -splitting it, nor even a crow of the air dropping -upon it; but a clean strand before it, and coarse -sand on which wavelets were breaking. They -cast two anchors toward the sea, and one toward -land, and gave the vessel the fixing of a day and -a full year, though they might not be absent more -than one hour.</p> - -<p>On the following day they saw one wide forest -as far as the eye could reach; they knew not -what manner of land was it.</p> - -<p>“Would you go and inquire,” said Blaiman to -the elder uncle, “what sort of a country that is -inside?” The uncle went in, very slowly, among -the trees, and at last, seeing flashes of light -through the forest, rushed back in terror, the -eyes starting out of his head.</p> - -<p>“What news have you?” asked Blaiman.</p> - -<p>“I saw flashes of fire, and could not go farther,” -said the elder king’s son.</p> - -<p>“Go you,” said Blaiman to the other, “and -bring some account of the country.”</p> - -<p>He did not go much farther than the elder -brother, then came back, and said, “We may as -well sail home again.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Blaiman, “ye have provisions -for a day and a year in this vessel. I will go -now, and do ye remain here; if I am not back<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_380"></a>[380]</span> -before the end of the day and the year, wait no -longer.” He gave them good by, then went on, -and entered the forest. It was not long till he -met with the flashes. He did not mind them, but -went forward; and when he had gone a good -distance, he found the trees farther apart and -scattered. Leaving the trees, he came out on -a broad, open plain; in the middle of the plain -was a castle; in front of the castle twelve champions -practising at feats of arms; and it was the -flashes from the blows of their swords that he -and his uncles had seen in the forest. So skilled -were the champions that not one of them could -draw a drop of blood from another.</p> - -<p>Blaiman was making toward them. By the -side of the path there was a small hut, and as -he was passing the door, an old woman came out, -and hailed him. He turned, and she said, “A -hundred thousand welcomes to you, Blaiman, son -of Apple, from Erin.”</p> - -<p>“Well, good woman,” said Blaiman, “you have -the advantage. You know me; but I have no -knowledge of you.”</p> - -<p>“I know you well,” said she; “and it’s sorry I -am that you are here. Do you see those twelve -men out there opposite? You are going to make -for them now; but rest on your legs, and let the -beginning of another day come to you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_381"></a>[381]</span></p> - -<p>“Your advice may be good,” said Blaiman, and -he went in. The old woman prepared his supper -as well as it was ever prepared at his grandfather’s -house at home, and prepared a bed for him as -good as ever he had. He slept enough, and he -wanted it. When day overtook him on the morrow, -he rose, and washed his face and hands, and -asked mercy and help from God, and if he did -not he let it alone; and the old woman prepared -breakfast in the best way she could, and it was -not the wrong way. He went off then in good -courage to the castle of the king; and there was -a pole of combat in front of the castle which a -man wanting combat would strike with his sword. -He struck the pole a blow that was heard -throughout the whole kingdom.</p> - -<p>“Good, good!” said the king; “the like of -that blow was not struck while I am in this -castle.”</p> - -<p>He put his head through a window above, and -saw Blaiman outside.</p> - -<p>Around the rear of the castle was a high wall -set with iron spikes. Few were the spikes without -heads on them; some heads were fresh, some -with part of the flesh on them, and some were -only bare skulls. It was a dreadful sight to see; -and strong was the man that it would not put -fright on.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_382"></a>[382]</span></p> - -<p>“What do you want?” asked the king of -Blaiman.</p> - -<p>“Your daughter to marry, or combat.”</p> - -<p>“’Tis combat you will get,” said the king; -and the twelve champions of valor were let out -at him together. It was pitiful to see him; each -one of the twelve aiming a blow at him, he trying -to defend himself, and he all wounded and -hacked by them. When the day was growing -late, he began to be angry; the noble blood -swelled in his breast to be uppermost; and he -rose, with the activity of his limbs, out of the -joints of his bones over them, and with three -sweeping blows took the twelve heads off the -champions. He left the place then, deeply -wounded, and went back to the old woman’s -cabin; and if he did, it was a pleasure for the old -woman to see him. She put him into a caldron -of venom, and then into a caldron of cure. When -he came out, he was perfectly healed; and the old -woman said,—</p> - -<p>“Victory and prosperity to you, my boy. I -think you will do something good; for the twelve -were the strongest and ablest of all the king’s -forces. You have done more than any man that -ever walked this way before.”</p> - -<p>They made three parts of the night: the first -part, they spent in eating and drinking; the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_383"></a>[383]</span> -second, in telling tales and singing ballads; the -third, in rest and sound sleep.</p> - -<p>He had a good sleep, and he needed it. Being -anxious, he rose early; and as early as he rose, -breakfast was ready before him, prepared by -the old woman. He ate his breakfast, went to -the king’s castle, and struck the pole.</p> - -<p>“What do you want?” asked the king, thrusting -his head through the window.</p> - -<p>“Seven hundred men at my right hand, seven -hundred at my left, seven hundred behind me, -and as many as on the three sides out before -me.”</p> - -<p>They were sent to him four deep through four -gates. He went through them as a hawk through -a flock of small birds on a March day, or as a -blackbird or a small boy from Iraghti Conor -between two thickets. He made lanes and roads -through them, and slew them all. He made then -a heap of their heads, a heap of their bodies, and -a heap of their weapons. Trembling fear came -on the king, and Blaiman went to the old -woman’s cabin.</p> - -<p>“Victory and prosperity to you, my boy; you -have all his forces stretched now, unless he comes -out against you himself; and I’m full sure that -he will not. He’ll give you the daughter.”</p> - -<p>She had a good dinner before him. He had<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_384"></a>[384]</span> -fought so well that there was neither spot nor -scar on his skin; for he had not let a man of the -forty-two hundred come within sword’s length of -his body. He passed the night as the previous -night.</p> - -<p>Next morning after breakfast, he went to the -castle, and with one blow made wood lice of the -king’s pole of combat. The king went down to -Blaiman, took him under the arm, and, leading -him up to the high chamber where the daughter -was, put her hand in his.</p> - -<p>The king’s daughter kissed Blaiman, and -embraced him, and gave him a ring with her -name and surname written inside on it. This -was their marriage.</p> - -<p>Next day Blaiman, thinking that his uncles -had waited long enough, and might go back to -Erin, said to the king, “I will visit my uncles, -and then return hither.”</p> - -<p>His wife, an only child, was heir to the kingdom, -and he was to reign with her.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the king, “something else is troubling -me now. There are three giants, neighbors -of mine, and they are great robbers. All my -forces are killed; and before one day passes the -giants will be at me, and throw me out of the -kingdom.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Blaiman, “I will not leave you<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_385"></a>[385]</span> -till I settle the giants; but now tell where they -are to be found.”</p> - -<p>“I will,” said the king; and he gave him all -needful instruction. Blaiman went first to the -house of the youngest giant, where he struck the -pole of combat, and the sound was heard over -all that giant’s kingdom.</p> - -<p>“Good, good!” said the giant; “the like of -that blow has never been struck on that pole of -combat before,” and out he came.</p> - -<p>“A nerve burning of the heart to you, you -miserable wretch!” said the giant to Blaiman; -“and great was your impudence to come to my -castle at all.”</p> - -<p>“It is not caring to give you pleasure that I -am,” said Blaiman, “but to knock a tormenting -satisfaction out of your ribs.”</p> - -<p>“Is it hard, thorny wrestling that you want, or -fighting with sharp gray swords in the lower and -upper ribs?” asked the giant.</p> - -<p>“I will fight with sharp gray swords,” said -Blaiman.</p> - -<p>The giant went in, and fitted on his wide, -roomy vest, his strong, unbreakable helmet, his -cross-worked coat-of-mail; then he took his bossy, -pale-red shield and his spear. Every hair on -his head and in his beard was so stiffly erect from -anger and rage that a small apple or a sloe, an<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_386"></a>[386]</span> -iron apple or a smith’s anvil, might stand on -each hair of them.</p> - -<p>Blaiman fitted on his smooth, flowery stockings, -and his two dry warm boots of the hide of a -small cow, that was the first calf of another -cow that never lay on any one of her sides. -He fitted on his single-threaded silken girdle -which three craftsmen had made, underneath his -broad-pointed, sharp sword that would not leave -a remnant uncut, or, if it did, what it left at the -first blow it took at the second. This sword -was to be unsheathed with the right hand, and -sheathed with the left. He gave the first blood -of battle as a terrible oath that he himself was, -the choice champion of the Fenians, the feather -of greatness, the slayer of a champion of bravery; -a man to compel justice and right, but not give -either justice or right; a man who had earned -what he owned in the gap of every danger, in -the path of every hardship, who was sure to get -what belonged to him, or to know who detained -it.</p> - -<p>They rushed at each then like two bulls of the -wilderness, or two wild echoes of the cliff; they -made soft ground of the hard, and hard ground -of the soft; they made low ground of high, and -high ground of low. They made whirling circles -of the earth, and mill-wheels of the sky; and if<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_387"></a>[387]</span> -any one were to come from the lower to the -upper world, it was to see those two that he -should come. They were this way at each other -to the height of the evening. Blaiman was -growing hungry; and through dint of anger he -rose with the activity of his limbs, and with one -stroke of his sword cut off the giant’s head. -There was a tree growing near. Blaiman knocked -off a tough, slender branch, put one end of it in -through the left ear and out through the right, -then putting the head on the sword, and the -sword on his shoulder, went home to the king. -Coming near the castle with the giant’s head, he -met a man tied in a tree whose name was Hung -Up Naked.</p> - -<p>“Victory and prosperity to you, young champion,” -said the man; “you have done well hitherto; -now loose me from this.”</p> - -<p>“Are you long there?” asked Blaiman.</p> - -<p>“I am seven years here,” answered the other.</p> - -<p>“Many a man passed this way during that -time. As no man of them loosed you, I will not -loose you.”</p> - -<p>He went home then, and threw down the head by -the side of the castle. The head was so weighty -that the castle shook to its deepest foundations. -The king came to the hall-door, shook Blaiman’s -hand, and kissed him. They spent that night as<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_388"></a>[388]</span> -the previous night; and on the next day he went -to meet the second giant, came to his house, and -struck the pole of combat. The giant put out his -head, and said, “You rascal, I lay a wager it was -you who killed my young brother yesterday; -you’ll pay for it now, for I think it is a sufficient -length of life to get a glimpse of you, and I know -not what manner of death I should give you.”</p> - -<p>“It is not to offer satisfaction that I am here,” -said Blaiman, “but to give you the same as your -brother.”</p> - -<p>“Is it any courage you have to fight me?” -asked the giant.</p> - -<p>“It is indeed,” said Blaiman; “’tis for that I -am here.”</p> - -<p>“What will you have?” asked the giant; “hard, -thorny wrestling, or fighting with sharp gray -swords?”</p> - -<p>“I prefer hard, thorny wrestling,” said Blaiman; -“as I have practised it on the lawns with -noble children.”</p> - -<p>They seized each other, and made soft places -hard, and hard places soft; they drew wells of -spring water through the hard, stony ground in -such fashion that the place under them was a soft -quagmire, in which the giant, who was weighty, -was sinking. He sank to his knees. Blaiman -then caught hold of him firmly, and forced him -down to his hips.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_389"></a>[389]</span></p> - -<p>“Am I to cut off your head now?” asked -Blaiman.</p> - -<p>“Do not do that,” said the giant. “Spare me, -and I will give you my treasure-room, and all -that I have of gold and silver.”</p> - -<p>“I will give you your own award,” said -Blaiman. “If I were in your place, and you in -mine, would you let me go free?”</p> - -<p>“I would not,” said the giant.</p> - -<p>Blaiman drew his broad, shadowy sword made -in Erin. It had edge, temper, and endurance; -and with one blow he took the two heads off the -giant, and carried the heads to the castle. He -passed by Hung Up Naked, who asked him to -loose him; but he refused. When Blaiman threw -the heads down, much as the castle shook the -first day, it shook more the second.</p> - -<p>The king and his daughter were greatly rejoiced. -They stifled him with kisses, drowned -him with tears, and dried him with stuffs of silk -and satin; they gave him the taste of every food -and the odor of every drink,—Greek honey and -Lochlin beer in dry, warm cups, and the taste -of honey in every drop of the beer. I bailing it -out, it would be a wonder if I myself was not -thirsty.</p> - -<p>They passed that night as the night before. -Next morning Blaiman was very tired and weary<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_390"></a>[390]</span> -after his two days’ fight, and the third giant’s -land was far distant.</p> - -<p>“Have you a horse of any kind for me to -ride?” asked he of the king.</p> - -<p>“Be not troubled,” said the king. “There is -a stallion in my stable that has not been out for -seven years, but fed on red wheat and pure spring -water; if you think you can ride that horse, you -may take him.”</p> - -<p>Blaiman went to the stable. When the horse -saw the stranger, he bared his teeth back to the -ears, and made a drive at him to tear him asunder; -but Blaiman struck the horse with his fist on the -ear, and stretched him. The horse rose, but was -quiet. Blaiman bridled and saddled him, then -drove out that slender, low-sided, bare-shouldered, -long-flanked, tame, meek-mannered steed, -in which were twelve qualities combined: three -of a bull, three of a woman, three of a fox, and -three of a hare. Three of a bull,—a full eye, a -thick neck, and a bold forehead; three of a -woman,—full hips, slender waist, and a mind for -a burden; three of a hare,—a swift run against a -hill, a sharp turn about, and a high leap; three -of a fox,—a light, treacherous, proud gait, to take -in the two sides of the road by dint of study and -acuteness, and to look only ahead. He now went -on, and could overtake the wind that was before<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_391"></a>[391]</span> -him; and the wind that was behind, carrying -rough hailstones, could not overtake him.</p> - -<p>Blaiman never stopped nor stayed till he -arrived at the giant’s castle; and this giant had -three heads. He dismounted, and struck the -pole a blow that was heard throughout the kingdom. -The giant looked out, and said, “Oh, you -villain! I’ll wager it was you that killed my -two brothers. I think it sufficient life to see -you; and I don’t know yet what manner of death -will I put on you.”</p> - -<p>“It is not to give satisfaction to you that I am -here, you vile worm!” said Blaiman. “Ugly is -the smile of your laugh; and it must be that your -crying will be uglier still.”</p> - -<p>“Is it hard, thorny wrestling that you want, or -fighting with sharp gray swords?” asked the -giant.</p> - -<p>“I will fight with sharp gray swords,” said -Blaiman.</p> - -<p>They rushed at each other then like two bulls -of the wilderness. Toward the end of the afternoon, -the heavier blows were falling on Blaiman. -Just then a robin came on a bush in front of him, -and said, “Oh, Blaiman, son of Apple, from -Erin, far away are you from the women who -would lay you out and weep over you! There -would be no one to care for you unless I were<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_392"></a>[392]</span> -to put two green leaves on your eyes to protect -them from the crows of the air. Stand between -the sun and the giant, and remember where men -draw blood from sheep in Erin.”</p> - -<p>Blaiman followed the advice of the robin. The -two combatants kept at each other; but the giant -was blinded by the sun, for he had to bend himself -often to look at his foe. One time, when he -stretched forward, his helmet was lifted a little, -Blaiman got a glimpse of his neck, near the ear. -That instant he stabbed him. The giant was -bleeding till he lost the last of his blood. Then -Blaiman cut the three heads off him, and carried -them home on the pommel of his saddle. When he -was passing, Hung Up Naked begged for release; -but Blaiman refused and went on. Hung Up -Naked praised him for his deeds, and continued -to praise. On second thought, Blaiman turned -back, and began to release Hung Up Naked; but -if he did, as fast as he loosened one bond, two -squeezed on himself, in such fashion that when -he had Hung Up Naked unbound, he was himself -doubly bound; he had the binding of five men -hard and tough on his body. Hung Up Naked -was free now; he mounted Blaiman’s steed, and -rode to the king’s castle. He threw down the -giant’s heads, and never stopped nor stayed till -he went to where the king’s daughter was, put<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_393"></a>[393]</span> -a finger under her girdle, bore her out of the -castle, and rode away swiftly.</p> - -<p>Blaiman remained bound for two days to the -tree. The king’s swine-herd came the way, and -saw Blaiman bound in the tree. “Ah, my boy,” -said he, “you are bound there, and Hung Up -Naked is freed by you; and if you had passed -him as you did twice before, you need not be -where you are now.”</p> - -<p>“It cannot be helped,” said Blaiman; “I must -suffer.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, then,” said the swine-herd, “it is a pity -to have you there and me here; I will never leave -you till I free you.”</p> - -<p>Up went the swine-herd, and began to loosen -Blaiman; and it happened to him as to Blaiman -himself: the bonds that had been on Blaiman -were now on the swine-herd.</p> - -<p>“I have heard always that strength is more -powerful than magic,” said Blaiman. He went -at the tree, and pulled it up by the roots; then, -taking his sword, he made small pieces of the -tree, and freed the swine-herd.</p> - -<p>Blaiman and the swine-herd then went to the -castle. They found the king sitting by the table, -with his head on his hand, and a stream of tears -flowing from his eyes to the table, and from the -table to the floor.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_394"></a>[394]</span></p> - -<p>“What is your trouble?” asked Blaiman.</p> - -<p>“Hung Up Naked came, and said that it was -himself who killed the giant; and he took my -daughter.”</p> - -<p>When he found that his wife was taken, and -that he knew not where to look for her, Blaiman -was raging.</p> - -<p>“Stay here to-night,” said the king.</p> - -<p>Next morning the king brought a table-cloth, -and said, “You may often need food, and not -know where to find it. Wherever you spread -this, what food you require will be on it.”</p> - -<p>Although Blaiman, because of his troubles, -had no care for anything, he took the cloth with -him. He was travelling all day, and at nightfall -came to a break in the mountain, a sheltered -spot, and he saw remains of a fire.</p> - -<p>“I will go no farther to-night,” said he. After -a time he pulled out the table-cloth, and food for -a king or a champion appeared on it quickly. -He was not long eating, when a little hound from -the break in the mountain came toward him, and -stood at some distance, being afraid to come -near.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the hound, “have you crumbs or -burned bread-crusts that you would give me to -take to my children, now dying of hunger? For -three days I have not been able to hunt food for -them.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_395"></a>[395]</span></p> - -<p>“I have, of course,” said Blaiman. “Come, -eat enough of what you like best, and carry away -what you can.”</p> - -<p>“You have my dear love forever,” said the -hound. “You are not like the thief that was -here three nights ago. When I asked him for -help, he threw a log of wood at me, and broke -my shoulder-blade; and I have not been able to -find food for my little children since that night. -Doleful and sad was the lady who was with him; -she ate no bite and drank no sup the whole night, -but was shedding tears. If ever you are in hardship, -and need my assistance, call for the Little -Hound of Tranamee, and you will have me to -help you.”</p> - -<p>“Stay with me,” said Blaiman, “a part of the -night; I am lonely, and you may take with you -what food you can carry.”</p> - -<p>The hound remained till he thought it time to -go home; Blaiman gave him what he could carry, -and he was thankful.</p> - -<p>Blaiman stayed there till daybreak, spread his -cloth again, and ate what he wanted. He was in -very good courage from the tidings concerning -his wife. He journeyed swiftly all day, thinking -he would reach the castle of Hung Up Naked in -the evening; but it was still far away.</p> - -<p>He came in the evening to a place like that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_396"></a>[396]</span> -in which he had been the night previous, and -thought to himself, I will stay here to-night. -He spread his cloth, and had food for a king or -a champion. He was not long eating, when there -came opposite him out a hawk, and asked, “Have -you crumbs or burned crusts to give me for my -little children?”</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Blaiman, “come and eat your fill, -and take away what you are able to carry.”</p> - -<p>The hawk ate his fill. “My love to you forever,” -said the hawk; “this is not how I was -treated by the thief who was here three nights -ago. When I asked him for food, he flung a log -of wood at me, and almost broke my wing.”</p> - -<p>“Give me your company a part of the night; I -am lonely,” said Blaiman.</p> - -<p>The hawk remained with him, and later on -added, “The lady who went with the thief was -doleful and careworn; she ate nothing, but shed -tears all the time.” When going, and Blaiman -had given him all the food he could carry, the -hawk said, “If ever you need my assistance, you -have only to call for the Hawk of Cold Cliff, and -I will be with you.”</p> - -<p>The hawk went away, very thankful; and Blaiman -was glad that he had tidings again of his -wife. Not much of next day overtook him asleep. -He rose, ate his breakfast, and hastened forward.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_397"></a>[397]</span> -He was in such courage that he passed a mountain -at a leap, a valley at a step, and a broad -untilled field at a hop. He journeyed all day -till he came to a break in the mountain; there he -stopped, and was not long eating from his cloth, -when an otter came down through the glen, stood -before him, and asked, “Will you give me crumbs -or burned crusts for my little children?”</p> - -<p>Blaiman gave him plenty to eat, and all he -could carry home. “My love to you forever,” -said the otter. “When you need aid, call on the -Otter of Frothy Pool, and I will be with you. -You are not like the thief who was here three -nights ago, having your wife with him. She was -melting all night with tears, and neither ate nor -drank. You will reach the castle of Hung Up -Naked to-morrow at midday. It whirls around -like a millstone, continually, and no one can -enter but himself; for the castle is enchanted.”</p> - -<p>The otter went home. Blaiman reached the -castle at midday, and knew the place well, from -the words of the otter. He stood looking at the -castle; and when the window at which his wife -was sitting came before him, she saw him, and, -opening the window, made a sign with her hand, -and told him to go. She thought that no one -could get the upper hand of Hung Up Naked; -for the report had gone through the world that -no man could kill him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_398"></a>[398]</span></p> - -<p>“I will not go,” said Blaiman. “I will not -leave you where you are; and now keep the -window open.”</p> - -<p>He stepped back some paces, and went in with -one bound through the window, when it came -around the second time.</p> - -<p>While Hung Up Naked was tied to the tree, -the tributes of his kingdom remained uncollected; -and when he had the woman he wanted safe in -his castle, he went to collect the tributes. She -had laid an injunction on him to leave her in -freedom for a day and a year. She knew when -he would be returning; and when that time was -near she hid Blaiman.</p> - -<p>“Good, good!” cried Hung Up Naked, when -he came. “I smell on this little sod of truth -that a man from Erin is here.”</p> - -<p>“How could a man from Erin be here?” asked -Blaiman’s wife. “The only person from Erin -in this place is a robin. I threw a fork at him. -There is a drop of blood on the fork now; that is -what you smell on the little sod.”</p> - -<p>“That may be,” said Hung Up Naked.</p> - -<p>Blaiman and the wife were planning to destroy -Hung Up Naked; but no one had knowledge how -to kill him. At last they made a plan to come -at the knowledge.</p> - -<p>“It is a wonder,” said the woman to Hung Up<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_399"></a>[399]</span> -Naked, “that a great man like yourself should -go travelling alone; my father always takes -guards with him.”</p> - -<p>“I need no guards; no one can kill me.”</p> - -<p>“How is that?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, my life is in that block of wood there.”</p> - -<p>“If it is there, ’tis in a strange place; and it is -little trouble you take for it. You should put it -in some secure spot in the castle.”</p> - -<p>“The place is good enough,” said he.</p> - -<p>When Hung Up Naked went off next day, the -wife told Blaiman all she had heard.</p> - -<p>“His life is not there,” answered Blaiman; -“try him again to-night.”</p> - -<p>She searched the whole castle, and what silk -or satin or jewels she found, she dressed with -them the block of wood. When Hung Up Naked -came home in the evening, and saw the block so -richly decked, he laughed heartily.</p> - -<p>“Why do you laugh?” asked the woman.</p> - -<p>“Out of pity for you. It is not there that my -life is at all.”</p> - -<p>On hearing these words, she fainted, was stiff -and cold for some time, till he began to fear she -was dead.</p> - -<p>“What is the matter?” asked Hung Up -Naked.</p> - -<p>“I did not think you would make sport of me.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_400"></a>[400]</span> -You know that I love you, and why did you -deceive me?”</p> - -<p>Hung Up Naked was wonderfully glad. He -took her to the window, and, pointing to a large -tree growing opposite, asked, “Do you see that -tree?”</p> - -<p>“I do.”</p> - -<p>“Do you see that axe under my bed-post?” -He showed the axe. “I cannot be killed till a -champion with one blow of that axe splits the -tree from the top to the roots of it. Out of the -tree a ram will rush forth, and nothing on earth -can come up with the ram but the Hound of -Tranamee. If the ram is caught, he will drop a -duck; the duck will fly out on the sea, and nothing -on earth can catch that duck but the Hawk -of Cold Cliff. If the duck is caught, she will drop -an egg into the sea, and nothing on earth can -find that egg but the Otter of Frothy Pool. If -the egg is found, the champion must strike with -one cast of it this dark spot here under my left -breast, and strike me through the heart. If the -tree were touched, I should feel it, wherever I -might be.”</p> - -<p>He went away next morning. Blaiman took -the axe, and with one blow split the tree from -top to roots; out rushed the ram. Blaiman -rushed after him through the fields. Blaiman<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_401"></a>[401]</span> -hunted the ram till he was dropping from weariness. -Only then did he think of the hound, and -cry, “Where are you now, Little Hound of -Tranamee?”</p> - -<p>“I am here,” said the hound; “but I could not -come till you called me.”</p> - -<p>The hound seized the ram in one moment; but, -if he did, out sprang a duck, and away she flew -over the sea. Blaiman called for the Hawk of -Cold Cliff. The hawk caught the duck; the -duck dropped an egg. He called the Otter of -Frothy Pool; the otter brought the egg in his -mouth. Blaiman took the egg, and ran to the -castle, which was whirling no longer; the -enchantment left the place when the tree was -split. He opened the door, and stood inside, but -was not long there when he saw Hung Up Naked -coming in haste. When the tree was split, he -felt it, and hurried home. When nearing the -castle, his breast open and bare, and he sweating -and sweltering, Blaiman aimed at the black -spot, and killed Hung Up Naked.</p> - -<p>They were all very glad then. The hawk, -hound, and otter were delighted; they were three -sons of the king of that kingdom which Hung -Up Naked had seized; they received their own -forms again, and all rejoiced.</p> - -<p>Blaiman did not stay long. He left the three<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_402"></a>[402]</span> -brothers in their own castle and kingdom. “If -ever you need my assistance,” said Blaiman to -the brothers, “send for me at my father-in-law’s.” -On his return, he spent a night at each place -where he had stopped in going.</p> - -<p>When the king saw his daughter and Blaiman, -he almost dropped dead from joy. They all -spent some days very happily. Blaiman now -thought of his uncles; and for three days servants -were drawing every choice thing to his vessel. -His wife went also to the ship. When all was -ready, Blaiman remembered a present that he had -set aside for his mother, and hurried back to -the castle, leaving his wife on the ship with his -uncles. The uncles sailed at once for Erin. -When Blaiman came back with the present, he -found neither wife, ship, nor uncles before him. -He ran away like one mad, would not return to -his father-in-law, but went wild in the woods, -and began to live like the beasts of the wilderness. -One time he came out on an edge of the -forest, which was on a headland running into the -sea, and saw a vessel near land; he was coming -that time to his senses, and signalled. The -captain saw him, and said, “That must be a wild -beast of some kind; hair is growing all over -his body. Will some of you go to see what is -there? If a man, bring him on board.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_403"></a>[403]</span></p> - -<p>Five men rowed to land, and hailed Blaiman. -He answered, “I am from Erin, and I am perishing -here from hunger and cold.” They took him -on board. The captain treated him kindly, had -his hair cut, and gave him good clothing. Where -should the captain be sailing to but the very -same port of his grandfather’s kingdom from -which Blaiman had sailed. There was a high -tide when the ship neared, and they never stopped -till she was in at the quay. Blaiman went on -shore, walked to the chief street, and stood with -his back to a house. Soon he saw men and horses -carrying and drawing many kinds of provisions, -and all going one way.</p> - -<p>“Why are these people all going one way?” -inquired Blaiman of a man in the crowd.</p> - -<p>“You must be a stranger,” answered the man, -“since you do not know that they are going to -the castle. The king’s elder son will be married -this evening. The bride is the only daughter of -the King of the kingdom of the White Strand; -they brought her to this place twelve months -ago.”</p> - -<p>“I am a stranger,” said Blaiman, “and have -only come now from sea.”</p> - -<p>“All are invited to the wedding, high and low, -rich and poor.”</p> - -<p>“I will go as well as another,” said Blaiman;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_404"></a>[404]</span> -and he went toward the castle. He met a sturdy -old beggar in a long gray coat. “Will you sell -me the coat?” inquired Blaiman.</p> - -<p>“Take your joke to some other man,” answered -the beggar.</p> - -<p>“I am not joking,” said Blaiman. “I’ll buy -your coat.”</p> - -<p>The beggar asked more for the coat than he -thought would be given by any one.</p> - -<p>“Here is your money,” said Blaiman.</p> - -<p>The beggar gave up the coat, and started to go -in another direction.</p> - -<p>“Come back here,” said Blaiman. “I will do -you more good, and I need your company.”</p> - -<p>They went toward the castle together. There -was a broad space in front of the kitchen filled -with poor people, for the greater part beggars, -and these were all fighting for places. When -Blaiman came, he commanded the crowd to be -quiet, and threatened. He soon controlled all, -and was himself neither eating nor drinking, but -seeing justice done those who were eating and -drinking. The servants, astonished that the -great, threatening beggar was neither eating nor -drinking, gave a great cup of wine to him. He -took a good draught of the wine, but left still -a fair share in the cup. In this he dropped the -ring that he got from his wife in her own father’s<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_405"></a>[405]</span> -castle, and said to a servant, “Put this cup in the -hand of the bride, and say, ‘’Tis the big beggar -that sends back this much of his wine, and asks -you to drink to your own health.’”</p> - -<p>She was astonished, and, taking the cup to the -window, saw a ring at the bottom. She took the -ring, knew it, and ran out wild with delight -through the people. All thought ’twas enchantment -the beggar had used; but she embraced -him and kissed him. The servants surrounded -the beggar to seize him. The king’s daughter -ordered them off, and brought him into the castle; -and Blaiman locked the doors. The bride then -put a girdle around the queen’s waist, and this -was a girdle of truth. If any one having it on -did not tell the truth, the girdle would shrink -and tighten, and squeeze the life out of that -person.</p> - -<p>“Tell me now,” said the bride, “who your -elder son’s father is.”</p> - -<p>“Who is he,” said the queen, “but the king?”</p> - -<p>The girdle grew tighter and tighter till the -queen screamed, “The coachman.”</p> - -<p>“Who is the second son’s father?”</p> - -<p>“The butler.”</p> - -<p>“Who is your daughter’s father?”</p> - -<p>“The king.”</p> - -<p>“I knew,” said the bride, “that there was no<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_406"></a>[406]</span> -kingly blood in the veins of the two, from the -way that they treated my husband.” She told -them all present how the two had taken her -away, and left her husband behind. When Blaiman’s -mother saw her son, she dropped almost -dead from delight.</p> - -<p>The king now commanded his subjects to bring -poles and branches and all dry wood, and put -down a great fire. The heads and heels of the -queen’s two sons were tied together, and they -were flung in and burned to ashes.</p> - -<p>Blaiman remained awhile with his grandfather, -and then took his wife back to her father’s kingdom, -where they lived many years.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_407"></a>[407]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="FIN_MACCOOL_AND_THE_DAUGHTER">FIN MACCOOL AND THE DAUGHTER -OF THE KING OF THE WHITE -NATION.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>One day Fin MacCool and the Fenians of -Erin set out on a hunt from the Castle of -Rahonain, and never stopped till they came near -Brandon Creek, and started a hornless deer in a -field called Parcnagri.</p> - -<p>Over hills and through valleys they chased -the deer till they came to Aun na Vian (the river -of the Fenians). The deer sprang from one side -of this river toward the other, but before reaching -the bank was taken on a spear by Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>When the hunt was over, Fin and the Fenians -went back to the place where the deer -had been started at Parcnagri, for they always -returned to the spot where they roused the first -game, and there they feasted.</p> - -<p>The feast was nearly ready when Fin saw a -boat sailing in toward the harbor of Ard na -Conye (Smerwick Harbor), and no one on board -but a woman.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_408"></a>[408]</span></p> - -<p>“’Tis a wonder to me,” said Fin, “that one -woman should manage a boat under sail on the -sea. I have a great wish to know who that -woman is.”</p> - -<p>“’Tis not long I would be in bringing you -tidings,” said Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>Fin laughed; for Dyeermud was fond of the -women. “I would not refuse you permission to -go, but that I myself will go, and be here before -our feast is ready.”</p> - -<p>Fin went down from Parcnagri, and stood at -the strand of Ard na Conye. Though great was -his speed, the woman was there before him, and -her boat anchored safely four miles from shore.</p> - -<p>Fin saluted the woman with friendly greeting; -and she returned the salute in like manner.</p> - -<p>“Will you tell me, kind man, where I am -now?” asked the woman.</p> - -<p>“In the harbor of Ard na Conye.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks to you for that answer,” said the -woman. “Can you tell where is Fin MacCool’s -dwelling-place?”</p> - -<p>“Wherever Fin MacCool’s dwelling-place is, -I am that man myself.”</p> - -<p>“Thanks to you a second time,” said the -woman; “and would you play a game of chess -for a sentence?”</p> - -<p>“I would,” replied Fin, “if I had my own -board and chessmen.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_409"></a>[409]</span></p> - -<p>“I will give you as good as your own,” said -the woman.</p> - -<p>“I have never refused, and never asked another -to play,” said Fin. “I will play with you.”</p> - -<p>They sat down, and Fin won the first game.</p> - -<p>“What is your sentence, Fin MacCool?” asked -the woman.</p> - -<p>“I put you under bonds of heavy enchantment,” -said Fin, “not to eat twice at the one -table, nor to sleep two nights in the one bed, till -you bring a white steed with red bridle and -saddle to me, and the same to each man of the -Fenians of Erin.”</p> - -<p>“You are very severe, O Fin,” said the woman. -“I beg you to soften the sentence.”</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Fin, “you must give what is -asked; I will not soften the sentence.”</p> - -<p>“Look behind,” said the woman.</p> - -<p>Fin turned, and saw a white steed for himself, -and the like for each man of the Fenians of Erin, -all with red bridles and saddles.</p> - -<p>“Play a second game, now,” said the woman.</p> - -<p>They played, and she won.</p> - -<p>“Hasten, kind woman,” said Fin, “and tell me -the sentence.”</p> - -<p>“Too soon for you to hear it,” said she.</p> - -<p>“The sooner I hear it, the better,” said Fin.</p> - -<p>“I put you, O Fin, under bonds of heavy<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_410"></a>[410]</span> -enchantment to be my husband till a shovel puts -seven of its fulls of earth on your head.”</p> - -<p>“Soften the sentence, good woman,” said Fin; -“for this cannot be.”</p> - -<p>“The gad may tighten on my throat if I do,” -said the woman; “for you did not soften your -sentence on me.”</p> - -<p>“Do you stop here,” said Fin to the woman, -“till I give my men the steeds, tell them -how I am, and return. But where are the -steeds?”</p> - -<p>“If I was bound by sentence to bring you the -steeds, I was not bound to keep them.”</p> - -<p>Fin went his way to Parcnagri, where the -Fenians were waiting, and though dinner was -ready, no man tasted it from that day to this.</p> - -<p>Fin posted his men on watch at various harbors, -left Dyeermud on Beann Dyeermud (Dyeermud’s -peak), just above the harbor of Ard na -Conye, and went to the woman. She took his -hand; they sprang together, and came down in -the woman’s boat, which was four miles from -land.</p> - -<p>The woman weighed anchor, raised sails, and -never stopped ploughing the weighty sea till she -came to the White Nation in the Eastern World, -where her father was king. She entered the -harbor, cast anchor, and landed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_411"></a>[411]</span></p> - -<p>“When you were at home,” said the woman to -Fin, “you were Chief of the Fenians of Erin, -and held in great honor; I will not that men in -this kingdom belittle you, and I am the king’s -only daughter. From the place where we are -standing to my father’s castle there is a narrow -and a short path. I’ll hasten forward on that. -There is another way, a broad and long one; do -you choose that. I fear that for you there will -not be suitable seat and a place in the castle, -unless I am there to prepare it before you.”</p> - -<p>Fin went the long way, and the woman took -the short path. It was many a day since the -woman had seen her own father. For twenty-one -years she had travelled the world, learning -witchcraft and every enchantment. She hurried, -and was soon at the door of the castle. Great -was the welcome before her, and loud was the -joy of her father. Servants came running, one -after another, with food, and one thing better -than the other.</p> - -<p>“Father,” said she, “I will taste neither food -nor drink till you tell me the one thing to please -your mind most.”</p> - -<p>“My child,” said the king, “you have but -small chance of coming at that. The one thing -on earth to delight my mind most is the head of -Fin MacCool of Erin. If there was a poor man<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_412"></a>[412]</span> -of my name, he would not be myself if I had that -head.”</p> - -<p>“Many a year do I know your desire, my -father; and it was not for me to come back after -twenty-one years without bringing Fin’s head. -You have it now, without losing one drop of your -blood or a single night’s rest. Fin is coming -hither over the broad road; and do you put men -out over against him with music to meet him, -and when he comes between your two storehouses, -let the men dash him against one corner -and the other, and give every reason worse than -another to bring him to death.”</p> - -<p>The king obeyed his daughter, and sent out -guards and musicians.</p> - -<p>Fin, going over the broad road, saw men coming -with music, and said to himself, “Great is my -joy, or may be my sorrow, for I fear that my life -will be ended in trouble.”</p> - -<p>The men received Fin with shouts, and, running -up, pushed him from side to side till he was -bruised and bleeding; then they brought him -into the castle.</p> - -<p>Glad was the king, and far was the laugh -heard that he let out of himself at sight of -Fin MacCool.</p> - -<p>The king gave command then to bind the -captive, putting seven knots of cord on every<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_413"></a>[413]</span> -joint of his body, to throw him into a deep vault, -and give him one ounce of black bread with a -pint of cold water each day.</p> - -<p>Fin was put in the vault, and a very old little -woman brought his daily allowance of food.</p> - -<p>On his eighth day in prison, Fin said to the -old little woman, “Go now to the king, and say -that I have a petition. I ask not my head, as I -would not get it; but say that my right arm is -rotting. I ask to be free in the garden for one -hour; let him send with me men, if he chooses.”</p> - -<p>The old woman told the request; and the king -said, “I will grant that with willingness; for it -will not take his head from me.”</p> - -<p>Thirty armed men were sent, and Fin was set -free in the garden. While walking, he asked the -chief of the thirty, “Have you musical instruments?”</p> - -<p>“We have not,” said the chief; “we forgot -them. If they were here, we would give music; -for I pity you, Fin MacCool.”</p> - -<p>“When I was at home,” said Fin, “having the -care and charge over men, we had music; and, if -it please you, I will play some of the music of -Erin.”</p> - -<p>“I would be more than glad if you would do -that,” said the chief.</p> - -<p>The Fenians of Erin had a horn called the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_414"></a>[414]</span> -borabu; and when one of them went wandering -he took the borabu with him, as Fin had done -this time. It was the only instrument on which -he could play. Fin blew the horn, and the sound -of it came to Beann Dyeermud from the Eastern -World. Dyeermud himself was in deep sleep at -the moment; but the sound entered his right ear -and came out through the left. The spring that -he made then took him across seven ridges of -land before he was firm on his feet. Dyeermud, -wiping his eyes, said, “Great is the trouble that -is on you, Fin; for the sound of the borabu has -never yet entered my right ear unless you were -in peril.”</p> - -<p>Then, going at a spring to Cuas a Wudig, he -found the remains of an old currachan, and, drawing -out a chisel, knife, and axe, made a fine boat -of the old one. With one kick of his right foot, -he sent the boat seven leagues from land, and, following -with a bound, dropped into it. He hoisted -sails, not knowing whither to go, north, south, -east, or west, but held on his way, and ploughed -the mighty ocean before him, till, as good luck -would have it, he reached the same harbor to -which the woman had come with Fin MacCool.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud saw the boat which had brought -them, and said, laughing heartily, “I have tidings -of Fin; he’s in this kingdom in some place,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_415"></a>[415]</span> -for this is the boat that brought him from -Erin.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud cast anchor, and, landing, drew his -sword; and a man seeing his look at that moment -would have wished to be twenty miles distant. -On he went, walking, till he had passed through -a broad tract of country. On the high-road, he -saw men, women, and children all going one -way, and none any other. High and low, they -were hurrying and hastening; the man behind -outstripping the man in front.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud sat on a ditch to rest, and soon a -wayfarer halted in front of him. “Where are -these people all hastening?” asked Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“From what country or place are you,” asked -the man, “not to know whither all these people -are going?”</p> - -<p>“Surely I am not of this place or your country,” -said Dyeermud; “and I care not to know -whither you or these people are going, since -you cannot give a civil answer to an honest -question.”</p> - -<p>“Be patient, good man,” said the wayfarer -“From what country or place are you?”</p> - -<p>“From Erin,” said Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“I suppose, then, you have known Fin MacCool, -or have heard of him?”</p> - -<p>“I have, indeed,” said Dyeermud.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_416"></a>[416]</span></p> - -<p>“If you take my advice,” said the wayfaring -man, “you’ll go out on the same road by which -you came in, or else not acknowledge Fin MacCool -of Erin, for that man will be hanged this -day before the king’s castle; the gallows is ready -and built for him. When the life is gone out of -him, his head will be struck off, and left as a -plaything to please the king’s mind forever. -The body is to be dragged between four wild -horses; and the same will be done to you, if you -acknowledge Fin MacCool of Erin.”</p> - -<p>“I thank you for your answer,” said Dyeermud; -“and only because I don’t like to lay a weighty -hand on you, you would never again give advice -like that to a man of the Fenians of Erin. But -show me the way to the castle.”</p> - -<p>“If you were on the top of that mountain,” -said the wayfarer, pointing northward, “you -would see the king’s castle.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud went on in strong haste, and from -the mountain-top saw the king’s castle. On the -green field in front of it so many people had -gathered to see Fin MacCool’s death, that if a -pin were to drop from the middle of the sky it -could not fall without striking the head of man, -woman, or child. When Dyeermud came down -to the field, it was useless to ask for room or for -passage, since each wished himself to be nearest<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_417"></a>[417]</span> -the place of Fin’s death. Dyeermud drew his -sword; and as a mower goes through the grass of -a meadow on a harvest day, or a hawk through -a flock of starlings on a chilly March morning, -so did Dyeermud cut his way through the crowd -till he came to the gallows. He turned then -toward the castle, struck the pole of combat, and -far was the sound of his blow heard. The king -put his head through the window.</p> - -<p>“Who struck that blow?” asked the king. -“He must be an enemy!”</p> - -<p>“You could not expect a friend to do the like -of that,” replied Dyeermud. “I struck the -blow.”</p> - -<p>“Who are you?” cried the king.</p> - -<p>“My name when in Erin is Dyeermud.”</p> - -<p>“What brought you hither?” asked the king.</p> - -<p>“I came,” replied Dyeermud, “to succor my -chief, Fin MacCool.”</p> - -<p>The king let a laugh out of him, and asked, -“Have any more men come besides you?”</p> - -<p>“When you finish with me, you may be looking -for others,” said Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“What do you want to-day?” asked the king.</p> - -<p>“I want to see Fin MacCool, or to fight for -him.”</p> - -<p>“Fight you may,” said the king; “but see him -you will not.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_418"></a>[418]</span></p> - -<p>“Well,” said Dyeermud, “it is too early in -the evening for me to rest without having the -blood of enemies on my sword, so send out -against me seven hundred of your best-armed -men on my right hand, seven hundred on my -left, seven hundred behind me, and twenty one -hundred before my eyesight.”</p> - -<p>Fin’s death was delayed; and the men that he -asked for put out against Dyeermud. Coming -sunset, he had the last head cut from the last -body, and, going through his day’s work, made -heaps of the bodies, and piles of the heads.</p> - -<p>“Will you give me shelter from the night -air?” asked Dyeermud, then turning to the -castle.</p> - -<p>“I will, and welcome,” said the king, pointing -to a long house at a distance.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud went to the long house, and to his -wonder saw there a troop of wild small men without -faith, but no food, fire, or bed. These men -were the agents of the king, who put to death all -people who went against his law. Though a -small race of people, they were strong through -their numbers.</p> - -<p>When Dyeermud entered, they rose, and began -to fill every cranny and crack they could find in -the building.</p> - -<p>“Why are you doing that?” inquired Dyeermud.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_419"></a>[419]</span></p> - -<p>“For fear that you might escape; for it’s our -duty to eat you.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud then seized by the ankles the one -who gave him this answer, and flailed the others -with this man, till he wore him down to the two -shin-bones; all the others were killed saving one, -who was chief. The small chief untouched by -Dyeermud fell on his knees, and cried out, -“Spare my head! O Dyeermud, there is not -a place where you will put one foot, in which I -will not put my two feet, nor a place on which -you’ll put one hand, in which I will not put my -two hands; and I can be a good servant to you.”</p> - -<p>“No man ever asked his head of me with peace, -but I gave it to him,” said Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>Sitting down then, Dyeermud asked, “Have -you any food?”</p> - -<p>“I have not,” said the small chief. “We have -nothing to eat but men sent here from one time -to another. If you go to the king’s bakery, you -may find loaves of bread.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud went to the baker, and asked, “Will -you give me two loaves of bread?”</p> - -<p>“Hardened ruffian,” said the baker, “how dare -you come to this place for bread, or any other -thing, you who killed so many of our friends and -near neighbors? Go out of this, or I’ll burn you -in the oven.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_420"></a>[420]</span></p> - -<p>“I am thankful,” said Dyeermud; “but before -you can do to me what you threaten, I will do the -same to you.”</p> - -<p>With that he opened the oven-door, threw in -the baker, and burned him to death. Then he -caught up as much bread as he could carry, and -went to the long house; but, being used to good -food, could not eat bread alone, and asked the -small chief, “Where can I find drink and meat -to go with the bread?”</p> - -<p>“There is a slaughter-house behind us, not far -from here,” said the chief, “and the head butcher -might give you a piece to roast or boil.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud went then to the butcher. “Will -you give me meat for supper?” asked he.</p> - -<p>“You scoundrel from Erin, if you don’t leave -this place I’ll cut off your head on the block -here, and separate it from the body.”</p> - -<p>“Never have I met better people to oblige a -stranger; but before you can do to me what you -promise, I will do the like to you.”</p> - -<p>So Dyeermud caught the butcher, stretched -him across the block, and with the butcher’s own -cleaver struck the head off him.</p> - -<p>Turning around, Dyeermud saw two fine stalled -bullocks dressed for the king’s table. Taking -one under each arm, he brought them to the -long house, and cut them up with his sword;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_421"></a>[421]</span> -then the small chief cooked nicely what was -needed. The two ate a hearty supper.</p> - -<p>Next morning Dyeermud rose up refreshed, -and went to the castle, where he struck the pole -of combat.</p> - -<p>“What is your wish?” asked the king.</p> - -<p>“To see Fin MacCool, or get battle.”</p> - -<p>“How many men do you wish for?”</p> - -<p>“One thousand of your best armed men on my -right hand, as many on my left, as many behind -me, and twice three thousand in front of my -eyesight.”</p> - -<p>The champions were sent out to Dyeermud. -They went at him, and he at them; they were -that way all day, and when the sun was setting -there was not a man of the nine thousand that -had his head on him.</p> - -<p>In the evening he made piles of the bodies and -heaps of the heads.</p> - -<p>Then he went back to the long house, and it -was better there than the first night; the small -chief had food and drink ready in plenty.</p> - -<p>The combats continued for seven days in succession -as on this day. On the eighth morning, -when Dyeermud appeared, the king asked for a -truce.</p> - -<p>“I will grant it,” said Dyeermud, “if you give -me a sight of Fin MacCool.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_422"></a>[422]</span></p> - -<p>“A sight of Fin MacCool you are not to -have,” said the king, “till you bring the hound-whelp -with the golden chain.”</p> - -<p>“Where can I find that Whelp?” inquired -Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“The world is wide,” said the king. “Follow -your nose. It will lead you. If I were to say -’tis in the west the whelp is, maybe ’tis in the -east he’d be; or in the north, maybe he’d be in -the south. So here and now you cannot blame -me if I say not where he is.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Dyeermud, “as I am going for -the whelp, I ask you to loose Fin MacCool from -what bonds he is in, to place him in the best -chamber of your castle, to give him the best food -and drink, the best bed to lie on, and, besides, -the amusements most pleasing to his mind.”</p> - -<p>“What you ask shall be granted,” said the -king, who thought to himself, “Your head and -Fin’s will be mine in the end.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud went home to the long house, sat -down in his chair, and gloomy was his face.</p> - -<p>“O Dyeermud,” said the small chief, “you -are not coming in with such looks, nor so bright -in the face, as when you left here this morning. -I’ll lay my head as a wager that you are sent -to bring the hound-whelp with the golden -chain.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_423"></a>[423]</span></p> - -<p>“True,” said Dyeermud, “and where to find -him I know not.”</p> - -<p>“Eat your supper, then sleep, and to-morrow -I’ll show you where that whelp is. Indeed, it -is the task you have on you; for many a good -champion lost his head in striving to come at -that whelp.”</p> - -<p>Next morning Dyeermud and the small chief -set out, and toward evening they came within -sight of a grand, splendid castle.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said the small chief, “this castle was -built by the Red Gruagach Blind-on-One-Side; -within is the hound-whelp with the golden chain; -and now let me see what you’ll do.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud entered the castle, where he found -a great chamber, and in it the gruagach asleep. -The hound was tied to the gruagach’s bed with -a golden chain. Untying the chain from the -bed, Dyeermud carried whelp and chain with him -under his arm, and hurried on homeward. When -he had gone three miles of road, he turned to the -small chief and said, “That was a mean act I did -to the gruagach.”</p> - -<p>“What’s on you now?” asked the small chief.</p> - -<p>“It would be hard for a man to call me anything -higher than a thief; for I have only stolen -the man’s whelp and golden chain.” So Dyeermud -went back to the gruagach, and put the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_424"></a>[424]</span> -hound-whelp and chain where he had found them. -As the gruagach was sleeping, Dyeermud struck -a slight blow on his face to rouse him.</p> - -<p>“Oh,” said the gruagach, “I catch the foul -smell of a man from Erin. He must be Dyeermud, -who has destroyed the champions of our -country.”</p> - -<p>“I am the man that you mention,” said -Dyeermud; “and I am not here to ask satisfaction -of you or thanks, but to wear out my anger -on your body and flesh, if you refuse what I want -of you.”</p> - -<p>“And what is it that you want of me?” asked -the gruagach.</p> - -<p>“The hound-whelp with the golden chain.”</p> - -<p>“You will not get him from me, nor will -another.”</p> - -<p>“Be on your feet, then,” said Dyeermud. -“The whelp is mine, or your head in place of -him; if not, you’ll have my head.”</p> - -<p>One champion put his back to the front wall, -and the other to the rear wall; then the two went -at each other wrestling, and were that way till -the roof of the house was ready to fly from the -walls, such was the strength in the hands of the -combatants.</p> - -<p>“Shame on you both!” cried the gruagach’s -wife, running out. “Shame on two men like you -to be tumbling the house on my children.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_425"></a>[425]</span></p> - -<p>“True,” said Dyeermud. And the two, without -letting go the hold that they had, went -through the roof with one bound, and came down -on the field outside. The first wheel that Dyeermud -knocked out of the gruagach, he put him in -the hard ground to his ankles, the second to his -hips, and the third to his neck.</p> - -<p>“Suffer your head to be cut off, O gruagach.”</p> - -<p>“Spare me, Dyeermud, and you’ll get the -hound-whelp with the golden chain, and my good -wish and desire.”</p> - -<p>“If you had said that at first, you would not -have gone through this hardship or kindled my -anger,” said Dyeermud. With that he pulled -out the gruagach, and spared his head.</p> - -<p>The two spent that night as two brothers, eating -and drinking of the best, and in the morning -the gruagach gave Dyeermud the whelp with the -golden chain.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud went home with the small chief, and -went to the castle next morning.</p> - -<p>“Have you brought the hound-whelp with the -golden chain?” asked the king.</p> - -<p>“I have,” answered Dyeermud; “and I had no -trouble in bringing them. Here they are before -you.”</p> - -<p>“Well, am I to have them now?” asked the -king.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_426"></a>[426]</span></p> - -<p>“You are not,” answered Dyeermud. “If I -was bound to bring them, I was not bound to give -them to you. The man who reared this whelp -has a better right to him than you or I.”</p> - -<p>Then Dyeermud went home to the long house, -followed by the small chief; and the next morning -he asked battle of the king.</p> - -<p>“I am not ready for battle to-day,” said the -king.</p> - -<p>“Am I to get sight of Fin MacCool?” inquired -Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“You are not,” said the king, “till you bring -me an account of how the Rueful Knight Without-Laughter -lost his eye and his laugh.”</p> - -<p>“Where can I find that knight?” asked -Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“The world is wide,” said the king; “and it -is for you alone to make out where that man -is.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud went home to the long house, sat in -his chair, dropped his head, and was gloomy.</p> - -<p>“O Dyeermud,” said the small chief, “something -has gone wrong to-day, and I’ll lay my -head that you are sent to get knowledge of the -Rueful Knight Without-Laughter; but sit down -and take supper, then sleep, and to-morrow you’ll -not go astray; I’ll lead you to where that man -lives.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_427"></a>[427]</span></p> - -<p>Next morning the two set out together, -that evening reached the gruagach’s castle, where -there was many a welcome before them, and not -like the first time. The whelp was returned to -his owner; and that night was spent in pleasure -by the gruagach, Dyeermud, and the small -chief.</p> - -<p>The next morning Dyeermud went forward -attended by his two friends, and toward evening -came in sight of a large splendid castle. Dyeermud -approached it, and when he went in, saw -that he had never before set foot in a grander -building.</p> - -<p>The Rueful Knight Without-Laughter was -sitting alone in his parlor at a great heavy table. -His face, resting on the palm of one hand, was -worn by it; his elbow, placed on the table, had -worn a deep trench in the table; and there he -sat, trusting to the one eye that was left him.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud shook the sleeping man gently; and -when he woke, the knight welcomed Dyeermud -as one of the Fenians of Erin. Dinner was made -ready for all; and when they sat down at the -table, Dyeermud thrust his fork in the meat as a -sign of request. “Is there something you wish -to know?” asked the knight.</p> - -<p>“There is,” answered Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“All in my power or possession is for you,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_428"></a>[428]</span> -except one thing,” said the knight, “and ask not -for that.”</p> - -<p>“It is that thing that brought me,” said Dyeermud. -“I’ll take no refusal. I’ll have your -head or that knowledge.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Dyeermud, eat your dinner, and then -I will tell you; though I have never told any one -yet, not even my own lawful wife.”</p> - -<p>When the dinner was over, the knight told his -story to Dyeermud, as follows,—</p> - -<p>“I was living once in this place here, both -happy and well. I had twelve sons of my own -and my own wife. Each of my twelve sons had -his pack of hounds. I and my wife had one pack -between us. On a May morning after breakfast, -I and my sons set out to hunt. We started a -deer without horns, and, rushing forward in chase -of her, followed on swiftly all day. Toward evening -the deer disappeared in a cave. In we raced -after her, and found ourselves soon in the land -of small men, but saw not a trace of the deer.</p> - -<p>“Going to a great lofty castle, we entered, -and found many people inside. The king of the -small men bade us welcome, and asked had I men -to prepare us a dinner. I said that I had my -own twelve sons. The small men then brought -in from a forest twelve wild boars. I put down -twelve kettles with water to scald and dress the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_429"></a>[429]</span> -game. When the water was boiling, it was of -no use to us; and we could not have softened -with it one bristle on the wild boars from that -day to this. Then a small man, putting the -twelve boars in a row with the head of one near -the tail of the other, took from the hall-door a -whistle, and, blowing first on one side of the -row and then on the other, made all the twelve -white and clean; then he dressed, cut, and cooked -them, and we all ate to our own satisfaction.</p> - -<p>“In the course of the evening, the king of the -small men asked had I anyone who could shorten -the night by showing action. I said that I had -my own twelve sons. Twelve small men now -rose, and drew out a long weighty chain, holding -one end in their hands. My sons caught the -other end, pulled against the twelve small men, -and the small men against them; but the small -men soon threw a loop of the chain around the -necks of my twelve sons, and swept the heads off -them; one of the small men came then with a -long knife, and, opening the breasts of my sons, -took out their twelve hearts, and put them all on -a dish; then they pushed me to a bench, and I had -to sit with my twelve sons stretched dead there -before me. Now they brought the dish to make -me eat the twelve hearts for my supper. When -I would not, they drove them down my throat,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_430"></a>[430]</span> -and gave me a blow of a fist that knocked one -eye out of me. They left me that way in torment -till morning; then they opened the door, -and threw me out of the castle.</p> - -<p>“From that day to this I have not seen my -children, nor a trace of them; and ’tis just -twenty-one years, coming May-day, since I lost -my twelve sons and my eye. There is not a -May-day but the deer comes to this castle and -shouts, ‘Here is the deer; but where are the -hunters to follow?’ Now you have the knowledge, -Dyeermud, of how I lost my eye and my -laugh.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” asked Dyeermud, “will May-day come -soon in this country?”</p> - -<p>“To-morrow, as early as you will rise.”</p> - -<p>“Is there any chance that the deer will come -in the morning?”</p> - -<p>“There is,” said the knight; “and you’ll not -have much of the morning behind you when -she’ll give a call.”</p> - -<p>Next morning the deer shouted, “Here is the -deer; but where are the hunters to follow?” and -made away swiftly.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud, the small chief, the gruagach, and -the knight hurried on in pursuit. Coming evening, -the knight saw the cave, and called out to -Dyeermud, “Have a care of that place; for ’tis -there she will enter.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_431"></a>[431]</span></p> - -<p>When the deer reached the cave, Dyeermud -gave a kick with his right foot, and struck off -one half her hind-quarter.</p> - -<p>Barely was this done, when out rushed a -dreadful and ugly old hag, with every tooth -in her upper jaw a yard long, and she screaming, -“You hungry, scorched scoundrel from -Erin, how dared you ruin the sport of the small -men?”</p> - -<p>The words were hardly out of her mouth, when -Dyeermud made at her with his fist, and sent jaws -and teeth down her throat. What the old hag -did not swallow, went half a mile into the country -behind her.</p> - -<p>The hag raced on through the land of the -small men, and Dyeermud with his forces made -after her. When they came to the castle, the -king let a loud laugh out of him.</p> - -<p>“Why do you give such a laugh?” inquired -Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“I thought that the knight had enough the first -time he came to this castle.”</p> - -<p>“This proves to you that he had not,” said -Dyeermud; “or he would not be in it the second -time.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” asked the king of the knight, “have -you any man now to cook dinner?”</p> - -<p>“He has,” said Dyeermud; “and it’s long<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_432"></a>[432]</span> -since you or he had the like of him. I’ll cook -your dinner, and we’ll find the food.”</p> - -<p>Out they went to a forest, and brought in -twelve wild boars. Dyeermud skinned the game -with his sword, dressed, cut, and cooked it. All -ate to satisfaction.</p> - -<p>Later on in the evening, the king asked the -knight, “Have you any man to show action?”</p> - -<p>“He has,” said Dyeermud, “if you will put -out the same twelve men as you did the first -evening.”</p> - -<p>The king put them out; and Dyeermud took -the end of the chain to pull against them. He -pulled till he sank in the floor to his ankles; then -he made a whirl of the chain, and swept their -twelve heads off the small men. He opened the -twelve, put their hearts on a plate, and made the -king eat them. “You forced the knight to swallow -the hearts of his own sons,” said Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“Walk out of the castle, and punish us no -more,” cried the king. “I’ll let out to the -knight his sons, with their horses and hounds, -and his own horse and hounds, if you will not -come to this kingdom again.”</p> - -<p>“We will go if you do that,” said Dyeermud; -“but you are not to offend the knight or his -people; if you do, I am a better guide to find you -a second time than I was the first.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_433"></a>[433]</span></p> - -<p>The king took his rod of enchantment, went -out to twelve stones, struck the first, out came -the first son on horseback, and a pack of hounds -after him. The king struck stone after stone -till he put the twelve sons in front of the castle, -with their horses and hounds; then he struck -the thirteenth stone, and the horse and hounds -of the knight appeared.</p> - -<p>The knight looked around, and saw his eye in -the hole of the chimney, and as much soot on it -as would manure land under two stone of seed-potatoes.</p> - -<p>“Look at my eye,” said the knight.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud looked. Then the king put the eye -in the head of the knight, who could see with it -better than when he had it before.</p> - -<p>Out they went now from the king, safe and -sound, and never stopped till they reached the -knight’s castle for dinner. When dinner was -over, Dyeermud, the gruagach, and the small -chief hastened on to the gruagach’s castle, and -slept there.</p> - -<p>Next day Dyeermud and the small chief went -home. On the following morning, Dyeermud -went to the king, told him the Rueful Knight’s -story, and said, “Now I must have battle, or a -sight of Fin MacCool.”</p> - -<p>“Battle I’ll not give you,” said the king; “and<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_434"></a>[434]</span> -a sight of Fin MacCool you’ll not have till you -tell me what happened to the Lad of True -Tales.”</p> - -<p>“I am sorry,” said Dyeermud, “that this was -not said by you sooner. It is late for me now -to be tearing my shoes on strange roads, and -tiring my feet in a foreign land.” With that he -sprang at the king, brought him down by the -throat from the window to the ground, and there -broke every bone in his body. Then he put the -castle foundation upward, looking for Fin, and -destroying all that he met, but could not find -Fin till he met the old little woman.</p> - -<p>“O Dyeermud,” said she, “spare my head. -I am more than a hundred years old. I have -been faithful to Fin since he came here. I have -never refused to do what he asked of me.”</p> - -<p>“Your head shall be spared,” replied Dyeermud, -“though old life is as dear to you as it is -to young people; and take me now to where -Fin is.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud went with the old little woman to -the door of Fin’s chamber, and knocked. Fin -knew the knock, and cried out, “Reach me your -sword.”</p> - -<p>“Take it,” said Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>Fin’s strength was trebled at sight of Dyeermud; -and when he grasped the sword, he swore<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_435"></a>[435]</span> -by it, saying, “I will cut off your head if you -come a foot nearer.”</p> - -<p>“You are not in your mind to speak thus to -the man who has gone through so much for you.”</p> - -<p>“I am in my mind,” said Fin; “but if we were -to close our arms embracing each other in friendship, -we could not open them for seven days and -nights. Now, the woman who brought me from -Ard na Conye, the bay which we love most in -Erin, save Fintra, will be here soon. Though -there was nothing on earth to please the King of -the White Nation more than my head, there is -another good man in the world, and the king -wishes his head as greatly as mine. The daughter -has gone, and is using her highest endeavor -to bring that head to her father; so hasten on to -the boat, Dyeermud, I will follow. If you find -food, take it with you.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud hurried off. In passing through the -king’s meadow he saw two fat bullocks grazing. -He caught them, and, clapping one under each -arm, ran off to the boat. When Fin came, he -found both bullocks skinned and dressed there -before him.</p> - -<p>They weighed anchor now and raised sails for -Erin, ploughing the weighty sea before them -night and day. Once Fin said to Dyeermud, -“Look behind.” Dyeermud looked, but saw -nothing.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_436"></a>[436]</span></p> - -<p>Three hours later, Fin said, “Look behind, -and look keenly.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud looked, and cried, “I see behind us -in the sky some bird like an eagle, and flashes -of fire blazing out from her beak.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we are caught at last, and it’s a bad place -we are in on the sea; we cannot fight here.”</p> - -<p>The bird was coming nearer, and gaining; but -the wind favored, filled every sail, and sent them -bounding along till they were within five leagues -of land; then they made one spring, and came -down in Ferriter’s Cove.</p> - -<p>No sooner had they landed, than the bird -perched on the boat, turned it over, stood on the -bottom, and from that saw Fin and Dyeermud -on land. She made for them; and the moment -she touched shore became a woman.</p> - -<p>She rushed to Fin, caught him in her arms -most lovingly, and said, turning to Dyeermud, -“You are the wicked man who put words between -me and my husband and parted us.”</p> - -<p>Then, turning to Fin, she said, “Now, my darling, -come home with me. You will be King of -the White Nation, and I, your loving wife.”</p> - -<p>“Right and true for you,” said Dyeermud. -“It’s the good wife and friend you were to this -man; and now I ask how long must he be your -husband?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_437"></a>[437]</span></p> - -<p>“Till a shovel puts seven of its fulls of earth on -his head.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud drew his sword, and struck a champion’s -blow on a ridge of land that was near him; -he was so enraged that he made a deep glen with -that blow; then he caught Fin, and, stretching -him in the glen, thrust his sword in the earth, -and, throwing it as with a shovel on Fin, counted -one, two, three, four, five, six, seven. “Your -time is up with Fin,” said he to the king’s -daughter; “he is in his own country, and you are -a stranger. Take him a second time if you can, -and I pledge you the faith of a champion that I -will not put words between you.”</p> - -<p>The woman stooped down to put away the -seven shovels of earth, and said to Fin while she -was working, “We’ll both be happy this time.”</p> - -<p>With that Dyeermud gave her one blow of his -fist on the left ear, and sent her spinning through -the air. She never stopped till she fell at the -edge of the ocean, and became Fail Mahisht; and -not another cliff in Erin has so many limpets and -periwinkles on it as that one.</p> - -<p>So the daughter of the King of the White -Nation gives much food to people in Erin from -that day to this.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_438"></a>[438]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="FIN_MACCOOL_THE_THREE_GIANTS">FIN MACCOOL, THE THREE GIANTS, -AND THE SMALL MEN.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>On a day of the days when Fin MacCool was -living at Rahin, he went out to walk near -Fintra. He had many cows and sheep at that -time, and was going among his cattle, when all -at once he saw a big man coming in from the -sea.</p> - -<p>At first he saw the man’s head and shoulders, -then half his body, and at last his whole body. -When the big man stood on the strand, he saluted -Fin. Fin returned the salute, and asked, “Who -are you, and what brought you to Erin?”</p> - -<p>“I have come from the King of the Big Men; -and I want to see Fin MacCool.”</p> - -<p>“Fin MacCool is not at home now,” said Fin. -“Are you here with a message?”</p> - -<p>“I am,” said the big man.</p> - -<p>“I will give the message to Fin MacCool when -he comes home; there is no one he trusts more -than me.”</p> - -<p>“My master, the King of the Big Men, has -heard much of Fin MacCool, and invites him to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_439"></a>[439]</span> -come to his castle. The king lost two children. -Some one came in the night and stole them. -Though guarded with wonderful strictness, the -children were carried away. The king fears to -lose a third child soon, unless Fin MacCool -comes to advise and assist him.”</p> - -<p>“I will give that message to Fin MacCool,” -said Fin.</p> - -<p>The big man left good health with Fin, then -turned and went forward, going deeper till his -head disappeared under water.</p> - -<p>A few days later Fin was walking in the same -place where he had met the messenger from the -King of the Big Men, and he saw some very -small men playing hurley on the strand. He -went to them, and spoke. They answered, and -called him King of the Fenians.</p> - -<p>“You seem to know me,” said Fin.</p> - -<p>“We do indeed, and we know you very well,” -said the small men.</p> - -<p>“Who are you?” asked Fin, “or what can you -do?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, we have many virtues,” replied they.</p> - -<p>“What virtue have you?” asked Fin, turning -to the biggest of the small men.</p> - -<p>“Well, whenever I sit down in any place I -stay in it as long as I like; no man can lift me; -no power can take me out of it.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_440"></a>[440]</span></p> - -<p>“What is your name?” asked Fin.</p> - -<p>“Lazy Back,” said the little fellow. “No man -can stir me when I sit down.”</p> - -<p>“How am I to know that you have that -virtue?” asked Fin.</p> - -<p>“You are a strong man yourself,” answered -Lazy Back; “give me a trial.”</p> - -<p>The little man sat down. Fin caught him -with one hand, and tried to raise him; but not a -stir could he take out of Lazy Back.</p> - -<p>“Try with both hands now,” said Lazy Back.</p> - -<p>Fin tried with both hands, tried with all the -strength that was in him, but could not move the -little man.</p> - -<p>“What is your virtue?” asked Fin, turning to -the second man; “and who are you?”</p> - -<p>“My name is Hearing Ear.”</p> - -<p>“What can you hear?”</p> - -<p>“I can hear a whisper in the Eastern World, -and I sitting in this place.”</p> - -<p>“What is your name?” asked Fin of the third -player.</p> - -<p>“My name is Far Feeler.”</p> - -<p>“What can you feel?” asked Fin.</p> - -<p>“I can feel an ivy-leaf falling at the Eastern -World, and I playing here at Fintra.”</p> - -<p>“What is your name?” asked Fin, turning to -the fourth player.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_441"></a>[441]</span></p> - -<p>“My name is Knowing Man.”</p> - -<p>“What do you know?”</p> - -<p>“I know all that will happen in every part of -the world.”</p> - -<p>“What power have you, and who are you?” -asked Fin of the fifth man.</p> - -<p>“I am called Always Taking; I steal.”</p> - -<p>“What can you steal?”</p> - -<p>“Whatever I set my mind on. I can steal the -eggs from a snipe, and she sitting on them; and -the snipe is the wariest bird in existence.”</p> - -<p>“What can you do?” asked Fin, looking at the -sixth man.</p> - -<p>“My name is Climber. I can climb the -highest castle in the world, though its sides -were as slippery as glass.”</p> - -<p>“Who are you?” asked he of the seventh -stranger.</p> - -<p>“I am called Bowman.”</p> - -<p>“What can you do?”</p> - -<p>“I can hit any midge out of a cloud of midges -dancing in the air.”</p> - -<p>“You have good eyesight,” said Fin, “and -good aim as well.</p> - -<p>“Who are you?” asked Fin of the eighth.</p> - -<p>“I am called Three Sticks. I understand -woodwork.”</p> - -<p>“What can you do?” asked Fin.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_442"></a>[442]</span></p> - -<p>“I can make anything I please out of wood.”</p> - -<p>“Can you make a ship?”</p> - -<p>“I can.”</p> - -<p>“How long would it take you to make one?”</p> - -<p>“While you would be turning on your heel.”</p> - -<p>He took a chip of wood then from the shore, -and asked Fin to turn on his heel. While Fin -was turning, Three Sticks flung the piece of wood -out on the sea, and there it became a beautiful -ship.</p> - -<p>“Well, have you the ship made?” asked Fin, -looking on the strand.</p> - -<p>“There it is,” said Three Sticks, “floating -outside.”</p> - -<p>Fin looked, and saw the finest vessel that ever -sailed on the deep sea; the butt of no feather -was in, nor the tip of one out, except one brown-backed -red feather that stood at the top of the -mast, and that making music and sport to encourage -whatever champion would come on board.</p> - -<p>“Will you all take service with me?” asked -Fin, looking at the eight small strangers. “I -wish to go to the kingdom of the Big Men. -Will you guide me on the journey, and help -me?”</p> - -<p>“We are willing to serve you,” answered they. -“There is no part of the world to which we -cannot guide you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_443"></a>[443]</span></p> - -<p>“What are your wages?” asked Fin.</p> - -<p>“Five gold-pieces to each man of us for a day -and a year.”</p> - -<p>“How much time do we need for the journey -to the kingdom of the Big Men?”</p> - -<p>“Not many days,” said Knowing Man.</p> - -<p>Stores and provisions were put on the ship. -Fin and the small men went on board, and set -sail; before many days they arrived at the kingdom -of the Big Men, and drew up their ship -high and dry. They set out then for the castle -of the king; and no greater wonder was ever -seen in that place than Fin and his eight little -men.</p> - -<p>The king invited Fin and his company to a -great feast. At the end of the feast, the king -said, “My third son was born to-day. My first -son was taken away on the night after his birth, -and so was my second. I am full sure that this -one will be taken from me to-night.”</p> - -<p>“I will guard the child,” said Fin; “and if I -let your son go with any one, I will give you my -head.”</p> - -<p>The king was satisfied. Fin asked for a strong -chamber and two nurses. The strongest chamber -in the castle was made ready; then Fin and his -men, with the child and two nurses, took their -places inside.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_444"></a>[444]</span></p> - -<p>“Do you know what will happen to-night?” -asked Knowing Man.</p> - -<p>“I do not,” replied Fin; “and I do not like to -chew my thumb.<a id="FNanchor_5" href="#Footnote_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> You can tell me.”</p> - -<p>“You gave your head in pledge,” said Knowing -Man, “for the safety of the child; and you were -a strange man to do so, for the child will be -taken from this to-night.”</p> - -<p>“Do you say that?” asked Fin.</p> - -<p>“I do. And do you know who will do it?”</p> - -<p>“I do not.”</p> - -<p>“I will tell you. In the Eastern World lives -a sister of this king, a savage hag and a terrible -witch. This hag went to the Eastern World -because she had a dispute with her brother. -She is ungrateful, and full of malice; she comes -now and steals away her brother’s children to -leave him without heirs to his kingdom. When -she finds this room closed on every side, and sees -no other way of reaching the child, she will climb -to the roof, and stretch her arm down to catch the -king’s little son, and take him away with her.”</p> - -<p>Lazy Back sat down near the hearth, and swore -a great oath that if the hag thrust her hand down, -he would hold her or keep the hand.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_445"></a>[445]</span></p> - -<p>A little after midnight, Hearing Ear said, “I -hear the hag; she is making ready to leave her -castle in the Eastern World, and giving strict -orders to guard the two children while she is -gone.”</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Far Feeler, “now I feel her -going up through her own castle; now I feel -her going out through the door on the roof. -Her castle has no entrance except an opening -in the roof, and the walls of it are as slippery as -glass.”</p> - -<p>“You will warn me when she is coming,” said -Fin to Hearing Ear.</p> - -<p>“Oh, I will,” said Hearing Ear; “I will not -forget that.”</p> - -<p>In a little while the hag was at the castle, and -going around it trying to enter. Although the -castle was surrounded by sentries, not one of -them saw her; for she was invisible, through -power of enchantment.</p> - -<p>“She has come,” said Hearing Ear; “she is -walking around the castle. Now is the time to -watch her well.”</p> - -<p>A few moments later, she thrust her arm down -the chimney; and no sooner was it down than -Lazy Back caught her hand. When she felt her -hand caught, she struggled greatly; but Lazy -Back kept the hold that he had, and nothing could<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_446"></a>[446]</span> -stir him. At last the arm left the shoulder of -the hag. Lazy Back drew the arm down the -chimney. All looked at it with amazement; and -while the nurses were wondering at the arm, and -Fin measuring its length and its thickness, they -forgot the child. The hag thrust her other arm -down then, caught the child, and hurried away -home with it. When the nurses saw that the -child was gone, they screamed; and Fin said,—</p> - -<p>“It would be better for us to hurry to our vessel, -and leave the country before the king is up in the -morning; he will destroy us all for losing his -son.”</p> - -<p>“We will not do that,” said the little men. -“Late as it is, we will follow the hag, and bring -back the child.”</p> - -<p>They set out that moment; and since Fin could -not keep up with the little men, Lazy Back took -him on his shoulder: and, in the twinkle of an -eye, they reached the ship, and set sail for the -Eastern World.</p> - -<p>Indeed, they were not long on the journey; for -they were enchanted. When they came to land -near the hag’s castle, Fin, Bowman, and two -others remained on the vessel. Climber, Thief, -and the rest went for the child.</p> - -<p>“Where are you, Climber?” asked Thief, -when they were at the wall.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_447"></a>[447]</span></p> - -<p>“Here,” said Climber.</p> - -<p>“Take me to the top of the castle.”</p> - -<p>Climber took Thief on his back, and climbed -like a butterfly to the top of the building; then -Thief crept down into the castle, and returned -quickly with the youngest of the children.</p> - -<p>“Take this one down to our comrades, and -hurry back to me.”</p> - -<p>Climber went down, and hastened up again. -Thief had another of the children at the top of -the castle before him. Climber took that down, -with orders from Thief to carry the two children -to the vessel. Then he returned a third time, -and Thief had the third child.</p> - -<p>“Take this one, and come for me,” said Thief.</p> - -<p>The little men at the foot of the castle ran off -to the ship with the last child. Nimble as Thief -was, he could not have taken the children at another -time. All the servants were busied with the -hag, who was suffering terribly from the loss of her -arm. They forgot the children for a short time.</p> - -<p>Climber took Thief to the ground, and they -started at full speed toward the ship. When -they came, Fin set sail for the kingdom of the -Big Men.</p> - -<p>“We shall be pursued right away,” said Knowing -Man. “If the hag comes up with the ship, -she will destroy every man of us.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_448"></a>[448]</span></p> - -<p>“She will not,” said Bowman. “If I get one -glimpse of that hag, I will put an end to her -life; and do you listen, Hearing Ear, to know is -she coming, and tell me when you hear her.”</p> - -<p>“I hear her now,” said Hearing Ear. “She -is raging, and she is cursing those who were -minding the children, and let them be taken. -Now she is leaving the castle; now she is -racing on after us.”</p> - -<p>“Tell us, Far Feeler, when she is coming -near,” said Fin.</p> - -<p>“She is making a terrible uproar,” said Hearing -Ear.</p> - -<p>“She is coming toward us. She is very near,” -said Far Feeler.</p> - -<p>Bowman saw her, rested his bow on the shoulder -of another, aimed, and sent an arrow through the -one eye in the middle of the hag’s forehead. She -fell flat on the sea, and lay dead there. Fin and -his small men moved forward swiftly to the -castle. They arrived one hour before the end -of night, and from that time till daybreak there -was joy in the chamber. The small men and -the two children of the king were playing -together and enjoying themselves. Just before -day, the king sent a servant to know what had -happened in the chamber where his son was. -The man could not enter, for they would not let<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_449"></a>[449]</span> -him; but he looked through the keyhole. He -went back then, and said to the king,—</p> - -<p>“They seem to be very merry inside; and there -are two lads in the room bigger than any of the -small men.”</p> - -<p>The king knew they would not be merry unless -the child was there. What he did was to throw -on his mantle, and go himself to see. He knocked -at the door.</p> - -<p>“Who is there?” asked Fin.</p> - -<p>“I,—the king.”</p> - -<p>The door was thrown open, and in walked the -king. He saw the child in the cradle; but what -was his wonder when he saw the other two. -Without saying a word, he seized Fin’s hand and -shook it; and then he thanked him.</p> - -<p>“There are your other two children,” said -Fin; “and do you know who stole them?”</p> - -<p>“I do not.”</p> - -<p>“I will tell you,” said Fin. “Have you a -sister?”</p> - -<p>“I had,” answered the king, “but we became -enemies; and I know not where she is at this -moment.”</p> - -<p>Then Fin told everything that had happened -in the night. “And now you have your three -sons,” said he to the king.</p> - -<p>The king made a feast, which lasted seven days<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_450"></a>[450]</span> -and seven nights. Never had there been such -a feast in the kingdom of the Big Men as -that; and sure why not, for wasn’t it a great -thing for the king to have his three sons home -with him? When the feast was over, the king -sent his men to carry all kinds of riches and -treasures to Fin’s ship; and for three days they -were carrying them. At parting, the king said -to Fin, “If ever you need my assistance, you -have only to send for it.”</p> - -<p>Fin and his men sailed homeward then swiftly; -and it was not long till they reached Fintra. -The ship was unloaded; and Fin was glad, looking -at his treasures, and thinking of his adventures -in the land of the Big Men.</p> - -<p>Some time after Fin had come from the land -of the Big Men, he sent warriors to the chief -ports of Erin to guard against enemies. One -day his face was anxious and gloomy.</p> - -<p>“You seem to be grieving,” said Dyeermud; -“you would better tell us what trouble is on -you.”</p> - -<p>“Some trouble is near me,” said Fin.</p> - -<p>“By my hand,” said Oscar, “if you do not -tell me your trouble, I will not eat one morsel -to-day.”</p> - -<p>“Trouble is near me; but I know not yet what -it is.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_451"></a>[451]</span></p> - -<p>“Chew your thumb then,” said Oscar.</p> - -<p>Fin chewed his thumb from the flesh to the -bone, from the bone to the marrow, from the -marrow to the quick, and found out that there -were three giants in the Eastern World who were -coming to attack himself and his forces, drive -them into the sea like sheep, and leave not a -man of them living.</p> - -<p>Fin knew not what to do; and he was in great -grief that there should be three men who could -invade all Erin, and destroy its defenders.</p> - -<p>“Chew your thumb a second time,” said Oscar, -“to know is there any way to conquer them. We -have travelled the world, and no people have the -upper hand of us so far. There must be arms -against these three.”</p> - -<p>Fin chewed his thumb the second time; and -the knowledge he got was this, that fire would -not burn, water would not drown, swords would -not cut either of the three giants. There was -nothing to kill them but three things which their -father had at home in the Eastern World; and if -they saw those three things, they would fall dead, -and dissolve into three heaps of jelly. What the -three things were, was not told. “Go now,” said -Fin to Dyeermud, “and find the forces, and I -will watch myself for the enemy.”</p> - -<p>Next morning Fin took his sword under his<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_452"></a>[452]</span> -arm, went to Fintra, and began to herd bullocks. -He did this for some time, till one day above -another he saw three giants coming in toward -him, the water not past their hips. He wasn’t -long waiting when they came near the cliff -where he was; and he saw their hearts, their -mouths were stretched open so widely, laughing -at the boy herding the cattle.</p> - -<p>“Where is Fin MacCool and his forces?” -asked one of the giants.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Fin, “it is not for me to tell you -where Fin MacCool is; I am only his herder. -But is there anything in the world to kill you? -It must be there is not, and ye to have the courage -to face Fin MacCool and his forces; for no -people in the world have ever yet beaten them -in battle.”</p> - -<p>“We have come to Erin,” said the giants, “to -find Fin MacCool; and we will drive him and -his forces into the sea, like sheep from the side -of a mountain. Fire cannot burn us; swords do -not cut us; and water will not drown us. Nothing -in the world can cause our death but our own -three caps; and where they are, neither you nor -Fin will ever know.”</p> - -<p>“How am I to know,” asked the herdsman, -“that fire will not burn you, or water drown you, -or swords cut you? Let me give you a blow; -and I’ll know will swords cut you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_453"></a>[453]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh, little man,” said one of the giants, “how -could you reach us with a sword?”</p> - -<p>“I will show you a place,” said Fin, “where -I may be strong enough to give a blow ye would -remember.”</p> - -<p>He led the giants to a narrow place between -two cliffs, and stood himself on the top of one -cliff. He gave then a terrible blow of his sword -to the head of one giant, but left not a sign of -blood on him.</p> - -<p>“By my hand!” said the giant, “if every warrior -in Fin MacCool’s forces is as good at the -sword as you, he need not be in dread of any men -but us.”</p> - -<p>Fin gave the second giant a terrible blow, and -staggered him.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said the giant, “no man ever gave me -the like of that.”</p> - -<p>He struck the third giant a blow, and knocked -him to his knees; but not a drop of blood came.</p> - -<p>“Such a blow as that,” said the giant, “I never -got from any man before. Now, how are you to -know that water will not drown us?”</p> - -<p>“There is a place which I will show you,” said -Fin. “If ye sleep in it to-night, and rise up -in the morning before me, I shall know that -water does not drown you.”</p> - -<p>Fin showed a place where the water was twenty<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_454"></a>[454]</span> -fathoms deep. The three lay down together under -the water to stay till next morning. Fin hurried -home then, gathered the Fenians together, and -said,—</p> - -<p>“I am in dread that these are the right giants. -I knocked one trial out of them; swords will not -cut them. They are sleeping to-night under -twenty fathoms of water; but I am full sure that -they will rise from it healthy and sound in the -morning. Now, be ready, all of you, to scatter -and go here and there throughout Erin. To-morrow, -I am to try will fire burn them; when I -know that, I will tell you what to do.”</p> - -<p>The following morning, Fin went to where the -giants had spent the night, and whistled. The -three rose up to him at once, and came to land.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said the eldest, as he looked around -and saw the cattle, “a bite to eat would not -harm us.”</p> - -<p>With that he faced one of the bullocks, and -caught the beast by one horn.</p> - -<p>“Leave him,” said Fin; “you have no call to -that bullock.”</p> - -<p>Fin caught the bullock by the other horn. -The giant pulled, and Fin held his own. One -pulled, the other pulled, till between them they -split the bullock from his muzzle to the tip of -his tail, and made two equal parts of him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_455"></a>[455]</span></p> - -<p>“’Tis a deal for me to have this much itself,” -said Fin. “I have saved half of my master’s -property. If ye want food, ye will get it at -Fin’s house. I will show the way; but first let -me see will fire burn you.”</p> - -<p>“Very well; we will make a great fire, and go -into it; we’ll stay in the fire till the wood is burned -down, and then rise out of it as well as ever.”</p> - -<p>There were many trees in the country at that -time. The giants and Fin were not long making -a great pile of dry limbs and logs. When the -pile was finished, the giants sat on the top of it, -and Fin brought fire. The flames rose as high as -the tree-tops.</p> - -<p>“’Tis too hot here for me,” said Fin.</p> - -<p>“This is pleasant for us,” said the giants; and -they laughed as Fin went from the heat.</p> - -<p>Fin could not come within ten perches of the -fire. It burned all day, and the blaze of it was -seen all the following night. In the afternoon -of the next day, the pile had burned down, and -the three giants were sitting at their ease on the -hot coals.</p> - -<p>“Fire does not harm us; you see that,” said -the giants.</p> - -<p>“I do, indeed,” said Fin; “and now ye may -go to Fin’s house for refreshment.”</p> - -<p>Fin showed them a long road, hurried home<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_456"></a>[456]</span> -himself by a short one, and gave command to -the Fenians to scatter through Erin, and escape. -Then, turning to his mother, he said, “Make -three cakes for the giants, put iron griddles in -the middle of them, and bake them a little in -the ashes. You will give these to the giants to -eat. You will say that they are soft, not well -baked; that we complain when the bread is not -hard. I will lie down in the dark corner, in -that big box there. Do you bind my head and -face with a cloth, and say, when the giants are -eating, ‘This poor child is sick; I think his -teeth are coming.’”</p> - -<p>The old woman put three cakes in the ashes, -and the griddles inside in them. When the -giants came, the cakes were ready, and the old -woman was sitting near the cradle.</p> - -<p>“Is this Fin MacCool’s house?” asked the -giants.</p> - -<p>“It is,” said the old woman.</p> - -<p>“And is Fin himself in the house?”</p> - -<p>“He is not then,” said the old woman; “and it -is seldom he is in it.”</p> - -<p>“Have you any food to give us?”</p> - -<p>“I have nothing but three loaves of bread; ye -may have these, and welcome.”</p> - -<p>“Give us the bread,” said the giants.</p> - -<p>The old woman put the cakes on the table.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_457"></a>[457]</span> -One took a bite, another took a bite, then the -third took a bite; and they all looked at one -another.</p> - -<p>“I know ye think the bread too soft,” said -Fin’s mother. “The Fenians always blame me -for making it too soft; and these cakes are not -baked very well. They are softer than the usual -bread of the Fenians.”</p> - -<p>From shame, the giants ate the cakes, griddles -and all. “Well,” muttered they, “to say that -men would eat the like of that bread, and call it -too soft! It is no wonder that they walked the -world without finding their equals.”</p> - -<p>“What exercise do the Fenians have after -meals?” asked the giants.</p> - -<p>“There is a stone outside,” said the old woman, -“which they throw over the house. They throw -the stone, run in one door, run out the door -opposite, and catch the stone before it comes to -the earth.”</p> - -<p>One giant caught the stone, but did not throw -it. “What is that?” said the other, running up -and lifting the stone. To show his power, he -threw it over the house, ran through both doors, -and caught it coming down. The same giant -threw the stone back again, and left it in its old -place. Each of the others then did the same as -the first. The life came near leaving Fin when<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_458"></a>[458]</span> -he heard the giants throwing the stone, and racing -to catch it. He was in dread they’d make -bits of the house, and kill his old mother and -himself.</p> - -<p>“Oh, then,” said the giants, when they left the -stone, “it is no wonder that other people get no -hand of the Fenians.”</p> - -<p>“Well, old woman,” said the eldest giant, -“what is that you have there in the dark -corner?”</p> - -<p>“My grandson, and it is sick and peevish he -is.”</p> - -<p>“I suppose the child is getting his teeth?” -said the giant.</p> - -<p>“Indeed, then, I don’t know,” said the old -woman; “but maybe it is the teeth that are -troubling him.”</p> - -<p>With that the eldest giant walked up to the -cradle, and put his finger in the child’s mouth; -but if he did, Fin took two joints off his finger -with a bite.</p> - -<p>“Oh!” said the giant, “if the child grows like -that till he is a man, he will be the greatest -champion in the world. To say that a child -could take the finger off me, and he in the -cradle!”</p> - -<p>Away went the giants; and when they were -gone, Fin called his eight small men, and hurried<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_459"></a>[459]</span> -to the ship. They hoisted sails, and -went. They raised gravel from the bottom of -the sea, and put the foam of the waves in the -place of the gravel; and with every bound the -ship made, she went forward ten leagues. Never -before did a ship cross the water so swiftly; and -Fin never stopped till he anchored in the Eastern -World. He put the fastenings of a day and a -year on the ship, though he might not be absent -one hour, and went away with his men. They -were going on and travelling, and where did -they come at last but to the castle of the old -King of the Eastern World, the father of the -three giants. The old king laughed when he -saw Fin and the eight small men with him.</p> - -<p>“In what part of the world do such people -live, and where are you going?” asked the king. -“You would better stay with me till my three -sons come home.”</p> - -<p>“Where are your sons?” asked Fin.</p> - -<p>“They are in Erin. They went to that country -to bring me the head of Fin MacCool, and to -drown all his forces in the deep ocean.”</p> - -<p>“They must be great men,” said Fin, “to go -against Fin MacCool, and to think of drowning -his forces, and bringing Fin’s head to you. Do -you know that no man ever got the better of Fin, -or made any hand of the Fenians of Erin?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_460"></a>[460]</span></p> - -<p>“My sons are not like others,” said the king; -“but will you stay with me?”</p> - -<p>“I will,” said Fin, “and why not?”</p> - -<p>The old king was very fond of amusement; and -after a while Fin told what a wonderful archer -one of his little boys was. The king appointed -a day for a trial of skill in archery. All the -greatest marksmen in the Eastern World were -invited.</p> - -<p>“Where does the king keep his sons’ three -caps?” asked Fin of Knowing Man.</p> - -<p>“There is a secret chamber in the castle; no -one here but the king knows where it is. In -that chamber are the caps. The king always -keeps the key of that chamber in his pocket.”</p> - -<p>“You must show the chamber to Thief, to-morrow,” -said Fin.</p> - -<p>Next day, while the king was looking at the -archery, and wondering at the skill of Bowman, -who sent an arrow through the two eyes of a bird -on the wing, Thief stole the key, and Knowing -Man showed the secret chamber.</p> - -<p>Thief stole the three caps, and gave them to -Fin. Lazy Back ran for Bowman; and all were -soon on the ship sailing for Erin as swiftly as -they had come.</p> - -<p>When the ship was near land in Erin, what -should Fin see but all the Fenians coming down<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_461"></a>[461]</span> -from the hilltops, and the three giants behind, -driving them toward the water? He went to the -top of the mast then, and raised the three caps -on three sticks.</p> - -<p>The giants looked at the vessel sailing in, and -saw their own caps. That moment there was -neither strength nor life left in them. They fell -to the ground, and turned into three heaps of -jelly. Fin had come just in season to rescue -his forces; in another half hour, he would not -have found a man of the Fenians alive in Erin.</p> - -<p>“Oh, but you are here in time!” said Oscar.</p> - -<p>“I am,” said Fin; “and it is well for you that -I was able to come.”</p> - -<p>Fin and the Fenians had a great feast in Rahin, -and a joyful night of it; and no wonder, for life -is sweet.</p> - -<p>Next day the time of the small men was out; -and Fin went to the strand with them.</p> - -<p>“I will pay you your wages to-day,” said Fin. -“To each man five gold-pieces. I am willing -and glad to give more; for ye were the good -servants to me.”</p> - -<p>“We want nothing but our wages,” said the -small men.</p> - -<p>Fin paid each five gold-pieces. He wanted -the ship in which he had sailed to the Eastern -World, and kept his eye on it.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_462"></a>[462]</span></p> - -<p>“Oh,” said Three Sticks, “don’t mind that -ship; look at the one beyond.”</p> - -<p>Fin turned in the other direction, and saw -nothing but water.</p> - -<p>“There is no ship there,” said he, turning -to Three Sticks.</p> - -<p>But Three Sticks and all his comrades were -gone. Fin looked out on the water; the ship was -gone too. He was sorry for the ship, and sorry -for the small men; he would rather have them -than all the Fenians of Erin.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_463"></a>[463]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="FIN_MACCOOL_CEADACH_OG_AND">FIN MACCOOL, CEADACH OG, AND -THE FISH-HAG.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>On a time Fin MacCool and the Fenians were -living at Rahonain, a mile distant from -Fintra. While Fin and his men were near -Fintra, a champion called Ceadach Og, son of -the King of Sorach, came to them to learn feats -of skill. They received Ceadach with gladness; -and after a time he learned all their feats, and -departed. Fin and the Fenians were pleased -with his company; and Ceadach was grateful to -Fin and the Fenians.</p> - -<p>At some distance from Fintra, there lived at -that time a famed champion, who taught feats of -valor and arms, and was surnamed the Knight of -Instruction. With this man Ceadach engaged -to gain still more knowledge.</p> - -<p>The Knight of Instruction had a daughter; -and there was with him a second man learning, -whose nickname was Red Face.</p> - -<p>When the champions had learned all the feats -from the knight, the two were in love with his -daughter. Not wishing that one of his pupils<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_464"></a>[464]</span> -should envy the other, the knight could not settle -which man to choose. He called then his druid, -and laid the whole question before him.</p> - -<p>“My advice,” said the druid, “is this: Open -two opposite doors in your castle; place your -daughter half-way between them; and let the -two champions pass out, one through one door, -and one through the other. Whomever your -daughter will follow, let her be the wife of that -man.”</p> - -<p>The champions had their own compact, that -the man whom the young woman would follow -should let the other have three casts of a spear -at him, and he without right of defence; but if -another would defend, he might let him.</p> - -<p>The knight brought his daughter to the middle -of the chamber, and opened the doors. The -young woman went out after Ceadach.</p> - -<p>Ceadach and his wife went their way then -together; and he feared to stop at any place till -he came to a great lonesome forest. He went -to the middle of the forest, built a house there, -and lived with his wife for a season.</p> - -<p>One day as Fin was walking near the water at -Fintra, he met a strange creature,—a woman -to the waist, from the waist a fish. The human -half was like an old hag. When Fin stopped -before her, he greeted the hag. She returned<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_465"></a>[465]</span> -the greeting, and asked him to play chess for -a sentence.</p> - -<p>“I would,” answered Fin, “if I had my own -board and chessmen.”</p> - -<p>“I have a good board,” said the fish-hag.</p> - -<p>“If you have,” said Fin, “we will play; but if -you win the first game, I must go for my own -board, and you will play the second on that.”</p> - -<p>The hag consented. They played on her chessboard, -and the hag won that game.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Fin, “I must go for my own -board, and do you wait till I bring it.”</p> - -<p>“I will,” said the fish-hag.</p> - -<p>Fin brought his own board; and they played, -and he won.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said Fin, “pass your sentence on me, -since you won the first game.”</p> - -<p>“I will,” said the hag; “and I place you under -sentence of weighty druidic spells not to eat two -meals off the one table, nor to sleep two nights -in the one bed, nor to pass out by the door -through which you came in, till you bring me -the head of the Red Ox, and an account of what -took the eye from the Doleful Knight of the -Island, and how he lost speech and laughter. -Now pass sentence on me.”</p> - -<p>“You will think it too soon when you hear it,” -said Fin, “but here it is for you. I place you<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_466"></a>[466]</span> -under bonds of weighty druidic spells to stand -on the top of that gable above there, to have a -sheaf of oats fixed on the gable beyond you, and -to have no earthly food while I’m gone, except -what the wind will blow through the eye of a -needle fixed in front of you.”</p> - -<p>“Hard is your sentence, O Fin,” said the fish-hag. -“Forgive me, and I’ll take from your head -my sentence.”</p> - -<p>“Never,” said Fin. “Go to your place without -waiting.”</p> - -<p>Before Fin departed, the fish hag had mounted -the gable.</p> - -<p>The fame of the Red Ox had spread through -all lands in the world, and no man could go near -him without losing life. The Fenians were -greatly unwilling to face the Red Ox, and -thought that no man could match him, unless, -perhaps, Ceadach.</p> - -<p>Though they knew not where Ceadach was -living, nor where they were likely to find him, -they started in search of that champion. They -played with a ball, as they travelled, driving it -forward before them, knowing that if Ceadach -saw the ball he would give it a blow.</p> - -<p>While passing the forest where Ceadach and -his wife, the knight’s daughter, were hiding, -one of the Fenians gave the ball a great blow;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_467"></a>[467]</span> -but as he aimed badly, the ball flew to one side, -went far away, and fell into the forest.</p> - -<p>Ceadach was walking away from his house when -the ball fell, and he saw it. He pulled down a -tree-branch, and, giving a strong, direct blow, -drove the ball high in the air, and out of the -forest.</p> - -<p>“No one struck that blow,” said the Fenians, -“but Ceadach, and he is here surely.” They -went then toward the point from which they had -seen the ball coming, and there they found -Ceadach.</p> - -<p>“A thousand welcomes, Fin MacCool,” said -Ceadach. “Where are you going?”</p> - -<p>“I am under sentence to bring the head of -the Red Ox; and ’tis for it that I am going: -but I never can bring it unless you assist me. -Without you, I cannot lift from my head the -sentence that is on it.”</p> - -<p>“If it lay with me, I would go with you gladly; -but I know that my wife will not let me leave -her. But do as I tell you now. When you come -to us to eat dinner, taste nothing, and when my -wife asks you to eat, say that you will not eat -till she grants a request: if she will not grant -it, leave the house, and let all the Fenians -follow; if she grants you a request, you are to ask -that I go with you. I know that she will grant<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_468"></a>[468]</span> -you any request, except to take me in your company; -for she is in dread that I may meet Red -Face.”</p> - -<p>They went to the house; the wife welcomed -Fin with the others, and prepared dinner. When -meat was placed before Fin, he would not taste it.</p> - -<p>“Why not eat, O King of the Fenians?”</p> - -<p>“I have a request to make. If you grant it, I -will eat; if not, neither I nor my men will taste -food.”</p> - -<p>“Any request in my power, I will grant,” said -she, “except one.”</p> - -<p>“What is that?” inquired Fin.</p> - -<p>“If you want Ceadach to go with you, I’ll not -grant that.”</p> - -<p>“’Tis he that I want,” answered Fin.</p> - -<p>“You’ll not get him.”</p> - -<p>“Well, you may keep him,” said Fin, rising -from the table; and all the men followed. Conan -Maol, who was with them, thought it hard to -leave the dinner untasted, so he took a joint of -meat with him.</p> - -<p>When Fin and the Fenians had gone, Ceadach -said to his wife, “It is a great shame to us that -Fin and the Fenians have left our house without -tasting food, and this their first visit. Never -can I face a man of the Fenians after what has -happened this day.” And he talked till the wife -consented to let him go with them.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_469"></a>[469]</span></p> - -<p>Ceadach then whistled after Fin, who came -back with his men; and they raised three shouts -of joy when they heard that Ceadach would go -with them. They entered the house then; all sat -down to dinner, and they needed it badly.</p> - -<p>After dinner, all set out together, and went to -Ceadach’s father, the King of Sorach, who was -very powerful, and had many ships (Fin and the -Fenians had no ships at that time). Ceadach’s -father had received no account of his son from -the time that he left him at first, and was rejoiced -at his coming.</p> - -<p>Said Fin to the King of Sorach, “I need a ship -to bear me to the land where the Red Ox is -kept.”</p> - -<p>“You may take the best ship I have,” said the -king.</p> - -<p>Fin chose the best ship, and was going on -board with his men when Ceadach’s wife said to -him, “When coming back, you are to raise black -sails if Ceadach is killed, but white sails if he is -living.”</p> - -<p>Fin commanded, and the men turned the prow -to the sea, and the stern to land; they raised the -great sweeping sails, and took their smoothly-polished -ship past harbors with gently-sloping -shores, and there the ship left behind it pale-green -wavelets. Then a mighty wind swept<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_470"></a>[470]</span> -through great flashing waves with such force that -not a nail in the ship was left unheated, nor the -finger of a man inactive; and the ship raised -with its sailing a proud, haughty ridge in the -sea. When the wind failed, they sat down with -their oars of fragrant beech or white ash, and -with every stroke they sent the ship forward -three leagues through the water, where fishes, -seals, and monsters rose around them, making -music and sport, and giving courage to the men; -and they never stopped nor cooled till they -entered the chief port of the land where the Red -Ox was kept.</p> - -<p>When all had landed; Ceadach said, “I need -the fleetest man of the Fenians to help me against -the Red Ox; and now tell me what each of you -can do, and how fast he can run.”</p> - -<p>“Let out,” said one man, “twelve hares in a -field with twelve gaps in it, and I will not let a -hare out through any gap of the twelve.”</p> - -<p>“Take a sieve full of chaff,” said a second man, -“to the top of a mountain; let the chaff go out -with the wind; and I will gather all in again -before as much as one bit of it comes to the -ground.”</p> - -<p>“When I run at full speed,” said a third man, -“my tread is so light that the dry, withered grass -is not crushed underneath me.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_471"></a>[471]</span></p> - -<p>“Now, Dyeermud,” said Ceadach, “I think that -you were the swiftest of all when I was the guest -of Fin MacCool and the Fenians of Erin; tell -me, how swift are you now?”</p> - -<p>“I am swifter,” said Dyeermud, “than the -thought of a woman when she is thinking of two -men.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, you will do,” said Ceadach; “you are the -fleetest of the Fenians; come with me.”</p> - -<p>Fin and the Fenians remained near the ship, -while Ceadach and Dyeermud went off to face -the Red Ox.</p> - -<p>The Red Ox’s resting-place was enclosed by a -wall and a hedge; outside was a lofty stone -pillar; on this pillar the Red Ox used to rub his -two sides. The Ox had but one horn, and that -in the middle of his forehead. With that horn, -which was four feet in length, he let neither fly, -wasp, gnat, nor biting insect come near, and -whatever creature came toward him, he sniffed -from a distance.</p> - -<p>When he sniffed the two champions, he rushed -at them. Ceadach bounded toward the pillar.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud took shelter at the hedge, and waited -to see what would happen.</p> - -<p>Ceadach ran round the pillar, and the Red Ox -ran after him. Three days and three nights did -they run; such was the speed of the two that<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_472"></a>[472]</span> -Dyeermud never caught sight of them during -that time, nor did they have sight of each other: -the Red Ox followed by scent. Near the close -of the third day, when both were growing tired, -the Ox, seeing Ceadach, stopped for an instant -to run across and pierce him with his horn. -Dyeermud got a glimpse of the Ox, then rose in -the air like a bird, split the forehead of the Ox -with one blow, and stretched him.</p> - -<p>“My love on your blow,” said Ceadach; “and -it was time for you to give it.”</p> - -<p>“Purblindness and blindness to me,” replied -Dyeermud, “if I saw the Ox till that instant.”</p> - -<p>Both were now joyful; for they had the head to -take with them.</p> - -<p>“If Fin and his men had this carcass,” said -Dyeermud, “it would give them beef for many a -day.”</p> - -<p>“Well, Dyeermud,” asked Ceadach, “how much -of the Ox can you carry?”</p> - -<p>“I think I can take one quarter, with the -head.”</p> - -<p>“If you can do that,” said Ceadach, “I’ll take -the rest of the carcass myself.”</p> - -<p>Cutting off one quarter, he thrust through it the -point of the horn, put the horn on Dyeermud’s -shoulder, with the head and quarter before and -behind him. Ceadach took the other three quarters<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_473"></a>[473]</span> -himself. Before they had gone half the way -to the vessel, Dyeermud was tired, and Ceadach -had to take that quarter as well as his own three; -the head was as much as Dyeermud could carry.</p> - -<p>When the two men appeared at the ship, all -rejoiced greatly, and welcomed them. Fin took -the borabu then, and sounded it from joy; this -sound could be heard through the world. As -the report had gone to all regions that Fin was -under sentence to kill the Red Ox, when Red -Face heard the borabu, he said to himself, “That -is Fin; the Red Ox is killed; no one could kill -him but Ceadach, and Ceadach is where the -borabu is.” Red Face had the power of druidic -spells; so he rose in the air, and soon dropped -down near the Fenians, and was unseen till he -stood there before them.</p> - -<p>Said Red Face to Ceadach, “’Tis many a day -that I am following you; you must stand your -ground now.”</p> - -<p>“What you ask is but fair,” answered Ceadach.</p> - -<p>Red Face went to the distance of a spear’s cast, -and hurled his spear at Ceadach; but Dyeermud -sprang up and caught it on his heel. Red Face -made a second cast. Goll MacMorna raised his -hand to stop the spear; but it went through his -hand, and, going farther, pierced Ceadach, and -killed him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_474"></a>[474]</span></p> - -<p>Red Face then vanished; and no man knew -when he vanished, or to what place he went.</p> - -<p>When Ceadach fell, the Fenians raised seven -loud cries of grief that drove the badgers from -the glens in which they were sleeping.</p> - -<p>Said Dyeermud to Fin, “Chew your thumb to -know how we can bring Ceadach to life.”</p> - -<p>Fin chewed his thumb from the skin to the -flesh, from the flesh to the bone, from the bone -to the marrow, from the marrow to the juice, and -then he knew that there was a sow with three -pigs in the Eastern World, and if blood from one -of these pigs were put on Ceadach’s wound, he -would rise up well and healthy.</p> - -<p>Fin took some men, and, leaving others to watch -over Ceadach, set sail for the Eastern World, and -never stopped till he anchored in a port near the -place where the sow and her pigs were.</p> - -<p>Fin knew all paths to the lair of the sow; and -they went to it straightway. When they came, -she was away hunting food; so they took the three -pigs, hurried back to the vessel, set sail in all -haste, and were soon out at sea. When the sow -came back to her lair, it was empty. Then she -found the scent of the men, followed it to the -sea, and swam after the ship.</p> - -<p>When the ship had made one-third of the -voyage, the sow came in sight, and was soon near<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_475"></a>[475]</span> -the stern. Fin ordered his men to throw out one -pig of the three. The sow took the pig in her -mouth, turned back, swam home, and left it in -her lair. She turned a second time, followed the -ship, and such was her speed and her venom, -that little more than one-half of the voyage was -over when the sow was in sight again. When -near the ship, they threw her the second pig. -The mother went back to her lair with the second -pig, left it with the first, and rushed after the -ship a third time. Land was in sight when they -saw the sow raging on after them.</p> - -<p>“Oh, we are lost!” cried the Fenians.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud then took a bow with an arrow, and, -resting the bow on another man’s shoulder, aimed -so truly at the widely-opened mouth of the sow, -that the arrow, going in through her mouth, -pierced her blood veins, and in no long time she -turned her back downward and died.</p> - -<p>They landed in safety, bled the pig; and when -they let some of the blood into Ceadach’s spear-wound, -he sprang up alive.</p> - -<p>When Ceadach was restored, Fin blew the -borabu, and the Fenians raised seven shouts of -joy that were heard throughout the whole kingdom. -Then they set sail for Sorach.</p> - -<p>Ceadach’s wife thought her husband long in -coming, and was watching and waiting every<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_476"></a>[476]</span> -day for him. At last she saw the ship with white -sails, and was glad.</p> - -<p>Fin and his men landed, but left Ceadach on -board.</p> - -<p>“Where is Ceadach?” asked the wife, running -out to meet Fin.</p> - -<p>“He is dead on the vessel,” said Fin.</p> - -<p>“Why did you not raise black sails as you -promised?”</p> - -<p>“We were so troubled that we forgot it.”</p> - -<p>“It was well for you to forget; for if you had -raised black sails, I should have drowned every -man of you.”</p> - -<p>“Ceadach is living and well; have no fear,” -said Fin, and he sounded the borabu.</p> - -<p>Ceadach landed. His father and wife were so -glad to see him that they feasted Fin and the -Fenians for seven days and seven nights.</p> - -<p>Fin told Ceadach’s wife of all their adventures, -and what struggles they had in bringing her husband -to life. She was glad; for the trouble with -Red Face was ended.</p> - -<p>Ceadach went now with Fin to visit the Doleful -Knight of the Island; and they never halted -nor stopped till they came to his castle.</p> - -<p>Fin found the knight sitting at a great heavy -table, his head on his hand, his elbow on the -table, into which it had worn a deep hole; a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_477"></a>[477]</span> -stream of tears was flowing from his eye to the -table, and from the table to the floor.</p> - -<p>“A hundred thousand welcomes to you, Fin -MacCool,” said the knight; and he began to weep -more than ever. “I was once in prosperity, and -at that time this was a pleasant place for a good -man to visit; but now it is different. I have food -in plenty, but no one to cook it.”</p> - -<p>“If that’s all your trouble,” said Fin, “we can -cure it.”</p> - -<p>Fin’s men were not slow in preparing a dinner. -When the dinner was eaten, the knight turned to -Fin and inquired, “Why have you come to my -castle, Chief of the Fenians of Erin?”</p> - -<p>“I will tell you,” said Fin. Then he related -his story, and all his adventures with Ceadach.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the knight, “it will shorten my -life by seven years to give the tale of my sufferings; -for they will be as fresh to me now, as -when first I went through them. But as you are -under bonds to know them, I will tell you.</p> - -<p>“I was here in wealth and prosperity, myself -and my three sons. We used to hunt beasts and -birds with our dogs when it pleased us. On a -May morning a hare came, and frisked before my -hall-door. Myself and my three sons then followed -her with dogs, and followed all day till the -height of the evening. Then we saw the hare<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_478"></a>[478]</span> -enter an old fairy fort. The opening was wide; -we were able to follow. In we rushed, all of -us, and the next thing we saw was a fine roomy -building. We went in, looked around for the -hare, but saw not a sight of her. There was no -one within but an old man and woman. We -were not long inside till three gruagachs came, -each with a wild boar on his shoulders. They -threw the wild boars on the floor, and told me -to clean them, and cook them for dinner. One -of my sons fell to cleaning a boar; but for every -hair that he took from him, ten new ones came -out, so the sooner he stopped work the better.</p> - -<p>“Then one of the old gruagach’s sons placed -the boars in a row, the head of the one near the -tail of the other, and, taking a reed, blew once, -the hair was gone from all three; twice, the -three boars were dressed; a third time, all were -swept into one caldron.</p> - -<p>“When the meal was cooked and ready, a gruagach -brought two spits to me, one of dull wood, -the other formed of sharp iron. The old man -asked, ‘Which will you choose?’</p> - -<p>“I chose the sharp iron spit, went to the caldron, -and thrust in the spit; but if I did, I raised -only a poor, small bit of meat, mostly bone. -That was what I and my three sons had for -dinner.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_479"></a>[479]</span></p> - -<p>“After dinner, the old man said, ‘Your sons -may perform now a feat for amusement.’</p> - -<p>“In three rooms were three cross-beams, as -high from the floor as a man’s throat. In the -middle of each beam was a hole. Through this -hole passed a chain, with a loop at each end of -it. In front of the hole on each side of the -beam was a knife, broad and sharp. One loop -of each chain was put on the neck of a son of -mine, and one on the neck of a gruagach. Then -each of the six was striving to save his own -throat, and to cut off the head of the other man; -but the gruagachs pulled my three sons to the -cross-beams, and took the three heads off them.</p> - -<p>“Then they dressed them, and boiled them for -supper. When that supper was ready, they -struggled to force me to eat some, but could -not. Next they threw me across the broad table, -plucked out one eye from my head, thrust a light -in the socket, and made me lie there, and serve -as a candlestick. In the morning, I was flung -out through the door, while the gruagach cried -after me, ‘You’ll not come to this castle a -second time!’”</p> - -<p>“Have you seen that hare since?” inquired -Ceadach.</p> - -<p>“I have, for she comes each May morning, and -that renews and gives strength to my sorrow.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_480"></a>[480]</span></p> - -<p>“To-morrow will be May day; come with me, -and we’ll hunt her,” said Ceadach.</p> - -<p>“I will not,” said the Knight of the Island.</p> - -<p>The hare came after breakfast next morning, -and halted in front of the castle. The knight was -unwilling to hunt, but still yielded to Ceadach, -and followed with the others.</p> - -<p>Time after time, they came close to the hare, -but never could catch her. At last, in the height -of the evening, when nearing the same fairy -fort, the hound Bran snapped at the haunch -of the hare, and took a full bite from her. All -passed through the entrance, found the house, -and no person inside but an old man and woman. -The old woman was lying in bed, and she -groaning.</p> - -<p>“Have you seen a hare in this house?” inquired -Ceadach.</p> - -<p>“I have not,” said the old man.</p> - -<p>Ceadach saw traces of blood on the bed, and -went toward the old woman, who was covered up -closely; raising the clothes, he said, “Maybe ’tis -here that the hare is.”</p> - -<p>The old woman was covered with blood, and -wounded in the very same way as the hare. -They knew then who was the cause of misfortune -to the Knight of the Island, and who made the -visits each year on May morning.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_481"></a>[481]</span></p> - -<p>They were not long in the house when the -gruagachs, the sons of the old man, came in, -each with a wild boar on his shoulders. Seeing -the Knight of the Island, they laughed, and said, -“We thought you had enough of this place the -first time that you came here.”</p> - -<p>“I saw more than I wished to see,” said the -Knight of the Island; “but I had to come this -time.”</p> - -<p>“Have you any man to cook dinner for us?” -asked the old gruagach of Fin.</p> - -<p>“I’ll do that myself,” put in Ceadach, who -turned to one of the brothers, and asked, “Where -is your reed; I must use it.”</p> - -<p>The reed was brought. Ceadach blew once, -the boars were clean; twice, they were dressed, -and ready; thrice, they were in the caldron.</p> - -<p>When the spits were brought, Ceadach took -the dull wooden spit, thrust it into the pot, and -took up all that was in there.</p> - -<p>Fin, Ceadach, and the knight ate to their own -satisfaction; then they invited the old gruagach -and his three sons to dinner.</p> - -<p>“What amusement have you in this place?” -asked Fin, later in the evening.</p> - -<p>“We have nothing,” said the old gruagach and -his sons.</p> - -<p>“Where are your chains?” asked Ceadach.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_482"></a>[482]</span></p> - -<p>“We make no use of them now,” said the -young gruagachs.</p> - -<p>“You must bring them,” said Ceadach.</p> - -<p>The chains were brought, drawn through the -cross-beams, and three loops of them put on the -necks of the gruagachs. No matter what strength -was in the three brothers, nor how they struggled, -Ceadach brought their throats to the knives, and -took the three heads off them. Next they were -boiled in the caldron, as the knight’s three sons -had been boiled the first time. Then Ceadach -seized the old gruagach, flung him across the -broad table, plucked out one eye from his head, -and fixed a light in the empty socket.</p> - -<p>At sight of what the gruagachs passed through, -the Doleful Knight of the Island let one roaring -laugh out of him, his first laugh in seven years.</p> - -<p>Next morning Ceadach, pointing to the Knight -of the Island, said to the old gruagach, “Unless -you bring this man’s three sons to life, I will -take your own head from you.”</p> - -<p>The bones of the three sons were in three -heaps of dust outside the door. The gruagach -took a rod of enchantment, and struck the bones. -The three sons of the knight rose up as well and -strong as ever, and went home. The Knight -of the Island gave a feast to Fin and Ceadach. -After that Fin, with his men and Ceadach, sailed<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_483"></a>[483]</span> -back to the King of Sorach. Ceadach remained -with his wife and father. Fin went to the harbor -of Fintra, taking with him the head of the -Red Ox, and the story of the Doleful Knight, to -the fish-hag.</p> - -<p>“Have you the head of the Red Ox?” asked -the hag.</p> - -<p>“I have,” answered Fin.</p> - -<p>“You will give it to me,” said the hag.</p> - -<p>“I will not,” answered Fin. “If I was bound -to bring it, I was not bound to give it.”</p> - -<p>When she heard that, the hag dropped to the -earth, and became a few bones.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_484"></a>[484]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="FIN_MACCOOL_FAOLAN_AND_THE">FIN MACCOOL, FAOLAN, AND THE -MOUNTAIN OF HAPPINESS.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>When Fin MacCool and the Fenians of Erin -were at Fintra, they went hunting one -day; and the man who killed the first deer was -Dyeermud. When the hunt was over, they returned -to the place where the first deer was -started, and began, as was usual, to prepare the -day’s feast. While preparing the feast, they -saw a ship sailing into the harbor, with only -one woman on board. The Fenians were greatly -surprised at the speed of the vessel; and Dyeermud -said to Fin, “I will go and see who is the -woman coming in that vessel.”</p> - -<p>“You killed the first deer,” replied Fin, “and -the honors of the feast on this day are yours. -I myself will go down and see who the woman -is.”</p> - -<p>The woman cast anchor, sprang ashore, and -saluted Fin, when he came to the strand. Fin -returned the salute, and, after a while, she asked, -“Will you play a game of chess for a sentence?”</p> - -<p>“I will,” answered Fin.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_485"></a>[485]</span></p> - -<p>They played, and she won.</p> - -<p>“What is your sentence on me?” inquired Fin.</p> - -<p>“I sentence you, under bonds of heavy enchantment,” -said she, “to take me for your wife.”</p> - -<p>Fin had to marry the woman. After a time, -she said, “I must leave you now for a season.”</p> - -<p>Fin drove his sword then, with one mighty -blow, into a tree-stump, and said, “Call your son -Faolan [little wolf], and never send him to me -until he is able to draw the sword from this -stump.”</p> - -<p>She took the stump with her, and sailed away -homeward. She nursed her son for only three -days, and preserved the rest of the milk for a -different use. The boy was called Faolan, was -trained well in the use of all arms, and when ten -years of age, he was skilled beyond any master. -One day there was a game of hurley, and Faolan -played alone, against twenty one others. The -rule of that game was that whoever won was -to get three blows of his club on each one who -played against him. Faolan gave three blows -to each of the twenty-one men; among them was -one who was very much hurt by the blows, and -he began to say harsh words to Faolan, and -added, “You don’t know your own father.”</p> - -<p>Faolan was greatly offended at this. He went -home to his mother, in tears, and asked, “Who<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_486"></a>[486]</span> -is my father? I will never stop nor stay till I -find him.”</p> - -<p>“What caused your vexation?” asked the -mother. “Why do you ask such a question at -this time?”</p> - -<p>Faolan told her the words of the player. At -last she said, “Your father is Fin MacCool, -Chief of the Fenians of Erin; but you are not to -be sent to him till you can draw his sword from -the tree-stump into which he drove it with one -blow.”</p> - -<p>“Show me the sword and the tree-stump,” said -Faolan.</p> - -<p>She took him then to the stump. With one -pull, he drew out the sword.</p> - -<p>“Prepare me food for the road,” said Faolan. -“I will go to my father.”</p> - -<p>The mother made ready three loaves of bread, -kneaded them with the milk which she had saved, -and baked them.</p> - -<p>“My son,” said she, “do not refuse bread on -the journey to any one whom you meet; give it -from these loaves, even should you meet your -worst enemy.”</p> - -<p>She took down a sword then, gave it to him, -and said, “This was your grandfather’s sword; -keep it, and use it till a better one comes to -you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_487"></a>[487]</span></p> - -<p>Faolan took a blessing of his mother, set out -on his journey, and was walking always, till he -came to a harbor where he found a ship bound -for Erin. He went on board, and was not sailing -long, when a venomous hound rose up in the -sea, and cast such high waves at the vessel as to -throw it back a long distance.</p> - -<p>Remembering his mother’s advice about sharing -the bread, Faolan threw one loaf to the -hound. This seemed to appease him. He had -not sailed much further, when the hound rose -again. Faolan threw out the second loaf; and -the beast disappeared for a while, but rose the -third time, and drove back the vessel. Faolan -threw the third loaf; and, after disappearing the -third time, the hound rose the fourth time. -Having nothing to give, Faolan seized a brazen -ball which his mother had given him, and, hurling -it at the hound with good aim, killed him on -the spot. As soon as the hound fell, there rose -up a splendid youth, who came on board, and, -shaking Faolan’s hand, said,—</p> - -<p>“I thank you; you delivered me from enchantment. -I am your mother’s brother; and there -was nothing to free me till I ate three loaves -kneaded with your mother’s milk, and was then -killed by you with that brazen ball. You are -near Ventry Strand now; among the first men<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_488"></a>[488]</span> -you meet will be your own father. You will -know him by his dress; and when you meet him, -kneel down and ask for his blessing. As I have -nothing else to give, here is a ring to wear on -your finger, and whenever you look at it you will -feel neither cold, thirst, nor hunger.”</p> - -<p>When they landed, the uncle went his own way -and vanished. Faolan saw champions playing -on the strand, throwing a great weighty sledge.</p> - -<p>Knowing Fin from his mother’s description, -he knelt down at his feet, and asked for his -blessing.</p> - -<p>“If you are a son of mine,” said Fin, “you are -able to hurl this sledge.”</p> - -<p>“He is too young,” said Dyeermud, “to throw -such a weight; and it is a shame for you to ask -him to throw it.”</p> - -<p>The youth then, growing angry, caught the -sledge, and hurled it seven paces beyond the -best man of the Fenians.</p> - -<p>Fin shook hands with the youth; and his heart -grew big at having such a son. Dyeermud shook -his hand also, and swore that as long as he lived -he would be to him a true comrade.</p> - -<p>When dinner-time came, Fin bade Faolan sit -down at his right hand, where Conan Maol, son -of Morna, sat usually. Fin gave this place to -Conan to keep him in humor. Conan grew<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_489"></a>[489]</span> -enraged now, and said, “It is great impudence -for a stripling to sit in my place.”</p> - -<p>“I know not who you are,” said Faolan, “but -from what I hear you must be Conan Maol, who -has never a good word for any man; and I would -break your head on the wall, but I don’t wish to -annoy people present.”</p> - -<p>It was a custom of the Fenians in eating to -set aside every bone that had marrow for Oscar, -and as Faolan had a thick marrow-bone in his -hand, he began to pick out the marrow, and eat -it. This enraged Oscar, and he said, “You must -put that bone aside as the others put their bones; -that is my due, and I will have it.”</p> - -<p>“As the meat is mine,” said Faolan, “so is the -marrow.”</p> - -<p>Oscar snatched at the youth, and caught the -bone by one end. Faolan held the other end. -Both pulled till they broke the bone, then, seizing -each other, they went outside for a struggle. As -the two were so nearly related, the other men -stopped them. Fin took Oscar aside then, and -asked, “How long could you live if we let the -youth keep his grip on you?”</p> - -<p>“If he kept his grip with the same strength, I -could not live five minutes longer.”</p> - -<p>Fin took Faolan aside then, and asked the -same question.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_490"></a>[490]</span></p> - -<p>“I could live for twelve months, if he squeezed -me no tighter.”</p> - -<p>The two then kept peace with each other. All -were very fond of Faolan, especially Dyeermud, -who was a good, loyal comrade; and he warned -Faolan to distrust and avoid Grainne, Fin’s -wife, as much as he could. The youth was learning, -meanwhile, to practise feats of activity and -bravery. At the end of twelve months, the -Fenians were setting out on a distant hunt, for -which they had long been preparing. On the -eve of the hunt, Grainne dropped on her knees -before Fin, and begged him to leave Faolan with -her for company, until he and the rest would -return. Fin consented, and Faolan stayed with -Grainne.</p> - -<p>When all the others had gone to the great -hunt, Faolan and Grainne went also to hunt in -the neighborhood. They did not go far, and -returned. After dinner, Grainne asked Faolan -would he play a game of chess for a small sentence. -He said that he would. They played, -and he won.</p> - -<p>“What is your sentence on me?” asked -Grainne.</p> - -<p>“I have no sentence at this time,” replied -Faolan.</p> - -<p>They played again, and she won.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_491"></a>[491]</span></p> - -<p>“Now put your sentence on me,” said the -youth.</p> - -<p>“You will think it soon enough when you -hear it. You are not to eat two meals off the -same table, nor sleep two nights on the same -bed, till you bring me the tallow of the three -oxen on Sliav Sein [Mountain of Happiness].”</p> - -<p>When he heard this sentence, he went off, -threw himself face downward on his bed, and -remained there without eating or drinking till -the Fenians came back from the hunt. Fin and -Dyeermud, not seeing Faolan when they came, -went in search of him.</p> - -<p>“Have you found Faolan?” asked Dyeermud -of Fin, when he met him soon after.</p> - -<p>“I have not,” answered Fin.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud then went to see if he could find -Faolan in bed. As the door of his chamber was -fastened, and no one gave answer, Dyeermud -forced it, and found Faolan on his face in the -bed. After they had greeted each other, Faolan -told of the trouble that was on him.</p> - -<p>“I gave you warning against Grainne,” said -Dyeermud; “but did you win any game of her?”</p> - -<p>“I did; but have put no sentence on her yet.”</p> - -<p>“I am glad,” answered Dyeermud; “and let -me frame the sentence. I swear by my sword -to be loyal to you; and where you fall, I will<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_492"></a>[492]</span> -fall also. But be cheerful, and come to the -feast.”</p> - -<p>They went together, and Fin, seeing them, was -glad. He knew, however, that something had -happened to Faolan. Dyeermud went to Fin, -and told him of the mishap to the youth. Fin -was troubled at what had come on his son.</p> - -<p>“I have sworn,” said Dyeermud, “to follow -Faolan wherever he may be.”</p> - -<p>“I will send with him,” said Fin, “the best -man of the Fenians.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud, Oscar, and Goll, son of Morna, -were summoned.</p> - -<p>“What is your greatest feat?” inquired Fin -of Goll.</p> - -<p>“If I were to stand in the middle of a field -with my sword in my hand on the rainiest day -that ever rose, I could keep my head dry with -my sword, not for that day alone, but for a day -and a year,” answered Goll.</p> - -<p>“That is a good feat,” said Fin. “What is -your greatest feat, Oscar?”</p> - -<p>“If I open a bag filled with feathers on a -mountain-top of a stormy day, and let the feathers -fly with the wind, the last feather will barely -be out of the bag, when I will have every feather -of them back into the bag again.”</p> - -<p>“That is a very good feat,” answered Fin,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_493"></a>[493]</span> -“but it is not enough yet. Now, Dyeermud, -what is your feat of swiftness?”</p> - -<p>“If I were put on a space of seven hundred -acres, and each acre with a hedge around it, and -there were seven hundred gaps in the hedge of -each acre, and seven hundred hares were put on -each acre of the seven hundred, I would not let -one hare out of the seven hundred acres for a day -and a year.”</p> - -<p>“That is a great feat,” remarked Fin; “that -will do.”</p> - -<p>“Chew your thumb, O Fin,” said Dyeermud, -“and tell me if it is fated to us to come back -from the journey?”</p> - -<p>Fin chewed his thumb. “You will come -back; but the journey will be a hard and a long -one: you will be ankle deep in your own blood.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud went to Faolan, and told him what -sentence to put upon Grainne.</p> - -<p>On the following day, Fin led Grainne forth for -her sentence; and Faolan said, “You are to stand -on the top of Sliav Iolar [Mount Eagle], till I -come back to Fintra; you are to hold in your hand -a fine needle; you are to have no drink saving -what rain you can suck through the eye of that -needle, no food except what oats will be blown -through the eye of that very needle from a sheaf -on Sliav Varhin; and Dyeermud will give three -blows of a flail to the sheaf to loosen the grain.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_494"></a>[494]</span></p> - -<p>Faolan and Dyeermud set out on their journey. -They travelled three days, and saw no house in -which they could rest for the night.</p> - -<p>“When we find a house,” said Dyeermud, “we -will have from the people a lodging, either with -their good will, or in spite of them.”</p> - -<p>“I will help you in that,” said Faolan.</p> - -<p>On the evening of the fourth day, a large white-fronted -castle appeared in the distance. They -went toward it, and knocked at the door. A -fine young woman welcomed them kindly, and -kissed Faolan. “You and I,” said she, “were -born at the same hour, and betrothed at our birth. -Your mother married Fin to rescue her brothers, -your uncles, from the bonds of enchantment.”</p> - -<p>They sat down to eat and drink, the young -woman, Dyeermud, and Faolan; they were not -long eating when in came four champions, all -torn, cut, and bleeding. When Dyeermud saw -these, he started up, and seized his sword.</p> - -<p>“Have no fear,” said the young woman to -Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“We are returning from battle with a wild hag -in the neighborhood,” said the four champions. -“She is trying to take our land from us; and -this is the seventh year that we are battling with -the hag. All of her warriors that we kill in the -daytime, she raises at night; and we have to -fight them again the next day.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_495"></a>[495]</span></p> - -<p>“No man killed by my sword revives; and these -will not, if I kill them,” said Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“They would revive after your sword,” said -the four champions.</p> - -<p>“Do you stay at home to-morrow,” said Dyeermud; -“Faolan and I will give battle to the hag -and her forces; no one whom we slay will trouble -you hereafter.”</p> - -<p>The four champions agreed, and gave every -direction how to find the wild hag and her army. -Faolan and Dyeermud went to the field; one -began at one end, and one at the other, and -fought till they met in the middle at sunset, and -slew all the hag’s warriors.</p> - -<p>“Go back to the castle,” said Faolan to Dyeermud; -“I will rest here to-night, and see what -gives life to the corpses.”</p> - -<p>“I will stay,” replied Dyeermud, “and you -may return.”</p> - -<p>“No, I will stay here,” said Faolan; “if I -want help, I will run to the castle.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud went back to the castle. About -midnight, Faolan heard the voice of a man in the -air just above him. “Is there any one living?” -asked the voice. Faolan, with a bound, grasped -the man, and, drawing him down with one hand, -pierced him through with a sword in his other -hand. The man fell dead; and then, instead of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_496"></a>[496]</span> -the old man that he seemed at first, he rose up -a fresh young man of twenty two years. The -young man embraced and thanked Faolan. “I am -your uncle,” said he, “brother of the poisonous -hound that you freed from enchantment at sea. -I was fourteen years in the power of the wild -hag, and could not be freed till my father’s sword -pierced me. Give me that sword which belonged -to my father. It was to deliver me that your mother -gave you that blade. I will give you a better one -still, since you are a greater champion than I. I -will give you my grandfather’s sword; here it is. -When the wild hag grows uneasy at my delay, -she herself will hasten hither. She knew that -you were to come and release me, and she is preparing -this long time to meet you. For seven -years, she has been making steel nails to tear -you to pieces; and she has sweet music which -she will play when she sees you: that music -makes every man sleep when he hears it. When -you feel the sleep coming, stab your leg with -your sword; that will keep you awake. She -will then give you battle; and if you chance to -cut off her head, let not the head come to the -body: for if it comes on the body, all the world -could not take it away. When you cut off her -head, grasp it in one hand, and hold it till all the -blood flows out; make two halves of the head,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_497"></a>[497]</span> -holding it in your hand all the while; and I -will remove the stone cover from a very deep -well here at hand; and do you throw the split -head into that well, and put the cover on -again.”</p> - -<p>The uncle went aside then; and soon the hag -came through the air. Seeing Faolan, she began -to play strains of beautiful music, which were -putting him to sleep; but he thrust his new sword -in the calf of his leg, and kept away sleep. The -wild hag, outwitted, attacked the youth fiercely, -and he went at her in earnest. Every time that -she caught him with her nails, she scraped skin -and flesh from his head to his heels; and then, -remembering his mother, and being aroused by -his uncle, he collected his strength, and with -one blow cut the head off the hag; but he was so -spent from the struggle that it took him some -time to seize the head, and so weak was he that -he could not raise his hand to split it.</p> - -<p>“Lay your sword on the head; the blade alone -will split it!” cried the uncle.</p> - -<p>Faolan did this. The sword cut the head; and -then Faolan threw the head into the well. Just -as he was going to cover the well, the head spoke, -and said, “I put you under bonds of heavy -enchantment not to eat two meals off the same -table, nor sleep two nights on the same bed, till<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_498"></a>[498]</span> -you tell the Cat of Gray Fort that you destroyed -the wild hag out of her kingdom.”</p> - -<p>The uncle embraced Faolan then, and said, -“Now I will go to my sister, your mother; but -first I will guide you to this hag’s enchanted -well: if you bathe in its water, you will be as -sound and well as ever.”</p> - -<p>Faolan went, bathed in the well, and, when -fully recovered, returned to the castle. Thinking -Gray Fort must be near by, he did not rouse -Dyeermud, but went alone in search of the cat. -He travelled all day, and at last saw a great fort -with the tail of a cat sticking out of it. “This -may be the cat,” thought he, and he went around -the whole fort to find the head. He found it -thrust out just beyond the tail.</p> - -<p>“Are you the Cat of Gray Fort?” inquired -Faolan.</p> - -<p>“I am,” said the cat.</p> - -<p>“If you are,” said Faolan, “I destroyed the -wild hag out of her kingdom.”</p> - -<p>“If you did,” said the cat, “you will kill no -one else; for the hag was my sister.”</p> - -<p>The cat rushed at Faolan then; and, bad as the -hag had been, the cat was far worse. The two -fought that night furiously, till the following -morning, when Faolan cut the cat in two halves -across the middle. The half that the head was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_499"></a>[499]</span> -on ran around trying to meet the other half; but -before it could do so, Faolan cut the head off the -front half. Then the head spoke, and said,—</p> - -<p>“I put you under bonds of enchantment not -to eat two meals off the one table, nor sleep two -nights on the one bed, till you tell the Kitten -of Cul MacKip that you killed the Cat of Gray -Fort and destroyed the wild hag out of her -kingdom.”</p> - -<p>Faolan then hurried forward to find the kitten. -Thinking that her place was near, he did not go -back to the castle for Dyeermud, but held on the -whole day, walking always. Toward evening, he -saw a castle, went toward it, and entered it. -When inside he saw half a loaf of barley-bread -and a quart of ale placed on the window. “Whoever -owns these, I will use them,” said the -youth.</p> - -<p>When he had eaten and drunk, he put down -a fire for the night, and saw a kitten lying near -the ashes. “This may be the Kitten of Cul MacKip,” -thought he; and, shaking it, he asked, -“Are you the Kitten of Cul MacKip?”</p> - -<p>“I am,” said the kitten.</p> - -<p>“If you are,” said Faolan, “then I tell you -that I killed the Cat of Gray Fort and destroyed -the wild hag out of her kingdom.”</p> - -<p>“If you did,” said the kitten, “you will never<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_500"></a>[500]</span> -kill any one else,” and, starting up, the kitten -stretched, and was as big as a horse in a moment. -She sprang at Faolan, and he at her. They -fought fiercely that night, and the following day, -but Faolan, toward evening, swept the head off -the kitten; but as he did, the head spoke, and said, -“I put you under bonds of heavy enchantment -not to eat two meals off the same table, nor -sleep two nights on the same bed, till you tell -the Dun Ox that you slew the Kitten of Cul MacKip, -killed the Cat of Gray Fort, and destroyed -the wild hag out of her kingdom.”</p> - -<p>Before setting out, Faolan saw a brass ball on -the window, and, taking it, said to himself, “I -may kill some game with this on the road.”</p> - -<p>Away he went then, and walked on till he -came to where the road lay through a wood; near -the road was a forester’s cabin. Out came the -forester with a hundred thousand welcomes.</p> - -<p>“Glad am I to see you; gladder still would I -be if your comrade, Dyeermud, were with you,” -said the forester.</p> - -<p>“Can you tell me where the Dun Ox is?” -asked Faolan.</p> - -<p>“In this wood,” said the forester; “but do you -bring your comrade to help you against the Dun -Ox; by no chance can you slay him alone. The -Dun Ox has only one eye, and that in the middle<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_501"></a>[501]</span> -of his forehead; over that eye is a shield of -white metal; from that shield two bars of iron -run back to the tail of the ox. Behind him, two -champions are on guard always; and when any -one nears him, the ox sniffs the stranger, and -roars; the champions lean on the bars then, and -raise up the shield. When the one eye of the -ox sees the person approaching, that moment the -person falls dead. What are your chances of -slaying that ox? Go back for your comrade.”</p> - -<p>“I will not,” said Faolan; “the ox will fall by -me, or I by the ox.”</p> - -<p>“It is you that will fall,” said the forester.</p> - -<p>Faolan entered the cabin, where the forester -treated him well. Next morning the forester -showed the path that lay toward the place where -the ox was. Faolan had not gone far when the -ox roared, and, looking in the direction of the -roar, he saw the two champions just seizing -the bars to raise up the shield, so, failing other -means, he sent the ball, with a well-aimed cast, -and crushed in the forehead of the ox through -the shield. The ox fell dead, but, before falling, -his eye turned on Faolan, who dropped dead -also.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud slept a hero’s sleep of seven days -and seven nights. When he woke, and found no -tidings of Faolan, he was furious; but the four<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_502"></a>[502]</span> -champions calmed him; and the young woman -said, “The wild hag may have killed him; but if -as much as one bone of his body can be found, I -will bring him to life again.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud, Faolan’s betrothed, and her four -brothers set out, and, coming to the battle-field, -found the army of the wild hag slain, but no -trace of Faolan. They went to the well then, -and saw the split head there.</p> - -<p>The six went to Gray Fort, and found the cat -dead, the hind-part in one place, the fore-part in -a second, and the head in a third.</p> - -<p>“The head must have sent him to the Kitten -of Cul MacKip,” said the young woman; “that -kitten has twice as much witch power as the cat -and the old hag; all three are sisters.”</p> - -<p>They went farther, and, finding the kitten -dead, went to find the Dun Ox; “for Faolan must -be dead near him,” said the young woman. -When they came to his cabin, the forester -greeted them, and gave a hundred thousand -welcomes to Dyeermud, who was surprised, and -inquired, “How do you know me? I have never -been in this country before.”</p> - -<p>“I know you well; for I saw you two years ago -in combat with the Champion of the Eastern -World on Ventry Strand. Many persons were -looking at that combat, but you did not see them. -I was there with the others.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_503"></a>[503]</span></p> - -<p>“Have you seen a young champion pass this -way?” asked Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“I have,” said the forester; “but he must have -perished by the Dun Ox, for I have not heard the -ox bellow this long time.”</p> - -<p>The six spent that night at the forester’s cabin; -and, setting out next morning early, they soon -found Faolan. The young woman bathed him -with some fluid from a vial, and, opening his -mouth, poured the rest down his throat. He -rose up at once, as sound and healthy as ever. -All went to the ox, which they found lying dead, -and the two champions also; and, searching -about, they found the brazen ball sunk in the -earth some distance away. Faolan took it up -carefully. They went back to the forester’s -cabin, and enjoyed themselves well.</p> - -<p>“Do you know where the Mountain of Happiness -is?” inquired Dyeermud of the forester, -during the night.</p> - -<p>“I do not,” said the forester; “but I know -where the Black-Blue Giant lives, and he knows -every place in the world. That giant has never -given a meal or a night’s lodging to any man. -He has an only daughter, who is in love with -you, since she saw you two years ago in combat -with the Champion of the Eastern World on Ventry -Strand, although you did not see her. This<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_504"></a>[504]</span> -daughter is closely confined by the giant, fearing -she may escape to you; and if you succeed in -reaching her, she is likely to know, if her father -knows, where the Mountain of Happiness is.”</p> - -<p>“How did you get tidings of the giant’s -daughter?” asked Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“I will not tell you now,” said the forester, -“but I will go with you to guide you to the giant, -and I may give you assistance. Here are three -keys,—the keys of the castles of the Dun Ox, -of the Kitten of Cul MacKip, and of the Cat of -Gray Fort; they are yours now.”</p> - -<p>“Those keys are not mine,” said Dyeermud; -“they belong to Faolan, who slew the three -owners.”</p> - -<p>“If Faolan slew them,” said the forester, “he -had assistance, which caused you to come to -him.”</p> - -<p>“Keep the keys till we come back,” said -Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>The seven travelled on then, and were going -ten days when they saw the giant’s castle. Now -this castle stood on one leg, and whirled around -always.</p> - -<p>“I will use my strength on that castle, to know -can I stop it,” said Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“You cannot stop it,” said the forester. “I -will stop it myself. Do you watch the door of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_505"></a>[505]</span> -the castle, which is on the top of the roof, and, -when the castle stops, spring in through the door, -and seize the giant, if he is inside, and compel -him to give a night’s lodging.”</p> - -<p>The forester then made for the castle, and, -placing his shoulder against one of the corners, -kept it standing still; and Dyeermud, leaping -in by the roof, came down before the giant, who -had started up, knowing something was wrong -when the castle stood still.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud and the giant grappled each other -so fiercely, and fought with such fury, that the -castle was shivering. The giant’s wife begged -them to go out of the castle, and fight on the -open, and not frighten the life out of herself and -the child in her arms.</p> - -<p>Out went the Black-Blue Giant and Dyeermud, -and fought until Dyeermud brought down the -giant and sprained his back. The giant let a -roar out of him, and begged there for quarter.</p> - -<p>“Your head is mine,” answered Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“It is,” said the giant; “but spare me, and I -will give you whatever you ask for.”</p> - -<p>“I want lodging for myself and my company.”</p> - -<p>“You will get that,” said the giant.</p> - -<p>All then went into the giant’s castle; and -when they were sitting at dinner, Dyeermud ate -nothing.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_506"></a>[506]</span></p> - -<p>“Why is this?” asked the giant.</p> - -<p>“It is the custom of the Fenians of Erin,” said -he, “not to eat at a table where all the members -of the house are not present.”</p> - -<p>“All my people are here,” said the giant.</p> - -<p>“They are not,” answered Dyeermud; “you -have one daughter not present.”</p> - -<p>The giant had to bring the daughter. They -ate then. The forester talked after dinner with -Dyeermud, and said, “The giant’s daughter has -a maid; you must bribe her to give you the key -of her mistress’s chamber; and if you come by -the young woman’s secrets, she may tell you -where the Mountain of Happiness is, if she -knows.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud went to the maid. “You will not -be here always,” said he; “your mistress will -marry me, and leave this castle; then you’ll -have no business here. I will take you with us -if you give me the key of the chamber.”</p> - -<p>“The giant himself keeps that key under his -pillow at night; he sleeps only one nap, like a -bird, but sleeps heavily that time. If you -promise to take me with my mistress, I’ll strive -to bring the key hither.”</p> - -<p>“I promise,” said Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>The maid brought the key, and gave it on condition -that she was to have it again within an<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_507"></a>[507]</span> -hour. Dyeermud went then to the giant’s daughter, -and when her first wonder was over, he asked, -“Do you know where the Mountain of Happiness -is?”</p> - -<p>“I do not. My father knows well, but for some -reason he has never told me, so he must have -fared very badly there; but if you lay his head -on a block, and threaten to cut it off with your -sword, he will tell you, if you ask him; but otherwise -he will not tell.”</p> - -<p>“I will do that; and I will take you to Erin -when I go,” answered Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“Where is the Mountain of Happiness?” asked -Dyeermud of the giant, next morning.</p> - -<p>He would not tell. Dyeermud caught the -giant, who could not resist him on account of his -sprained back; he drew him out, placed his head -on a block, and said, “I will cut the head off you -now, unless you tell me what you know of the -Mountain of Happiness. The Fenians of Erin -have but the one word, and it is useless for you -to resist me; you must go with us, and show us -the way to the mountain.”</p> - -<p>The giant, finding no escape possible, promised -to go. They set out soon, taking all the arms -needed. As the mountain was not far distant, -they reached the place without great delay. The -giant showed them the lair of the oxen, but after<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_508"></a>[508]</span> -a promise that he should be free to escape should -danger threaten.</p> - -<p>“I know all the rest now,” said the forester. -“Do you,” said he to Dyeermud, “stand straight -in front of the lair, and I, with Faolan, will stand -with drawn swords, one on each side of the entrance; -and do you,” said he to the four brothers, -“knock down the entrance, and open the place -for the oxen to rush out. If the head of each ox -is not cut off when he stands in the entrance, the -world would not kill him from that out.”</p> - -<p>All was done at the forester’s word. The -entrance was not long open, when out rushed an -ox; but his head was knocked off by the forester. -Faolan slew the second ox; but the third ox -followed the second so quickly that he broke -away, took Dyeermud on his horns, and went -like a flash to the top of the Mountain of Happiness. -This mountain stood straight in front of -the lair, but was far away. On the mountain, the -ox attacked Dyeermud; and they fought for seven -days and nights in a savage encounter. At the -end of seven days, Dyeermud remembered that -there was no help for him there, that he was far -from his mother and sister, who were all he had -living, and that if he himself did not slay the -fierce ox, he would never see home again; so, -with one final effort, he drove his sword through<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_509"></a>[509]</span> -the heart of the ox. He himself was so spent -from the struggle and blood-loss that he fainted, -and would have died on the mountain, but for his -companions, who came now. They were seven -days on the road over which the ox passed in a -very few minutes.</p> - -<p>The forester rubbed Dyeermud with ointment, -and all his strength came to him. They opened -the ox, took out all the tallow, and, going back -to the other two oxen, did in like manner, saving -the tallow of each of them separately. They -went next to the castle of the Black-Blue Giant.</p> - -<p>“Will you set out for home to-morrow?” asked -the forester, turning to Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“We will,” answered Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“Oh, foolish people!” said the forester. -“Those three oxen were brothers of Grainne, -and were living in enchantment; should she get -the tallow of each ox by itself and entire, she -would bring back the three brothers to life, and -they would destroy all the Fenians of Erin. We -will hang up the tallow in the smoke of the -Black-Blue Giant’s chimney; it will lose some -of itself there. When she gets it, it will not -have full weight. We will change your beds -and your tables while you are waiting, so as to -observe the injunction. You must do this; for -if you do not make an end of Grainne, Grainne -will make an end of you.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_510"></a>[510]</span></p> - -<p>All was done as the forester said. At the end -of a week, when Faolan and his friend were setting -out for Erin, the giant and his wife fell to -weeping and wailing after their daughter, who -was going with Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“We will come back again soon,” said Dyeermud, -“and then will have a great feast for this -marriage.”</p> - -<p>“It is here that I will have my marriage feast, -too,” said Faolan.</p> - -<p>The forester, who was an old man, said perhaps -he might have a marriage feast at that time -as well as the others. At this they all laughed.</p> - -<p>The giant and his wife were then satisfied; and -the company set out for the forester’s cabin. -When they reached the cabin, the forester said -to Dyeermud, “As I served you, I hope that you -will do me a good turn.”</p> - -<p>“I will do you a good turn,” said Dyeermud, -“if I lose my life in doing it.”</p> - -<p>“Cut off my head,” said the forester.</p> - -<p>“I will not,” replied Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said the old man, “if you do not, you -will leave me in great distress; for I, too, am -under enchantment, and there is no power to save -me unless you, Dyeermud, cut off my head with -the sword that killed the oldest of the oxen.”</p> - -<p>When Dyeermud saw how he could serve the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_511"></a>[511]</span> -forester, he cut off his head with one blow, and -there rose up before him a young man of twenty-one -years.</p> - -<p>“My name is Arthur, son of Deara,” said the -young man to Dyeermud; “I was enchanted by -my stepmother, and I am in love with your sister -since I saw her two years ago on Ventry Strand, -when you were in combat with the Champion of -the Eastern World. Will you let your sister -marry me?”</p> - -<p>“I will,” replied Dyeermud; “and she will not -marry any man but the one that I will choose for -her.”</p> - -<p>“I helped Faolan,” said Arthur, “in all his -struggles, except that against the Dun Ox.”</p> - -<p>Next day all went to the castle of the four -champions and their sister, and, leaving the -women in that place, they set out for Erin.</p> - -<p>When the Fenians of Erin saw them sailing in -toward Ventry Strand, they raised three shouts -of joyous welcome. Whoever was glad, or was -not glad, Grainne was glad, because there was -an end, as she thought, to her suffering. Indeed, -she would not have lived at all had she kept the -injunctions, but she did not; she received meat -and eggs on Sliav Iolar from all the women who -took pity on her and went to visit her. So when -she got the tallow, she weighed it, and finding it<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_512"></a>[512]</span> -some ounces short, gave out three piercing wails -of distress, and when Dyeermud, who was of -fiery temper, saw that Faolan was not willing to -punish the woman, he raised his own sword, and -swept the head off her.</p> - -<p>Fin embraced Faolan and welcomed him. -Dyeermud went to his mother and sister.</p> - -<p>“Will you marry a young champion whom I -have brought with me?” asked he of the sister.</p> - -<p>“I will marry no one,” said she, “but the man -you will choose for me.”</p> - -<p>“Very well,” said Dyeermud, “there is such -a man outside.” He led her out, and she and -Arthur were well pleased with each other.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud, with his sister and Arthur and -Faolan, set out on the following day, and never -stopped nor stayed till they reached the castle of -the four champions and their sister; and, taking -Faolan’s betrothed and Dyeermud along with -them, they travelled on till they stopped at the -castle of the Black-Blue Giant. Faolan’s mother -was there before him; and glad was she, and -rejoiced, to see her own son.</p> - -<p>There were three weddings in one at the castle -of the giant: Arthur and Dyeermud’s sister; -Faolan and the sister of the four champions; -Dyeermud and the daughter of the Black-Blue -Giant.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_513"></a>[513]</span></p> - -<p>When the feasting was over, Faolan’s mother -called him, and asked, “Will you go to my kingdom, -which is yours by inheritance, the country -of the Dark Men, and rule there?”</p> - -<p>“I will,” said Faolan, “on condition that I am -to be sent for if ever the Fenians should need my -assistance.” He then gave his share in the land -of the wild hag, and his claim to the castles of -the Cat of Gray Fort, the Kitten of Cul MacKip, -and the Dun Ox, to Arthur and Dyeermud, and -these two shared those places between them. -They attended Faolan and his wife to the country -of the Dark Men, and then returned. Faolan’s -mother went to Fintra, and lived with Fin -MacCool.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_514"></a>[514]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="FIN_MACCOOL_THE_HARD_GILLA_AND">FIN MACCOOL, THE HARD GILLA, AND -THE HIGH KING.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>On a day when the Fenians were living at -Fintra, Fin MacCool called them together, -held a council, complained of remissness, and -warned the men to be cautious, to keep a better -watch on the harbors, and to take good care of -their arms. They promised to do better in -future, and asked Fin to forgive them for that -time. Fin forgave them, and sent men to keep -watch on Cruach Varhin.</p> - -<p>When on the mountain awhile, the chief sentry -saw, in the distance, a man leading a horse toward -Fintra. He thought to run down with word to -Fin, but did not; he waited to see what kind -of person was coming. The man leading the -horse was far from being tidy: his shoes were -untied, and the strings hanging down; on his -shoulders was a mantle, flapping around in the -wind. The horse had a broad, surly face; his -neck was thick at the throat, and thin toward -the body: the beast was scrawny, long-legged, -lean, thin-maned, and ugly to look at. The<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_515"></a>[515]</span> -only bridle on the horse was a long, heavy chain; -the whip in the hand of the man was a strong -iron staff. Each blow that the man gave his steed -was heard through the glens and the mountains, -and knocked echoes out of every cliff in that -region. Each pull that the man gave the bridle -was that strong, that you would think he’d tear -the head off the ugly beast’s body. Every clump -of earth that the horse rooted up with his feet, in -striving to hold back, was three times the size of -a sod of turf ready for burning.</p> - -<p>“It is time for me now,” said the watchman, at -last, “to hurry from this, and tell Fin,” and with -that he rushed down from Cruach Varhin.</p> - -<p>Fin saw him coming, and was ready for his -story; and not too soon was it told; for just then -the horseman came up to the King of the Fenians -at Fintra.</p> - -<p>“Who are you?” inquired Fin.</p> - -<p>“I do not know who my father was,” said the -stranger. “I am of one place as well as another. -Men call me the Hard Gilla; and it is a good -name: for no matter how well people treat me -I forget all they do. I have heard, though, that -you give most wages, and best treatment of any -man.”</p> - -<p>“I will give you good wages,” said Fin, “and -fair treatment; but how much do you want of -me?”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_516"></a>[516]</span></p> - -<p>“I want whatever I ask.”</p> - -<p>“I will give you that and more, if I promise,” -said Fin.</p> - -<p>“I am your man,” said the Gilla. “Now that -we have agreed, I may let my horse out to graze, -I suppose?”</p> - -<p>“You may,” answered Fin.</p> - -<p>The Gilla untied the chain bridle from his -horse, and struck him with the chain. The beast -went to the other horses; but if he did, he fell -to eating the mane, legs, ears, and tail of each -one of them, and ate all till he came to a steed -grazing apart, and this steed belonged to Conan -Maol. Conan ran, caught the ugly old horse by -the skull, and pulled him up to his owner.</p> - -<p>“Mind your wicked old cripple!” cried Conan, -in anger.</p> - -<p>“If any man does not like how my horse feeds, -he may herd the good steed himself.”</p> - -<p>When Conan heard this insolence, he went to -the adviser for counsel. The adviser told him to -go upon the back of the horse, and to ride till -he broke him. Conan mounted the horse; but -not a stir could he get from the stubborn beast.</p> - -<p>“He is used to heavy loads,” said the adviser. -“Let others mount with you.”</p> - -<p>The Fenians were mounting the horse till -twenty-eight men of them went up with Conan.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_517"></a>[517]</span> -The twenty-nine began then to wallop the horse, -but could not raise a stir out of him. The old -horse only cocked one ear. When the Gilla saw -the twenty-nine on his horse, he called out, “It -seems that we do not agree; and the sooner I go -from this place the better.”</p> - -<p>He tightened his cloak, flapping loose on his -body, tied his shoes, and said, “In place of -praising, I will dispraise you.” Then he went -in front of the horse. The horse raised his tail -and his head, and between his tail and his neck -he held the men firmly. Some tried to jump off, -but were as secure on the horse as his own skin. -Conan was the first to speak. When he saw that -he could not spring from the horse, he turned to -Fin, and cried out, “I bind you, O Fin, not to -eat two meals off the one table, or sleep two -nights on the one bed, till you have me freed -from this serpent.”</p> - -<p>When Fin and the Fenians heard this, they -looked at one another. The adviser spoke then, -and said, “There is no time for delay. We have -here a man to follow, and he is Leeagawn of -Lúachar Garv.”</p> - -<p>Fin called Leeagawn, and he went after the -steed quickly, caught him at the edge of the -strand, and seized him by the tail; but if he did, -he grew fast to the tail of the horse, and was<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_518"></a>[518]</span> -pulled forward to the strand. He tried to loose -himself from the tail, but no use for him to try. -The horse drew him into the water. The sea -opened before the strange steed, and closed -behind. The Gilla ran in front. Twenty-nine -men were on the back of the horse, and one fixed -to his tail.</p> - -<p>Fin and the Fenians were greatly distressed at -the sight, but could give no assistance. They -held council; and the druid said, “There is an -old ship in Ben Eadan; put that ship in repair, -and sail after the steed.”</p> - -<p>“Let us go,” said the Fenians, “for the ship.”</p> - -<p>As they were making ready to start, two young -champions hurried up to Fin, and saluted him.</p> - -<p>“Who are ye?” asked Fin, returning the -salute; “and whither are ye going?”</p> - -<p>“We are the two sons of a king,” replied they; -“each has a gift, and we have come to you to -know which is the better gift to live by. The -two gifts are two powers left us by our father.”</p> - -<p>“What is your power?” asked Fin of the elder -brother.</p> - -<p>“Do you see this branch?” said he. “If I -strike the water of the harbor with this branch, -the harbor will be filled with ships till they are -crushing one another. When you choose the -one you like, I will make the others disappear -as quickly as you can bow your head.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_519"></a>[519]</span></p> - -<p>“What can you do?” asked Fin of the younger -brother.</p> - -<p>“If a wild duck were to dart forth from her -nest, I could keep in sight of the bird, and she -going straight or crooked, high or low, I could -catch her before she could fly back to the nest -from which she came.”</p> - -<p>When they had done speaking, Fin said, “I -have never been in more need of your help than -I am at this moment.” He told them then of the -Gilla, and of all that had happened. The elder -brother struck the harbor with his branch; the -harbor was filled with ships in one minute. Fin -chose the ship he liked best, and said, “I’ll -take that one.” In a twinkle the other ships -vanished.</p> - -<p>When the men were all ready to go on the -ship, Fin called Oisin, and said to him, “I leave -the ruling of Erin with you, till I come back to -this harbor.” He bade farewell then to Oisin -and the Fenians. The younger of the two champions -stood at the prow, the elder at the stern. -The younger followed the horse in crooked and -straight paths through the sea, told his brother -how to steer on the voyage. They kept on till, -at length, and at last, they came to a haven with -a steep, rugged shore, and no ship could enter.</p> - -<p>“This is where the steed went in,” said the -younger brother.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_520"></a>[520]</span></p> - -<p>When the Fenians saw the haven, they looked -at one another. It was a very steep place; and -all said, “We cannot land here.”</p> - -<p>“There will be an evil report for the Fenians -of Erin, or for men trained by Fin, if no one can -spring to land,” said the druid.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Dyeermud, “there was never a -man at Fintra who could make such a spring, if -I cannot make it.”</p> - -<p>He buckled his belt firmly, and went to the -stern of the ship to find space for a run; then he -rushed to the prow, and rose with one bound to -the top of the cliff. When he looked back, and -saw his comrades below, he was frightened.</p> - -<p>Dyeermud left the ship and the Fenians, and -walked forward alone. Toward evening, he saw -a herd of deer; he pursued them, and caught a -doe, which he killed; he made a fire, roasted the -carcass, ate of it, and drank pure spring water. -He made a hut then of limbs, and slept quietly -till morning. After breakfast, a gruagach came -the way, and called out to him, “Is not Erin -wide enough for you to live in, instead of coming -hither to steal my herds from me?”</p> - -<p>“Though I might have been willing to go when -you came,” replied Dyeermud, “I will not go -now since you speak so unmannerly.”</p> - -<p>“You must fight with me then,” said the -gruagach.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_521"></a>[521]</span></p> - -<p>“I will indeed,” said Dyeermud.</p> - -<p>They took their spears and swords, and fought -all that day until evening, when the gruagach -saw that Dyeermud was getting the upper hand. -He leaped into the spring from which Dyeermud -had drunk the cool water. Dyeermud ran quickly, -and thrust his sword into the water, but no sign -of the gruagach.</p> - -<p>“I will watch for you to-morrow,” said Dyeermud -to himself; so he waited near the spring -until morning.</p> - -<p>The gruagach stood before him next day more -threatening to look at than ever, and said, “It -seems you hadn’t fighting enough from me -yesterday.”</p> - -<p>“I told you that I would not go,” answered -Dyeermud, “till I had knocked satisfaction out -of you for your ugly speech.”</p> - -<p>They went at each other then, and fought -fiercely till very near evening. Dyeermud -watched the spring closely, and when the gruagach -leaped in, he was with him. In the side -of the spring was a passage; the two walked -through that passage, and came out in a kingdom -where there was a grand castle, and seven -men at each side of the door. When Dyeermud -went toward the castle, the fourteen rushed -against him. He slew these, and all others who<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_522"></a>[522]</span> -faced him till nightfall. He would not enter the -castle, but stretched himself on the ground, and -fell fast asleep. Soon a champion came, tapped -him lightly with a sword, and said, “Rise now, -and speak to me.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud sprang up, and grasped his sword.</p> - -<p>“I am not an enemy, but a friend,” said the -champion. “It is not proper for you to be sleeping -in the midst of your enemies. Come to my -castle; I will entertain you, and give you good -keeping.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud went with the stranger; and they -became faithful friends. “The king of this -country, which is called Tir Fohin [Land Under -the Wave], is my brother,” said the champion. -“The kingdom is rightfully mine, and ’tis I that -should be King of Tir Fohin; but my brother -corrupted my warriors with promises, so that all -except thirty men of them left me.”</p> - -<p>This champion was called the Knight of Valor. -Dyeermud told this knight his whole story,—told -of the Hard Gilla, and his long-legged, scrawny, -thin-maned, ugly old horse.</p> - -<p>“I am the man,” said the knight, “that will -find out the Hard Gilla for you. That Gilla is -the best swordsman and champion in this land, -and the greatest enchanter. Your men, brought -away by him, are as safe and as sound as when -they left Erin. He is a good friend of mine.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_523"></a>[523]</span></p> - -<p>“Now,” said Dyeermud, “for your kindness -(you might have killed me when I was asleep), -and for your entertainment, I give my word to -fight against your brother, and win back your -kingdom.”</p> - -<p>Dyeermud sent a challenge to the King of -Tir Fohin. The knight and Dyeermud, with the -knight’s thirty men, fought against the king’s -forces, fought all that day until evening; then -the king withdrew to the castle to keep his hold -firm on the chief place, but Dyeermud rushed in, -brought him out to the green, threw him on the -flat of his back, and shouted, “Are you not -satisfied yet?”</p> - -<p>“I am if the men are,” said the king.</p> - -<p>“Will you obey the Knight of Valor?” asked -Dyeermud of the men.</p> - -<p>“We will,” answered they.</p> - -<p>The men gave their word to obey with all faithfulness. -Dyeermud gave the false king thirty -men then; and the Knight of Valor became king -in his own land. On the morrow, Dyeermud and -the king went with forces to the Gilla’s castle; -and when they entered the gates, the Gilla came -out, received them with welcome and hand-shaking. -There was great rejoicing, and good cheer -at the Gilla’s castle.</p> - -<p>When Dyeermud did not return to the vessel,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_524"></a>[524]</span> -Fin and the two young champions thought to -find an easier landing in some place; they put -their ship around, and sailed forward, sailed and -sailed; and where should they come at last but -to the castle of the King of Sorách (Light), who -received them with welcome, and entertained -them with the best that he had in his castle.</p> - -<p>But they were hardly seated at table, when the -chief messenger of the King of Sorách came -hurrying in and said, that there was a fleet sailing -toward them, which was as numerous as the -sands on the seashore, that it was coming for -tribute, which had not been collected for many -a year.</p> - -<p>The king had a grieved and sorrowful face. -“That is the High King of the World coming -against me,” said he.</p> - -<p>“Never fear,” said Fin MacCool. “Cheer up, -and have courage. I and my men will stand up -for you. We will fight to the death to defend -you.”</p> - -<p>On the following day, the High King sent -forces to land, to attack the King of Sorách in -his castle. These forces were under command -of Borb Sinnsior na Gah, son of the High King. -The greatest delight of the High King was his -daughter, a beautiful maiden called Teasa Taov -Geal; and the thought came to her that day to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_525"></a>[525]</span> -see the battle. “I will go,” said she, “with my -brother, and see him take the king’s castle.”</p> - -<p>On Fin’s side, the two young champions his -guides were eager to be in the struggle; but -Fin would not hear of that. “You must stay -with the ship,” said he, “and take us to Erin, -when the time comes.”</p> - -<p>As soon as Fin saw the attack was led by the -son of the High King, he said, “I will take command -in the battle, and lead the men in action -to-day. We will show the invaders what the -Fenians do in battle.”</p> - -<p>Oscar went with Fin, and so did Goll MacMorna. -The battle raged grandly; the men of -the High King fell in crowds until evening, -what was left of them then went to the ships, -and sailed back in haste to their master.</p> - -<p>When the news reached the High King, he -called his druid for advice.</p> - -<p>“This is not the time to make war on the King -of Sorách,” said the druid; “for Fin MacCool and -his men are living in friendship at his castle; -they will help him to the end of this struggle. -Go home for the present, and come again when -Fin has gone back to Erin.”</p> - -<p>The king was inclined to do this; but his -daughter had seen Fin MacCool in the battle, -and fallen in love with him. She sent him a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_526"></a>[526]</span> -message, saying, “I will go with you. I will -leave my father for your sake. I love you.”</p> - -<p>The answer that Fin sent, was to come to him; -he would take her with gladness to Erin.</p> - -<p>The king was grieved at the loss of his daughter. -“I might go home now,” said he, “and -come back at another time; but how can I go, -and leave my daughter behind me?”</p> - -<p>There was a champion called Lavran MacSuain, -who could steal anything while men were asleep, -and make them sleep all the more, but could not -do harm to them. Lavran volunteered to bring -back the daughter.</p> - -<p>“If I find them asleep,” said he, “I will bring -her back; if you give me a reward.”</p> - -<p>“I will pay you well,” said the king. “I will -not spare rewards on you, if you bring me my -daughter.”</p> - -<p>When Lavran came to where Fin was, he found -him and the Fenians asleep, and put them in a -still deeper sleep. He brought Teasa Taov Geal -to her father’s ship then. The fleet sailed away -in the night; and at daybreak there was not a -trace of it.</p> - -<p>Next morning when Fin woke, and found that -the king’s daughter was gone, he sprang up, and -was raging with anger. He sent men to look for -the fleet; but not a boat nor a ship was in sight.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_527"></a>[527]</span></p> - -<p>Oscar and Goll, seeing Fin in such passion, -said, “We will go, if a druid goes with us. He -will find out the castle by his knowledge; and we -will bring the woman back, or die while striving -to bring her.”</p> - -<p>Next morning, Goll and Oscar took a ready ship -from the fleet of the King of Sorách, set sail, -and never stopped till they touched land near -the castle of the High King.</p> - -<p>“The best way for us,” said the druid, on landing, -“is to say that we are bards, till we learn -where the strength of the king is.”</p> - -<p>“We will not do that,” said Oscar. “We will -go straight forward, and bring the woman back -with the strength of our arms.”</p> - -<p>They went straight from the strand toward the -castle. At the wayside was a rath where the -daughter of the king was at that time, and no -great number of men there to guard her. Goll -and Oscar attacked the guards, cut them down, -and took Taov Geal.</p> - -<p>“The king is coming home from a hunt,” said -the druid; “it is better to hurry back to our ship.”</p> - -<p>“We will sharpen our weapons,” said Oscar, -“and strike the king’s men, if they come toward -us; but do you take the woman, and go in all haste -to the ship. We will stay behind to protect you.”</p> - -<p>The druid took Taov Geal, who was willing and -glad, when she heard who had come for her.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_528"></a>[528]</span> -They reached the ship safely. Goll and Oscar -came soon after, sprang into the ship, set sail, -and never stopped till they brought Teasa Taov -Geal to Fin at the castle of the King of Sorách. -There was a feast then far greater than the one -which the High King had interrupted the first -day.</p> - -<p>“I will take you to Erin,” said Fin to Taov -Geal.</p> - -<p>“I will go with you,” said she.</p> - -<p>“I know the Hard Gilla well,” said the King -of Sorách to Fin MacCool. “I will go with you -to him; he is a great champion, and a mighty -enchanter.”</p> - -<p>The king and his men, with Fin and the -Fenians, went to the lands of the Gilla; and when -he saw them all, he brought them into his castle, -and treated them well. Dyeermud and the King -of Tir Fohin were there also; they had been -enjoying themselves, and feasting with the Gilla, -while Fin and the others were fighting with the -High King, and stealing his daughter.</p> - -<p>Conan and the twenty-nine Fenians were all -in good health; and Fin had the daughter of the -High King in the castle, intending to take her -to Erin.</p> - -<p>Said Fin to the Gilla one day, “It was you and -Conan who had the first quarrel, he and you are -the men who began these adventures. I will<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_529"></a>[529]</span> -leave him and you to end the whole story. -Conan is not easy to talk with, and you are a -hard man to conquer.”</p> - -<p>Conan was called up.</p> - -<p>“What have you to say of our host,” inquired -Fin; “and what would you do for him?”</p> - -<p>“I was treated here as well as you have ever -treated me in Fintra, or as any man treated me -in another place,” said Conan. “My sentence is -this, Let him come to Erin with us in our ship, -feast with us in Fintra, and ride home on his own -horse.”</p> - -<p>“I will do that,” said the Gilla.</p> - -<p>Conan and the Gilla, with all the Fenians, went -to the ship. Fin brought the daughter of the -High King on board, and all sailed away to Erin.</p> - -<p>The Gilla was entertained to his heart’s content, -till one day he said, “I must leave you now, -and go to my own place.”</p> - -<p>Conan and a number of Fenians went to the -seashore to see him ride away. “Where is your -horse?” asked Conan.</p> - -<p>“Here,” said the Gilla.</p> - -<p>Conan turned to see the ugly long-legged -beast, but saw nothing. He turned then to look -at the Gilla, but saw only mist stretching out -toward the water.</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_530"></a>[530]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="THE_BATTLE_OF_VENTRY">THE BATTLE OF VENTRY.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>It was predicted seven years before the battle -of Ventry, that Daire Donn, High King -of the Great World, would invade Erin to conquer -it. Fin MacCool, for this reason, placed -sentries at the chief ports of Erin. At Ventry, -Conn Crithir was stationed on the top of Cruach -Varhin to give warning; but he overslept when -the fleet came: and the first news he had of its -coming was from the cries of people attacked -by the invaders. Conn Crithir sprang up, and -said,—</p> - -<p>“Great is the misery that has come by my -sleep; but Fin and the Fenians will not see me -alive after this. I will rush into the midst of -the foreigners; and they will fall by me, till I -fall by them.”</p> - -<p>So he ran down toward the strand. On the -way, he saw three strange women running before -him. He increased his speed; but, unable to -overtake them, he caught his spear to hurl it at -the one nearest him.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_531"></a>[531]</span></p> - -<p>The women stopped that moment, and cried, -“Stay your hand, and do not kill innocent -women who have come not to harm but to help -you.”</p> - -<p>“Who are ye?” asked Conn Crithir.</p> - -<p>“We are three sisters who have come from -Tirnanog. We are all three in love with you; -but no one of us is jealous of the other. We -will hide you with an enchanted cloud, so that -you can attack the foreign forces unseen. We -have a well of healing at the foot of Sliav Iolar; -and its waters will cure every wound made in -battle. After bathing in it, you will be as sound -as the day you were born.”</p> - -<p>Conn Crithir was grateful, and hurried to the -strand, where he slew four hundred men of the -enemy on the first day. He was covered with -wounds himself; but the three sisters took him -to the well. He bathed in it, and was as sound -as on the day he was born.</p> - -<p>Conn Crithir was this way in struggle and combat, -till Teastalach Treunmhar, the chief courier -of Fin MacCool, came to Ventry.</p> - -<p>“Have you tidings of Fin and the Fenians?” -asked Conn.</p> - -<p>“I have. They are at the River Lee,” said -Teastalach.</p> - -<p>“Go to them quickly,” said Conn, “and tell<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_532"></a>[532]</span> -how we are here. Let them come hither to save -us.”</p> - -<p>“It would ill become me to go till I had moistened -my sword in the blood of the enemy,” said -Teastalach; and he sent a challenge for single -combat to the High King.</p> - -<p>“I am the man to meet that warrior,” said -Colahan MacDochar, the king’s champion; and -he went on shore without waiting.</p> - -<p>Colahan was thirty feet in height, and fifteen -around the waist. When he landed, he went at -Teastalach. They fought one hour, and fought -with such fury, the two of them, that their -swords and spears went to pieces. The sword -of Colahan was broken at the hilt; but of Teastalach’s -blade there remained a piece as long as -the breadth of a man’s palm.</p> - -<p>Colahan, who was enraged that any champion -could stand against him for the space of even -one hour, seized Teastalach in his arms, to carry -him living to the ship of the High King, twist -off his head there, and raise it on a stake before -the forces of the world. When he came to deep -water, he raised Teastalach on his shoulder; but -Teastalach, the swift courier of Fin MacCool, -turned quickly, cut the head off his enemy, -brought that head to the strand, and made boast -of his deed.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_533"></a>[533]</span></p> - -<p>Now Teastalach went to where Fin and his -forces were, and told him of all that happened. -Fin marched straightway, and never stopped nor -rested till he came to Maminch, within twenty -miles of Ventry. Fin rested there for the night; -but Oscar, son of Oisin, with Conn Ceadach and -one other, went forward. Before going, Oscar -turned to Fin, and said, “Chew your thumb, and -tell us what will be the end of our struggle.”</p> - -<p>Fin chewed his thumb from the skin to the -flesh, from the flesh to the bone, from the bone -to the marrow, from the marrow to the juice, and -said, “The victory will be on our side, but little -else will be with us. The battle will last for a -day and a year, and every day will be a day of -fierce struggle. No man of the foreigners will -escape; and on our side few will be left living, -and none without wounds.”</p> - -<p>Oscar went his way then till he reached Ventry. -Fin came on the second day, and stopped -with all his forces at Rahonáin. Next morning, -he asked, “Who will command the battle to-day?”</p> - -<p>“We will go with two hundred,” said Oisin -and Oscar.</p> - -<p>They went toward the harbor; and a great troop -landed to meet them. The two parties faced -each other then, and fought till near evening;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_534"></a>[534]</span> -when all were killed on the side of the foreigners -except three smiths, and of Fin’s men there -remained only Oisin, Oscar, and Goll, son of -Morna.</p> - -<p>On the following morning, Oisin and Oscar -went with two hundred more, but without Goll. -The foreign troop came in numbers as before: -and at midday there was no man left living of -Fin’s men but Oisin and Oscar; on the foreign -side all had fallen except the three smiths, who -were mighty champions. Oscar and Oisin faced -the smiths. Oscar had two men against him; -and Oisin’s enemy was forcing him backward -toward the water. Fin, seeing this, feared for -his son, and sent a poet to praise and encourage -him.</p> - -<p>“Now is the time to prove your valor and -greatness, Oisin”, said the poet. “You never -went to any place but a king’s daughter, or a -high beauty, fell in love with you. Many are -looking this day at you; and now is your time -to show bravery.”</p> - -<p>Oisin was greatly encouraged; so he grew in -fury and increased on his blows, till at last he -swept the head off his enemy. About the same -time, Oscar killed the two other smiths; but, -being faint from open wounds and blood-loss, he -fell senseless on the strand. Oisin, his father,<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_535"></a>[535]</span> -rushed to him, and held him till aid came. They -carried him to Rahonáin, where, after a long -time, he revived.</p> - -<p>The smiths had one brother in the fleet of the -High King, and his name was Dealv Dura. This -man, who was the first champion in the armies -of the High King, fell into great grief, and -swore to have vengeance for his brothers. He -went to the High King, and said, “I will go -alone to the strand, and will slay two hundred -men every day till I have slain all the forces of -Erin; and if any man of your troops interfere, -I will kill him.”</p> - -<p>Next morning, Fin asked who would conduct -the battle on that day.</p> - -<p>“I will,” said Duvan, son of Donn, “with two -hundred men.”</p> - -<p>“Go not,” said Fin. “Let another go.”</p> - -<p>But Duvan went to the strand with two hundred; -and there was no one before him but Dealv -Dura, who demanded two hundred men in combat. -A shout of derision went up from Duvan’s -men; but Dealv rushed at them, and he slew the -two hundred without a man of them being able -to put a sword-cut on him. Then, taking a hurley -and ball, Dealv Dura threw up the ball, and -kept it in the air with the hurley from the -western to the eastern end of the strand, without<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_536"></a>[536]</span> -letting it touch the ground even one time. Then, -he put the ball on his right foot, and kicked it high -in the air; when it was near the earth, he sent it -up with the left foot, and kept the ball in the -air with his two feet, and never let it touch the -earth once, while he was rushing from one end -of the strand to the other. Next, he put the ball -on his right knee, sent it up with that, caught -it on the left knee, and kept the ball in the air -with his two knees while he was running from -one end of the strand to the other. Last, he put -the ball on one shoulder, threw it up with that -shoulder, caught it on the other, and kept the -ball in the air with his two shoulders while he -was rushing like a blast of March wind from one -end of the strand to the other.</p> - -<p>When he had finished, he walked back and -forth on the strand vauntingly, and challenged -the men of Erin to do the like of those feats.</p> - -<p>Next day, Fin sent out two hundred men. -Dealv Dura was down on the strand before them, -and not a man of the two hundred returned.</p> - -<p>Day after day, two hundred went out, and all -fell before Dealv Dura. A report ran now -through all Erin that Fin’s troops were perishing -daily from one man; and this report reached -at last the castle of the King of Ulster. The -king had one son, and he only thirteen years of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_537"></a>[537]</span> -age. This son, who was the fairest and shapeliest -youth in Erin, said to his father, “Let me -go to help Fin MacCool and his men.”</p> - -<p>“You are not old enough, nor strong enough, -my son; your bones are too soft.”</p> - -<p>When the youth insisted, his father confined -him, and set twelve youths, his own foster-brothers, -to guard him, lest he might escape to -Ventry Strand.</p> - -<p>The king’s son was enraged at being confined, -and said to his foster-brothers, “It is through -valor and daring that my father gained glory in -his young years; and why should I not win a -name as well as he? Help me, and I will be a -friend to you forever.”</p> - -<p>He talked and persuaded, till they agreed to -go with him to Fin MacCool. They took arms -then, hurried across Erin, and, when they came to -Ventry, Dealv Dura was on the strand reviling -the Fenians.</p> - -<p>“O Fenians of Erin,” said Oisin, “many have -fallen by Dealv Dura; and I would rather die in -combat against him, than see the ruin he brings -every day!”</p> - -<p>A great cry was raised by all at these words.</p> - -<p>Now the son of the King of Ulster stood before -Fin, and saluted him.</p> - -<p>“Who are you?” asked Fin.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_538"></a>[538]</span></p> - -<p>“I am Goll, son of the King of Ulster, and -these twelve are my foster-brothers. We have -come to give you what assistance we can.”</p> - -<p>“My welcome to you,” said Fin.</p> - -<p>The reviling of Dealv Dura was heard now -again.</p> - -<p>“Who is that?” asked the king’s son from -Ulster.</p> - -<p>“An enemy asking for two hundred warriors of -mine to meet him,” said Fin.</p> - -<p>Here the twelve foster-brothers went to the -strand, unknown to the king’s son.</p> - -<p>“You are not a man,” said Conan Maol, “and -none of these twelve could face any warrior.”</p> - -<p>“I have never seen the Fenians till this day,” -said the king’s son, “still I know that you are -Conan Maol, who never speaks well of any man; -but you will see that I am not in dread of Dealv -Dura, or any champion on earth. I will go down -now, and meet the warrior single-handed.”</p> - -<p>Fin and the Fenians stopped the young hero, -and detained him, and talked to him. Then, -Conan began again, and said, “In six days that -champion has slain twelve hundred men; and -there was not a man of the twelve hundred who -could not have killed twelve hundred like you -every day.”</p> - -<p>These words enraged the king’s son. He<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_539"></a>[539]</span> -sprang up, and then heard the shouting of Dealv -Dura on the strand. “What does he want now?” -asked the king’s son.</p> - -<p>“More men for combat,” said Conan. “He -has just slain your twelve body-guards.”</p> - -<p>With that the king’s son seized his weapons, -and no man could stop or delay him. He -rushed to the strand, and went toward Dealv -Dura. When the champion saw the youth coming, -he sneered, and the hosts of the High King -sent up a roar of laughter; for they thought Fin’s -men were all killed, since he had sent a stripling -to meet Dealv Dura. The courage of the -boy was all the greater from the derision; and -he rushed on Dealv Dura, who got many wounds -from the youth before he knew it.</p> - -<p>They fought a sharp, bloody combat; and no -matter how the champion, Dealv Dura, used his -strength, swiftness, and skill, he was met by the -king’s son: and if the world could be searched, -from its eastern edge to its western border, no -braver battle would be found than was that one.</p> - -<p>The two fought through the day, the hosts of -the Great World and the Fenians cheering and -urging them on. Toward evening their shields -were hacked to pieces, and their weapons all -shivered, but they did not stop the battle; they -grappled and caught each other, and fought so<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_540"></a>[540]</span> -that the sand on the beach was boiling like water -beneath them. They wrestled that way, seeing -nothing in the world but each other, till the tide -of the sea went over them, and drowned the two -there before the eyes of the Fenians and the -hosts of the High King.</p> - -<p>A great cry of wailing and sorrow was raised -on both sides, when the water closed over the -champions. Next morning, after the tide-ebb, -the two bodies were found stiff and cold, each -one in the grasp of the other; but Dealv Dura -was under the king’s son, so it was known that -the youth was a better man than the other.</p> - -<p>The king’s son was buried with great honor by -the Fenians; and never before did they mourn for -a hero as on that day.</p> - -<p>“Who will command the battle this time?” -asked Fin, on the following morning.</p> - -<p>“I and my son Oscar,” said Oisin.</p> - -<p>They went to the strand with two hundred -men; and against them came the King of France -with his forces. The two sides fought with such -venom that at midday there was no one alive on -either side but Oscar, Oisin, and the King of -France. The king and Oisin were fighting at -the eastern end of Ventry; and the king gave -such a blow that he knocked a groan from -Oisin. Oscar, who was at the western end of<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_541"></a>[541]</span> -the strand then,—Oscar, of noble deeds, the man -with a heart that never knew fear, and a foot that -never stepped back before many or few,—rushed -to see who had injured his father; and the noise -that he made was like the noise of fifty horses -while racing.</p> - -<p>The king looked toward the point where the -thundering sound was, and saw Oscar coming. -He knew then that unless he escaped he had not -long to live; his beauty and bravery left him, -and his terror was like that of a hundred horses -at the sound of a thunderbolt. Lightness of mind -and body came on him; he stretched himself, -sprang up, flew through the air, and never -stopped till he came down in Glean nan Allt,—a -place to which, since that time, insane persons -go, and every madman in Erin would go -there in twenty four hours, if people would let -him.</p> - -<p>In the battle of the next day, the King of Norway -was chief; and there was never such destruction -of men in Erin before as on that day. This -king had a venomous shield with red flames, and -if it were put under the sea not one of its flames -would stop blazing, and the king himself was not -hotter from any of them. When he had the shield -on his arm no man could come near him; and -he went against the Fenians with only a sword. -Not to use weapon had he come, but to let the<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_542"></a>[542]</span> -poison of his shield fly among them. The balls -of fire that he sent from the shield went through -the bodies of men, so that each blazed up like a -splinter of oak which had hung a whole year in -the smoke of a chimney, and whoever touched -the burning man, blazed up as well as he; and -small was every evil that came into Erin before, -when compared with that evil.</p> - -<p>“Lift up your hands,” said Fin, “and give -three shouts of blessing to the man who will put -some delay on that foreigner.”</p> - -<p>A smile came on the king’s face when he heard -the shouts that Fin’s men were giving. It was -then that the Chief of the Fenians of Ulster came -near; and he had a venomous spear, the Crodearg. -He looked at the King of Norway, and saw nothing -of him without armor, save his mouth, and -that open wide in laughter at the Fenians. He -made a cast of his venomous spear, which entered -the king’s mouth, and went out through his neck. -The shield fell, and its blazing was quenched with -the life of its master. The chief cut the head -off the king, and made boast of the deed; and his -help was the best that the Fenians received from -any man of their own men. Many were the deeds -of that day; and but few of the forces of the High -King went back to their ships in the evening.</p> - -<p>On the following day, the foreigners came in -thousands; for the High King had resolved to<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_543"></a>[543]</span> -put an end to the struggle. Conan Maol, who -never spoke well of any man, had a power which -he knew not himself, and which no one in Erin -knew except Fin. When Conan looked through -his fingers at any man, that man fell dead the -next instant.</p> - -<p>Fin never told Conan of this, and never told -any one; for he knew that Conan would kill all -the Fenians when he got vexed if he knew his -own power. When the foreigners landed, Fin -sent a party of men with Conan to a suitable -place, so that when the enemy were attacking, -these men would look with Conan through their -fingers at the enemy, and pray for assistance -against them.</p> - -<p>When Conan and his men looked through their -fingers, the enemy fell dead in great numbers, -and no one knew that it was Conan’s look alone, -without prayers or assistance from others, that -slew them.</p> - -<p>Conan and his company stood there all day, -looking through their fingers and praying, whenever -a new face made its way from the harbor.</p> - -<p>The struggle lasted day after day, till his men -spoke to the High King and said to him, “We -can never conquer unless you meet Fin in single -combat.”</p> - -<p>The king challenged Fin to meet him on the -third day. Fin accepted, though he was greatly<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_544"></a>[544]</span> -in dread; for he knew that the trunk of the High -King’s body was formed of one bone, and that no -sword in the world could cut it but the king’s own -sword, which was kept in the Eastern World by -his grandsire, the King of the Land of the White -Men. That old king had seven chambers in a -part of his castle, one inside the other. On the -door of the outer chamber was one lock, on the -second two, and so on to the door of the seventh -and innermost chamber, which had seven locks, -and in that chamber the sword and shield of the -High King were kept. In the service of Daire -Donn was a champion, a great wizard, who wished -ill to the High King. This man went to Fin, -and said, “I will bring you the sword and shield -from the Eastern World.”</p> - -<p>“Good will be my reward to you,” said Fin, -“if you bring them in time.”</p> - -<p>Away went the man in a cloud of enchantment, -and soon stood before the old king. “Your -grandson,” said he, “is to fight with Fin MacCool, -and has sent me for his weapons.”</p> - -<p>The old king had the sword and shield brought -quickly, and gave them. The man hurried back -to Erin, and gave the weapons to Fin on the eve -of the battle.</p> - -<p>Next morning, the High King came to the -strand full of confidence. Believing himself safe, -he thought he could kill Fin MacCool easily;<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_545"></a>[545]</span> -but when he stood in front of the chief of the -Fenians, and saw his own venomous sword unsheathed -in the hand of his enemy, and knew that -death was fated him from that blade, his face left -him for a moment, and his fingers were unsteady.</p> - -<p>He rallied, and thinking to win by surprise, -rushed suddenly, fiercely and mightily, to combat. -One of Fin’s men sprang out, and dealt a great -blow with a broadaxe; it laid open the helmet, cut -some of the hair of the High King, but touched -not the skin of his body. The High King with -one blow made two parts of the Fenian, and, -rushing at Fin, cut a slice from his shield, and a -strip of flesh from his thigh. Fin gave one blow -then in answer, which made two equal parts of -the king, so that one eye, one ear, one arm, and -one leg of him dropped on one side, and the -other eye, ear, arm, and leg went to the other -side.</p> - -<p>Now, the hosts of the High King, and the -Fenians of Erin, fought till there was no man -standing in the field except one. He raised the -body of the High King, and said, “It was bad -for us, O Fenians of Erin, but worse for you; I go -home in health, and ye have fallen side by side. -I will come again soon, and take all Erin.”</p> - -<p>“Sad am I,” said Fin, as he lay on the field, -“that I did not find death before I heard these<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_546"></a>[546]</span> -words from the mouth of a foreigner, and he -going into the Great World with tidings. Is -there any man alive near me?”</p> - -<p>“I am,” said Fergus Finbel; “and there is no -warrior who is not lying in his blood save the -chief man of the High King and your own foster-son, -Caol.”</p> - -<p>“Go to seek my foster-son,” said Fin.</p> - -<p>Fergus went to Caol, and asked him how his -health was. “If my battle-harness were loosened, -my body would fall asunder from wounds; but -more grieved am I at the escape of the foreigner -with tidings than at my own woful state. Take -me to the sea, Fergus, that I may swim after the -foreigner; perhaps he will fall by this hand -before the life leaves me.”</p> - -<p>Fergus took him to the sea; and he swam to -the ship. The foreigner thought him one of his -own men, and reached down to raise him to the -ship-board; but Caol grasped the man firmly and -drew him to the water. Both sank in the clear, -cold sea, and were drowned.</p> - -<p>No man saw the foreigner afterward; but Caol’s -body was carried by the waves, borne northward, -and past the islands, till it came to land, at the -port which is now called Caoil Cuan (Caol’s -Harbor).</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_547"></a>[547]</span></p> - -<div class="footnotes"> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<h2 class="nobreak">FOOTNOTES</h2> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">[1]</a> This Winishuyat is represented as no larger than a man’s -thumb, and confined under the hair on the top of the head, the -hair being tied over him. He is foresight itself. <i>Winis</i> means -“he sees,” what <i>huyat</i> means I have not discovered yet.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="label">[2]</a> <i>Sprisawn</i>, in Gaelic <i>spriosan</i>, a small twig, and, figuratively, a -poor little creature, a sorry little fellow.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="label">[3]</a> Pronounced Shawn,—John.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_4" href="#FNanchor_4" class="label">[4]</a> This is the high point, “the size of a pig’s back,” which the -sailor saw from the topmast.</p> - -</div> - -<div class="footnote"> - -<p><a id="Footnote_5" href="#FNanchor_5" class="label">[5]</a> Fin’s wisdom came in each case from chewing his thumb, -which he pressed once on the Salmon of Knowledge. An account -of this is given in a tale in my “Myths and Folk-Lore of Ireland,” -p. 211.</p> - -</div> - -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_548"></a>[548]</span></p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="chapter"> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_549"></a>[549]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="NOTES">NOTES.</h2> - -</div> - -<p>The tales in this volume were told me by the following -persons:—</p> - -<p>Nos. <a href="#ELIN_GOW_THE_SWORDSMITH_FROM">1</a>, -<a href="#THE_KINGS_SON_FROM_ERIN_THE">5</a>, -<a href="#BLAIMAN_SON_OF_APPLE_IN_THE">18</a>, -<a href="#FIN_MACCOOL_CEADACH_OG_AND">21</a>. -Maurice Lynch, Mount Eagle, West of Dingle, Kerry.</p> - -<p>Nos. <a href="#MORS_SONS_AND_THE_HERDER_FROM">2</a>, -<a href="#COLDFEET_AND_THE_QUEEN_OF">11</a>, -<a href="#THE_BATTLE_OF_VENTRY">24</a>. -John Malone, Rahonain, West of Dingle.</p> - -<p>Nos. <a href="#SAUDAN_OG_AND_THE_DAUGHTER">3</a>, -<a href="#ART_THE_KINGS_SON_AND_BALOR_BEIMENACH">15</a>. -Shea, Kil Vicadowny, West of Dingle.</p> - -<p>No. <a href="#THE_BLACK_THIEF_AND_KING_CONALS">4</a>. -Thomas Brady, Teelin, County Donegal.</p> - -<p>No. <a href="#THE_AMADAN_MOR_AND_THE_GRUAGACH">6</a>. -Maurice Fitzgerald, Emilich Slat, West of Dingle.</p> - -<p>Nos. <a href="#THE_KINGS_SON_AND_THE_WHITE-BEARDED">7</a>, -<a href="#CUD_CAD_AND_MICAD_THREE_SONS">9</a>, -<a href="#LAWN_DYARRIG_SON_OF_THE_KING">12</a>, -<a href="#THE_COTTERS_SON_AND_THE_HALF">17</a>. -John O’Brien, Connemara.</p> - -<p>No. <a href="#DYEERMUD_ULTA_AND_THE_KING_IN">8</a>. -James Byrne, Glen Columkil, County Donegal.</p> - -<p>Nos. <a href="#CAHAL_SON_OF_KING_CONOR_IN_ERIN">10</a>, -<a href="#BALOR_OF_THE_EVIL_EYE_AND_LUI">14</a>. -Colman Gorm, Connemara.</p> - -<p>No. <a href="#BALOR_ON_TORY_ISLAND">13</a>. -Michael Curran, Gortahork, County Donegal.</p> - -<p>No. <a href="#SHAWN_MACBREOGAN_AND_THE">16</a>. -Michael O’Conor, six miles north of Newcastle West, County Limerick.</p> - -<p>Nos. <a href="#FIN_MACCOOL_AND_THE_DAUGHTER">19</a>, -<a href="#FIN_MACCOOL_THE_THREE_GIANTS">20</a>. -Michael Sullivan, Dingle.</p> - -<p>No. <a href="#FIN_MACCOOL_FAOLAN_AND_THE">22</a>. -Dyeermud Duvane, Milltown, County Kerry.</p> - -<p>No. <a href="#FIN_MACCOOL_THE_HARD_GILLA_AND">23</a>. -Daniel Sheehy, Dunquin, Kerry, a man over -a hundred years old.</p> - -<h3><i>Elin Gow, the Swordsmith from Erin, and the Cow -Glas Gainach.</i></h3> - -<p><i>Glas Gainach.</i> In this name of the celebrated cow -<i>glas</i> means gray; <i>gainach</i> is a corruption of <i>gaunach</i>, -written <i>gamhnach</i>, which means a cow whose calf is a<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_550"></a>[550]</span> -year old, that is, a cow without a calf that year, a farrow -cow. <i>Gamhnach</i> is an adjective from <i>gamhan</i>, a yearling -calf.</p> - -<p>In Donegal, <i>gavlen</i> is used instead of <i>gaunach</i>; and the -best story-teller informed me that <i>gavlen</i> means a cow -that has not had a calf for five years. He gave the terms -for cows that have not had calves for one, two, three, -four, and five years. These terms I wrote down; but -unfortunately they are not accessible at present. The -first in the series is <i>gaunach</i>, the last <i>gavlen</i>; the intervening -ones I cannot recall.</p> - -<p><i>King Under the Wave</i> is a personage met with frequently -in Gaelic; his name is descriptive enough, and -his character more or less clear in other tales.</p> - -<p><i>Cluainte</i> is a place in the parish of Bally Ferriter, the -westernmost district in Ireland. The site of Elin Gow’s -house and forge was pointed out by the man who told -the story, also the stone pillars between which the cow -used to stand and scratch her two sides at once when -coming home from pasture in the evening. The pillars -are thirteen feet and a half apart, so that Glas Gainach -had a bulky body.</p> - -<p>Glas Gainach went away finally through the bay called -Ferriter’s Cove. In Gaelic, this bay is Caoil Cuan -(Caol’s harbor), so called because the body of Caol, -foster-son of Fin MacCool, was washed in there after the -Battle of Ventry. (See last paragraph of <a href="#THE_BATTLE_OF_VENTRY">the Battle of -Ventry</a>.)</p> - -<h3><i>Saudan Og and the Daughter of the King of Spain, &c.</i></h3> - -<p><i>Saudan Og</i> means young Sultan. This is a curious -naturalization of the son of the Sultan in Ireland, a very<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_551"></a>[551]</span> -striking example of the substitution of new heroes in old -tales.</p> - -<p><i>Conal Gulban</i> was the great grandfather of Columbkil, -founder of Iona and apostle of Scotland; hence, he lived -a good many years before any King of the Turks could -be in any place. In a certain tale of three brothers which -I have heard, the narrator made “two halves” of Mark -Antony, the three heroes being Mark, Antony, and -Lepidus.</p> - -<p><i>Laian</i>, written <i>Laighean</i> in Gaelic, means Leinster; -the King of Laian is King of Leinster.</p> - -<h3><i>The Black Thief.</i></h3> - -<p>There are many variants of this tale, both in the north -and south of Ireland. It seems to have been a great -favorite, and is mentioned often, though few know it well.</p> - -<p>There are versions connected with Killarney and the -O’Donohue.</p> - -<p>The adventures in the present tale are very striking. -It would be difficult indeed to have narrower escapes -than those of the Black Thief.</p> - -<p>The racing of the cats through all underground Erin is -paralleled in Indian tales, especially those of the Modocs, -in which immense journeys are made underground.</p> - -<h3><i>The King’s Son from Erin, the Sprisawn, and the -Dark King.</i></h3> - -<p><i>Lochlinn</i> is used to mean Denmark, though there is -no connection whatever between the names. Lochlinn -is doubtless one of the old names in Gaelic tales, and -referred to some kind of water region. Instead of putting<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_552"></a>[552]</span> -the name “Denmark” in place of the name “Lochlinn,” -it was said in this case that Lochlinn was Denmark. -Other regions or kingdoms in the old tales lost their -names: Spain, Sicily, Greece, France were put in place -of them; we have lost the clew to what they were. Lochlinn -has a look that invites investigation. Were all the -people of Lochlinn, creatures of the water, turned by -Gaelic tale-tellers into Scandinavians? Very likely.</p> - -<p>In the stealing of Manus, we have a case similar to -that of Tobit in the Apocrypha.</p> - -<p>I know of no parallel to the scene in the three chambers -with the chains and the cross-beams. It is terribly -grim and merciless. There was no chance for the weak -in those chambers.</p> - -<p>The work of the serpent in drying the lake by lashing -it, and sending the water in showers over the country, is -equalled in an Indian tale by ducks which rise from a -lake suddenly, and in such incredible numbers that they -take all the water away, carry off the lake with them.</p> - -<h3><i>Amadan Mor.</i></h3> - -<p>The boyhood of the Amadan Mor has some resemblance -to that of the Russian hero, Ilyá Múromets, who -sat so many years in the ashes without power to rise.</p> - -<p>The fear of stopping in unknown places finds expression -frequently in Indian tales, and arises from the fact -that the visitor does not know what spirits inhabit them, -and therefore does not know how to avoid offending -those spirits. Eilin Og seems to have a similar idea in -the dark glen.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_553"></a>[553]</span></p> - -<h3><i>Cud, Cad, and Micad.</i></h3> - -<p><i>Urhu</i> is called <i>Nurhu</i> sometimes, and appears to be -the same as the old English Norroway, Norway. <i>Hadone</i> -is said to be Sicily.</p> - -<h3><i>Cahal, Son of King Conor.</i></h3> - -<p>In this tale we have a number of elemental heroes, -such as Striker and Wet Mantle. Against Striker, the -great blower, no one can do anything at sea. This is the -kind of hero who can walk on the water, or at least who -never sinks in it much beyond his ankles. This Striker -appears in another story as a giant out in the ocean, -which he is beating with a club.</p> - -<p>In Wet Mantle, whose virtue is in his cloak, which is -rain itself, we have an excellent friend for a rain-maker.</p> - -<h3><i>Coldfeet.</i></h3> - -<p>This is a good hero, an excellent herdsman and cattle-thief. -What a splendid cowboy he would be in the -Indian Territory or Wyoming. He has a good strain of -simplicity and heroism in him. The bottle of water that -is never drained, is like the basket of trout’s blood (also -water) in the Indian tale of Walokit and Tumukit.</p> - -<h3><i>Lawn Dyarrig, Son of the King of Erin, and the Knight -of Terrible Valley.</i></h3> - -<p>The serpent that sleeps seven years can be matched -by monsters in American tales. The hearts of these -creatures are sliced away by heroes who go down their<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_554"></a>[554]</span> -throats and find other people before them, alive, but -unable to escape. Sometimes the monster is killed; -sometimes it is weakened and rendered comparatively -harmless. There was an Indian monster of this kind -in the Columbia River, near the Dalles, and one in the -Klamath River, near its mouth.</p> - -<h3><i>Balor and Glas Gavlen.</i></h3> - -<p>This was a great tale in the old time; but it is badly -broken up now. If we could discover who Balor and -his daughter were really, we might, perhaps, be able to -understand why his grandson was fated to kill him. The -theft of Glas Gavlen is the first act in a series which ends -with the death of Balor. No doubt the whole story is as -natural as that of Wimaloimis, the grisly-bear cloud-woman -(Introduction) who tries to eat her own sons, -lightning and thunder, and is killed by them afterward.</p> - -<h3><i>Art, the King’s Son.</i></h3> - -<p>This is a striking tale, the head following the body of -the gruagach into the earth is peculiar. The pursuit of -Art by Balor is as vigorous as it could be. Shall we say -that the blade of the screeching sword is lightning, and -the screech itself thunder?</p> - -<p>In Balor’s account of how his wife maltreated him, we -have the incident of the infant saved by the faithful -animal. Balor, however, when a wolf, saved himself by -prompt action from the fate of Llewelyn’s dog and that -of the ichneumen in the Sanscrit tale.</p> - -<p>There is no more interesting fact than this in myth<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_555"></a>[555]</span> -tales, that no matter how good the hero, he must have -the right weapon. Often there is only one spear or -sword, or one kind of spear or sword, in the world with -which a certain deed can be done. The hero must have -that weapon or fail.</p> - -<h3><i>Shawn Mac Breogan.</i></h3> - -<p>In Gaelic, we meet more frequently the cloak of darkness, -a cloak of effacement. In this tale we have a cloak -or mantle of power, one that makes the wearer the finest -person in the world. This is like the mantle of the -prophet, which, if it falls on a successor to the office, gives -him power equal to that of his predecessor. Of a -similar character is the garment of the Wet Mantle -Hero, in Cahal, son of King Conor, whose power is in -his mantle, which is rain itself.</p> - -<p>In a certain Indian tale, two skins are described,—one -the skin of a black rain cloud, the other the skin of a -gray snow cloud; whenever rain is wanted, the black skin -is shaken out in the air, when snow is desired, the gray -one is shaken. This shaking is done by two deities in the -sky (stones at present), who thus produce rain and snow -<i>ad libitum</i>. The mantles of power were skins originally. -When people had forgotten the special virtue of -the skins, and mantles were of cloth or skin indifferently, -or later on of cloth exclusively, the virtue connected with -mantles by tradition remained to them without reference -to material.</p> - -<p>In Hungarian tales the food of the steed, very often a -mare, is glowing coals. There are Hungarian tales in -which little if any doubt is left that the steed is lightning.<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_556"></a>[556]</span> -It was a steed of this character that carried Cahal, son -of King Conor, to Striker’s castle, a place to which no -ship could go.</p> - -<p>The skin of the white mare is like the skin of Klakherrit -or Pitis in the Indian tale. When the young woman -puts on the skin, she becomes the white mare; when she -takes it off, she is herself again.</p> - -<h3><i>The Cotter’s Son and the Half Slim Champion.</i></h3> - -<p>Instead of a king’s son, the more usual substitute for -an earlier hero, we have in this tale a cotter’s son. The -scene of shaking ashes from his person by a mourner who -has sat by the fire for a long time, finds a parallel in -Indian stories. The Gaelic heroes, however, manage to -get vastly more ashes onto themselves than the Indians. -The son of the King of Lochlin in this case shakes off -seven tons. In one Irish tale that I know, the hero goes -out into the field after mourning long at the hearth, and -shakes from his person an amount of ashes that covers -seven acres in front of him, seven acres behind him, -seven acres on his right hand, and seven acres on his -left.</p> - -<p>The old King of Lochlin, who has the same kind of -story to tell as Balor, is a tremendously stubborn old -fellow; there is a savage cruelty in the torture which his -son inflicts on him that is without parallel, even in myth -tales. The old man goes through the roasting with a -strength which no stoic or martyr could equal. When -he yields at last, he does so serenely, and tells a tale -which solves the conundrum completely.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_557"></a>[557]</span></p> - -<h3><i>Fin MacCool, the three Giants, and the Small Men.</i></h3> - -<p>The theft of the children of the King of the Big Men -has an interesting parallel in an Indian tale from California, -a part of which is as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquote"> - -<p>There was a man named Kuril (which means rib). He -didn’t seem to know much; but he could walk right -through rocks, in at one side and out at the other. He -walked across gullies, through thickets, and over precipices, -as easily as on a smooth road. One evening people -saw him coming from the west toward the village. When -he had come near, the sun went down, and Kuril disappeared -right before their eyes. They saw this several -times afterwards. He came always just before sunset, -never came quite to the village. The children used to -play in the evening; and he would stop and look at them, -and at sunset he would be gone, turned into something.</p> - -<p>One evening a very poor man saw Kuril pass his thumbnail -along the top of his head, and split himself, the left -half of him became a woman, and the right half remained -a man. That night the new pair appeared to the poor man -who had seen the splitting, they said that each of them -was to be called Kukupiwit now (crooked breast), and -talked with him. After that the poor man had great luck, -killed many deer; what he wanted, he had. The male -Kukupiwit came home late every evening. His other half -watched the village children playing; if one stepped aside, -or left the others, she thrust it into a basket, and ran home. -People looked for their children, but never found them. -She would listen, climb a house where she heard a child<span class="pagenum"><a id="Page_558"></a>[558]</span> -cry, and look down the smoke-hole. One evening a little -boy was crying; his mother could not stop him. At last -she said, “Cry away; I’ll go to sleep.” The woman fell -asleep; the boy sat crying by the hearth. Soon he saw -a piece of roast venison hanging by a string over the fire. -He took a piece, ate it, stopped crying, took another; -the string was drawn up a little. He reached after it; the -string was drawn farther. He reached higher; Kukupiwit -the woman caught his hand, pulled him up, put him in -her basket, and ran home.</p> - -<p>The mother woke now; the boy was gone. She roused -her husband; they looked everywhere, found no trace of -their son. Next night all in the village were watching. -In one house a baby cried, and soon the men who were -there heard creeping on the house. One man took the -baby, held it high over the fire, and said, “Take this -baby!” Kukupiwit reached down; the man lowered -the child a little. She reached farther; that moment -five or six men caught her arm, and tried to pull her -down; but all who were in the house could not do that. -One man chopped her arm right off with a flint knife, -and threw it out; she fell to the ground where her arm -was, she picked it up, and ran home.</p> - -</div> - -<h3><i>The Hard Gilla.</i></h3> - -<p>This tale has a special interest, in that it gives the -cause of the Battle of Ventry, described in <a href="#THE_BATTLE_OF_VENTRY">the next tale</a>. -The cause, like that of the Trojan war, was a woman. -The daughter of the High King of the World goes to -Fin at first, and is then stolen away by him afterwards.</p> - -<p class="titlepage">THE END.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Hero-Tales of Ireland, by Jeremiah Curtin - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HERO-TALES OF IRELAND *** - -***** This file should be named 63866-h.htm or 63866-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/6/3/8/6/63866/ - -Produced by David Edwards and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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