THE KING OF IRELAND'S SON

by Padraic Colum

CONTENTS:

 FEDELMA, THE ENCHANTER'S DAUGHTER

 WHEN THE KING OF THE CATS CAME TO KING CONNAL'S DOMINION

 THE SWORD OF LIGHT AND THE UNIQUE TALE, WITH AS MUCH OF THE ADVENTURES OF GILLY OF THE GOAT-SKIN AS IS GIVEN IN "THE CRANESKIN BOOK"

 THE TOWN OF THE RED CASTLE

 THE KING OF THE LAND OF MIST

 THE HOUSE OF CROM DUV

 THE SPAE-WOMAN

FEDELMA, THE ENCHANTER'S DAUGHTER

I

Connal was the name of the King who ruled over Ireland at that time. He had three sons, and, as the fir-trees grow, some crooked and somestraight, one of them grew up so wild that in the end the King and theKing's Councillor had to let him have his own way in everything. Thisyouth was the King's eldest son and his mother had died before she couldbe a guide to him. 

Now after the King and the King's Councillor left him to his own way theyouth I'm telling you about did nothing but ride and hunt all day. Well, one morning he rode abroad--

 His hound at his heel, His hawk on his wrist; A brave steed to carry him whither he list, And the blue sky over him, and he rode on until he came to a turn in the road. There he saw a grayold man seated on a heap of stones playing a game of cards with himself. First he had one hand winning and then he had the other. Now he wouldsay "That's my good right, " and then he would say "Play and beat that, my gallant left. " The King of Ireland's Son sat on his horse to watchthe strange old man, and as he watched him he sang a song to himself

 I put the fastenings on my boat For a year and for a day, And I went where the rowans grow, And where the moorhens lay;

 And I went over the stepping-stones And dipped my feet in the ford, And came at last to the Swineherd's house, -- The Youth without a Sword. 

 A swallow sang upon his porch "Glu-ee, glu-ee, glu-ee, " "The wonder of all wandering, The wonder of the sea;" A swallow soon to leave ground sang "Glu-ee, glu-ee, glu-ee. "

"Prince, " said the old fellow looking up at him, "if you can play a gameas well as you can sing a song, I'd like if you would sit down besideme. "

"I can play any game, " said the King of Ireland's Son. He fastened hishorse to the branch of a tree and sat down on the heap of stones besidethe old man. 

"What shall we play for?" said the gray old fellow. 

"Whatever you like, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"If I win you must give me anything I ask, and if you win I shall giveyou anything you ask. Will you agree to that?"

"If it is agreeable to you it is agreeable to me, " said the King ofIreland's Son. 

They played, and the King of Ireland's Son won the game. "Now what doyou desire me to give, King's Son?" said the gray old fellow. 

"I shan't ask you for anything, " said the King of Ireland's Son, "for Ithink you haven't much to give. "

"Never mind that, " said the gray old fellow. "I mustn't break mypromise, and so you must ask me for something. "

"Very well, " said the King's Son. "Then there's a field at the back ofmy father's Castle and I want to see it filled with cattle to-morrowmorning. Can you do that for me?"

"I can, " said the gray old fellow. 

"Then I want fifty cows, each one white with a red ear, and a white calfgoing beside each cow. "

"The cattle shall be as you wish. "

"Well, when that's done I shall think the wager has been paid, " said theKing of Ireland's son. He mounted his horse, smiling at the foolishold man who played cards with himself and who thought he could bringtogether fifty white kine, each with a red ear, and a white calf by theside of each cow. He rode away

 His hound at his heel, His hawk on his wrist; A brave steed to carry him whither he list, And the green ground under him, and he thought no more of the gray old fellow. 

But in the morning, when he was taking his horse out of the stable, he heard the grooms talking about a strange happening. Art, the King'sSteward, had gone out and had found the field at the back of the Castlefilled with cattle. There were fifty white red-eared kine there and eachcow had a white calf at her side. The King had ordered Art, his Steward, to drive them away. The King of Ireland's Son watched Art and his mentrying to do it. But no sooner were the strange cattle put out at oneside of the field than they came back on the other. Then down cameMaravaun, the King's Councillor. He declared they were enchanted cattle, and that no one on Ireland's ground could put them away. So in theseven-acre field the cattle stayed. 

When the King of Ireland's Son saw what his companion of yesterday coulddo he rode straight to the glen to try if he could have another gamewith him. There at the turn of the road, on a heap of stones, the grayold fellow was sitting playing a game of cards, the right hand againstthe left. The King of Ireland's Son fastened his horse to the branch ofa tree and dismounted. 

"Did you find yesterday's wager settled?" said the gray old fellow. 

"I did, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"Then shall we have another game of cards on the same understanding?"said the gray old fellow. 

"I agree, if you agree, " said the King of Ireland's son. He sat underthe bush beside him and they played again. The King of Ireland's Sonwon. 

"What would you like me to do for you this time?" said the gray oldfellow. 

Now the King's Son had a step-mother, and she was often cross-tempered, and that very morning he and she had vexed each other. So he said, "Leta brown bear, holding a burning coal in his mouth, put Caintigern theQueen from her chair in the supper-room to-night. "

"It shall be done, " said the gray old fellow. 

Then the King of Ireland's Son mounted his horse and rode away

 His hound at his heel, His hawk on his wrist; A brave steed to carry him whither he list, And the green ground under him, and he went back to the Castle. That night a brown bear, holding aburning coal in his mouth, came into the supper-room and stood betweenCaintigern the Queen and the chair that belonged to her. None of theservants could drive it away, and when Maravaun, the King's Councillor, came he said, "This is an enchanted creature also, and it is best for usto leave it alone. " So the whole company went and left the brown bear inthe supper-room seated 'in the Queen's chair. 

II

The next morning when he wakened the King's Son said, "That was awonderful thing that happened last night in the supper-room. I must gooff and play a third game with the gray old fellow who sits on a heap ofstones at the turn of the road. " So, in the morning early he mounted androde away

 His hound at his heel, His hawk on his wrist; A brave steed to carry him whither he list, And the green ground under him, and he rode on until he came to the turn in the road. Sure enough theold gray fellow was there. "So you've come to me again, King's Son, "said he. "I have, " said the King of Ireland's Son, "and I'll play a lastgame with you on the same understanding as before. " He tied his horse tothe branch and sat down on the heap of stones. They played. The King ofIreland's Son lost the game. Immediately the gray old fellow threwthe cards down on the stones and a wind came up and carried them away. Standing up he was terribly tall. 

"King's Son, " said he, "I am your father's enemy and I have done him aninjury. And to the Queen who is your father's wife I have done an injurytoo. You have lost the game and now you must take the penalty I put uponyou. You must find out my dwelling-place and take three hairs out of mybeard within a year and a day, or else lose your head. "

With that he took the King of Ireland's Son by the shoulders and liftedhim on his horse, turning the horse in the direction of the King'sCastle. The King's Son rode on

 His hound at his heel, His hawk on his wrist; A brave steed to carry him whither he list, And the blue sky over him. 

That evening the King noticed that his son was greatly troubled. Andwhen he lay down to sleep everyone in the Castle heard his groans andhis moans. The next day he told his father the story from beginning toend. The King sent for Maravaun his Councillor and asked him if he knewwho the Enchanter was and where his son would be likely to find him. 

"From what he said, " said Maravaun, "we may guess who he is. He is theEnchanter of the Black Back-Lands and his dwelling-place is hard tofind. Nevertheless your son must seek for him and take the three hairsout of his beard or else lose his head. For if the heir to your kingdomdoes not honorably pay his forfeit, the ground of Ireland won't givecrops and the cattle won't give milk. " "And, " said the Councillor, "as ayear is little for his search, he should start off at once, although I'mbound to say, that I don't know what direction he should go in. "

The next day the King's Son said good-by to his father and hisfoster-brothers and started off on his journey. His step-mother wouldnot give him her blessing on account of his having brought in the brownbear that turned her from her chair in the supper-room. Nor would shelet him have the good horse he always rode. Instead the Prince was givena horse that was lame in a leg and short in the tail. And neither hawknor hound went with him this time. 

All day the King's Son was going, traveling through wood and waste untilthe coming on of night. The little fluttering birds were going from thebush tops, from tuft to tuft, and to the briar-roots, going to rest; butif they were, he was not, till the night came on, blind and dark. Thenthe King's Son ate his bread and meat, put his satchel under his headand lay down to take his rest on the edge of a great waste. 

In the morning he mounted his horse and rode on. And as he went acrossthe waste he saw an extraordinary sight--everywhere were the bodies ofdead creatures--a cock, a wren, a mouse, a weasel, a fox, a badger, araven---all the birds and beasts that the King's Son had ever known. Hewent on, but he saw no living creature before him. And then, at the endof the waste he came upon two living creatures struggling. One was aneagle and the other was an eel. And the eel had twisted itself round theeagle, and the eagle had covered her eyes with the black films of death. The King's Son jumped off his horse and cut the eel in two with a sharpstroke of his sword. 

The eagle drew the films from her eyes and looked full at the King'sSon. "I am Laheen the Eagle, " she said, "and I will pay you for thisservice, Son of King Connal. Know that there has been a battle of thecreatures--a battle to decide which of the creatures will make laws fora year. All were killed except the eel and myself, and if you had notcome I would have been killed and the eel would have made the laws. I amLaheen the Eagle and always I will be your friend. And now you must tellme how I can serve you. "

"You can serve me, " said the King's Son, "by showing me how I may cometo the dominion of the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands. "

"I am the only creature who can show you, King's Son. And if I were notold now I would carry you there on my back. But I can tell you how youcan get there. Ride forward for a day, first with the sun before you andthen with the sun at your back, until you come to the shore of a lake. Stay there until you see three swans flying down. They are the threedaughters of the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands. Mark the one whocarries a green scarf in her mouth. She is the youngest daughter andthe one who can help you. When the swans come to the ground they willtransform themselves into maidens and bathe in the lake. Two will comeout, put on their swanskins and transform themselves and fly away. Butyou must hide the swanskin that belongs to the youngest maiden. She willsearch and search and when she cannot find it she will cry out, 'I woulddo anything in the world for the creature who would find my swanskin forme. ' Give the swanskin to her then, and tell her that the only thing shecan do for you is to show you the way to her father's dominion. She willdo that, and so you will come to the House of the Enchanter of the BlackBack-Lands. And now farewell to you, Son of King Connal. "

Laheen the Eagle spread out her wings and flew away, and the King's Sonjourneyed on, first with the sun before him and then with the sun athis back, until he came to the shore of a wide lake. He turned his horseaway, rested himself on the ground, and as soon as the clear day came hebegan to watch for the three swans. 

III

They came, they flew down, and when they touched the ground theytransformed themselves into three maidens and went to bathe in the lake. The one who carried the green scarf left her swanskin under a bush. TheKing's Son took it and hid it in a hollow tree. 

Two of the maidens soon came out of the water, put on their swanskinsand flew away as swans. The younger maiden stayed for a while in thelake. Then she came out and began to search for her swanskin. Shesearched and searched, and at last the King's Son heard her say, "Iwould do anything in the world for the creature who would find myswanskin for me. " Then he came from where he was hiding and gave her theswanskin. "I am the Son of the King of Ireland, " he said, "and I wantyou to show me the way to your father's dominion. "

"I would prefer to do anything else for you, " said the maiden. "I do notwant anything else, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"If I show you how to get there will you be content?"

"I shall be content. "

"You must never let my father know that I showed you the way. And hemust not know when you come that you are the King of Ireland's Son. "

"I will not tell him you showed me the way and I will not let him knowwho I am. "

Now that she had the swanskin she was able to transform herself. Shewhistled and a blue falcon came down and perched on a tree. "That falconis my own bird, " said she. "Follow where it flies and you will come tomy father's house. And now good-by to you. You will be in danger, butI will try to help you. Fedelma is my name. " She rose up as a swan andflew away. 

The blue falcon went flying from bush to bush and from rock to rock. The night came, but in the morning the blue falcon was seen again. TheKing's Son followed, and at last he saw a house before him. He went in, and there, seated on a chair of gold was the man who seemed so tall whenhe threw down the cards upon the heap of stones. The Enchanter did notrecognize the King's Son without his hawk and his hound and the fineclothes he used to wear. He asked who he was and the King's Son said hewas a youth who had just finished an apprenticeship to a wizard. "And, "said he, "I have heard that you have three fair daughters, and I came tostrive to gain one of them for a wife. "

"In that case, " said the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands, "you willhave to do three tasks for me. If you are able to do them I will giveyou one of my three daughters in marriage. If you fail to do any one ofthem you will lose your head. Are you willing to make the trial?"

"I am willing, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"Then I shall give you your first task to-morrow. It is unlucky that youcame to-day. In this country we eat a meal only once a week, and we havehad our meal this morning. "

"It is all the same to me, " said the King's Son, "I can do without foodor drink for a month without any hardship. "

"I suppose you can do without sleep too?" said the Enchanter of theBlack Back-Lands. 

"Easily, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"That is good. Come outside now, and I'll show you your bed. " He tookthe King's Son outside and showed him a dry narrow water-tank at thegable end of the house. "There is where you are to sleep" said theEnchanter. "Tuck yourself into it now and be ready for your first taskat the rising of the sun. "

The King of Ireland's Son went into the little tank. He wasuncomfortable there you may be sure. But in the middle of the nightFedelma came and brought him into a fine room where he ate and thenslept until the sun was about to rise in the morning. She called him andhe went outside and laid himself down in the water-tank. 

As soon as the sun rose the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands came outof the house and stood beside the water-tank. "Come now, " said he, "andI will show you the first task you have to perform. " He took him towhere a herd of goats was grazing. Away from the goats was a fawn withwhite feet and little bright horns. The fawn saw them, bounded into theair, and raced away to the wood as quickly as any arrow that a man evershot from a bow. 

"That is Whitefoot the Fawn, " said the Enchanter of the BlackBack-Lands. "She grazes with my goats but none of my gillies can bringher into my goat-house. Here is your first task--run down Whitefoot theFawn and bring her with my goats into the goat-shelter this evening. "When he said that the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands went awaylaughing to himself. 

"Good-by, my life, " said the King of Ireland's Son, "I might as well tryto catch an eagle on the wing as to run down the deer that has gone outof sight already. " He sat down on the ground and his despair was great. Then his name was called and he saw Fedelma coming towards him. Shelooked at him as though she were in dread, and said, "What task has myfather set you?" He told her and then she smiled. "I was in dread itwould be a more terrible task, " she said. "This one is easy. I can helpyou to catch Whitefoot the Fawn. But first eat what I have brought you. "

She put down bread and meat and wine, and they sat down and he ateand drank. "I thought he might set you this task, " she said, "and so Ibrought you something from my father's store of enchanted things. Hereare the Shoes of Swiftness. With these on your feet you can run downWhitefoot the Fawn. But you must catch her before she has gone very faraway. Remember that she must be brought in when the goats are going intotheir shelter at sunset. You will have to walk back for all the time youmust keep hold of her silver horns. Hasten now. Run her down with theShoes of Swiftness and then lay hold of her horns. Above all thingsWhitefoot dreads the loss of her silver horns. "

He thanked Fedelma. He put on the Shoes of Swiftness and went into thewood. Now he could go as the eagle flies. He found Whitefoot the Fawndrinking at the Raven's pool. 

When she saw him she went from thicket to thicket. The Shoes ofSwiftness were hardly any use to him in these shut-in places. At last hebeat her from the last thicket. It was the hour of noon-tide then. Therewas a clear plain before them and with the Shoes of Swiftness he ran herdown. There were tears in the Fawn's eyes and he knew she was troubledwith the dread of losing her silver horns. 

He kept his hands on the horns and they went back over miles of plainand pasture, bog and wood. The hours were going quicker than they weregoing. When 'he came within the domain of the Enchanter of the BlackBack-Lands he saw the goats going quickly before him. They were hurryingfrom their pastures to the goat-shelter, one stopping, maybe, to bitethe top of a hedge and another giving this one a blow with her horns tohurry her on. "By your silver horns, we must go faster, " said the Kingof Ireland's Son to the Fawn. They went more quickly then. 

He saw the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands waiting at the goat-house, now counting the goats that came along and now looking at the sun. Whenhe saw the King of Ireland's Son coming with his capture he was so angrythat he struck an old full-bearded goat that had stopped to rub itself. The goat reared up and struck him with his horns. "Well, " said theEnchanter of the Black Back-Lands, "you have performed your first task, I see. You are a greater enchanter than I thought you were. Whitefoot the Fawn can go in with my goats. Go back now to your ownsleeping-place. To-morrow I'll come to you early and give you yoursecond task. "

The King of Ireland's Son went back and into the dry water-tank. He wastired with his day's journey after Whitefoot the Fawn. It was his hopethat Fedelma would come to him and give him shelter for that night. 

IV

Until the white moon rose above the trees; until the hounds went outhunting for themselves; until the foxes came down and hid in the hedges, waiting for the cocks and hens to stir out at the first light--so longdid the King of Ireland's Son stay huddled in the dry water-tank. 

By that time he was stiff and sore and hungry. He saw a great white owlflying towards the tank. The owl perched on the edge and stared at theKing's Son. "Have you a message for me?" he asked. The owl shrugged withits wings three times. He thought that meant a message. He got out ofthe tank and prepared to follow the owl. It flew slowly and near theground, so he was able to follow it along a path through the wood. 

The King's Son thought the owl was bringing him to a place where Fedelmawas, and that he would get food there, and shelter for the rest of thenight. And sure enough the owl flew to a little house in the wood. TheKing's Son looked through the window and he saw a room lighted withcandles and a table with plates and dishes and cups, with bread and meatand wine. And he saw at the fire a young woman spinning at a spinningwheel, and her back was towards him, and her hair was the same asFedelma's. Then he lifted the latch of the door and went very joyfullyinto the little house. 

But when the young woman at the spinning wheel turned round he saw thatshe was not Fedelma at all. She had a little mouth, a long and a hookednose, and her eyes looked cross-ways at a person. The thread she wasspinning she bit with her long teeth, and she said, "You are welcomehere, Prince. "

"And who are you?" said the King of Ireland's Son. "Aefa is my name, "said she, "I am the eldest and the wisest daughter of the Enchanter ofthe Black Back-lands. My father is preparing a task for you, " said she, "and it will be a terrible task, and there will be no one to help youwith it, so you will lose your head surely. And what I would advise youto do is to escape out of this country at once. "

"And how can I escape?" said the King of Ireland's Son, "There's onlyone way to escape, " said she, "and that is for you to take the SlightRed Steed that my father has secured under nine locks. That steed is theonly creature that can bring you to your own country. I will show youhow to get it and then I will ride to your home with you. "

"And why should you do that?" said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"Because I would marry you, " said Aefa. 

"But, " said he, "if I live at all Fedelma is the one I will marry. "

No sooner did he say the words than Aefa screamed out, "Seize him, my cat-o'-the-mountain. Seize him and hold him. " Then thecat-o'-the-mountain that was under the table sprang across the room andfixed himself on his shoulder. He ran out of the house. All the time hewas running the cat-o'-the-mountain was trying to tear his eyes out. Hemade his way through woods and thickets, and mighty glad he was whenhe saw the tank at the gable-end of the house. The cat-'o-the-mountaindropped from his back then. He got into the tank and waited and waited. No message came from Fedelma. He was a long time there, stiff andsore and hungry, before the sun rose and the Enchanter of the BlackBack-Lands came out of the house. 

V

"I hope you had a good night's rest, " said the Enchanter of the BlackBack-Lands, when he came to where the King of Ireland's Son wascrouched, just at the rising of the sun. "I had indeed, " said the King'sSon. "And I suppose you feel fit for another task, " said the Enchanterof the Black Back-Lands. "More fit than ever in my life before, " saidthe King of Ireland's Son. 

The Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands took him past the goat-houseand to where there was an open shelter for his bee-hives. "I want thisshelter thatched, " said he, "and I want to have it thatched with thefeathers of birds. Go, " said he, "and get enough feathers of wild birdsand come back and thatch the bee-hive shelter for me, and let it be donebefore the set of sun. " He gave the King's Son arrows and a bow anda bag to put the feathers in, and advised him to search the moor forbirds. Then he went back to the house. 

The King of Ireland's Son ran to the moor and watched for birds to flyacross. At last one came. He shot at it with an arrow but did not bringit down. He hunted the moor all over but found no other bird. He hopedthat he would see Fedelma before his head was taken off. 

Then he heard his name called and he saw Fedelma coming towards him. Shelooked at him as before with dread in thier eyes and asked him what taskher father had set him. "A terrible task, " he said, and he told herwhat it was. Fedelma laughed. "I was in dread he would give you anothertask, " she said. "I can help you with this one. Sit down now and eat anddrink from what I have brought you. "

He sat down and ate and drank and he felt hopeful seeing Fedelma besidehim. When he had eaten Fedelma said, "My blue falcon will gather thebirds and pull the feathers off for you. Still, unless you gather themquickly there is danger, for the roof must be thatched with feathers atthe set of sun. " She whistled and her blue falcon came. He followedit across the moor. The blue falcon flew up in the air and gave abird-call. Birds gathered and she swooped amongst them pulling feathersoff their backs and out of their wings. Soon there was a heap offeathers on the ground--pigeons' feathers and pie's feathers, crane'sand crow's, blackbird's and starling's. The King of Ireland's Sonquickly gathered them into his bag. The falcon flew to another place andgave her bird-call again. The birds gathered, and she went amongstthem, plucking their feathers. The King's Son gathered them and the bluefalcon flew to another place. Over and over again the blue falcon calledto the birds and plucked out their feathers, and over and over again theKing's Son gathered them into his bag. When he thought he had feathersenough to thatch the roof he ran back to the shelter. He began thethatching, binding the feathers down with little willow rods. He hadjust finished when the sun went down. The old Enchanter came up andwhen he saw what the King's Son had done he was greatly surprised. "Yousurely learned from the wizard you were apprenticed to, " said he. . "Butto-morrow I will try you with another task. Go now and sleep in theplace where you were last night. " The King's Son, glad that the head wasstill on his shoulders, went and lay down in the water-tank. 

VI

Until the white moon went out in the sky; until the Secret People beganto whisper in the woods--so long did the King of Ireland's Son remain inthe dry water-tank that night. 

And then, when it was neither dark nor light, he saw a crane flyingtowards him. It lighted on the edge of the tank. "Have you a message forme?" said the King of Ireland's Son. The crane tapped three times withits beak. Then the King's Son got out of the tank and prepared to followthe bird-messenger. 

This was the way the crane went. It would fly a little way and thenlight on the ground until the Prince came up to it. Then it would flyagain. Over marshes and across little streams the crane led him. And allthe time the King of Ireland's Son thought he was being brought to theplace where Fedelma was--to the place where he would get food and wherehe could rest until just before the sun rose. 

They went on and on till they came to an old tower. The crane lightedupon it. The King's Son saw there was an iron door in the tower and hepulled a chain until it opened. Then he saw a little room lighted withcandles, and he saw a young woman looking at herself in the glass. Herback was towards him and her hair was the same as Fedelma's. 

But when the young woman turned round he saw she was not Fedelma. Shewas little, and she had a face that was brown and tight like a nut. Shemade herself very friendly to the King of Ireland's Son and went to himand took his hands and smiled into his face. 

"You are welcome here, " said she. 

"Who are you?" he asked. "I am Gilveen, " said she, "the second andthe most loving of the three daughters of the Enchanter of the BlackBack-Lands. " She stroked his face and his hands when she spoke to him. 

"And why did you send for me?"

"Because I know what great trouble you are in. My father is preparing atask for you, and it will be a terrible one. You will never be able tocarry it out. "

"And what should you advise me to do, King's daughter?"

"Let me help you. In this tower, " said she, "there are the wisest booksin the world. We'll surely find in one of them a way for you to get fromthis country. And then I'll go back with you to your own land. "

"Why would you do that?" asked the King of Ire-land's Son. 

"Because I wish to be your wife, " Gilveen said. 

"But, " said he, "if I live at all Fedelma is the one I'll marry. "

When he said that Gilveen drew her lips together and her chin becamelike a horn. Then she whistled through her teeth, and instantlyeverything in the room began to attack the King's Son. The looking glasson the wall flung itself at him and hit him on the back of the head. Theleg of the table gave him a terrible blow at the back of the knees. Hesaw the two candles hopping across the floor to burn his legs. He ranout of the room, and when he got to the door it swung around and gavehim a blow that flung him away from the tower. The crane that waswaiting on the tower flew down, its neck and beak outstretched, and gavehim a blow on the back. 

So the King of Ireland's Son went back over the marshes and across thelittle streams, and he was glad when he saw the gable-end of the houseagain. Je went into the tank. He knew that he had not long to waitbefore the sun would rise and the Enchanter of the Black Back-Landswould come to him and give him the third and the most difficult of thethree tasks. And he thought that Fedelma was surely shut away from himand that she would not be able to help him that day. 

VII

At the rising of the sun the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands came towhere the King of Ireland's Son was huddled and said, "I am now going toset you the third and last task. Rise up now and come with me. "

The King's Son came out of the water-tank and fol-lowed the Enchanter. They went to where there was a well. The King's Son looked down and hecould not see the bottom, so deep the well was. "At the bottom, " saidthe Enchanter "is the Ring of Youth. You must get it and bring it to me, or else you must lose your head at the setting of that sun. " That wasall he said. He turned then and went away. 

The King's Son looked into the well and he saw no way of getting downits deep smooth sides. He walked back towards the Castle. On his way hemet Fedelma, and she looked at him with deep dread in her eyes. "Whattask did my father set you to-day?" said she. "He bids me go down intoa well, " said the King's Son. "A well!" said Fedelma, and she became alldread. "I have to take the Ring of Youth from the bot-tom and bring itto him, " said the King's Son. "Oh, " said Fedelma, '"he has set you thetask I dreaded. "

Then she said, "You will lose your life if the Ring of Youth is nottaken out of the well. And if you lose yours I shall lose my life too. There is one way to get down the sides of the well. You must kill me. Take my bones and make them as steps while you go down the sides. Then, when you have taken the Ring of Youth out of the water, put my bonesas they were before, and put the Ring above my heart. I shall be aliveagain. But you must be careful that you leave every bone as it was. "

The King's Son fell into a deeper dread than Fedelma when he heard whatshe said. "This can never be, " he cried. "It must be, " said she, "and byall your vows and promises I command that you do it. Kill me now and doas I have bidden you. If it be done I shall live. If it be not done youwill lose your life and I will never regain mine. "

He killed her. He took the bones as she had bidden him, and he madesteps down the sides of the well. He searched at the bottom, and hefound the Ring of Youth. He brought the bones together again. Down onhis knees he went, and his heart did not beat nor did his breath come orgo until he had fixed them in their places. Over the heart he placed theRing. Life came back to Fedelma. 

"You have done well, " she said. "One thing only is not in its place--thejoint of my little finger. " She held up her hand and he saw that herlittle finger was bent. 

"I have helped you in everything, " said Fedelma, "and in the last taskI could not have helped you if you had not been true to me when Aefa andGilveen brought you to them. Now the three tasks are done, and you canask my father for one of his daughters in marriage. When you bring himthe Ring of Youth he will ask you to make a choice. I pray that the onechosen will be myself. "

"None other will I have but you, Fedelma, love of my heart, " said theKing of Ireland's Son. 

VIII

The King of Ireland's Son went into the house before the setting of thesun. The Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands was seated on his chair ofgold. "Have you brought me the Ring of Youth?" he asked. 

"I have brought it, " said the King's Son. 

"Give it to me then, " said the Enchanter. 

"I will not, " said the King's Son, "until you give what you promised meat the end of my tasks--one of your three daughters for my wife. "

The Enchanter brought him to a closed door. "My three daughters arewithin that room, " said he. "Put your hand through the hole in the door, and the one whose hand you hold when I open it--it is she you will haveto marry. "

Then wasn't the mind of the King's Son greatly troubled? If he held thehand of Aefa or Gilveen he would lose his love Fedelma. He stood withoutputting out his hand. "Put your hand through the hole of the door orgo away from my house altogether, " said the Enchanter of the BlackBack-Lands. 

The King of Ireland's Son ventured to put his hand through the hole inthe door. The hands of the maidens inside were all held in a bunch. Butno sooner did he touch them than he found that one had a broken finger. This he knew was Fedelma's hand, and this was the hand he held. 

"You may open the door now, " said he to the Enchanter. He opened thedoor and the King of Ireland's Son drew Fedelma to him. "This is themaiden I choose, " said he, "and now give her her dowry. "

"The dowry that should go with me, " said Fedelma, "is the SlightRed Steed. " "What dowry do you want with her, young man?" said theEnchanter. 

"No other dowry but the Slight Red Steed. "

"Go round to the stable then and get it. And I hope no well-trainedwizard like you will come this way again. "

"No well-trained wizard am I, but the King of Ire-land's Son. And I havefound your dwelling-place within a year and a day. And now I pluck thethree hairs out of your heard, Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands. "

The beard of the Enchanter bristled like spikes on a hedgehog, and theballs of his eyes stuck out of his head. The King's Son plucked thethree hairs of his beard before he could lift a hand or say a word. "Mount the Slight Red Steed and be off, the two of you, " said theEnchanter. 

The King of Ireland's Son and Fedelma mounted the Slight Red Steedand rode off, and the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands, and his twodaughters, Aefa and Gilveen, in a rage watched them ride away. 

IX

They crossed the River of the Ox, and went over the Mountain of the Foxand were in the Glen of the Badger before the sun rose. And there, atthe foot of the Hill of Horns, they found an old man gathering dew fromthe grass. 

"Could you tell us where we might find the Little Sage of the Mountain?"Fedelma asked the old man. 

"I am the Little Sage of the Mountain, " said he, "and what is it youwant of me?"

"To betroth us for marriage, " said Fedelma. 

"I will do that. Come to my house, the pair of you. And as you are bothyoung and better able to walk than I am it would be fitting to let meride on your horse. "

The King's Son and Fedelma got off and the Little Sage of the Mountaingot on the Slight Red Steed. They took the path that went round the Hillof Horns. And at the other side of the hill they found a hut thatchedwith one great wing of a bird. The Little Sage got off the Slight RedSteed. "Now, " said he, "you're both young, and I'm an old man and itwould be fitting for you to do my day's work before you call upon me todo anything for you. Now would you, " said he to the King of Ireland'sSon, "take this spade in your hand and go into the garden and dig mypotatoes for me? And would you, " said he to Fedelma, "sit down at thequern-stone and grind the wheat for me?"

The King of Ireland's Son went into the garden and Fedelma sat at thequern-stone that was just outside the door; he dug and she groundwhile the Little Sage sat at the fire looking into a big book. And whenFedelma and the King's Son were tired with their labor he gave them adrink of buttermilk. 

She made cakes out of the wheat she had ground and the King's Son washedthe potatoes and the Little Sage boiled them and so they made theirsupper. Then the Little Sage of the Mountain melted lead and made tworings; and one ring he gave to Fedelma to give to the King's Son and onehe gave to the King's Son to give to Fedelma. And when the rings weregiven he said, "You are betrothed for your marriage now. "

They stayed with the Little Sage of the Mountain that night, and whenthe sun rose they left the house that was thatched with the great wingof a bird and they turned towards the Meadow of Brightness and the Woodof Shadows that were between them and the King of Ireland's domain. Theyrode on the Slight Red Steed, and the Little Sage of the Mountain wentwith them a part of the way. He seemed downcast and when they asked himthe reason he said, "I see dividing ways and far journeys for you both. ""But how can that be, " said the King's Son, "when, in a little while wewill win to my father's domain?" "It may be I am wrong, " said the LittleSage, "and if I am not, remember that devotion brings together dividingways and that high hearts win to the end of every journey. " He badethem good-by then, and turned back to his hut that was thatched with thegreat wing of a bird. 

They rode across the Meadow of Brightness and Fedelma's blue falconsailed above them. "Yonder is a field of white flowers, " said she, "andwhile we are crossing it you must tell me a story. "

"I know by heart, " said the King's Son, "only the stories that Maravaun, my father's Councillor, has put into the book he is composing--the bookthat is called 'The Breastplate of Instruction. '"

"Then, " said Fedelma, "tell me a story from 'The Breastplate ofInstruction, ' while we are crossing this field of white flowers. "

"I will tell you the first story that is in it, " said the King's Son. Then while they were crossing the field of white flowers the King's Sontold Fedelma the story of

The Ass and the Seal

X

A seal that had spent a curious fore-noon paddling around the islandof Ilaun-Beg drew itself up on a rock the better to carry on itsinvestigations. It was now within five yards of the actual island. Onthe little beach there were three curraghs in which the island-men wentover the sea; they were turned bottom up and heavy stones were placedupon them to prevent their being carried away by the high winds. Theseal noted them as he rested upon the flat rock. He noted too a littleass that was standing beyond the curraghs, sheltering himself where thecliffs hollowed in. 

Now this ass was as curious as the seal, and when he saw the smoothcreature that was moving its head about with such intelligence he camedown to the water's edge. Two of his legs were spancelled with a pieceof straw rope, but being used to such impediment he came over withoutany awkwardness. He looked inquiringly at the seal. 

The gray-headed crow of the cliff lighted on a spar of rock and madeherself an interpreter between the two. "Shaggy beast of the Island, "said the seal, "friend and follower of men, tell me about their fabulousexistence. "

"Do you mean the hay-getters?" said the ass. 

"You know well whom he means, " said the gray-headed crow viciously. "Answer him now. "

"You gravell me entirely when you ask about men, " said the ass. "I don'tknow much about them. They live to themselves and I live to myself. Their houses are full of smoke and it blinds my eyes to go in. Thereused to be green fields here and high grass that became hay, but there'snothing like that now. I think men have given up eating what grows outof the ground. I see nothing, I smell nothing, but fish, fish, fish. "

The gray-headed crow had a vicious eye fixed on the ass all the time hewas speaking. "You're saying all that, " said she, "because they let thelittle horse stay all night in the house and beat you out of it. "

"My friend, " said the seal, "it is evident that men deceive you byappearances. I know men. I have followed their boats and havelistened to the wonderful sounds they make with their voices and withinstruments. Do they not draw fish out of the depths by enchantments? Dothey not build their habitations with music? Do they not draw the moonout of the sea and set it for a light in their houses? And is it notknown that the fairest daughters of the sea have loved men?"

"When I'm awake long o' moonlit nights I feel like that myself, " saidthe ass. Then the recollections of these long, frosty nights made himyawn. Then he brayed. 

"What it is to live near men, " said the seal in admiration. "Whatwonderful sounds!"

"I'd cross the water and rub noses with you, " said the ass, "only I'mafraid of crocodiles. "

"Crocodiles?" said the gray-headed crow. 

"Yes, " said the ass. "It's because I'm of a very old family, you know. They were Egyptians. My people never liked to cross water in their owncountry. There were crocodiles there. "

"I don't want to waste any more time listening to nonsense, " said thegray-headed crow. She flew to the ass's back and plucked out some of thefelt. "I'll take this for my own habitation, " she said, and flew back tothe cliff. 

The ass would have kicked up his heels only two of his legs werefastened with the straw rope. He turned away, and without a word offarewell to the seal went scrambling up the bank of the island. 

The seal stayed for a while moving his head about intelligently. Thenhe slipped into the water and paddled off. "One feels their lives inmusic, " he said; "great tones vibrate round the island where men live. It is very wonderful. "

"That, " said the King's Son, "is the first story in 'The Breastplate ofInstruction, '--'The Ass and the Seal. ' And now you must tell me a storywhile we are crossing the field of blue flowers. "

"Then it will be a very little story, " said Fedelma. They crossed alittle field of blue flowers, and Fedelma told

The Sending of the Crystal Egg

XI

The Kings of Murias heard that King Atlas had to bear The world upon hisback, so they sent him then and there The Crystal Egg that would bethe Swan of Endless Tales That his burthen for a while might lie on hisshoulder-scales Fair-balanced while he heard the Tales the Swan pouredforth--North-world Tales for the while he watched the Star of the North;And East-world Tales he would hear in the morning swart and cool, Whenthe Lions Nimrod had spared came up from the drinking pool; West-worldTales for the King when he turned him with the sun; Then whispers ofmagic Tales from Africa, his own. 

But the Kings of Murias made the Crane their messenger--The fitful Cranewhose thoughts are always frightening her She slipped from Islet toIsle, she sloped from Foreland to Coast; She passed through cracks inthe mountains and came over trees like a ghost; And then fled back indismay when she saw on the hollow plains The final battle between thePigmies and the Cranes. 

Where is the Crystal Egg that was sent King Atlas then? Hatched it willbe one day and the Tales will be told to men: That is if it be not laidin some King's old Treasury: That is if the fitful Crane did not lose itthreading the Sea!

They were not long going through the little field of blue flowers, andwhen they went through it they came to another field of white flowers. Fedelma asked the King's Son to tell her another story, and thereupon hetold her the second story in "The Breastplate of Instruction. "

The Story of the Young Cuckoo

XII

The young cuckoo made desperate attempts to get himself through thenarrow opening in the hollow tree. He screamed when he failed to getthrough. 

His foster-parents had remained so long beside him that they were wastedand sad while the other birds, their broods reared, were vigorous andjoyful. They heard the one that had been reared in their nest, the youngcuckoo, scream, but this time they did not fly towards him. The youngcuckoo screamed again, but there was something in that scream thatreminded the foster-parents of hawks. They flew away. They weremiserable in their flight, these birds, for they knew they werecommitting a treason. 

They had built their nest in a hollow tree that had a little opening. A cuckoo laid her egg on the ground and, carrying it in her beak, hadplaced it in the nest. Their own young had been pushed out. They hadworn themselves to get provision for the terrible and fascinatingcreature who had remained in their nest. 

When the time came for him to make his flight he could not get hisbody through the little opening. Yesterday he had begun to try. The twofoster-parents flew to him again and again with food. But now their ownnesting place had become strange to them. They would never go near itagain. The young cuckoo was forsaken. 

A woodpecker ran round the tree. He looked into the hollow and saw thebig bird crumpled up. 

"Hello, " said the woodpecker. "How did you get here?"

"Born here, " said the young cuckoo sulkily. 

"Oh, were you?" said the woodpecker and he ran round the tree again. 

When he came back to the opening the young cuckoo was standing up withhis mouth open. 

"Feed me, " said he. 

"I've to rush round frightfully to get something for myself, " said thewoodpecker. 

"At least, someone ought to bring me food, " said the young cuckoo. 

"How is that?" said the woodpecker. 

"Well, oughtn't they to?" said the young cuckoo. 

"I wouldn't say so, " said the woodpecker, "you have the use of yourwits, haven't you?" He ran round the trunk of the tree again anddevoured a lean grub. The young cuckoo struggled at the opening andscreamed again. 

"Don't be drawing too much attention to yourself, " advised thewoodpecker when he came to the opening again. "They might take you for ayoung hawk, you know. "

"Who might?" said the cuckoo. "The neighbors. They would pull a younghawk to pieces. "

"What am I to do?" said the young cuckoo. 

"What's in your nature to do?"

"My nature?" said the young cuckoo. "It's my nature to swing myself onbranches high up in a tree. It's my nature to spread out my wings andfly over pleasant places. It is my nature to be alone. But not alone ashere. Alone with the sound of my own voice. " Suddenly he cried, "Cuckoo, cuckoo, cuckoo!"

"I know you now, " said the woodpecker. "There's going to be a storm, " hesaid; "trust a woodpecker to know that. "

The young cuckoo strove towards the big sky again, and he screamed soviciously that a rat that had just come out of the ditch fastened hiseyes on him. That creature looked bad to the young cuckoo. Rain ploppedon the leaves. Thunder crashed. A bolt struck the tree, and the partabove the opening was torn away. 

The young cuckoo flung himself out on the grass and went awkwardlyamongst the blue bells. "What a world, " said he. "All this wet and fireand noise to get me out of the nest. What a world!" The young cuckoowas free, and these were the first words he said when he went into theworld. 

That was the last story the King's Son told from Maravaun's book, "TheBreastplate of Instruction. " They had another little field of blueflowers to cross, and as they went across it Fedelma told the King's Son

THE STORY OF THE CLOUD-WOMAN

XIII

 The Cloud-woman, Mor, was the daughter Of Griann, the Sun, --well, and she Made a marriage to equal that grandeur, For her Goodman was Lir, the Sea. 

 The Cloud-woman Mor, she had seven Strong sons, and the story-books say Their inches grew in the night-time, And grew over again in the day. 

 The Cloud-woman Mor, --as they grew in Their bone, she grew in her pride, Till her haughtiness turned away, men say, Her goodman Lir from her side;

 Then she lived in Mor's Home and she watched With pride her sons and her crop, Till one day the wish in her grew To view from the mountain-top All, all that she owned, so she Traveled without any stop. 

 And what did she see? A thousand

 Fields and her own fields small, small! "What a fine and wide place is Eirinn, " said she, "I am Mor, but not great after all. "

 Then a herdsman came, and he told her That her sons had stolen away: They had left the calves in the hollow, With the goose-flock they would not stay:

 They had seen three ships on the sea And nothing would do them but go: Mor wept and wept when she heard it, And her tears made runnels below. 

 Then her shining splendor departed: She went, and she left no trace, And the Cloud-woman, Mor, was never Beheld again in that place. 

 The proud woman, Mor, who was daughter Of Griann, the Sun, and who made A marriage to equal that grandeur, Passed away as a shade. 

XIV

And that was the last story that Fedelma told, for they had crossed theMeadows of Brightness and had come to a nameless place--a stretch ofbroken ground where there were black rocks and dead grass and bare rootsof trees with here and there a hawthorn tree in blossom. "I fear thisplace. We must not halt here, " Fedelma said. 

And then a flock of ravens came from the rocks, and flying straightat them attacked Fedelma and the King of Ireland's Son. The King's Sonsprang from the steed and taking his sword in his hand he fought theravens until he drove them away. They rode on again. But now the ravensflew back and attacked them again and the King of Ireland's Son foughtthem until his hands were wearied. He mounted the steed again, and theyrode swiftly on. And the ravens came the third time and attacked themmore fiercely than before. The King's Son fought them until he hadkilled all but three and until he was covered with their blood andfeathers. 

The three that had escaped flew away. "Oh, mount the Slight Red Steedand let us ride fast, " said Fedelma to the King's Son. 

"I am filled with weariness, " he said. "Bid the steed stay by the rock, lay my sword at my side, and let me sleep with my head on your lap. "

"I fear for us both if you slumber here, " said Fedelma. 

"I must sleep, and I pray that you let me lay my head on your lap. "

"I know not what would awaken you if you slumber here. "

"I will awaken, " said the King's Son, "but now I must sleep, and I wouldslumber with my head on your lap. "

She got down from the Slight Red Steed and she bade it stay by a rock;she put his sword by the place he would sleep and she took his head uponher lap. The King's Son slept. 

As she watched over him a great fear grew in Fedelma. Every hour shewould say to him, "Are you near waking, my dear, my dear?" But no flushof waking appeared on the face of the King of Ireland's Son. 

Then she saw a man coming across the nameless place, across the brokenground, with its dead grass and black rocks and with its roots andstumps of trees. The man who came near them was taller than any man shehad seen before--he was tall as a tree. Fedelma knew him from what shehad heard told about him--she knew him to be the King of the Land ofMist. 

The King of the Land of Mist came straight to them. He stood beforeFedelma and he said, "I seek Fedelma, the daughter of the Enchanter ofthe Black Back-Lands and the fairest woman within the seas of Eirinn. "

"Then go to her father's house and seek Fedelma there, " said she to him. 

"I have sought her there, " said the King of the Land of Mist, "but sheleft her father's house to go with the King of Ireland's Son. "

"Then seek her in the Castle of the King of Ireland, " said Fedelma. 

"That I will not. Fedelma is here, and Fedelma will come with me, " saidthe King of the Land of Mist. 

"I will not leave him with whom I am plighted, " said Fedelma. 

Then the King of the Land of Mist took up the King of Ireland's Son. High he held him--higher than a tree grows. "I will dash him down on therocks and break the life within him, " said he. 

"Do not so, " said Fedelma. "Tell me. If I go with you what would win meback?"

"Nothing but the sword whose stroke would slay me--the Sword of Light, "said the King of the Land of Mist. He held up the King of Ireland's Sonagain, and again he was about to dash him against the rocks. The bluefalcon that was overhead flew down and settled on the rock behind her. Fedelma knew that what she and the King of the Land of Mist would saynow would be carried some place and told to someone. "Leave my love, theKing's Son, to his rest, " she said. 

"If I do not break the life in him will you come with me, Fedelma?"

"I will go with you if you tell again what will win me back from you. "

"The Sword of Light whose stroke will slay me. "

"I will go with you if you swear by all your vows and promises not tomake me your wife nor your sweetheart for a year and a day. "

"I swear by all my vows and promises not to make you my wife nor mysweetheart for a year and a day. "

"I will go with you if you let it be that I fall into a slumber thatwill last for a year and a day. "

"I will let that be, fairest maid within the seas of Eirinn. "

"I will go with you if you will tell me what will take me out of thatslumber. "

"If one cuts a tress of your hair with a stroke of the Sword of Light itwill take you out of that slumber. "

The blue falcon that was behind heard what the King of the Land ofMist said. She rose up and remained overhead with her wings outspread. Fedelma took the ring off her own finger and put it on the finger of theKing of Ireland's Son, and she wrote upon the ground in Ogham letters, "The King of the Land of Mist. "

"If it be not you who wakens me, love, " she said, "may it be that Inever waken. "

"Come, daughter of the Enchanter, " said the King of the Land of Mist. 

"Pluck the branch of hawthorn and give it to me that I may fall into myslumber here, " said Fedelma. 

The King of the Land of Mist plucked a flowering branch of hawthornand gave it to her. She held the flowers against her face and fell intoslumber. For a while she and the King of Ireland's Son were side by sidein sleep. 

Then the King of the Land of Mist took Fedelma in his arms and strodealong that nameless place, over the broken ground with its dead grassand its black rocks and its stumps and roots of trees and the threeravens that had escaped the sword of the King of Ire-land's Son followedwhere he went. 

XV

Long, long after Fedelma had been taken by the King of the Land of Mistthe King of Ireland's Son came out of his slumber. He saw around himthat nameless place with its black rocks and bare roots of trees. Heremembered he had come to it with Fedelma. He sprang up and looked forher, but no one was near him. "Fedelma, Fedelma!" He searched and hecalled, but it was as if no one had ever been with him. He found hissword; be searched for his steed, but the Slight Red Steed was gone too. 

He thought that the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands had followed themand had taken Fedelma from him. He turned to go towards the Enchanter'scountry and then he found what Fedelma had written upon the ground inOgham letters

____II_____________\/______//___ IIII /\

"The King of the Land of Mist"

He did not know what direction to take to get to the dominion of theKing of the Land of Mist. He crossed the broken ground and he found notrace of Fedelma nor of him who had taken her. He found himself close tothe Wood of Shadows. He went through it. As he went on he saw scores andscores of shadows. Nothing else was in the wood--no bird, no squirrel, no cricket. The shadows had the whole wood to themselves. They ranswiftly from tree to tree, and now and then one would stop at a tree andwait. Often the King of Ireland's Son came close to a waiting shadow. One became like a small old man with a beard. The King's Son saw thisshadow again and again. What were they, the shadows, he asked himself?Maybe they were wise creatures and could tell him what he wanted toknow. 

He thought he heard them whispering together. Then one little shadowwith trailing legs went slowly from tree to tree. The King of Ireland'sSon thought he would catch and hold a shadow and make it tell him wherehe should go to find the dominion of the King of the Land of Mist. 

He went after one shadow and another and waited beside a tree for one tocome. Often he thought he saw the small old man with the beard andthe little creature with trailing legs. And then he began to see othershadows--men with the heads of rooks and men with queer heavy swordsupon their shoulders. He followed them on and on through the wood and heheard their whispering becoming louder and louder, and then he thoughtthat as he went on the shadows, instead of slipping before him, began toturn back and go past and surround him. Then he heard a voice just underthe ground at his feet say, "Shout--shout out your own name, Son of KingConnal!" Then the King's Son shouted out his own name and the whispersceased in the wood and the shadows went backward and forward no more. 

He went on and came to a stream within the wood and he went against itsflow all night as well as all day, hoping to meet some living thing thatwould tell him how he might come to the dominion of the King of the Landof Mist. In the forenoon of another day he came to where the wood grewthin and then he went past the last trees. 

He saw a horse grazing: he ran up to it and found that it was the SlightRed Steed that had carried Fedelma and himself from the house of theEnchanter. Then as he laid hold of the steed a hound ran up to him anda hawk flew down and he saw that they were the hawk and the hound thatused to be with him when he rode abroad from his father's Castle. 

He mounted and seeing his hound at his heel and his hawk circling abovehe felt a longing to go back to his father's Castle which he knew to benear and where he might find out where the King of the Land of Mist hadhis dominion. 

So the King of Ireland's Son rode back to his father's Castle--

 His hound at his heel, His hawk on his wrist. 

WHEN THE KING OF THE CATS CAME TO KING CONNAL'S DOMINION

I

The King of Ireland's Son was home again, but as he kept asking about aKing and a Kingdom no one had ever heard of, people thought he had losthis wits in his search for the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands. Herode abroad every day to ask strangers if they knew where the King ofthe Land of Mist had his dominion and he came back to his father's everynight in the hope that one would be at the Castle who could tell himwhere the place that he sought was. Maravaun wanted to relate to himfables from "The Breastplate of Instruction" but the King's Son did nothear a word that Maravaun said. After a while he listened to the thingsthat Art, the King's Steward, related to him, for it was Art who hadshown the King's Son the leaden ring that was on his finger. He took itoff, remembering the betrothal ring that the Little Sage had made, andthen he saw that it was not his, but Fedelma's ring that he wore. Thenhe felt as if Fedelma had sent a message to him, and he was less wild inhis thoughts. 

Afterwards, in the evenings, when he came back from his ridings, hewould cross the meadows with Art, the King's Steward, or would standwith him while the herdsmen drove the cattle into the byres. Then hewould listen to what Art related to him. And one evening he heard Artsay, "The most remarkable event that happened was the coming into thisland of the King of the Cats. "

"I will listen to what you tell me about it, " said the King's Son. "Then, " said Art, the King's Steward, "to your father's Son in all truthbe it told"--

The King of the Cats stood up. He was a grand creature. His body wasbrown and striped across as if one had burned on wood with a hot poker. Like all the race of the Royal Cats of the Isle of Man he was without atail. But he had extraordinarily fine whiskers. They went each side ofhis face to the length of a dinner-dish. He had such eyes that when heturned one of them upward the bird that was flying across dropped fromthe sky. And when he turned the other one down he could make a hole inthe floor. 

He lived in the Isle of Man. Once he had been King of the Cats ofIreland and Britain, of Norway and Denmark, and the whole Northern andWestern World. But after the Norsemen won in the wars the Cats of Norwayand Britain swore by Thor and Odin that they would give him no moreallegiance. So for a hundred years and a day he had got allegianceonly from the Cats of the Western World; that is, from Ireland and theIslands beyond. 

The tribute he received was still worth having. In May he was sent aboatful of herring. In August he was let have two boatfuls of mackerel. In November he was given five barrels of preserved mice. At otherseasons he had for his tribute one out of every hundred birds that flewacross the Island on their way to Ireland--tomtits, pee-wits, linnets, siskins, starlings, martins, wrens and tender young barn owls. He wasalso sent the following as marks of allegiance and respect: a salmon, to show his dominion over the rivers; the skin of a marten to show hisdominion in the woods; a live cricket to show his dominion in the housesof men; the horn of a cow, to show his right to a portion of the milkproduced in the Western World. 

But the tribute from the Western World became smaller and smaller. Oneyear the boat did not come with the herring. Mackerel was sent to himafterwards but he knew it was sent to him because so much wasbeing taken out of the sea that the farmer-men were plowing theirmackerel-catches into the land to make their crops grow. Then a yearcame when he got neither the salmon nor the marten skin, neither thelive cricket nor the cow's horn. Then he got righteously and royallyindignant. He stood up on his four paws on the floor of his palace, anddeclared to his wife that he himself was going to Ireland to know whatprevented the sending of his lawful tribute to him. He called forhis Prime Minister then and said, "Prepare for Us our Speech from theThrone. "

The Prime Minister went to the Parliament House and wrote down "Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!" But he could not remember any more of the ancient languagein which the speeches from the Throne were always written. He went homeand hanged himself with a measure of tape and his wife buried the bodyunder the hearth-stone. 

"Speech or no speech, " said the King of the Cats, "I'm going to pay aroyal visit to my subjects in Ireland. "

He went to the top of the cliff and he made a spring. He landed on thedeck of a ship that was bringing the King of Norway's daughter to bemarried to the King of Scotland's son. The ship nearly sank with thecrash of his body on it. He ran up the sails and placed himself on themast of the ship. There he gathered his feet together and made anotherspring. This time he landed on a boat that was bringing oak-timber tobuild a King's Palace in London. He stood where the timber was highestand made another spring. This time he landed on the Giant's Causewaythat runs from Ireland out into the sea. He picked his steps fromboulder to boulder, and then walked royally and resolutely on the groundof Ireland. A man was riding on horseback with a woman seated on thesaddle behind him. The King of the Cats waited until they came up. 

"My good man, " said he very grandly, "when you go back to your house, tell the ash-covered cat in the corner that the King of the Cats has cometo Ireland to see him. "

His manner was so grand that the man took off his hat and the woman madea courtesy. Then the King of the Cats sprang into the branch of a treeof the forest and slept till it was past the mid-day heat. 

I nearly forgot to tell you that as he slept on the branch his whiskersstood around his face the breadth of a dinner-dish either way. 

II

The next day the King's Son rode abroad and where he went that day hesaw no man nor woman nor living creature in the land around. But comingback he saw a falcon sailing in the air above. He rode on and the falconsailed above, never rising high in the air, and never swooping down. The King's Son fitted an arrow to his bow and shot at the falcon. Immediately it rose in the air and flew swiftly away, but a feather fromit fell before him. The King's Son picked the feather up. It was a bluefeather. Then the King's Son thought of Fedelma's falcon--of the birdthat flew above them when they rode across the Meadows of Brightness. It might be Fedelma's falcon, the one he had shot at, and it might havecome to show him the way to the Land of Mist. But the falcon was not tobe seen now. 

He did not go amongst the strangers in his father's Castle that evening;but he stood with Art who was watching the herdsmen drive the cattleinto the byres. And Art after a while said, "I will tell you more aboutthe coming of the King of the Cats into King Connal's Dominion. And asbefore I say

"To your father's Son in all truth be it told "--

The King of the Cats waited on the branch of the tree until the moonwas in the sky like a roast duck on a dish of gold, and still neitherretainer, vassal nor subject came to do him service. He was vexed, Itell you, at the want of respect shown him. 

This was the reason why none of his subjects came to him for such a longtime: The man and woman he had spoken to went into their house and didnot say a word about the King of the Cats until they had eaten theirsupper. Then when the man had smoked his second pipe, he said to thewoman: "That was a wonderful thing that happened to us to-day. A cat towalk up to two Christians and say to them, 'Tell the ashy pet in yourchimney corner at home that the King of the Cats has come to see him. '"

No sooner were the words said than the lean, gray, ash-covered cat thatlay on the hearthstone sprang on the back of the man's chair. 

"I will say this, " said the man; "it's a bad time when two Christianslike ourselves are stopped on their way back from the market andordered--ordered, no less--to give a message to one's own cat lying onone's own hearthstone. "

"By my fur and daws, you're a long time coming to his message, " said thecat on the back of the chair; "what was it, anyway?"

"The King of the Cats has come to Ireland to see you, " said the man, very much surprised. 

"It's a wonder you told it at all, " said the cat, going to the door. "And where did you see His Majesty?"

"You shouldn't have spoken, " said the man's wife. 

"And how did I know a cat could understand?" said the man. 

"When you have done talking amongst yourselves, " said the cat, "wouldyou tell me where you met His Majesty?"

"Nothing will I tell you, " said the man, "until I hear your own namefrom you. "

"My name, " said the cat, "is Quick-to-Grab, and well you should knowit. "

"Not a word will we tell you, " said the woman, "until we hear what theKing of the Cats is doing in Ireland. Is he bringing wars and rebellionsinto the country?"

"Wars and rebellions, --no, ma'am, " said Quick-to-Grab, "but deliverancefrom oppression. Why are the cats of the country lean and lazy andcovered with ashes? It is because the cat that goes outside the house inthe sunlight, to hunt or to play, is made to suffer with the loss of aneye. "

"And who makes them suffer with the loss of an eye?" said the woman. "One whose reign is nearly over now, " said Quick-to-Grab. "But tell mewhere you saw His Majesty?"

"No, " said the man. "No, " said the woman, "for we don't like yourimpertinence. Back with you to the hearthstone, and watch the mouse-holefor us. "

Quick-to-Grab walked straight out of the door. 

"May no prosperity come to this house, " said he, "for denying me when Iasked where the King of the Cats was pleased to speak to you. "

But he put his ear to the door when he went outside and he heard thewoman say, --

"The horse will tell him that we saw the King of the Cats a mile thisside of the Giant's Causeway. " (That was a mistake. The horse couldnot have told it at all, because horses never know the language that isspoken in houses--only cats know it fully and dogs know a little of it. )

Quick-to-Grab now knew where the King of the Cats might be found. Hewent creeping by hedges, loping across fields, bounding through woods, until he came under the branch in the forest where the King of theCats rested, his whiskers standing round his face the breadth of adinner-dish. 

When he came-under the branch Quick-to-Grab mewed a little in Egyptian, which is the ceremonial language of the Cats. The King of the Cats cameto the end of the branch. 

"Who are you, vassal?" said he in Phoenician. 

"A humble retainer of my lord, " said Quick-to-Grab in High-Pictish (thisis a language very suitable to cats but it is only their historians whonow use it). 

They continued their conversation in Irish. 

"What sign shall I show the others that will make them know you are theKing of the Cats?" said Quick-to-Grab. 

The King of the Cats chased up the tree and pulled down heavy branches. "There is a sign of my royal prowess, " said he. 

"It's a good sign, " said Quick-to-Grab. They were about to talk againwhen Quick-to-Grab put down his tail and ran up another tree greatlyfrightened. 

"What ails you?" said the King of the Cats. "Can you not stay stillwhile you are speaking to your lord and master?"

"Old-fellow Badger is coming this way, " said Quick-to-Grab, "and when heputs his teeth in one he never lets go. "

Without saying a word the King of the Cats jumped down from the tree. Old-fellow Badger was coming through the glade. When he saw the King ofthe Cats crouching there he stopped and bared his terrible teeth. TheKing of the Cats bent himself to spring. Then Old-fellow Badger turnedround and went lumbering back. 

"Oh, by my claws and fur, " said Quick-to-Grab, "you are the real King ofthe Cats. Let me be your Councillor. Let me advise your Majesty in thetimes that will be so difficult for your subjects and yourself. Knowthat the Cats of Ireland are impoverished and oppressed. They are undera terrible tyranny. "

"Who oppresses my vassals, retainers and subjects?" said the King of theCats. 

"The Eagle-Emperor. He has made a law that no cat may leave a man'shouse as long as the birds (he makes an exception in the case of owls)have any business abroad. "

"I will tear him to pieces, " said the King of the Cats. "How can I reachhim?"

"No cat has thought of reaching him, " said Quick-to-Grab, "they onlythink of keeping out of his way. Now let me advise your Majesty. Noneof our enemies must know that you have come into this country. You mustappear as a common cat. "

"What, me?" said the King of the Cats. 

"Yes, your Majesty, for the sake of the deliverance of your subjects youwill have to appear as a common cat. "

"And be submissive and eat scraps?"

"That will be only in the daytime, " said Quick-to-Grab, "in thenight-time you will have your court and your feasts. "

"At least, let the place I stay in be no hovel, " said the King ofthe Cats. "I shall refuse to go into a house where there are washingdays--damp clothes before a fire and all that. "

"I shall use my best diplomacy to safeguard your comfort and dignity, "said Quick-to-Grab, "please invest me as your Prime Minister. "

The King of the Cats invested Quick-to-Grab by biting the fur round hisneck. Then the King and his Prime Minister parted. The King of the Catstook up quarters for a day or two in a round tower. Quick-to-Grab made ajourney through the country-side. He went into every house and whispereda word to every cat that was there, and whether the cat was watching amouse-hole, or chasing crickets, or playing with kittens, when he or sheheard that word they sat up and considered. 

III

Early, early, next day the King of Ireland's Son rode out in searchof the blue falcon, but although he rode from the ring of day to thegathering of the dark clouds he saw no sign of it on rock or tree or inthe air. Very wearily he rode back, and after his horse was stabled hestood with Art in the meadows watching the cattle being driven by. AndArt, the King's Steward, said: "The Coming of the King of the Cats intoKing Connal's dominion is a story still to be told. To your father'sSon in all truth be it told"--

Quick-to-Grab, in consultation with the Seven Elders of the Cat-Kindecided that the Blacksmith's forge would be a fit residence for theKing of the Cats. It was clean and commodious. But the best reason ofall for his going there was this: people and beasts from all partscame into the forge and the King of the Cats might learn from theirdiscussions where the Eagle-Emperor was and how he might be destroyed. 

His Majesty found that the Forge was not a bad residence for a Kingliving unbeknownst. It was dry and warm. He liked the look of the flamesthat mounted up with the blowing of the bellows. He used to sit on aheap of old saddles on the floor and watch the horses being shod orwaiting to be shod. He listened to the talk of the men. The people inthe Forge treated him respectfully and often referred to his size, hisappearance and his fine manners. 

Every night he went out to a feast that the cats had prepared for him. Quick-to-Grab always walked back to the Forge with him to give a PrimeMinister's advice. He warned His Majesty not to let the human beingsknow that he understood and could converse in their language--(all catsknow men's language, but men do not know that the cats know). He toldhim not to be too haughty (as a King might be inclined to be) to anycreature in the Forge. 

The King of the Cats took this advice. He used even to twitch his earsas a mark of respect to Mahon, the hound whose kennel was just outsidethe forge, and to the hounds that Mahon had to visit him. He even madeadvances to the Cock who walked up and down outside. 

This Cock made himself very annoying to the King of the Cats. He usedto strut up and down saying to himself over and over again, "I'mCock-o'-the-Walk, I'm Cock-o'-the-Walk. " Sometimes he would come intothe Forge and say it to the horses. The King of the Cats wondered howthe human beings could put up with a creature who was so stupid and sovain. He had a red comb that fell over one eye. He had purple featherson his tail. He had great spurs on his heels. He used to put his head onone side and yawn when the King of the Cats appeared. 

Cock-o'-the-Walk used to come into the Forge at night and sleep on thebellows. And when the King of the Cats came back from the feasts heused to waken up and say to himself, "I'm Cock-o'-the-Walk, I'mCock-o'-the-Walk. The Cats are not a respectable people. "

One noonday there were men in the Forge. They were talking to the Smith. Said one, "Could you tell us, Smith, where iron came from?" The King ofthe Cats knew but he said nothing. Cock-o'-the-Walk came to the door andheld his head as if he were listening. 

"I can't tell where iron came from, " said the Smith, "but if that Cockcould talk he could tell you. The world knows that the Cock is thewisest and the most ancient of creatures. "

"I'm Cock-o'-the-Walk, " said the Cock to a rusty ass's shoe. 

"Yes, the Cock is a wonderful creature, " said the man who had asked thequestion. 

"Not wonderful at all, " said the King of the Cats, "and if you had askedme I could have told you where iron came from. "

"And where did iron come from?" said the Smith. 

"From the Mountains of the Moon, " said the King of the Cats. 

The men in the Forge put their hands on their knees and looked down athim. Mahon the hound came into the Forge with other hounds at his tail, and seeing the men looking at the King of the Cats, Mahon put his noseto him. Cock-o'-the-Walk flapped his wings insolently. The King of theCats struck at the red hanging comb with his paw. The Cock flew up inthe air. The King of the Cats sprang out of the window, and as he did, Mahon and the other hounds sprang after him--

IV

The King of Ireland's Son rode towards the East the next day, and in thefirst hour's journey he saw the blue falcon sailing above. He followedwhere it went and the falcon never lifted nor stooped, but sailedsteadily on, only now and again beating the air with its wings. Overbenns and through glens and across moors the blue falcon flew and theKing of Ireland's Son followed. Then his horse stumbled; he could not goany further, and he lost sight of the blue falcon. 

Black night was falling down on the ground when he came back to theKing's Castle. Art, the King's Steward, was waiting for him and hewalked beside his limping horse. And Art said when they were a littleway together, "The Coming of the King of the Cats is a story still to betold. 

"To your father's Son in all truth be it told "--

By the magic powers they possessed it was made known to all the catsin the country that their King was being pursued by the hounds. Then onevery hearthstone a cat howled. Cats sprang to the doors, overturningcradles upon children. They stood upon the thresholds and they all madethe same curse--"That ye may break your backs, that ye may break yourbacks before ye catch the King of the Cats. "

When he heard the howls of his vassals, retainers and subjects, the Kingof the Cats turned over on his back and clawed at the first hound thatcame after him. He stood up then. So firmly did he set himself on hisfour legs that those that dashed at him did not overthrow him. Hehumped up his body and lifted his forepaws. The hounds held back. A hornsounded and that gave them an excuse to get away from the claws and theteeth, the power and the animosity of the King of the Cats. 

Then, even though it might cost each and every one of them the loss ofan eye, the cats that had sight of him came running up. "We will go withyou, my lord, we will help you, my lord, " they cried all together. 

"Go back to the hearthstones, " said the King of the Cats. "Go back andbe civil and quiet again in the houses. You will hear of my deeds. I goto find the tracks of our enemy, the Eagle-Emperor. "

When they heard that announcement the cats lamented, and the noise oftheir lamentation was so dreadful that horses broke their harnesseswhere they were yoked; men and women lost the color of their facesthinking some dreadful visitation was coming on the land; every bag ofoats and rye turned five times to the right and five times to the leftwith the fright it got; dishes were broken, knives were hurled round, and the King's Castle was shaken to the bottom stone. 

"It is not the time to seek the tracks of the Eagle-Emperor, " saidQuick-to-Grab. "Stay for a while longer in men's houses. "

"Never, " said the King of the Cats. "Never will I stay by thehearthstone and submit to be abused by cocks and hounds and men. I willrange the world openly now and seek out the enemy of the Cat-Kind, theEagle-Emperor. "

Without once turning his back he went towards the wood that was filledwith his enemies, the birds. The cats, when they saw their petitionswere no use, went everyone back to the house where he or she stayed. Each one sat before a mouse-hole and pretended to be watching. Butthough mice stirred all round them the cats of Ireland never turned ahead that night. 

It was the wren, the smallest of birds, that saw him and knew him forthe King of the Cats. The wren flew through the wood to summon theHawk-Clan. But it was towards sunset now and the hawks had taken uptheir stations at the edge of the wood to watch that they might pick upthe farmers' chickens. They wouldn't turn an eye when the wren toldthem that a cat was in the wood during the time forbidden to cats to beoutside the houses of men. "It is the King of the Cats, " said the wren. None of the hawks lifted a wing. They were waiting for the chickens thatwould stray about the moment after sunset. 

But if the wren couldn't rouse the Hawk-Clan she was able to rouse theother bird-tribes. "A cat, a cat, on your lives a cat, " she called outas she flew through the wood. The rooks that were going home now roseabove the trees, cawing threats. The blackbirds, thrushes and jaysscreamed as they flew before the King of the Cats. The woodpeckers, hedge-sparrows, tom-tits, robins and linnets chattered as they flewbehind him. Sometimes the young rooks made a great show of attackinghim. They flew down from the flock. "He is here, here, here, " they cawedand flew up again. The rooks kept telling themselves and the other birdsin the wood what they were going to do with the King of the Cats. But asingle raven did more against him than the thousand rooks that made somuch noise. This raven was in a hole in the tree. She struck the King ofthe Cats on the head with her beak as he went past. 

The King of the Cats was annoyed by the uproar the birds were making andhe was angered by the raven's stroke, but he did not want to enter intoa battle with the birds. He was on his way to the house of the Hag ofthe Wood who was then known as the Hag of the Ashes. Now as this is thefirst time you have heard of the Hag of the Ashes, I'll have to tellyou how the King of the Cats had heard of her and how he knew where herhouse was in the wood. 

V

The next day the King's Son put a bridle on the Slight Red Steed androde towards the East again. He saw the blue falcon and he followedwhere it flew. Over benns, and through glens and across mountains andmoors the blue falcon went and the Slight Red Steed neither swerved norstumbled but went as the bird flew. The falcon lighted on a pine treethat grew alone. The King's Son rode up and put his hands to the treeto climb and put his head against it, and as he did he heard speech fromthe tree. "The stroke of the Sword of Light will slay the King of theLand of Mist and the stroke of the Sword of Light that will cut a tressof her hair will awaken Fedelma. " There was no more speech from the treeand the falcon rose from its branches and flew high up in the air. Thenthe King of Ireland's Son rode back towards his father's Castle. 

He went to the meadow and stood with Art and listened to what Art had totell him. And as before the King's Steward began--

"To your father's Son in all truth be it told"--

Quick-to-Grab had said to the King of the Cats, "If ever you need thecounsel of a human being, go to no one else but the Hag of the Ashes whowas once called the Hag of the Wood. In the very centre of the wood fourash trees are drawn together at the tops, wattles are woven round theseash trees, and in the little house made in this way the Hag of the Asheslives, with no one near her since her nine daughters went away, but hergoat that's her only friend. " The King of the Cats was now in the centreof the wood. He saw four ash trees drawn together at the tops and hejumped to them. 

Now the Hag of the Ashes had a bad neighbor. This was a crane that hadbuilt her nest across the roof of the little house. The nest preventedthe smoke from coming out at the top and the house below was filledwith it. The Hag could hardly keep alive on account of the smoke and shecould neither take away the nest nor banish the bird. 

The crane was there when the King of the Cats sprang on the roof. Shewas sitting with her two legs stretched out, and when the King of theCats came down beside her she slipped away and sailed over the trees. "Time for me to be going, " said the crane. And from that day to this shenever came back to the house of the Hag of the Ashes. 

"Oh, thanks to you, good creature, " said the Hag of the Ashes, comingout of the house. "Tear down her nest now and let the smoke rise upthrough the roof. "

The King of the Cats tore up the sticks and wool that the crane's nestwas made of, and the smoke came up through the top of the house. "Oh, thanks to you, good creature, that has destroyed the cross crane's nest. Come down on my floor now and I'll do everything that will serve you. "

The King of the Cats jumped down on the floor of the Hag's house and sawthe Hag of the Ashes sitting in a corner, She was a little, little womanin a gray cloak. All over the floor there were ashes in heaps, forshe used to light a fire in one corner and when it was burnt out lightanother beside the ashes of the first. The smoke had never gone throughthe hole in the roof since the crane had built her nest on the top ofthe house. Her face was yellow with the smoke and her eyes were halfclosed on account of it. 

"Do you know who I am, Hag of the Ashes?" said the King of the Cats whenhe stood on the floor. 

"You are a cat, honey, " said the Hag of the Ashes. "I am the King of theCats. "

"The King of the Cats you are indeed. And it was you who let the smokeout of the top of my little house by destroying the nest the cross cranehad built on it. "

"It was I who did that. "

"Welcome to you then, King of the Cats. And what service can the Hag ofthe Ashes do for you in return?"

"I would go to where the Eagle-Emperor is. You must show me the way. "

"By my cloak I will do that. The Eagle-Emperor lives on the top of theHill of Horns. "

"And how can I get to the top of the Hill of Horns?"

"I don't know how you can get there at all. All over the Hill is barestarvation. No four-footed thing can reach the top--no four-footedthing, I mean, but my goat that's tied to the hawthorn bush outside. "

"I will ride on the back of your goat to the top of the Hill of Horns. "

"No, no, good King of the Cats. I have only my goat for company and howcould I bear to be parted from him?"

"Lend me your goat, and when I come back from the Hill of Horns I willplate his horns with gold and shoe his hooves with silver. "

"No, no, good King of the Cats. How could I bear my goat to be away fromme, and I having no other company?"

"If you do not let me ride on your goat to the top of the Hill of HornsI will leave a sign on your house that will bring the cross crane tobuild her nest on the top of it again. "

"Then take my goat, King of the Cats, take my goat but let him come backto me soon. "

"I will. Come with me now and bid him take me to the top of the Hill ofHorns. "

The King of the Cats marched out of the house and the Hag of the Asheshobbled after him. The goat was lying under the hawthorn bush. He puthis horns to the ground when they came up to him. 

"Will you go to the Hill of Horns?" said the Hag of the Ashes. 

"Indeed, that I will not do, " said the goat. 

"Oh, the soft tops of the hedges on the way to the Hill of Horns--sweetin the mouth of a goat they should be, " said the Hag of the Ashes. "Butmy own poor goat wants to stay here and eat the tops of the burnt-upthistles. "

"Why didn't you tell me of the hedges on the way to the Hill of Hornsbefore?" said the goat, rising to his feet. "To the Hill of Horns I'llgo. "

"And will you let a cat ride on your back to the Hill of Horns?"

"Indeed, I will not do that. "

"Then, my poor goat, I'll not untie the rope that's round your neck, foryou can't go to the Hill of Horns without this cat riding on your back. "

"Let him sit on my back then and hold my horns, and I'll take no noticeof him. "

The Hag of the Ashes untied the rope that was round his neck, the Kingof the Cats jumped up on the goat's back, and they started off on thepath through the wood. "Oh, how I'll miss my goat, until he comes backto me with gold on his horns and silver on his hooves, " the Hag of theAshes cried after them. 

VI

The King of Ireland's Son did not leave the Castle the next day, butstayed to question those who came to it about the Sword of Light. Andsome had heard of the Sword of Light and some had not heard of it. Inthe afternoon he was in the chambers of the Castle and he watched histwo foster-brothers, Dermott and Downal, the sons of Caintigern, theQueen, playing chess. They played the game upon his board and with hisfigures. And when he went up to them and told them they had permissionto use the board and the figures, they said, "We had forgotten that youowned these things. " The King's Son saw that everything in the Castlewas coming into the possession of his foster-brothers. 

He found another board with other chess-men and he played a game withthe King's Steward. And Art said, "The coming of the King of the Catsinto King Connal's Dominion is a story still to be told. 

"To your father's Son in all truth be it told "--

What should a goat do but ramble down laneways, wander across fields, stray along hedges and stay to rest under shady trees? All this theHag's goat did. But at last he brought the King of the Cats to the footof the Hill of Horns. 

And what was the Hill of Horns like, asks my kind foster-child. It washills of stones on the top of a hill of stones. Only a goat could footit from pebble to stone, from stone to boulder, from boulder Ko crag, and from crag to mountain-shoulder. It was well and not ill what theHag's goat did. But then thunder sounded; lightning struck fire out ofthe stones, the wind mixed itself with the rain and the tempest peltedcat and goat. The goat stood on a mountain-shoulder. The wind rushedup from the bottom and carried the companions to the top of the Hill ofHorns. Down sprang the cat. But the goat stood on his hind-legs tobutt back at the wind. The wind caught him between the beard and theunder-quarters and swept him from the top and down the other side of thehill (and what happened to the Hag's goat after this I never heard). TheKing of the Cats put his claws into the crevices of a standing stone andheld to it with great tenacity. And then, when the wind abated and helooked across his shoulder, he found that he was standing beside thenest of the Eagle-Emperor. 

It was a hollow edged with rocks, and round that hollow were scatteredthe horns of the deer and goats that the Eagle-Emperor had carried off. And in the hollow there was a calf and a hare and a salmon. The King ofthe Cats sprang into the Eagle-Emperor's nest. First he ate the salmon. Then he stretched himself between the hare and the calf and waited forthe Eagle-Emperor. 

At last he appeared. Down he came to the nest making circles in the air. He lighted on the rocky rim. The King of the Cats rose with body bentfor the spring, and if the Eagle-Emperor was not astonished at hisappearance it was because an Eagle can never be astonished. 

A brave man would be glad if he could have seen the Eagle-Emperor ashe crouched there on the rock rim of his nest. He spread down his wingstill they were great strong shields. He bent down his outspread tail. He bent down his neck so that his eyes might look into the creature thatfaced him. And his cruel, curved, heavy beak was ready for the stroke. 

But the King of the Cats sprang into the air. The Eagle lifted himselfup but the Cat came down on his broad back. The Eagle-Emperor screamedhis war-scream and flew off the hill. He struck at the King of the Catswith the backs of his broad wings. Then he plunged down. On the stonesbelow he would tear his enemy with beak and claws. 

It was the Cat that reached the ground. As the Eagle went to strike athim he sprang again and tore the Eagle's breast. Then the Eagle-Emperorcaught the King of the Cats in his claws and flew up again, screaminghis battle-scream. Drops of blood from both fell on the ground. TheEagle had not a conqueror's grip on his enemy and the King of the Catswas able to tear at him. 

It happened that Curoi, King of the Munster Fairies, was marching at thehead of his troop to play a game of hurling with the Fianna of Ireland, captained by Fergus, and for the hand of Aine', the daughter ofMananaun, the Lord of the Sea. Just when the ball was about to be thrownin the air the Eagle-Emperor and the King of the Cats were seen mixedtogether in their struggle. One troop took the side of the Eagle and theother took the side of the Cat. The men of the country came up and tooksides too. Then the men began to fight amongst themselves and some wereleft dead on the ground. And this went on until there were hosts of themen of Ireland fighting each other on account of the Eagle-Emperorand the King of the Cats. The King of the Fairies and the Chief of theFianna marched their men away to a hill top where they might watch thebattle in the air and the battles on the ground. "If this should goon, " said Curoi, "our troops will join in and men and Fairies will beslaughtered. We must end the combat in the air. " Saying this he took upthe hurling-ball and flung it at the Cat and Eagle. Both came down onthe ground. The Cat was about to spring, the Eagle was about to pounce, when Curoi darted between them and struck both with his spear. Eagle andCat became figures of stone. And there they are now, a Stone Eagle withhis wings outspread and a Stone Cat with his teeth bared and his pawsraised. And the Eagle-Emperor and the King of the Cats will remain likethat until Curoi strikes them again with his fairy-spear. 

When the Cat and the Eagle were turned into stone the men of the countrywondered for a while and then they went away. And the Fairies of Munsterand the Fianna of Ireland played the hurling match for the hand of Aine'the daughter of Mananaun who is Lord of the Sea, and what the result ofthat hurling match was is told in another book. 

And that ends my history of the coming into Ire-land of the King of theCats. 

The King of Ireland's Son left Art and went into an unused room in theCastle to search for a little bell that he might put upon the Slight RedSteed. He found the little bell, but it fell out of his hand and slippedthrough a crack in the floor. He went and looked through the crack. Hesaw below a room and in it was Caintigern, the Queen, and beside herwere two women in the cloaks of enchantresses. And when he looked againhe knew the two of them--they were Aefa and Gilveen, the daughters ofthe enchanter of the Black Back-Lands and Fedelma's sisters. "Andwill my two sons come to rule over their father's dominion?" he heardCaintigern ask. 

"The Prince who gains the Sword of Light will rule over his father'sdominion, " Aefa said. 

"Then one of my sons must get the Sword of Light, " Caintigern said. "Tell me where they must go to get knowledge of where it is. "

"Only the Gobaun Saor knows where the Sword of Light is, " said Aefa. 

"The Gobaun Saor! Can he be seen by men?" said Caintigern. 

"He can be seen, " said Aefa. "And there is one--the Little Sage of theMountain--who can tell what road to go to find the Gobaun Saor. "

"Then, " said Caintigern, "my two sons, Dermott and Downal, will ride outto-morrow to find the Little Sage of the Mountain, and the Gobaun Saor, so that one of them may find the Sword of Light and come to rule overhis father's dominion. "

When the King of Ireland's Son heard that, he went to the stable wherethe Slight Red Steed was, and put the bridle upon him and rode towardsthe Hill of Horns, on one side of which was the house thatched with theone great wing of a bird, where the Little Sage of the Mountain lived. 

THE SWORD OF LIGHT

AND THE UNIQUE TALE WITH AS MUCH OF THE ADVENTURES OF GILLY OF THEGOATSKIN AS IS GIVEN IN "THE CRANESKIN BOOK"

I

He came to the house that was thatched with the one great wing of abird, and, as before, the Little Sage of the Mountain asked him to do aday's work. The King's Son reaped the corn for the Little Sage, and ashe was reaping it his two foster-brothers, Dermott and Downal, rode byon their fine horses. They did not know who the young fellow was whowas reaping in the field and they shouted for the Little Sage of theMountain to come out of the house and speak to them. "We want to knowwhere to find the Gobaun Saor who is to give us the Sword of Light, "said Dermott. 

"Come in, " said the Sage, "and help me with my day's work, and I'llsearch in my book for some direction. "

"We can't do such an unprincely thing as take service with you, " saidDownal. "Tell us now where we must go to find the Gobaun Saor. "

"I think you have made a mistake, " said the Little Sage. "I'm anignorant man, and I can't answer such a question without study. "

"Ride on, brother, " said Downal, "he can tell us nothing. " Dermott andDownal rode off on their fine horses, the silver bells on their bridlesringing. 

That night, when he had eaten his supper, the Little Sage told theKing's Son where to go. It is forbidden to tell where the King ofIreland's Son found the Builder and Shaper for the Gods. In a certainplace he came to where the Gobaun Saor had set up his forge and plantedhis anvil, and he saw the Gobaun Saor beating on a shape of iron. 

"You want to find the Sword of Light, " said the Gobaun, his eyes asstraight as the line of a sword-blade, "but show me first your will, your mind and your purpose. "

"How can I do that?" said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"Guard my anvil for a few nights, " said the Gobaun Saor. "A Fua comesout of the river sometimes and tries to carry it off. "

The Gobaun Saor had to make a journey to look at trees that were growingin the forest, and the King's Son guarded his anvil. And at night a Fuacame out of the river and flung great stones, striving to drive him awayfrom the anvil. He ran down to the river bank to drive it away, but thecreature caught him in its long arms and tried to drown him in the deepwater. The King of Ireland's Son was near his death, but he broke awayfrom the Fua, and when the creature caught him again, he dragged it upthe bank and held it against a tree. "I will give you the mastery ofall arts because you have mastered me, " said the Fua. "I do not want themastery of arts, but maybe you can tell me where to find the Swordof Light. " "You want to know that--do you?" said the Fua, and then ittwisted from him and went into the river. 

The Fua came the next night and flung stones as before, and the King'sSon wrestled with it in the very middle of the river, and held himso that he could not get to the other bank. "I will give you heaps ofwealth because you have mastered me, " said the creature with the bigeyes and the long arms. "Not wealth, but the knowledge of where tocome on the Sword of Light is what I want from you, " said the King ofIreland's Son. But the Fua twisted from him and ran away again. 

The next night the Fua came again, and the King's Son wrestled with himin the middle of the river and followed him up the other bank, and heldhim against a tree. "I will give you the craft that will make youthe greatest of Kings, because you have mastered me. " "Not craft, butknowledge of where the Sword of Light is, I want from you, " said theKing's Son. "Only one of the People of Light can tell you that, " saidthe Fua. It became a small, empty sort of creature and lay on the groundlike a shadow. 

The Gobaun Saor came back to his forge and his anvil. "You have guardedmy anvil for me, " he said, "and I will tell you where to go for theSword of Light. It is in the Palace of the Ancient Ones under the Lake. You have an enchanted steed that can go to that Lake. I shall turn hishead, and he shall go straight to it. When you come to the edge of theLake pull the branches of the Fountain Tree and give the Slight RedSteed the leaves to eat. Mount now and go. "

The King of Ireland's Son mounted the Slight Red Steed and wenttraveling again. 

II

From all its branches, high and low, water was falling in littlestreams. This was the Fountain Tree indeed. He did not dismount, theKing of Ireland's Son, but pulled the branches and he gave them to theSlight Red Steed to eat. 

He ate no more than three mouthfuls. Then he stamped on the ground withhis hooves, lifted his head high and neighed three times. With that heplunged into the water of the Lake and swam and swam as if he had thestrength of a dragon. He swam while there was light on the water and heswam while there was night on the water, and when the sun of the nextday was a hand's breadth above the lake he came to the Black Island. 

All on that Island was black and burnt, and there were black ashes up tothe horse's knees. And no sooner had the Slight Red Steed put his hooveson the Island than he galloped straight to the middle of it. Hegalloped through an opening in the black rock and went through a hundredpassages, each going lower than the other, and at last he came into thewide space of a hall. 

The hall was lighted. When the King's Son looked to see where the lightcame from he saw a sword hanging from the roof. And the brightness ofthe Sword was such that the hall was well lighted. The King of Ireland'sSon galloped the Slight Red Steed forward and made it rear up. His handgrasped the hilt of the Sword. As he pulled it down the Sword screechedin his hand. 

He flashed it about and saw what other things were in the Cave. He sawone woman, and two women and three women. He came to them and he sawthey were sleeping. And as he flashed the Sword about he saw other womensleeping too. There were twelve women in the Cave where the Sword ofLight had been hanging and the women were sleeping. 

And in the hands of each of the sleeping women was a great gemmed cup. The spirit of the King's Son had grown haughty since he felt the Swordin his hands. "You have the sword, why should you not have the cup?"something within him said. He took a cup from the hands of one of thesleeping women and drank the bubbling water that it held. His spiritgrew more haughty with that draught. From the hands of each of thetwelve sleeping women he took the cup and he drank the draught ofbubbling water that it held. And when he had drunk the twelve draughtsof bubbling water he felt that with the Sword of Light in his hands hecould cut his way through the earth. 

He mounted the Slight Red Steed and rode it through the Cave and swamit across the Lake with No Name. He held the Sword of Light across hissaddle. The Steed went as the current drew him, for it was long since hehad eaten the leaves of the Fountain Tree, and the spirit that had madehim vigorous coming was feeble now. The current brought them to theshore below where the Fountain Tree grew. 

And there on the shore he saw a bunch of little men, little women andlittler children, all with smoke-colored skins, all with but one eye intheir heads, all crying and screaming at each other like sea-birds, andall sitting round a fire of dried water weeds, cooking and eating eelsand crab-apples. 

The King of Ireland's Son put his hands on the bridle-rein and drew theSlight Red Steed out of the water. The women with one right eye andthe men with one left eye, and the children in their bare smoky skinsscreamed at him, "What do you want, what do you want, man with thehorse?"

"Feed and water my steed for me, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"We are the Swallow People, and no one commands us to do things, " saidan old fellow with a beard like knots of ropes. 

"Feed my steed with red wheat and water it with pure spring water, " saidthe King's Son fiercely. "I am the King of Ireland's Son and the Swordof Light is in my hands, and what I command must be done. "

"We are the Swallow People and we are accounted a harmless people, " saidthe old fellow. 

"Why are ye harmless?" said the King's Son, and he flourished the swordat them. 

"Come into our cave, King's Son, " said the old fellow, "we will give yourefreshment there, and the children will attend to your steed. "

He went into the cave with certain of the Swallow People. They were allunmannerly. They kept screaming and crying to each other; they pulledat the clothes of the King's Son and pinched him. One of them bit hishands. When they came into the cave they all sat down on black stones. One pulled in a black ass loaded with nets. They took the nets off itsback, and before the King's Son knew that anything was about to happenthey threw the nets around him. The meshes of the nets were sticky. Hefelt himself caught. He ran at the Swallow People and fell over a stone. Then they drew more nets around his legs. 

The old fellow whom he had commanded took up the Sword of Light. Thenthe Swallow People pulled up the ass that had carried the nets andrubbed its hard hoof on the Sword. The King's Son did not know whathappened to it. Then he heard them cry, "The brightness is gone off thething now. " They left the Sword on a black rock, and now no light camefrom it. Then all the Swallow People scrambled out of the cave. 

They came back eating eels and crab-apples out of their hands. They paidno attention to the King of Ireland's Son, but climbed into a cave abovewhere he was lying. 

He broke the nets that were round him. He found the Sword on the blackstones, with the brightness all gone from it because of the rubbing withthe ass's hoof. He climbed up the wall of the other cave to punish theSwallow People. They saw him before he could see them in the darkness, and they all went into holes and hid themselves as if they were rats andmice. 

With the blackened sword in his hands the King of Ireland's Son went outof the Cave, and the horse he had left behind, the Slight Red Steed, wasnot to be found. 

III

Without a steed and with a blackened sword the King of Ireland's Soncame to where the Gobaun Saor had set up his forge and planted hisanvil. No water nor sand would clean the Sword, but he left it downbefore the Gobaun Saor, hoping that he would show him a way to dean it. "The Sword must be bright that will kill the King of the Land of Mistand cut the tress that will awaken the Enchanter's daughter, " said theGobaun Saor. "You have let the Sword be blackened. Carry the blackenedSword with you now. "

"Brighten it for me and I will serve you, " said the King of Ireland'sSon. 

"It is not easy for me to brighten the Sword now, " said the Gobaun Saor. "But find me the Unique Tale and what went before its beginning and whatcomes after its end, and I shall brighten the sword for you and show youthe way to the Land of Mist. Go now, and search for the Unique Tale. "

He went, and he had many far journeys, I can tell you, and he found noperson who had any knowledge of the Unique Tale or who knew any way ofcoming to the Land of Mist. One twilight in a wood he saw a great birdflying towards him. It lighted on an old tree, and the King of Ireland'sSon saw it was Laheen the Eagle. 

"Are you still a friend to me, Eagle?" said the King's Son. 

"I am still a friend to you, King's Son, " said Laheen. 

"Then tell me where I should go to get knowledge of the Unique Tale, "said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"The Unique Tale--I never heard of it at all, " said Laheen the Eagle, changing from one leg to the other. "I am old, " she said, shaking herwings, "and I never heard of the Unique Tale. "

The King's Son looked and saw that Laheen was really old. Her neck wasbare of feathers and her wings were gray. "Oh, if you are so old, " saidthe King's Son, "and have gone to so many places, and do not know of theUnique Tale, to whom can I go to get knowledge of it?"

"Listen, " said Laheen the Eagle, "there are five of us that are calledthe Five Ancient Ones of Ireland, and it is not known which one ofthe five is the oldest. There is myself, Laheen the Eagle; there isBlackfoot the Elk of Ben Gulban, there is the Crow of Achill, the Salmonof Assaroe and the Old Woman of Beare. We do not know ourselves whichof us is the oldest, but we know that we five are the most ancient ofliving things. I have never heard of the Unique Tale, " said Laheen, "butmaybe one of the other Ancients has heard of it. "

"I will go to them, " said the King's Son. "Tell me how I will find theCrow of Achill, the Elk of Ben Gulban, the Salmon of Assaroe and the OldWoman of Beare--tell me how to go to them, Laheen the Eagle. "

"You need not go to the Salmon of Assaroe, " said the Eagle, "for theSalmon would not have heard any tale. I will get you means of findingthe other three. Follow the stream now until you come to the river. Waitat the ford and I will fly to you there. " Laheen the Eagle then shookher wings and flew slowly away. The King of Ireland's Son followed thestream until he came to the river--the River of the Ox it was. 

IV

And having come to the River of the Ox he sought the ford and waitedthere for Laheen the Eagle. When it was high noon he saw the shadow ofthe Eagle in the water of the ford. He looked up. Laheen let somethingfall into the shallows. It was a wheel. Then Laheen lighted on the rocksof a waterfall above the ford and spoke to the King of Ireland's Son. 

"Son of King Connal, " she said, "roll this wheel before you and followit where it goes. It will bring you first where Blackfoot the Elkabides. Ask the Elk has he knowledge of the Unique Tale. If he has noknowledge of it start the wheel rolling again. It will bring you thenwhere the Crow of Achill abides. If the Crow cannot tell you anything ofthe Unique Tale, let the wheel bring you to where the Old Woman of Bearelives. If she cannot tell you of the Unique Tale, I cannot give you anyfurther help. "

Laheen the Eagle then spread out her wings and rising above the mist ofthe waterfall flew away. 

The King of Ireland's Son took the wheel out of the shallow water andset it rolling before him. It went on without his touching it again. Then he was going and ever going with the clear day going before himand the dark night coming behind him, going through scrubby fields andshaggy bog-lands, going up steep mountain sides and along bare mountainridges, until at last he came to a high mound on a lonesome mountain. And as high as the mound and as lonesome as the mountain was the Elkthat was standing there with wide, wide horns. The wheel ceased rolling. 

"I am from Laheen the Eagle, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

The Elk moved his wide-horned head and looked down at him. "And why haveyou come to me, son?" said the Elk. 

"I came to ask if you had knowledge of the Unique Tale, " said the Kingof Ireland's Son. 

"I have no knowledge of the Unique Tale, " said the Elk in a deep voice. 

"And are you not Blackfoot, the Elk of Ben Gulban, one of the five ofthe oldest creatures in the world?" said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"I am the Elk of Ben Gulban, " said Blackfoot, "and it may be that thereis no creature in the world more ancient than I am. The Fianna hunted mewith their hounds before the Sons of Mile' came to the Island of Woods. If it was a Tale of Finn or Caelta or Goll, of Oscar or Oisin or Conan, I could tell it to you. But I know nothing of the Unique Tale. "

Then Blackfoot the Elk of Ben Gulban turned his wide-horned head awayand looked at the full old moon that was coming up in the sky. And theKing of Ireland's Son took up the wheel and went to look for a shelter. He found a sheep-cote on the side of the mountain and lay down and sleptbetween sheep. 

V

When the sun rose he lifted up the wheel and set it going before him. Hewas going and ever going down long hillsides and across spreading plainstill he came to where old trees and tree-stumps were standing hardlyclose enough together to keep each other company. The wheel went throughthis ancient wood and stopped before a fallen oak-tree. And sitting on abranch of that oak, with a gray head bent and featherless wings gatheredup to her neck was a crow. 

"I come from Laheen the Eagle, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"What did you say?" said the Crow, opening one eye. 

"I come from Laheen the Eagle, " said the King of Ireland's Son again. 

"Oh, from Laheen, " said the Crow and dosed her eye again. 

"And I came to ask for knowledge of the Unique Tale, " said the King ofIreland's Son. 

"Laheen, " said the Crow, "I remember Laheen the Eagle. " Keeping her eyesshut, she laughed and laughed until she was utterly hoarse. "I rememberLaheen the Eagle, " she said again. "Laheen never found out what I didto her once. I stole the Crystal Egg out of her nest. Well, and how isLaheen the Eagle?" she said sharply, opening one eye. 

"Laheen is well, " said the King of Ireland's Son. "She sent me to ask ifyou had knowledge of the Unique Tale. "

"I am older than Laheen, " said the Crow. "I remember Paralon's People. The Salmon of Assaroe always said he was before Paralon's People. Butnever mind! Laheen can't say that. If I could only get the feathers tostay on my wings I'd pay Laheen a visit some day. How are Laheen and herbird-flocks?"

"O Crow of Achill, " said the King of Ireland's Son, "I was sent to askif you had knowledge of the Unique Tale. "

"The Unique Tale! No, I never heard of it, " said the Crow. She gatheredher wings up to her neck again and bent her gray head. 

"Think, O Crow of Achill, " said the King of Ireland's Son. "I will bringyou the warmest wool for your nest. "

"I never heard of the Unique Tale, " said the Crow. "Tell Laheen I wasasking for her. " Nothing would rouse the Crow of Achill again. The Kingof Ireland's Son set the wheel rolling and followed it. Then he wasgoing and ever going with the clear day before him and the dark nightcoming behind him. He came to a wide field where there were field-faresor ground larks in companies. He crossed it. He came to a plain of talldaisies where there were thousands of butterflies. He crossed it. He came to a field of buttercups where blue pigeons were feeding. Hecrossed it. He came to a field of flax in blue blossom. He crossed itand came to a smoke-blackened stone house deep sunk in the ground. Thewheel stopped rolling before it and he went into the house. 

An old woman was seated on the ground before the fire basting a goose. Arabbit-skin cap was on her hairless head and there were no eye-brows onher face. Three strange birds were eating out of the pot--a cuckoo, acorncrake and a swallow. "Come to the fire, gilly, " said the old womanwhen she looked round. 

"I am not a gilly, but the King of Ireland's Son, " said he. 

"Well, let that be. What do you want of me?"

"Are you the Old Woman of Beare?"

"I have been called the Old Woman of Beare since yourfore-great-grandfather's time. "

"How old are you, old mother?"

"I do not know. But do you see the three birds that are picking outof my pot? For two score years the swallow was coming to my house andbuilding outside. Then he came and built inside. Then for three scoreyears he was coming into my house to build here. Now he never goesacross the sea at all, and do you see the corncrake? For five scoreyears she was coming to the meadow outside. Then she began to run intothe house to see what was happening here. For two score years she wasrunning in and out. Then she stayed here altogether. Now she never goesacross the sea at all. And do you see the cuckoo there? For seven scoreyears she used to come to a tree that was outside and sing over hernotes. Then when the tree was gone, she used to light on the roof of myhouse. Then she used to come in to see herself in a looking glass. Ido not know how many score years the cuckoo was going and coming, but Iknow it is many score years since she went across the sea. "

"I went from Laheen the Eagle to Blackfoot the Elk, and from the Elk ofBen Gulban to the Crow of Achill, and from the Crow of Achill, I come toyou to ask if you have knowledge of the Unique Tale. "

"The Unique Tale, indeed, " said the Old Woman of Beare. "One came to meonly last night to tell me the Unique Tale. He is the young man who iscounting the horns. "

"What young man is he and what horns is he counting?"

"He is no King's Son, but a gilly--Gilly of the Goat-skin he is called. He is counting the horns that are in two pits outside. When the hornsare counted I will know the number of my half-years. "

"How is that, old mother?"

"My father used to kill an ox every year on my birthday, and after myfather's death, my servants, one after the other, used to kill an ox forme. The horns of the oxen were put into two pits, one on the right-handside of the house and one on the left-hand side. If one knew the numberof the horns one would know the number of, my half-years, for everypair of horns goes to make a year of my life. Gilly of the Goatskin iscounting the horns for me now, and when he finishes counting them I willlet him tell the Unique Tale. "

"But you must let me listen to the tale too, Old Woman of Beare. "

"If you count the horns in one pit I will let you listen to the tale. "

"Then I will count the horns in one pit. "

"Go outside then and count them. "

The King of Ireland's Son went outside. He found on the right-hand sideof the house a deep quarry-pit. Round the edge of it were horns of allkinds, black horns and white horns, straight horns and crooked horns. And below in the pit he saw a young man digging for horns that were sunkin the ground. He had on a jacket made of the skin of a goat. 

"Who are you?" said the young man in the quarry-pit. "I am the King ofIreland's Son. And who may you be?"

"Who I am I don't know, " said the young man in the goatskin, "but theycall me Gilly of the Goatskin. What have you come here for?"

"To get knowledge of the Unique Tale. "

"And it was to tell the same Unique Tale that I came here myself. Why doyou want to know the Unique Tale?"

"That would make a long story. Why do you want to tell it?"

"That would make a longer story. There is a quarry-pit at the left-handside of the house filled with horns and it must be your task to countthem. "

"I will count them, " said the King of Ireland's Son. "But you will befinished before me. Do not tell the Old Woman of Beare the Tale until weboth sit down together. "

"If that suits you it will suit me, " said Gilly of the Goatskin, and hebegan to dig again. 

The King of Ireland's Son went to the left-hand side of the house. He found the quarry-pit and went into it to count the horns that werethere--black horns and white horns, straight horns and crooked horns. And now, while the King of Ireland's Son is in the quarry-pit, Iwill tell you the adventures of Gilly--the Lad or the Servant--of theGoatskin, which adventures are written in "The Craneskin Book. "

VI

He never stirred out of the cradle till he was past twelve years of age, but lay there night and day, long days and short days; the only garmenthe ever put on was a goatskin; a hunter had once put it down on thefloor beside his cradle and he reached out with his two hands, drew itin and put the goatskin on him. He got his name and his coat at the sametime, for he was called ever afterwards "Gilly of the Goatskin. "

But although he never stirred out of the cradle, Gilly of the Goatskinhad ways of diverting himself. He used to shoot arrows with a bow outof the door of the house and hit a mark on a tree that was opposite him. _And where did he get the bow and arrows?_ The bow fell down from theroof of the house and into the cradle. And as for arrows he used to makethem out of the wands that the Hags brought in to make baskets with. Butthe Hags never saw him using the bow and sending off the arrows. All daythey would be going along the streams gathering the willow wands for thebaskets they made. 

He knew nobody except the three Hags of the Long Teeth, and he had neverheard the name of mother or father. Often, when she was peeling thewands with a black-handled knife, the Hag of the House used to tellGilly of the Goatskin the troubles that were in store for him--dangerfrom the sword and the spear and the knife, from water and fire, fromthe beasts of the earth and the birds of the air. She delighted to tellhim about the evils that would befall him. And she used to laugh whenshe told him he was a hump-back and that people would throw stones athim. 

One day when the Hags were away gathering willow wands, Gilly turned thecradle over and lay under it. He wanted to see what they would do whenthey did not see him sitting up in the cradle. They came in. Gillylooked through a crack in the cradle and saw the Hags--they were old andcrooked and had long teeth that came down below their chins. 

"He's gone, he's gone, he's gone!" screamed the Hag of the House, whenshe did not see Gilly in the cradle. 

"He's gone, " said one of the long-toothed Hags. "I told you he would goaway. Why didn't you cut out his heart yesterday, or the day before?"

"Mind what I tell you, " said the other Hag of the Long Teeth. "Mind whatI tell you. His father's son will grow into a powerful champion. "

"Not he, " said the Hag of the House, with great anger. "He'll neverbecome a Champion. He's only a little hump-backed fellow with no weaponsand with no garment but a goatskin. "

"It would be better to kill him when he comes back, " said the first ofthe Hags with the Long Teeth. 

"And if he doesn't come back, tell the Giant Crom Duv, " said the second. 

Gilly of the Goatskin crept from under the cradle, put his bow restingon the bottom that was now turned uppermost, took up some of the rodsthat were on the floor and then shouted at the Hags. "Oh, if that'sa hazel rod he has at his bow he will kill us all, " they screamed outtogether. 

He drew back the string, fired the willow rod and struck the middle Hagfull on the breast. The three Hags fell down on the ground. The pot thatwas always hanging over the fire turned itself upside down and thehouse was filled with smoke. Gilly of the Goatskin, the bow in his hand, sprang across the cradle, over the threshold of the door, and out intothe width and the height, the length and the breadth, the gloom and thegleam of the world. 

VII

He was out, as I have said, in the width and the height, the length andthe breadth, the gloom and the gleam of the world. He fired arrows intothe air. He leaped over ditches, he rolled down hillsides, he racedover level places until he came to what surprised him more than all thethings in the world--a river. He had never seen such water before andhe wondered to see it moving with swiftness. "Where is it going?" saidGilly of the Goatskin. "Does it go on like that in the night as wellas in the day?" He ran by its side and shouted to the river. He sawa wide-winged bird flying across it. It was the bird that we call thecrane or the heron. And as Gilly watched the great winged thing he sawthat it held a little animal in its claws. Gilly fired an arrow andthe crane dropped towards the ground. The little animal that was in itsclaws fell down. The crane rose up again and flew back across the river. 

The little animal that had been in the claws of the crane came to Gillyof the Goatskin. It was smaller than the one-eyed cat that used to siton the hearth of the Hag of the House. It kept its head up and was verybold-looking. "Good morning, Lad in the Goatskin, " it said to Gilly, "you saved my life and I'm very thankful to you. " "What are you?" saidGilly of the Goat-skin. "I'm the Weasel. I'm the boldest and bravestcreature in this country. I'm the lion of these parts, I am. And, " saidthe Weasel, "I never served anyone before, but I'll be your servantfor a quarter of a year. Tell me what way you're going and I'll go withyou. " "I'm going the way he's going, " said Gilly, nodding towards theriver, "and I'll keep beside him till he wants to turn back. " "Oh, thenyou'll have to go a long way, " said the Weasel, "but I'll go with you nomatter bow far you go. " The Weasel walked by Gilly's side very bravelyand very independently. 

"Oh, look, " said Gilly to the Weasel, "what is that that's in thewater?"

The Weasel looked and saw a crystal egg in the shallows. 

"It's an egg, " said the Weasel, "I often eat one myself. I'll bring itup from the bottom to you. I'm good at carrying eggs. "

The Weasel went into the water and put his mouth to the egg and tried tolift it. He could not move it. He tried to lift it with his paws as wellas with his mouth; but this did not do either. He came up the bank then, and said to Gilly, "You'll think I'm a poor sort of a servant because Ican't take an egg out of the water. But if I can't win one way I'll winanother way. " He went into the reeds by the river and he said, "Hear me, frogs! There's a great army coming to take you out of the reeds and eatyou red and raw. " Then Gilly saw the queer frogs lifting up theirheads, "Oh, what will we do, what will we do?" they cried to the Weasel. "There's only one thing to be done, " said the Weasel. "You gather upall the pebbles in the bed of the fiver and we'll make a big wail on thebank to defend you. " The frogs dived into the water at once and draggedup pebbles. Gilly and the Weasel piled them on the bank. Then threefrogs carried up the Crystal Egg. The Weasel took it from them when theyleft it on the bank. Then he climbed a tree and cried out to the frogs, "The army is frightened and is running away. " "Oh, thank you, thankyou, " said the frogs, "we'll never forget your goodness to us. " Thenthey sat down in the marsh and told each other what a narrow escape theyall had. 

The Weasel gave Gilly the Crystal Egg. It was heavy and he carried itfor a while in his hand. They went on. After a while said Gilly of theGoatskin, "The night's coming on and the fiver shows no sign of turningback. I wish there was a nice place to shelter us. " No sooner did he saythe word than he and the Weasel found them-selves standing before theopen door of a nice little house. They went in. A clear fire was burningon the hearth, an arm chair was before it, and a bed was made at theother side of the fire. "This is good, " said Gilly, "and now I wish thatwe had something to eat. " No sooner did he say the words than a tableappeared with bread and meat, fruit and wine on it. "Where do thesefine things come from, I wonder, " said Gilly of the Goatskin. "It's mybelief, " said the Weasel, "that all these things come to us on accountof the egg you have in your hand. It's a magic egg. " Gilly of theGoatskin put the egg on the table and wished that he might see himselfas he had seen himself in the river. Nothing appeared. Then he took theegg in his hand and wished again. And then there was a looking glass onthe wall before him, and he saw himself in it better than he had seenhimself in the river. Gilly of the Goatskin knew that he had only tohold the Crystal Egg in his hand and wish, to get all he could think of. 

VIII

Gilly of the Goatskin wished for wide windows in his house and he gotthem. He wished for a light within when there was darkness without, andhe got a silver lamp that burned until he wished to sleep. He wished forthe songs of birds and he had a blackbird singing upon his half-door, alark over his chimney, a goldfinch and a green linnet within his window, and a shy wren in the evening singing from the top of his dresser. Thenhe wished to hear the conversation of the beasts and all the creaturesof the fields and the wood and the mountain top came into his house. 

The hare used to come in early in the morning. He was always the firstvisitor and he never remained long, and always while he was there hekept running up and down the house, and he generally ended his visit byjumping through the open window. The martens, the beautiful wild cats ofthe wood, came in to see Gilly once; they were very proud and toldhim nothing. The little black rabbits were very much impressed by themartens, and all the time the martens were there they stayed under thebed and the chairs. Two or three times the King of the Wood himself--theBoar of the Bristles and the Long Tusks--came to see Gilly; he used topush open the door and then stand in the middle of the floor gruntingand grunting. Once he brought his wife with him, and six or seven oftheir little pigs that went running over the floor, with their earshanging over their eyes, came with them too. The hedgehogs used to come, but they always made themselves disagreeable. They just lay down bythe fire and snored, and when they wakened up they quarrelled witheach other. Everybody said that the hedgehogs' children were very badlybrought up and very badly provided for. The squirrels who were so cleanand careful, and so fond of their children, thought the hedgehogs werevery bad creatures indeed. "It is just like them to have dirty stickythorns around them instead of nice clean fur, " said the squirrel's wife. "But, my dear, " said the squirrel, "every animal can't have fur. ""How well, " said she, "the rabbits have fur, though dear knows they'recreatures of not much account. It's all just to let us see that they'resome relation of that horrible, horrible boar that goes crashing andmarching through the wood. "

The deer never came into the house, and Gilly had a shed made for themoutside. They would come into it and stay there for many nights anddays, and Gilly used to go out and talk with them. They knew about farcountries, and strange paths and passes, but they did not know so muchabout men and about the doings of other creatures as the Fox did. 

The Fox used to come in the evening and stay until nearly morningwhether Gilly fell asleep or kept awake. The Fox was a very good talker. He used to lie down at the hearth with his paws stretched out, and tellabout this one and that one, and what she said and what he did. If theFox came to see you, and if he was in good humor for talking, you wouldstay up all night to listen to him. I know I should. It was the Foxwho told Gilly what the Crow of Achill did to Laheen the Eagle. She hadstolen the Crystal Egg that Laheen was about to hatch--the Crystal Eggthat the Crane had left on a bare rock. It was the Fox who told Gillyhow the first cat came into the world. And it was the Fox who told Gillyabout the generations of the eel. All I say is that it is a pity the Foxcannot be trusted, for a better one to talk and tell a story it would behard to find. He was always picking up and eating things that had beenleft over--a potato roasting in the ashes, an apple left upon a plate, a piece of meat under a cover. Gilly did not grudge these things to Rorythe Fox and he always left something in a bag for him to take home tothe young foxes. 

I had nearly forgotten to tell you about Gilly's friend, the braveWeasel. He had made a home for himself under the roof. Sometimes hewould go away for a day or so and he would never tell Gilly where hehad been. When he was at home he made himself the door-keeper ofGilly's house. If any of the creatures made themselves disagreeable byquarrelling amongst each other, or by being uncivil to Gilly, theWeasel would just walk over to them and look them in the eyes. Then thatcreature went away. Always he held his head up and if Gilly asked himfor advice he would say three words, "Have no fear; have no fear. "

One day Gilly wanted to have a bunch of cherries with his dinner, and hewent to find the Crystal Egg so that he might wish for it. The CrystalEgg was not in the place he had left it. He called the Weasel and thetwo of them searched the house. The Crystal Egg was nowhere to be found. "One of the creatures has stolen the Egg, " said the Weasel, "but whoeverstole it I will make bring it back. I'll soon find out who did it. " TheWeasel walked up to every creature that came in, looked him or her inthe eye and said, "Did you steal the Crystal Egg?" And every creaturethat came in said, "No, Little Lion, I didn't steal it. " Next day theyhad examined every creature except the Fox. The Fox had not been in thenight before nor the night before that again. He did not come in theevening they missed the Crystal Egg nor the evening after that evening. That night the Weasel said, "As sure as there are teeth in my head theFox stole the Crystal Egg. As soon as there is light we'll search forhim and make him give the Egg back to us. "

IX

The Weasel was right; it was Rory the Fox who had stolen Gilly's CrystalEgg. One night, just as he was leaving Gilly's house, the moon shonefull upon the Crystal Egg. In the turn of a hand Rory the Fox had made alittle spring and had taken the Egg in his mouth. Then he slipped out bythe door as quick and as quiet as a leaf blown in the wind. 

He couldn't help himself stealing the Egg, when the chance came. He hadhad a dream about it. He dreamt that the Egg had been hatched and thatout of it had come the most toothsome bird that a Fox had ever taken bythe neck. He snapped his teeth in his sleep when he dreamt of it. TheFox told his youngsters about the bird he had dreamt of--a bird as bigas a goose and so fat on the neck and the breast that it could hardlystir from sitting. The youngsters had smacked their lips andsnapped their teeth. Every time he came home now they used to say tohim--"Father, have you brought us the Boobrie Bird?" No wonder that hiseyes used to turn to the Crystal Egg when he sat in Gilly's house. Andthen because the moon shone on it just as he was leaving, and because heknew that Gilly's back was turned, he could not keep himself from makinga little spring and taking the Crystal Egg softly in his mouth. 

He went amongst the dark, dark trees with the soft and easy trot of aFox. He knew well what he should do with the Egg. He had dreamt that ithad been hatched by the Spae-Woman's old rheumatic goose. This goose wascalled Old Mother Hatchie and the Fox had never carried her off becausehe knew she was always hatching out goslings for his table. He wentthrough the trees and across the fields towards the Spae-Woman's house. 

The Spae-Woman lived by telling people their fortunes and reading themtheir dreams. That is why she was called the Spae-Woman. The people gaveher goods for telling them their dreams and fortunes and she left herland and stock to whatever chanced. The fences of her fields were brokenand rotted. Her hens had been carried off by the Fox. Her goat had gonewild. She had neither ox nor ass nor sheep nor pig. The Fox went throughher fence now as lightning would go through a gooseberry bush and hecame out before her barn. There was a hole in the barn-door and he wentthrough that. And in the north-west corner of the barn, he saw Old MotherHatchie sitting on a nest of straw and he knew that there was a clutchof eggs under her. She cackled when she saw the Fox on the floor of thebarn but she never stirred off the nest. Rory left what was in his mouthon the ground. Old Mother Hatchie put her head on one side and looked atthe Egg that was clear in the full moonlight. 

"This egg, Mistress Hatchie, " said Rory the Fox, "is from the Hen-wifeof the Queen of Ireland. The Queen asked the Hen-wife to ask me to leaveit with you. She thinks there's no bird in the world but yourself thatis worthy to hatch it and to rear the gosling that comes out of it. "

"That's right, that's right, " said Mother Hatchie. "Put it here, putit here. " She lifted her wing and the Fox put the Crystal Egg into thebrood-nest. 

He went out of the barn, crossed the field again, and went amongst thedark, dark trees. He went along slowly now for he began to think thatGilly might find out who stole the Crystal Egg and be vexed with him. Then he thought of the Weasel. The Fox began to think he might be sorryfor himself if the Weasel was set on his track. 

Rory did not go to Gilly's house the next night nor the night after. Thethird night, as he was going home from a ramble, the Owl hooted at him. "Why do you hoot at me, Big Moth?" said the Fox stopping in his trot. (He always called the Owl "Big Moth" to pretend that he thought shewasn't a bird at all, but a moth. He made this pretence because he wasannoyed that he could never get an owl to eat). "Why do you hoot atme, Big Moth?" said he. "The Weasel's going to have your bones forhis stepping-stones and your blood for his morning dram, " said the Owlbalefully as she went amongst the dark, dark trees. The Fox stopped longto consider. Then he went to his burrow and told his youngsters theywould have to move house. He had them stirring at the first light. He gave them a frog each for their breakfast and took them across thecountry. They came to a burrow that Old-Fellow Badger had just left andRory the Fox brought his youngsters into it and told them that it wouldbe their new house. 

X

The evening after when Rory the Fox was taking his nap he heard one ofhis youngsters give a sharp cry. They were playing outside the burrow, lie looked out and he saw that his three youngsters were afraid ofsomething that was between them and the burrow. He looked again and sawthe Weasel. 

"Ahem, " said Rory the Fox, "and how are we this morning?"

The Weasel had marked one of Rory's youngsters for attack. Although Roryspoke, he never took his eyes off the youngster he had marked. 

"My dear friend, " said the Fox, "I was just going to say--if you arelooking for anything, perhaps I could tell you where it might be found. "

"Crystal Egg, " said the Weasel without ever taking away hisblood-thirsty gaze from Rory's youngster. 

"Oh, the Crystal Egg, " said Rory the Fox. "Yes, to be sure. I couldbring you at once to the place where the Crystal Egg is. " He came out ofthe burrow and saw Gilly standing on the bank behind. 

"I think it is time for my children to go back to their burrow, " saidRory the Fox. "Please excuse them, my friends. " The Weasel took his eyesoff the youngster he had marked and the three little foxes scamperedinto the burrow. 

"This way, friends, " said the Fox, and he started off towards theSpae-Woman's house with the light and easy trot of a fox. Gilly and theWeasel went behind him. They crossed a field of flax, a field ofhemp and a field of barley. They came to the broken fence before theSpae-Woman's house, and in front of the house they saw the Spae-Womanherself and she was crying and crying. 

The Fox hid behind the fence, the Weasel climbed up on the ditch andGilly himself went to the woman. 

"What ails you at all?" said Gilly to her. 

"My goose--the only fowl left to me has been taken by robbers. "

"Ask her where the clutch of eggs is that the goose was hatching, " saidRory the Fox anxiously, putting his head over the fence. 

"And where is the clutch of eggs, ma'am, that your goose was hatching?"

"The robbers took the nest with the goose and the eggs with the nest, "said the Spae-Woman. 

"And the Crystal Egg was with the other eggs, " said the Fox to Gilly. Hesaid no more. He made a quick turn and got clear away before the Weaselcould spring on him. He ran back to his burrow. He told the little foxesthey must change houses again. That night they lay in a wood and at thefirst light they crossed water and went to live on an island where theWeasel never came. 

"Where did the robbers go with the goose, the nest, and the eggs?" saidGilly of the Goatskin. 

"They went to the river, " said the Spae-Woman. "I followed them everyinch of the way. They got into a boat and they hoisted their sails. Theyrowed and they rowed, so that the hard gravel of the bottom was broughtto the top, and the froth of the top was driven down to the bottom ofthe river. And wherever they are, " said the Spae-Woman, "they are farfrom us now. "

"Will you come with me?" said Gilly to the Weasel, "we will track themdown and take back the Crystal Egg. "

"I engaged myself to be with you for a quarter of a year, " said theWeasel, "and the three months are up now, Gilly. Winter is coming on andI must see to my own affairs. "

"Then good-by, Weasel, " said Gilly. "I will search for the Crystal Eggmyself. But first I must ask the woman to let me rest in the house andto give me some provision for my journey. " The Weasel looked up intoGilly's face and said good-by to him. Then Gilly followed the Spae-Womaninto her house. "Ocone, " she was saying to herself, "my dream told meI was to lose my poor goose, and still I never did anything to make ithard for the robbers to take her from me. "

XI

Well, in the Spae-Woman's house he stayed for three-quarters of a year. He often went in search of the robbers who had taken the Crystal Eggwith the Spae-Woman's goose, but no trace of them nor their booty couldhe ever find. He met birds and beasts who were his friends, but he couldnot have speech with them without the Egg that let him have anything hewished. He did work for the Spae-Woman--fixed her fences and repairedher barn and brought _brosna_ for her fire every evening from the wood. At night, before he went to sleep, the Spae-Woman used to tell him herdreams of the night before and tell him about the people who had come toher house to have their fortunes told. 

One Monday morning she said to him, "I have had an inlook, son ofmy heart, and I know that my gossip, the Churl of the Townland ofMischance, is going to come and take you into his service. "

"And what sort of a man is your gossip, the Churl of the Townland ofMischance?" Gilly asked. 

"An unkind man. Two youths who served me he took away, one after theother, and miserable are they made by what he did to them. I'm in dreadof your being brought to the Townland of Mischance. "

"Why are you in dread of it, Spae-Woman?" said Gilly. "Sure, I'll beglad enough to see the world. "

"That's what the other two youths said, " said the Spae-Woman. "Now I'lltell you what my gossip the Churl of the Townland of Mischance does: hemakes a bargain with the youth that goes into his service, telling himhe will give him a guinea, a groat and a tester for his three months'service. And he tells the youth that if he says he is sorry for thebargain he must lose his wages and part with a strip of his skin, aninch wide. He rode on a bob-tailed, big-headed, spavined and spottedhorse, from his neck to his heel. Oh, he is an unkind man, my gossip, the Churl of the Townland of Mischance. "

"And is there no way to get the better of him?" asked Gilly. 

"There is, but it is a hard way, " said the Spae-Woman. "If one couldmake him say that he, the master, is sorry for the bargain, the Churlhimself would lose a strip of his skin an inch wide from his neck to hisheel, and would have to pay full wages no matter how short a time theyouth served him. "

"It's a bargain anyway, " said Gilly, "and if he comes I'll take servicewith the Churl of the Townland of Mischance. "

The first wet day that came brought the Churl of the Townland ofMischance. He rode on a bob-tailed, big-headed, spavined and spottedhorse. He carried an ash-plant in his hand to flog the horse and tostrike at the dogs that crossed his way. He had blue lips, eyes lookingcrossways and eyebrows like a furze bush. He had a bag before him filledwith boiled pigs' feet. Now when he rode up to the house, he had apig's foot to his mouth and was eating. He got down off the bob-tailed, big-headed, spavined and spotted horse, and came in. 

"I heard there was a young fellow at your house and I want him to takeservice with me, " said he to the Spae-Woman. 

"If the bargain is a good one I'll take service with you, " said Gilly. 

"All right, my lad, " said the Churl. "Here is the bargain, and it's asfair as fair can be. I'll give you a guinea, a groat and a tester foryour three months' work with me. "

"I believe it's good wages, " said Gilly. 

"It is. Howsoever, if you ever say you are sorry you made the bargainyou will lose your wages, and besides that you will lose a strip of yourskin an inch wide from your neck to your heel. I have to put that inor I'd never get work done for me at all. The serving boys are alwayssaying 'I can't do that, ' and 'I'm sorry I made the bargain with you. '"

"And if you say you're sorry you made the bargain?"

"Oh, then I'll have to lose a strip of my skin an inch wide from my neckto my heel, and besides that I'll have to give you full wages no matterhow short a time you served me. "

"Well, if that suits you it will suit me, " said Gilly of the Goatskin. 

"Then walk beside my horse and we'll get back to the Townland ofMischance to-night, " said the Churl. Then he swished his ash-planttowards Gilly and ordered him to get ready. The Spae-Woman wiped thetears from her face with her apron, gave Gilly a cake with her blessing, and he started off with the Churl for the Townland of Mischance. 

XII

What did Gilly of the Goatskin do in the Townland of Mischance? He gotup early and went to bed late; he was kept digging, delving and ditchinguntil he was so tired that he could go to sleep in a furze bush; he atea breakfast that left him hungry five hours before dinner-time, and heate a dinner that made it seem long until supper-time. If he complainedthe Churl would say, "Well, then you are sorry for your bargain, " andGilly would say "No, " rather than lose the wages he had earned and astrip of his skin into the bargain. 

One day the Churl said to him, "Go into the town for salt for my supper, take the short way across the pasture-field, and be sure not to let thegrass grow under your feet. " "All right, master, " said Gilly. "Maybeyou would bring me my coat out of the house so that I needn't make twojourneys. " The Churl went into the house for Gilly's coat. When he cameback he found Gilly standing in the nice grass of the pasture-fieldlighting a wisp of hay. "What are you doing that for?" said the Churl tohim. "To burn the grass on the pasture-field, " said Gilly. "To burn thegrass on my pasture-field, you villain--the grass that is for my goodrace-horse's feeding! What do you mean, at all?" "Sure, you told me notto let the grass grow under my feet, " said Gilly. "Doesn't the worldknow that the grass is growing every minute, and how will I prevent itfrom growing under my feet if I don't burn it?" With that he stoopeddown to put the lighted hay to the grass of the pasture-field. "Stop, stop, " said the Churl, "I meant that you were to go to the town, without loitering on the way. " "Well, it's a pity you didn't speak moreclearly, " said Gilly, "for now the grass is a-fire. " The Churl bad tostamp on the grass to put the fire out. He burnt his shins, and thatmade him very angry. "O you fool, " said he to Gilly, "I'm sorry--" "Areyou sorry for the bargain you made with me, Master?" "No. I was goingto say I was sorry I hadn't made my meaning clear to you. Go now to thetown and bring me back salt for my supper as quickly as you can. "

After that the Churl was very careful when he gave Gilly an order tospeak to him very exactly. This became a great trouble to him, for thepeople in the Townland of Mischance used always to say, "Don't let thegrass grow under your feet, " when they meant "Make haste, " and "Don'tbe there until you're back, " when they meant "Go quickly" and "Come withhorses' legs" when they meant "come with great speed. " He became tiredof speaking to Gilly by the letter, so he made up his mind to give himan order that could not be carried out, so that he might have a chanceof sending him away without the wages he had earned. 

One Monday morning he called Gilly to the door of the house and said tohim, "Take this sheep-skin to the market and bring me back the priceof it and the skin. " "Very well, Master, " said Gilly. He put the skinacross his arm and went towards the town. The people on the road saidto him, "What do you want for the sheep-skin, young fellow?" "I wantthe skin and the price of it, " Gilly said. The people laughed at him andsaid, "You're going to give yourself a long journey, young fellow. "

He went through the market asking for the skin and the price of it. Everyone joked about him. He went into the market-house and came to awoman who was buying things that no one else would buy. "What do youwant, youth?" said she. "The price of the skin and the skin itself, "said Gilly. She took the skin from him and plucked the wool out of it. She put the wool in her bag and put the skin back on the board. "There'sthe skin, " said she, "and here's the price of it. " She left three groatsand a tester on top of the skin. 

The Churl had finished his supper when Gilly came into the house. "Well, Master, I've come back to you, " said Gilly. "Did you bring me the priceof it and the skin itself?" said the Churl. "There is the skin, " saidGilly, putting on the table the sheep-skin with the wool plucked out ofit. "And here's the price of it--three groats and a tester, " said he, leaving the money on top of the skin. 

After that the Churl of the Townland of Mischance began to be afraidthat Gilly of the Goatskin would be too wise for him, and would get awayat the end of the three months with his wages, a guinea, a groat and atester, in his fist. This thought made the Churl very downcast, because, for many months now, he had got hard labor out of his serving-boys, without giving them a single cross for wages. 

XIII

The day after Christmas the Churl said to Gilly, "This is SaintStephen's Day. I'm going to such a man's barn to see the mummers performa play. Foolish people give these idle fellows money for playing, butI won't do any such thing as that. I'll see something of what they aredoing, drink a few glasses and get away before they start collectingmoney from the people that are watching them. They call this collectiontheir dues, no less. "

"And what can I do for you, Master?" said Gilly. "Run into the barn atmidnight and shout out, 'Master, Master, your mill is on fire. ' Thatwill give me an excuse for running out. Do you understand now what Iwant you to do?"

"I understand, Master. "

The Churl put on his coat and took his stick in his hand. "Mind whatI've said to you, " said he. "Don't be a minute later than midnight. Besure to come in with a great rash--come in with horse's legs--do youunderstand me?"

"I understand you, Master, " said Gilly. 

The mummers were dancing before they began the play when the Churl cameinto the barn. "That's a rich man, " said one of them to another. "Wemust see that he puts a good handful into our bag. " The Churl sat on thebench with the farmer who had a score of cows, with the blacksmith whoshod the King's horses, and with the merchant who had been in foreignparts and who wore big silver rings in his ears. Half the people whowere there I could not tell you, but there were there--

 Biddie Early Tatter-Jack Walsh Aunt Jug Lundy Foot Matt the Thresher Nora Criona Conan Maol, and Shaun the Omadhaun. 

Some said that the King of Ireland's Son was there too. The play was"The Unicorn from the Stars. " The mummers did it very well although theyhad no one to take the part of the Unicorn. 

They were in the middle of the play when Gilly of the Goatskin rushedinto the barn. "Master, master, " he shouted, "your mill--your mill ison fire. " The Churl stood up, and then put his glass to his head anddrained what was in it. "Make way for me, good people, " said he. "Letme out of this, good people. " Some people near the door began to talkof what Gilly held in his hands. "What have you there, my servant?" saidthe Churl. "A pair of horse's legs, Master. I could only carry two ofthem. "

The Churl caught Gilly by the throat. "A pair of horse's legs, " said he. "Where did you get a pair of horse's legs?"

"Off a horse, " said Gilly. "I had trouble in cutting them off. Bad cessto you for telling me to come here with horse's legs. "

"And whose horse did you cut the legs off?" "Your own, Master. Youwouldn't have liked me to cut the legs off any other person's horse. AndI thought your race-horse's legs would be the most suitable to cut off. "

The mummers and the people were gathered round them and they saw theChurl's face get black with vexation. 

"O my misfortune, that ever I met with you, " said the Churl. 

"Are you sorry for your bargain, Master?" said Gilly. 

"Sorry--I'll be sorry every day and night of my life for it, " said theChurl. 

"You hear what my Master says, good people, " said Gilly. 

"Aye, sure. He says he's sorry for the bargain he made with you, " saidsome of the people. 

"Then, " said Gilly, "strip him and put him across the bench until I cuta strip of his skin an inch wide from his neck to his heel. "

None of the people would consent to do that. "Well, I'll tell yousomething that will make you consent, " said Gilly. "This man made twopoor servant-boys work for him, paid them no wages, and took a strip oftheir skin, so that they are sick and sore to this day. Will that makeyou strip him and put him across the bench?"

"No, " said some of the people. 

"He ordered me to come here to-night and to shout 'Master, master, yourmill is on fire, ' so that he might be able to leave without paying themummers their dues. His mill is not on fire at all. "

"Strip him, " said the first mummer. 

"Put him across the bench, " said another. 

"Here's a skinner's knife for you, " said a third. 

The mummers seized the Churl, stripped him and put him across the bench. Gilly took the knife and began to sharpen it on the ground. 

"Have mercy on me, " said the Churl. 

"You did not have mercy on the other two poor servant-boys, " said Gilly. 

"I'll give you your wages in full. "

"That's not enough. "

"I'll give you double wages to give to the other servant-boys. "

"And will you pay the mummers' dues for all the people here?"

"No, no, no. I can't do that. "

"Stretch out your neck then until I mark the place where I shall beginto cut the skin. "

"Don't put the knife to me. I'll pay the dues for all, " said the Churl. 

"You heard what he said, " said Gilly to the people. "He will pay mewages in full, give me double wages to hand to the servant-boys he hasinjured, and pay the mummers' dues for everyone. "

"We heard him say that, " said the people. 

"Stand up and dress yourself, " said Gilly to the Churl. "What do I wantwith a strip of your skin? But I hope all here will go home with youand stand in your house until you have paid all the money that's claimedfrom you. "

"We'll go home with him, " said the mummers. 

"We'll stand on his floor until he has paid all the money he has agreedto pay, " said the others. 

"And now I must tell you, neighbors, " said Gilly, "that I never cut thelegs of a living horse--neither his horse nor anyone else's. This pairwas taken off a poor dead horse by the skinners that were cutting itup. "

Well, they all went to the Churl's house and there they stayed untilhe opened his stone chest and took out his money-box and paid to themummers the dues of all the people with sixpence over, and paid Gillyhis wages in full, one guinea, one groat and a tester, and handed himdouble wages to give to each of the servant-boys he had injured. Gillytook the money and left the house of the Churl of the Townland ofMischance, and the people and the mummers went to the road with him, andcheered him as he went on his way. 

XIV

So, without hap or mishap, Gilly came again to the house of theSpae-Woman. She was sitting at her door-step grinding corn with a quernwhen he came before her. She cried over him, not believing that he hadcome safe from the Townland of Mischance. And as long as he was with hershe spoke to him of his "poor back. "

He stayed with her for two seasons. He mended her fences and he cleanedher spring-well; he ground her corn and he brought back her swarm ofbees; he trained a dog to chase the crows out of her field; he had theass shod, the sheep washed and the goat spancelled. The Spae-Woman wasmuch beholden to him for all he did for her, and one day she said tohim, "Gilly of the Goat-skin you are called, but another name is dueto you now. " "And who will give me another name?" said Gilly of theGoatskin. "Who'll give it to you? Who but the Old Woman of Beare, " saidthe Spae-Woman. 

The next day she said to him, "I had a dream last night, and I know nowwhat you are to do. You must go now to the Old Woman of Beare for thename that is due to you. And before she gives it to you, you must tellher and whoever else is in her house as much as you know of the UniqueTale. "

"But I know nothing at all of the Unique Tale, " said Gilly of theGoatskin. 

"There is always a blank before a beginning, " said the Spae-Woman. "Thisevening, when I am grinding the corn at the quern I shall tell you theUnique Tale. "

That evening when she sat at the door-step of her house and when the sunwas setting behind the elder-bushes the Spae-Woman told Gilly the thirdpart of the Unique Tale. Then she baked a cake and killed a cock for himand told him to start on the morrow's morning for the house of the OldWoman of Beare. 

Well, he started off in the morning bright and early, leaving goodhealth with the Spae-Woman behind him, and away he went, crossing highhills, passing low dales, and keeping on his way without halt or rest, the clear day going and the dark night coming, taking lodgings eachevening wherever he found them, and at last he came to the house of theOld Woman of Beare. 

He went into the house and found her making marks in the ashes of herfire while her cuckoo, her corncrake and her swallow were picking grainsoff the table. 

"And what can I do for you, good youth?" said the Old Woman of Beare. 

"Give me a name, " said Gilly, "and listen to the story I have to tellyou. "

"That I will not, " said the Old Woman of Beare, "until you have done atask for me. "

"What task can I do for you?" said Gilly of the Goatskin. "I wouldknow, " said she, "which of us four is the oldest creature in theworld--myself or Laheen the Eagle, Blackfoot the Elk or the Crow ofAchill--I leave the Salmon of Assaroe out of account altogether. "

"And how can a youth like me help you to know that?" said Gilly of theGoatskin. 

"An ox was killed on the day I was born and on every one of my birthdaysafterwards. The horns of the oxen are in two quarries outside. You mustcount them and tell me how much half of them amounts to and then I shallknow my age. "

"That I'll do if you feed me and give me shelter, " said Gilly of theGoatskin. "Eat as you like, " said the Old Woman of Beare. She pushed hima loaf of bread and a bottle of water. When he cut a slice of the loafit was just as if nothing had been cut off, and when he took a cupfulout of the bottle it was as if no water had been taken out of it atall. When he had drunk and eaten he left the complete loaf and the fullbottle of water on the shelf, went outside and began to count the hornson the right-hand side. 

On the second day a strange youth came to him and saluted him, and thenwent to count the horns in the quarry on the left-hand side. This youthwas none other than the King of Ireland's Son. 

On the third day they had the horns all counted. Then Gilly of theGoatskin and the King of Ireland's Son met together under a bush. "Howmany horns have you counted?" said the King of Ireland's Son. "So many, "said Gilly of the Goatskin. "And how many horns have you counted?" "Somany, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

Just as they were adding the two numbers together they both heard soundsin the air--they were like the sounds that Bards make chanting theirverses. And when they looked up they saw a swan flying round andround above them. And the swan chanted the story of the coming of theMilesians to Eirinn, and as the two youths listened they forgot thenumber of horns they had counted. And when the swan had flown away theylooked at each other and as they were hungry they went into the houseand ate slices of the unwasted loaf and drank cupfuls out of theinexhaustible bottle. Then the Old Woman of Beare wakened up and askedthem to tell her the number of her years. 

"We cannot tell you although we counted all the horns, " said the King ofIreland's Son, "for just as we were putting the numbers together a swansang to us and we forgot the number we had counted. "

"You didn't do your task rightly, " she said, "but as I promised to givethis youth a name and to listen to the story he had to tell, I shallhave to let it be. You may tell the story now, Gilly of the Goatskin. "

They sat at the fire, and while the Old Woman of Beare spun threads ona very ancient spindle, and while the corncrake, the cuckoo and theswallow picked up grains and murmured to themselves, Gilly of theGoatskin told them the Unique Tale. And the story as Gilly of theGoatskin told it follows this. --

A Unique Tale

A King and a Queen were walking one day by the blue pool in theirdomain. The swan had come to the blue pool, and the bright yellowflowers of the broom were above the water. "Och, " said the Queen, "if Imight have a daughter that would show such colors--the blue of the poolin her eyes, the bright yellow of the broom in her hair, and the whiteof the swan in her skin--I would let my seven sons go with the wildgeese. " "Hush, " said the King. "You ask for a doom, and it may be sentyou. " A shivering came upon the Queen. They went back to the Castle, andthat evening the nurse told them that a gray man had passed in a circleround her seven sons saying, "If it be as your mother desired, let it beas she has said. "

Well, before the broom blossomed again and before the swan came to theblue pool, a child was born to the Queen. It was a girl. The King wassitting with his seven sons when the women came to tell him of the newbirth. "O my sons, " said he, "may ye be with me all my life. " But hissons moved from him as he said it. Out through the door they went, andup the mound that was before the door. There they changed into gray wildgeese, and the seven flew towards the empty hills. 

No councillor that the King consulted could help to win them backagain, and no hunter that he sent through the country could gain tale ortidings of them. The King and Queen were left with one child only, thegirl just born. They called her "Sheen, " a word that means "Storm, "because her coming was a storm that swept away her seven brothers. TheQueen died, my hearers. Then little Sheen was forgotten by her father, and she was reared and companioned by the servants of the house. 

One day, when she was the age her eldest brother was when he was changedfrom his human form, Sheen went with Mor, the Woodman's daughter, andSiav, the basket-maker's foster-child, to gather berries in the wood. Going here and there she got separated from Siav and Mor. She came to aplace where there were lots of berries and went step after step to pickthem. Her feet went down in a marsh. She cried to Mor and Siav, but noanswers came from them. She cried and cried again. Her cries startledseven wild geese that rose up and flew round her. "Save me, " she criedto them. Then one of the wild geese spoke to her. "Anyone but a girl wewould save from the marsh, but such a one we cannot save, because it wasa girl who lost us our human forms and the loving companionship ofour father. " Then Sheen knew--for the servants had often told her thestory--that it was one of her seven brothers who spoke. "Since ever Iknew of it, " said she, "the whole of my trouble has been that I was thecause of your losing your human form and the companionship of our fatherwho is now called the Lonely King. Believe me, " said she, "that I wouldhave striven and striven to win you back. " There was so much feeling inher voice that her seven brothers, although they had been hardened bythinking about their misfortune, were touched at their hearts andthey flew down to help her. They bore up her arms, they caught at hershoulders, they raised up her feet. They carried her beyond the marsh. Then she knelt down and cried to them, "O my brothers dear, is thereanything I can do to restore you to your human forms?" "There is, " saidthe first of the seven wild geese. She begged them to tell it to her. "It's a long and a tiresome labor we would put on you, " said one. "Ifyou would gather the light down that grows on the bogs with your ownhands, " said another, "and if you spun that down into threads, and wovethe threads into a cloth and sewed the cloth into a shirt, and did thatover and over again until you had made seven shirts for us, all thattime without laughing or crying or saying a word, you could save us. Oneshirt you could weave and spin and sew in a year. And it would not beuntil the seven shirts were put upon us that the human form would berestored to each of us. " "I would be glad to do all that, " said Sheen, "and I would cry no tear, laugh no laugh, and say no word all the time Iwas doing this task. "

Then said the eldest brother, "The marsh is between you and our father'shouse, and between you and the companions who were with you to-day. Ifyou would do the task that would restore us to our human forms, it werebest you did not go back. Beyond the trees is the house of a lone woman, and there you may live until your task is finished. " The seven wildgeese then flew back to the marsh, and Sheen went to the house beyondthe trees. The Spae-Woman lived there. She took Sheen to be a dumb girl, and she gave her food and shelter for the services she did--bringingwater from the well in the daytime and grinding corn at the quernat dusk. She had the rest of the day and night for her own task. Shegathered the bog-down between noon and sunset and spun the thread atnight. When she had lengths of thread spun she began to weave them onthe loom. At the end of a year she had the first shirt made. In anotheryear she made the second, then the third, then the fourth, the fifth andthe sixth. And all the time she said no word, laughed no laugh and criedno tear. 

She was gathering the bog-down for the seventh and last shirt. Once shewent abroad on a day when the snow was melted and she felt her footstepslight. Hundreds of birds were on the ground eating plentifully andcalling to one another. Sheen could hardly keep from her mouth the songthat was in her mind. She would sing and laugh and talk when the lastthread was spun and woven, when the last stitch was sewn, and when theshirts of bog-down she had made in silence would have brought back herbrothers to their own human forms. She gathered the scarce heads of thecannavan or bog-down with one hand, while she held the other hand to herlips. 

Something dropped down at her feet. It was a white grouse and itremained cowering on the ground. Sheen looked up and she saw a hawkabove. And when she looked round she saw a man coming across the bog. The hawk flew towards him and lighted on his shoulder. 

Sheen held the white grouse to her breast. The man came near to herand spoke to her and his voice made her stand. He wore the dress of ahunter. His face was brown and lean and his eyes were bright-blue likegentian-flowers. No word did Sheen say to him and he passed on with thehawk on his shoulder. Then with the grouse held at her breast she wentback to the Spae-Woman's house. 

That night when she spun her thread she thought of the blue-eyed, brown-faced man. Would any of her brothers be like him, she wondered, when they were restored to their human shapes. She fed the white grousewith grains of corn and left it to rest in the window-niche above herbed. And then she lay awake and tried to know the meaning in the songthe Spae-Woman sang when she sat spinning wool in the chimney Corner--

 You would not slumber If laid at my breast! Little sister, I'll rock you to rest!

 The flood on the river beats The swan from its nest! You would not slumber If laid at my breast!

 The rain-drops encumber The hawthorn's crest: My thoughts have no number: You would not slumber If laid at my breast, Little sister, I'll rock you to rest. 

She passed the night between sleeping and waking, and when the lightgrew she saw the white grouse crouching against the window-opening. She opened the door and stepped outside to let the grouse fly from herhands. 

And there, on the ground before her was a sword! Sheen knew it to be thesword of the man she had seen yesterday, and she knew the man had beenbefore the door in the night-time. She knelt on the ground to look atthe bright blue blade. O my listeners, if I was there I was in thecrows that flew down heavily and cawed as they picked up something thatpleased them, in the wood-cushats that cooed in the trees, in the smallbirds that quarreled in the thatch of the house, and in the breeze thatblew round--the first breeze of the day. 

The Spae-Woman came outside and saw what Sheen was looking at--the swordon the ground. "It is wrought with cunning that only the smiths of Kingspossess, " she said. She took the sword and hung it on the branch of atree so that the dews of the ground might not rust it. "I think theone who owns it is the stranger who is seen in the wild placeshereabouts--the man whom the neighbors call the Hunter-King, " she saidto Sheen. 

On another day Sheen went to gather bog-down. This time she crossed theriver by the stepping-stones and went into a country where there weremany cattle. She stood wondering at their numbers and wishing that sucha cow and such a calf might belong to the Spae-Woman. Then the nextthing she saw was two black horses striving with each other. They showedtheir teeth at each other and bit and kicked. Then they came racingtowards her. "Oh, " said Sheen to herself, "they are Breogan's wildstallions. " She ran, but the horses were able to make circles round her. "Breogan's wild stallions, " said she, "they will rush in and trample meto death. " Then she heard someone shouting commands to the horses. Shesaw a man strike one of the stallions with a staff, making him rearhigh. She saw him make the other stand with the command that was in hisvoice. She ran to the river, but she slipped on the stepping-stones;she fell down and she felt the water flowing upon her. The man came andlifting her up carried her to her own side of the river. Across the boghe carried her, and when she looked at him she saw the lean face andeyes blue like gentian-flowers--she saw the face of the man who wascalled the Hunter-King. He left her on the ground when they passed thebog, and she went on her way without speaking. 

Nothing of this no more than of anything else that happened to her, oranything that she thought of, did Sheen tell the Spae-Woman. But shewished and she wished that the Hunter-King might come past while therewas a light in the house and step within and talk to the Spae-Woman, sothat she herself, while spinning the thread, could hear his voice andlisten to the things he talked about. She often stood at the door andwatched across the bog to see if anything was coming to her. 

A neighbor-woman came across the door-step one evening and Sheen wentinto the house after her, for she felt that something was going to betold. There was a dead man in a house. He had been found in the wood. Hewas known as the Hunter-King. Sheen stood at her bed and heard what theneighbor-woman said. 

The Hunter-King was being waked in the neighbor-woman's house, and hereldest daughter had been the corpse-watcher the first night. In themorning they found that the girl's hand had been withered. The woman'ssecond daughter was the corpse-watcher the second night and her righthand had been left trembling. This was the third and last night that theHunter-King would be waked, and to-night there was no one to watch hiscorpse. 

Sheen thought that nothing would ever happen in the world again, nowthat the Hunter-King was dead. She thought that there was no lonelinessso great as that of his corpse with no one to watch it on the laststrange night it would be above ground. The neighbor-woman went from theSpae-Woman and Sheen went after her. She was standing on the door-stepof her house. "Oh, colleen, " said the neighbor-woman, "I am wantinga girl to watch a corpse in my house to-night--the third and the lastnight for watching. Will you watch and I will give you a comb for yourhair?" Sheen showed that she would serve the woman and she went into thewake-house. At first she was afraid to look at the bed. Then she wentover and saw the Hunter-King with his face still, his eyes closed down, and the plate of salt on his breast. His gray gaunt hound was stretchedacross his feet. 

The woman and her daughters lighted candles and placed them in thewindow recesses and at the head of the corpse. Then they went into theirdormer-room and left Sheen to her watching. She sat at the fire and madeone fagot after another blaze up. She had brought her basket of bog-downand she began to spin a thread upon the neighbor-woman's wheel. 

She finished the thread and put it round her neck. Then she began tosearch for more candles so that she might be able to light one, asanother went out. But as she rose up all the candles went out all atonce. The hound started from the foot of the bed. Then she saw thecorpse sitting up stiffly in the place where it had been laid. 

Something in Sheen overcame her dread, and she went over to the corpseand took the salt that was on its breast and put it on its lips. Then avoice came from between the lips. "Fair Maid, " said the voice, "haveyou the courage to follow me? The others failed me and they have beenstricken. Are you faithful?" "I will follow you, " said Sheen. "Then, "said the corpse, "put your hands on my shoulders and come with me. Imust go over the Quaking Bog, and through the Burning forest, and acrossthe Icy Sea. " Sheen put her hands on his shoulders. A storm came andthey were swept through the roof of the house. They were carried throughthe night. Down they came on the ground and the dead man sprang awayfrom Sheen. She went to follow him and found her feet upon a shakingsod. They were on the Quaking Bog, she knew. The corpse of theHunter-King went ahead and she knew that she must keep it in sight. Hewent swiftly. The sod went under her feet and she was in the watery mud. She struggled out and jumped over a pool that was hidden with heather. All the time she was in dread that the figure that went before her soquickly would be lost to her. She sank and she struggled and she sprangacross pools and morasses. All the time what had been the corpse of theHunter-King went before her. 

Then she saw fires against the sky and she knew they were coming to theBurning Forest. The figure before her sprang across a ditch and wentinto the forest. Sheen sprang across it too. Burning branches fellacross her path as she went on. Hot winds burnt her face. Flames dazzledand smoke dazed her. But the figure before her went straight on andSheen went straight on too. 

The forest ended on a cliff. Below was the sea. The figure before herdived down and Sheen dived too. The cold chilled her to the marrow. Shethought the chill would drive the life out of her. But she saw the headof one swimming before her and she swam on. 

And then they were on land again. "Fair Maid, " said the corpse of theHunter-King, "put your hands on my shoulders again. " She put her handson his shoulders. A storm came and swept them away. They were driventhrough the roof of the neighbor-woman's house. The candle-wicksfluttered and light came on them again. She saw the hound standing inthe middle of the floor. She saw the corpse sitting where it had beenlaid and the eyes were now open. 

"Fair Maid, " said the voice of the Hunter-King, "you have brought meback to life. I am a man under enchantment. There is a witch-woman inthe wood that I gave my love to. She enchanted me so that the soul wasout of my body, and wandering away. It was my soul you followed. And theenchantment was to be broken when I found a heart so faithful that itwould follow my soul over the Quaking Bog, through the Burning Forestand across the Icy Sea. You have brought my soul and my life back tome. "

Then she ran out of the neighbor's house. The night after, in theSpae-Woman's house she finished weaving the threads that were on theloom. The next night she stitched the cloth and made the sixth shirt. The day after she went into the bog to gather the bog-down for theseventh shirt. She had gathered her basketful and was going through thewood about the hour of sunset. At the edge of the thin wood she saw theHunter-King standing. He took her hands and his were warm hands. Hisbrown face and his gentian-blue eyes were high and noble. And Sheenfelt a joy like the sharpness of a sword when he sang to her about thebrightness of her hair and the blue of her eyes. "O Maid, " said he, "is there anything that binds you to this place?" Sheen showed him thebog-down in the basket and the woven thread that was round her neck. "Come with me to my kingdom, " said he, "and you shall be my wife and thelove of my heart. " The next evening Sheen went with him. She took thesix shirts she had spun and woven and stitched. The Hunter-King liftedher before him on a black horse and they rode into his Kingdom. 

And now Sheen was the wife of the Hunter-King. She would have been happyif her husband's sisters had been kind. But they were jealous and theymade everything in the Castle unfriendly to her. And often they talkedbefore her brother saying that Sheen was not noble at all, and that thereason she did not speak was because her language was a base one. Theywatched her when she went out to gather bog-down in the daytime, andthey watched her when she spun by herself at night. Sheen longed for thedays and nights to pass so that the last threads might be spun and wovenand the last stitches put in the seventh shirt. Then her brothers wouldbe with her. She could tell the King about herself and silence the badtalk of his sisters. But as she neared the end of her task she becamemore and more in dread. 

The threads were spun and woven for the seventh shirt. The cloth wasmade and the first stitches were put in it. Then Sheen's little son wasborn. The King was away at the time, gathering his men together at farparts of the Kingdom, and he sent a message saying that Sheen and herbaby were to be well-minded, and that his sisters were not to leave thechamber where she was until he returned. 

On the third night, while Sheen was in her bed with her baby beside her, and while her sisters-in-law were in the room, a strange music was heardoutside. It was played all round the King's house. Whoever heard it fellinto deep slumber. The kern that were on guard slept. The maids thatwere whispering together fell into a slumber. And a deep sleep came uponSheen and her child and on her three sisters-in-law who watched in thechamber. 

Then a gray wolf that had been seen outside sprang in through the windowopening. He took Sheen's child in his mouth. He sprang back through thewindow opening and was seen about the place no more. Her sisters-in-lawwakened while Sheen still slept. They went to tend it and found thechild was gone. Then they were afraid of what their brother would do tothem for letting this happen. They made a plot to clear themselves, and before Sheen wakened they had killed a little beast and smeared itsblood upon the pillows of the bed. 

When the King came into his wife's chamber he saw his sisters on theground lamenting and tearing the hairs out of their heads. He went towhere his wife was sleeping and saw blood upon her hands and upon thepillows. He turned on his sisters with his sword in his hand. They criedout that they could not have prevented the thing that had happened--thatthe Queen had laid hands on the child and having killed it had thrownits body to the gray wolf that had been watching outside. 

And while they were speaking Sheen awakened. She put out her arms buther child was not beside her. She found blood upon the pillows. Thenshe heard her sisters-in-law accuse her to the King of having killed herchild and flung its body to the gray wolf outside. She fell into a swoonand when she came out of it her mind was lost to her. 

The King knelt to her and begged her to tell him what had happened. Butshe only knew she was to say no word. Then he used to watch her and hewondered why she cried no tear. On the fourth day after she rose fromher bed and searched the Castle for the piece of cloth she had spunand woven out of the bog-down. She found it and began to sew it for theseventh shirt. The King's sisters came to him and said, "The woman youbrought here is of another race from ours. She has forgotten that achild was born to her, and that she killed it and flung its body to thegray wolf. She sits there now just stitching a garment. " The King wentand saw her stitching and stitching as if her life depended on eachstitch she put into the cloth. He spoke to her and she looked up but didnot speak. Then the King's heart was hardened. He took her and broughther outside the gate of the Castle. "Go back to the people you camefrom, " said he, "for I cannot bear that you should be here, and notspeak to me of what has happened. " Sheen knew she was being sent fromthe house he had brought her to. A bitter cry came from her. Then thestitched cloth that was in her hand became bog-down and was blown awayon the breeze. When she saw this happen she turned from the King'sCastle and ran through the woods crying and crying. 

She went through the woods for many days, living on berries and thewater of springs. At last she came to the Spae-Woman's house. TheSpae-Woman was before the door and she welcomed Sheen back. She gave herdrinks she had made from strange herbs, and in a season Sheen's mind andhealth came back to her, and she knew all that had happened. She thoughtshe would win back her seven brothers, and then, with their help, winback her child and her husband. But she knew she would have to gatherthe bog-down, spin the threads and weave them all over again, asher tears and cries had broken her task. She told her story to theSpae-Woman. Then she went into silence again, gathering the bog-down andspinning the thread. 

But when the first thread was spun the memory of her child blew againsther heart and she cried tears down. The thread she had spun becamebog-down and was blown away. For days she wept and wept. Thenthe Spae-Woman said to her, "Commit the child you have lost toDiachbha--that is, to Destiny--and Diachbha may bring it about thathe shall be the one that will restore your seven brothers their humanforms. And when you have committed your lost little son to Diachbha goback to your husband and tell him all you have lived through. "

Sheen, believing in the Spae-Woman's wisdom, did what was told her. Shemade an image of her lost little son with leaves and left it on the topof the house where it was blown away by the winds. Then she was ready togo back to her husband and tell him all that had happened in her life. But on the day she was bringing the last pitcher of water from the wellshe met him on the path before her. "Do you remember that I carriedyou across the bog?" he said. "And do you remember that I followed yoursoul?" said she. 

These were the first words she ever spoke to him. They went backtogether to the Spae-Woman's and she told him all that had been in herlife. He told her how his sisters had acknowledged that they had spokenfalsely against her. 

He took her back to his own Kingdom, and there, as King and Queen theystill live. But the name she bears is not Sheen or Storm now. Two sonsmore were born to her. But her seven brothers are still seven wildgeese, and the Queen has found no trace of her first-born son. But theSpae-Woman has had a dream, and the dream has revealed this to her: theSon that Sheen lost is in the world, and if the maiden who will come tolove him, will give seven drops of her heart's blood, the Queen's sevenbrothers will regain their human forms. 

"So that is the Unique Tale, " said the Old Woman of Beare. "If you everfind out what went before it and what comes after it come back here andtell it to me. But I don't think you'll get the rest of it, " said she, "seeing that the two of you weren't able to count the horns outside. "She went on talking and talking, Gilly and the King's Son hearing whatshe said when she spoke in a sudden high voice, and not hearing whenshe murmured on as if talking to the ashes or to the pot or to thecorncrake, the cuckoo or the swallow that were picking grains off thefloor. "If you see Laheen the Eagle again, or Blackfoot the Elk or theCrow of Achill tell them to come and visit me sometime. I'm all alonehere except for my swallow and cuckoo and corncrake. And mind you, greatKings and Princes used to come to see me. " So she went on talking in lowtones and in sudden high tones. 

"You must come with me and help me to get the rest of the Unique Tale, "said the King of Ireland's Son. "That I'll do, " said Gilly of theGoatskin. "But I must get a name first. 

"Old Mother, " said he, to the Old Woman of Beare. "You must now give mea name. "

"I'll give you a name, " said the Old Woman of Beare, "but you must standbefore me and strip off the goatskin that covers you. "

Gilly pulled at the strings and the goatskin fell on the ground. The OldWoman of Beare nodded her head. "You have the stars on your breast thatdenote the Son of a King, " she said. 

"The Son of a King--me!" said Gilly of the Goatskin. "You have the starson your breast, " said the Old Woman of Beare. 

Gilly looked at himself and saw the three stars on his breast. "If I amthe Son of a King I never knew it until now, " he said. 

"You are the son of a King, " said the Old Woman of Beare, "and I willgive you a name when you come back to me. But I want you, first of all, to find out what happened to the Crystal Egg. "

"The Crystal Egg!" said Gilly in great surprise. 

"The Crystal Egg indeed, " said the Old Woman of Beare. "You must knowthat it was stolen out of the nest of Laheen the Eagle, and the creaturethat stole it was the Crow of Achill. But what happened to the CrystalEgg after that no one knows. "

"I myself had it after that, " said Gilly, "and it was stolen from me byRory the Fox. And then it was put under a goose to hatch. " "A goose tohatch the Crystal Egg after an Eagle had half-hatched it! Aye, aye, tobe sure, that's right, " said the Old Woman of Beare. "And now you mustgo and find out what happened to it. Go now, and when you come back Iwill give you your name. "

"I will do that, " said Gilly of the Goatskin. Then he turned to theKing's Son. "Three days before Midsummer's Day meet me on the road tothe Town of the Red Castle, and I will go with you to find out what wentbefore and what comes after the Unique Tale, " he said. 

"I will meet you, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

The two youths went to the table and ate slices of the unwasted loafand drank draughts from the inexhaustible bottle. "I shall stay here topractise sword-cuts and sword-thrusts, " said the King's Son, "until fourdays before Midsummer's Day. " The two youths went to the door. 

"Seven waves of good-luck to you, Old Woman of Beare, " said Gilly of theGoatskin. 

"May your double be slain and yourself remain, " said the King's Son. Then they went out together, but not along the same path did the twoyouths go. 

Gilly slept as he traveled that night, for he fell in with a man who wasdriving a load of hay to the fair, and when he got into the cart he layagainst the hay and slept. When he parted with the carter he cut a hollystick and journeyed along the road by himself. At the fall of night hecame to a place that made him think he had been there before: he lookedaround and then he knew that this was the place he had lived in when hehad the Crystal Egg. He looked to see if the house was there: itwas, and people were living in it, for he saw smoke coming out of thechimney. It was dark now and Gilly thought he could not do better thantake shelter in that house. 

He went to the door and knocked. There was a lot of rattling behind, and then a crooked old woman opened the door to him. "What do you want?"said she. 

"Can I have shelter here for to-night, ma'am?" said Gilly. 

"You can get no shelter hem, " said the old woman, "and I'd advise you tobegone. "

"May I ask who lives here?" said Gilly, putting his foot inside thedoor. 

"Six very honest men whose business keeps them out until two and threein the morning, " said the crooked old woman. 

Gilly guessed that the honest men whose business kept them out untiltwo and three in the morning were the robbers he had heard about. And hethought they might be the very men who had carried off the Spae-Woman'sgoose and the Crystal Egg along with it. "Would you tell me, goodwoman, " said Gilly, "did your six honest men ever bring to this house anold hatching goose?"

"They did indeed, " said the crooked woman, "and a heart-scald the sameold hatching goose is. It goes round the house and round the house, trying to hatch the cups I leave out of my hands. "

Then Gilly pushed the door open wide and stepped into the house. 

"Don't stay in the house, " said the crooked old woman. "I'll tell youthe truth now. My masters are robbers, and they'll skin you alive ifthey find you here when they come back in the morning. "

"It's more likely I'll skin them alive, " said Gilly, and he lookedso fierce that he fairly frightened the old woman. "And if you don'tsatisfy me with supper and a bed I'll leave you to meet them hangingfrom the door. "

The crooked old woman was so terrified that she gave him a supper ofporridge and showed him a bed to sleep in. He turned in and slept. Hewas roused by a candle being held to his eyes. He wakened up and saw sixrobbers standing round him with knives in their hands. 

"What brings you under our roof?" said the Captain. "Answer me nowbefore we skin you as we would skin an eel. "

"Speak up and answer the Captain, " said the robbers. 

"Why shouldn't I be under this roof?" said Gilly. "I am the Master-Thiefof the World. "

The robbers put their hands on their knees and laughed at that. Gillyjumped out of the bed. "I have come to show you the arts of thievery androguery, " said he. "I'll show you some tricks that will let you hold upyour heads amongst the thieves and robbers of the world. "

He looked so bold and he spoke so bold that the robbers began to thinkhe might have some reason for talking as he did. They left him and wentoff to their beds. Gilly slept again. At the broad noon they were allsitting at breakfast--Gilly and the six robbers. A farmer went pastleading a goat to the fair. 

"Could any of you steal that goat without doing any violence to the manwho is driving it?" said Gilly. 

"I couldn't, " said one robber, and "I couldn't, " said another robber, and "I'd be hardly able to do that myself, " said the Captain of theRobbers. 

"I can do it, " said Gilly. "I'll be back with the goat before you arethrough with your breakfast. " He went outside. 

Gilly knew that country well and he ran through the wood until he wasa bend of the road ahead of the farmer who was leading his goat to thefair. He took off one shoe and left it in the middle of the road. Heran on then until he was round another bend of the road. He took off theother shoe and left it down. Then he hid behind the hedge and waited. 

The farmer came to where the first shoe was. "That's not a bad shoe, "said he, "and if there was a comrade for it, it would be worth pickingup. " He went on then and came to where the other shoe was lying. "Hereis the comrade, " said he, "and it's worth my while now to go back forthe first. "

He tied the goat to the mile-stone and went back. As soon as the farmerhad turned his back, Gilly took the collar off the goat, left it on themilestone and took the goat through a gap in the hedge. He brought itto the house before the robbers were through with their breakfast. Theywere all terribly surprised. The Captain began to bite at his nails. 

The farmer, with the two shoes under his arm, came to where he had leftthe goat. The goat was gone and its collar was left on the milestone. Heknew that a robber had taken his goat. "And I had promised Ann, mywife, to buy her a new shawl at the fair, " said he. "She'll never stopscolding me if I go back to her now with one hand as long as the other. The best thing I can do is to take a sheep out of my field and sellthat. Then when she is in good humor on account of getting the shawlI'll tell her about the loss of my goat. " So the farmer went back to thefield. 

They were sitting down to a game of cards after breakfast--the sixrobbers and Gilly--when they saw the farmer going past with the sheep. "I'll be bound that he'll watch that sheep more closely than he watchedthe goat, " said one of the robbers. "Could any of you steal that sheepwithout doing him any violence?" said Gilly. "I couldn't, " said onerobber, and "I couldn't, " said another robber. "I could hardly do thatmyself, " said the Captain of the Robbers. "I'll bring the sheep herebefore you're through with the game of cards, " said Gilly. 

The farmer was just past the milestone when he saw a man hanging on atree. "The saints between us and harm, " said he, "do they hang men alongthis road?" Now the man hanging from the tree was Gilly. He had fastenedhimself to a branch with his belt, putting it under his arm-pits. Heslipped down from the branch and ran till he was ahead of the farmer. The farmer saw another man hanging from a tree. "The saints preserveus, " said he, "sure; it's not possible that they hanged two men alongthis road?" Gilly slipped down from that tree too and ran on until hewas ahead of the farmer again. The farmer saw a third man hanging froma tree. "Am I leaving my senses?" said he. "I'll go back and see if theother men are hanging there as I thought they were. " He tied the sheepto a bush and went back. As soon as he turned, Gilly slipped down fromthe tree, took the sheep through a gap, and got back to the robbersbefore they were through with the game. All the robbers said it wasa wonderful thing he had done. The Captain of the Robbers was leftstanding by himself scratching his head. 

The farmer found no men hanging on trees and he thought he was out ofhis mind. He came back and he found his sheep gone. "What will I donow?" said he. "I daren't let Ann know I lost a goat and a sheep untilI put her into good humor by showing the shawl I bought her at the fair. There's nothing to be done now, but take a bullock out of the field andsell it at the fair. " He went to the field then, took a bullock out ofit, and passed the house just as the robbers were lighting their pipes. "If he watched the goat and the sheep closely he'll watch the bullocknine times as closely, " said one of the robbers. 

"Which of you could take the bullock without doing the man anyviolence?" said Gilly. "I couldn't, " said one robber, and "I couldn't, "said another robber. "If you could do it, " said the Captain of theRobbers to Gilly, "I'll resign my command and give it to you. " "Done, "said Gilly, and he went out of the house again. 

He went quickly through the wood, and when he came near where the farmerwas he began to bleat like a goat. The farmer stopped and listened. ThenGilly began to baa like the sheep. "That sounds very like my goat andsheep, " said the farmer. "Maybe they weren't taken at all, but juststrayed off. If I can get them now, I needn't make any excuses to Ann mywife. " He tied the bullock to a tree and went into the wood. As soon ashe did, Gilly slipped out, took the bullock by the rope and hurried backto the house. The robbers were gathered at the door to watch for hiscoming back. When they saw him with the bullock they threw up theirhats. "This man must be our Captain, " they said. The Captain was bitinghis lips and his nails. At last he took off his hat with the feathers init and gave it to Gilly. "You're our Captain now, " said the robbers. 

Gilly ordered that the goat, the sheep and the bullock be put into thebyre, that the door be locked and the key be given to him. All that wasdone. Then said he to all the robbers, "I demand to know what became ofthe Crystal Egg that was with the goose you stole from the Spae-Woman. ""The Crystal Egg, " said one of the robbers. "It hatched, and a queerbird came out of it. " "Where is that bird now?" said Gilly. "On thewaves of the lake near at hand, " said the robbers. "We see it everyday. " "Take me to the lake till I see the Bird out of the Crystal Egg, "said Gilly. They locked the door of the house behind them, and theseven, Gilly at their head, wearing the hat with feathers, marched downto the lake. 

XVI

Then they showed him the bird that was on the waves of the lake--a swanshe was and she floated proudly. The swan came towards them and as shedrew nearer they could hear her voice. The sounds she made were notlike any sound of birds, but like the sounds bards make chanting theirverses. Words came on high notes and low notes, but they were like wordsin a strange language. And still the swan chanted as she drew near tothe shore where Gilly and the six robbers stood. 

She spread out her wings, and, raising her neck she curved it, whileshe stayed watching the men on the bank. "Hear the Swan of EndlessTales--the Swan of Endless Tales" she sang in words they knew. Then sheraised herself out of the water, turned round in the air, and flew backto the middle of the lake. 

"Time for us to be leaving the place when there is a bird on the lakethat can speak like that, " said Mogue, who had been the Captain of theRobbers. "To-night I'm leaving this townland. "

"And I am leaving too, " said another robber. "And I too, " said another. "And I may be going away from this place, " said Gilly of the Goatskin. 

The robbers went away from him and back to the house and Gilly sat bythe edge of the lake waiting to see if the Swan of Endless Tales wouldcome back and tell him something. She did not come. As Gilly sat therethe farmer who had lost his goat, his sheep and his bullock came by. Hewas dragging one foot after the other and looking very downcast. "Whatis the matter with you, honest man?" said Gilly. 

The farmer told him how he had lost his goat, his sheep and his bullock. He told him how he had thought he heard his goat bleating and his sheepba'ing, and how he went through the wood to search for them, and how hisbullock was gone when he came back to the road. "And what to say tomy wife Ann I don't know, " said he, "particularly as I have brought noshawl to put her in good humor. Heavy is the blame she'll give me onaccount of my losing a goat, a sheep and a bullock. "

Gilly took a key out of his pocket. "Do you see this key?" said he. "Take it and open the byre door at such a place, and you'll find in thatbyre your goat, your sheep and your bullock. There are robbers in thathouse, but if they try to prevent your taking your own tell them thatall the threshers of the country are coming to beat them with flails. "The farmer took the key and went away very thankful to Gilly. The storysays that he got back his goat, his sheep and his bullock and made it anexcuse that he had seen three magpies on the road for not going to thefair to buy a shawl for his wife Ann. The robbers were very frightenedwhen he told them about the threshers coming and they went away fromthat part of the country. 

As for Gilly, he thought he would go back to the Old Woman of Beare forhis name. He took the path by the edge of the lake. And as he journeyedalong with his holly-stick in his hand he heard the Swan of EndlessTales chanting. 

THE TOWN OF THE RED CASTLE

I

Flann was the name that the Old Woman of Beare gave to Gilly of theGoatskin when he came back to tell her that the Swan of Endless Taleshad been hatched out of the Crystal Egg. He went from her house then andcame to where the King of Ireland's Son waited for him. The two comradeswent along a well-traveled road. As they went on they fell in with mendriving herds of ponies, men carrying packs on their backs, men withtools for working gold and silver, bronze and iron. Every man whom theyasked said, "We are going to the Town of the Red Castle, and to thegreat fair that will be held there. " The King's Son and Flann thoughtthey should go to the Town of the Red Castle too, for where so manypeople would be, there was a chance of hearing what went before and whatcame after the Unique Tale. So they went on. 

And when they had come to a well that was under a great rock those whomthey were with halted. They said it was the custom for the merchantsand sellers to wait there for a day and to go into the Town of the RedCastle the day following. "On this day, " they said, "the people of theTown celebrate the Festival of Midsummer, and they do not like a greatcompany of people to go into their Town until the Festival is over. "

The King of Ireland's Son and Flann went on, and they were let into thetown. The people had lighted great fires in their market-place and theywere driving their cattle through the fires: "If there be evil on you, may it burn, may it burn, " they were crying. They were afraid thatwitches and enchanters might come into the town with the merchants andthe sellers, and that was the reason they did not permit a great companyto enter. 

The fires in all their houses had been quenched that day, and they mightnot be lighted except from the fires the cattle had gone through. Thefires were left blazing high and the King's Son and Flann spent hourswatching them, and watching the crowds that were around. 

Then the time came to take fire to the houses. They who came for firewere all young maidens. Each came into the light of one of the greatfires, took coals from a fire that had burnt low, placed them in a newearthen vessel and went away. Flann thought that all the maidens werebeautiful and wonderful, although the King's Son told him that some wereblack-faced, and some crop-headed and some hunchbacked. Then a maidencame, who was so high above the rest that Flann had no words to speak ofher. 

She had silver on her head and silver on her arms, and the people aroundthe fires all bowed to her. She had black, black hair and she had asmiling face--not happily smiling, but proudly smiling. Flann thoughtthat a star had bent down with her. And when she had taken the fire andhad gone away, Flann said, "She is surely the King's daughter!"

"She is, " said the King of Ireland's Son. "The people here have spokenher name. " "What is her name?" asked Flann. "It is Lassarina, " said theKing's Son, "Flame-of-Wine. "

"Shall we see her again?" said Flann. 

"That I do not know, " said the King's Son. "Come now, and let us ask thepeople here if they have knowledge of the Unique Tale. "

"Wait, " said Flann, "they are talking about Princess Flame-of-Wine. " Hedid not move, but listened to what was said. All said that the King'sdaughter was proud. Some said she was beautiful, but others answeredthat her lips were thin, and her eyes were mocking. No other maidenscame for fire. Flann stood before the one that still blazed, and thoughtand thought. The King's Son asked many if they had knowledge of theUnique Tale, but no one had heard of it. Some told him that there wouldbe merchants and sellers from many parts of the world at the fair thatwould be held on the morrow, and that there would be a chance of meetingone who had knowledge of it. Then the King's Son went with one whobrought him to a Brufir's--that is, to a House of Hospitality maintainedby the King for strangers. As for Flann, he sat looking into the fireuntil it died down, and then he slept before it. 

II

Flann was wakened by a gander and his flock of geese that stood roundhim; shook their wings and set up their goose-gabble. It was day then, although there was still a star in the sky. He threw furze-roots wherethere was a glow, and made a fire blaze up again. Then the dogs of thetown came down to look at him, and then stole away. 

Horns were blown outside, and the watchman opened the gates. Flann shookhimself and stood up to see the folk that were coming in. First came themen who drove the mountain ponies that had lately fed with the deerin wild places. Then came men in leathern jerkins who led wide-hornedbulls--a black bull and a white bull, and a white bull and a black bull, one after the other. Then there were men who brought in high, swifthounds, three to each leash they held. Women in brown cloaks carriedcages of birds. Men carried on their shoulders and in their belts toolsfor working gold and silver, bronze and iron. And there were calves andsheep, and great horses and weighty chariots, and colored cloths, andthings closed in packs that merchants carried on their shoulders. The famous bards, and story-tellers and harpists would not come untilnoon-time when the business of the fair would have abated, but with thecrowd of beggars came ballad-singers, and the tellers of the storiesthat were called "Go-by-the-Market-Stake, " because they were told aroundthe stake in the market place and were very common. 

And at the tail of the comers whom did Flann see but Mogue, the Captainof the Robbers!

Mogue wore a hare-skin cap, his left eye protruded as usual, and hewalked limpingly. He had a pack on his back, and he led a small, swiftlooking horse of a reddish color. Flann called to him as he passed andMogue gave a great start. He grinned when he saw it was Flann and walkedup to him. 

"Mogue, " said Flann, "what are you doing in the Town of the Red Castle?"

"I'm here to sell a few things, " said Mogue, "this little horse, " saidhe, "and a few things I have in my pack. "

"And where are your friends?" asked Flann. "My band, do you mean?"said Mogue. "Sure, they all left me when you proved you were the betterrobber. What are you doing here?"

"I have no business at all, " said Flann. 

"By the Hazel! that's what I like to hear you say. Join me then. You andme would do well together. "

"I won't join you, " said Flann. 

"I'd rather have you with me than the whole of the band. What were theyanyway? Cabbage-heads!" Mogue winked with his protruding eye. "Wait tillyou see me again, " said he. "I've the grandest things in my pack. " Hewent on leading the little horse. Then Flann set out to look for theKing's Son. 

He found him at the door of the Brufir's, and they drank bowls of milkand ate oaten bread together, and then went to the gate of the town towatch the notable people who were coming in. 

And with the bards and harpers and Kings' envoys who came in, the King'sSon saw his two half-brothers, Dermott and Downal. He hailed them andthey knew him and came up to him gladly. The King's Son made Flann knownto them, saying that he too was the son of a King. 

They looked fine youths, Downal and Dermott, in their red cloaks, withtheir heads held high, and a brag in their walk and their words. Theyleft their horses with the grooms and walked with Flann and the King'sSon. They were tall and ruddy; the King's Son was more brown in thehair and more hawk-like in the face: the three were different from thedark-haired, dark-eyed, red-lipped lad to whom the Old Woman of Bearehad given the name of Flann. 

No one had seen the King who lived in the Red Castle, Dermott and Downaltold the other two. He was called the Wry-faced King, and, on account ofhis disfigurement, he let no one but his Councilors see him. 

"We are to go to his Castle to-day, " said Dermott and Downal. "You cometoo, brother, " said he to the King's Son. 

"And you too, comrade, " said Downal to Flann. "Why should we not all go?By Ogma! Are we not all sons of Kings?"

Flann wondered if he would see the King's daughter, Flame-of-Wine. Hewould surely go to the Castle. 

They drank ale, played chess and talked until it was afternoon. Then thegrooms who were with Downal and Dermott brought the four youths new redcloaks. They put them on and went towards the King's Castle. 

"Brother, " said Dermott to the King's Son, "I want to tell you that weare not going back to our father's Castle nor to his Kingdom. We havetaken the world for our pillow. We are going to leave the grooms asleepone fine morning, and go as the salmon goes down the river. "

"Why do you want to leave our father's Kingdom?"

"Because we don't want to rule nor to learn to rule. We'll let you, brother, do all that. We're going to learn the trade of a sword-smith. We would make fine swords. And with the King of Senlabor there is afamous sword-smith, and we are going to learn the trade from him. "

The four went to the Red Castle, and they were brought in and they wentand sat on the benches to wait for the King's Steward who would receivethem. And while they waited they watched the play of a pet fox inthe courtyard. Flann was wondering all the time if the PrincessFlame-of-Wine would pass through the court-yard or come into the hallwhere they waited. 

Then he saw her come up the courtyard. She saw the youths in the halland she turned round to watch the pet fox for a while. Then she cameinto the chamber and stood near the door. 

She wore a mask across her face, but her brow and mouth and chin wereshown. The youths saluted her, and she bent her head to them. One of thewomen who had brought birds to the Fair followed her, bringing a cage. Flame-of-Wine talked to this woman in a strange language. 

Although she talked to the woman, Flann saw that she watched his threecompanions. Him she did not notice, because the bench on which he satwas behind the others. Flame-of-Wine looked at the King's Son first, and then turned her eyes from him. She bent her head to listen to whatDownal and Dermott were saying. Flann she did not look at at all, and hebecame sick at heart of the Red Castle. 

The King's Steward came into the Hall and when he announced who theyouths were--three sons of the King of Ireland traveling with theirfoster-brother--Flame-of-Wine went over and spoke to them. "May we seeyou to-morrow, Kings' Sons, " she said. "To-morrow is our feast of theGathering of Apples. It might be pleasant for you to hear music in theKing's garden. "

She smiled on Downal and Dermott and on the King's Son and went out ofthe Chamber. The King's Steward feasted the four youths and afterwardsmade them presents. But Flann did not heed what he ate nor what he heardsaid, nor what present was given him. 

III

The four youths left the Castle and Downal and Dermott took their ownway when they came to the foot-bridge that was across the river. Thenwhen they were crossing it the King's Son and Flann saw two figures--amiddle-aged, sturdy man and an old, broken-looking woman--meet beforethe Bull's Field. "It is the Gobaun Saor, " said the King's Son. "It isthe Spae-Woman, " said Flann. They went to them, each wishing to greethis friend and helper. 

There they saw a sturdy, middle-aged man and a broken-looking old woman. But the woman looking on the man saw one who had full wisdom to plan andfull strength to build, whose wisdom and whose strength could neithergrow nor diminish. And the man looking on the woman saw one whose browhad all quiet, whose heart had all benignity. "Hail, Gobaun, Builder forthe Gods, " said the woman. "Hail, Grania Oi, Reconciler for the Gods, "said the man. 

Then the two youths came swiftly up to them, and the King's Son greetedthe middle-aged man, and Flann kissed the hands of the old woman. 

"What of your search, King's Son?" said the Gobaun Saor. 

"I have found the Unique Tale, but not what went before nor what comesafter it, " said the King's Son. 

"I will clear the Sword of Light of its stain when you bring me thewhole of the Unique Tale, " said the Gobaun Saor. 

"I would search the whole world for it, " said the King's Son. "But nowthe time is becoming short for me. " "Be quick and active, " said theGobaun Saor. "I have set up my forge, " said he, "outside the townbetween two high stones. When you bring the whole of the Tale to me Ishall clear your sword. "

"Will you not tell him, Gobaun Saor, " said the Spae-Woman, "where he mayfind the one who will tell him the rest of the story?"

"If he sees one he knows in this town, " said the Gobaun Saor, "let himmount a horse he has mounted before and pursue that one and force him totell what went before and what comes after the Unique Tale. "

Saying this the Gobaun Saor turned away and walked along the road thatwent out of the town. 

The Spae-Woman had brought besoms to the town to sell. She showed thetwo youths the little house she lived in while she was there. It wasfilled with the heather-stalks which she bound together for besoms. 

They left the Spae-Woman and went through the town, the King ofIreland's Son searching every place for a man he knew or a horse he hadmounted before, while Flann thought about the Princess Flame-of-Wine, and how little she considered him beside the King's Son and Dermottand Downal. They came to where a crowd was standing before a conjurer'sbooth. They halted and stood waiting for the conjurer to appear. He cameout and put a ladder standing upright with nothing to lean against andbegan climbing up. Up, up, up, he went, and the ladder grew higher andhigher as he climbed. Flann thought he would climb into the sky. Thenthe ladder got smaller and smaller and Flann saw the conjurer comingdown on the other side. "He has come here to take that horse, " said avoice behind the King of Ireland's Son. 

The King's Son looked round, and on the outskirts of the crowd he saw aman with a hare-skin cap and a protruding eye who was holding a reddishhorse, while he watched the conjuror. The King of Ireland's Son knew thehorse--it was the Slight Red Steed that had carried him and Fedelma fromthe Enchanter's house and had brought him to the Cave where he had foundthe Sword of Light. He looked at the conjuror again and he saw he wasno other than the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands. Then it crossed hismind what the Gobaun Saor had said to him. 

He had seen a man he knew and a horse he had mounted before. He was tomount that horse, follow the man, and force him to tell the rest of theUnique Tale. 

The King's Son drew back to the outskirts of the crowd. He snatched thebridle from the hands of Mogue, the man who held it, and jumped up onthe back of the Slight Red Steed. 

As soon as he did this the ladder that was standing upright fell on theground. The people shouted and broke away. And then the King's Son sawthe Enchanter jump across a house and make for the gate of the town. 

But if he could jump across a house so could the Slight Red Steed. TheKing's Son turned its head, plucked at its rein, and over the same houseit sprang too. The more he ran the more swift the Enchanter became. Hejumped over the gate of the town, the Slight Red Steed after him. Hewent swiftly across the country, making high springs over ditches andhedges. No other steed but the Slight Red Steed could have kept itsrider in sight of him. 

IV

Up hill and down dale the Enchanter went, but, mounted on the Slight RedSteed, the King of Ireland's Son was in hot pursuit. The Enchanter racedup the side of the seventh hill, and when the King's Son came to the topof it he found no one in sight. 

He raced on, however, and he passed a dead man hanging from a tree. Heraced on and on, but still the Enchanter was not to be seen. Then thethought came into his mind that the man who was hanging from the treeand who he thought was dead was the crafty old Enchanter. He turned theSlight Red Steed round and raced back. The man that had been hangingfrom the tree was there no longer. 

The King's Son turned his horse amongst the trees and began to searchfor the Enchanter. He found no trace of him. "I have lost again, " hesaid. Then he threw the bridle on the neck of the horse and he said, "Goyour own way now, my Slight Red Steed. "

When he said that the Slight Red Steed twitched its ears and gallopedtowards the West. It went through woods and across streams, and when thecrows were flying home and the kites were flying abroad it brought theKing's Son to a stone house standing in the middle of a bog. "It may bethe Enchanter is in this house, " said the King's Son. He jumped off theSlight Red Steed, pushed the door of the house open, and there, seatedon a chair in the middle of the floor with a woman sitting beside him, was the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands. "So, " said the Enchanter, "mySlight Red Steed has brought you to me. "

"So, " said the King's Son, "I have found you, my crafty old Enchanter. "

"And now that you have found me, what do you want of me?" said theEnchanter. 

"Your head, " said the King's Son, drawing the tarnished Sword of Light. 

"Will nothing less than my head content you?" said the Enchanter. 

"Nothing less--unless it be what went before, and what comes after theUnique Tale. "

"The Unique Tale, " said the Enchanter. "I will tell you what I know ofit. " Thereupon he began

I was a Druid and the Son of a Druid, and I had learned the language ofthe birds. And one morning, as I walked abroad, I heard a blackbird anda robin talking, and when I heard what they said I smiled to myself. 

"Now the woman I had just married noticed that I kept smiling, and shequestioned me. 'Why do you keep smiling to yourself?' I would not tellher. 'Is that not the truth? '" said the Enchanter to a woman who satbeside him. "It is the truth, " said she. 

"On the third day I was still smiling to myself, and my wife questionedme, and when I did not answer threw dish-water into my face. 'Mayblindness come upon you if you do not tell me why you are smiling, ' saidshe. Then I told her why I smiled to myself. I had heard what the birdssaid. The blackbird said to the robin, 'Do you know that just underwhere we are sitting are three rods of enchantment, and if one were totake one of them and strike a man with it, he would be changed to anycreature one named?' That is what I had heard the birds say and I smiledbecause I was the only creature who knew about the rods of enchantment. 

"My wife made me show her where the rods were. She cut one of them whenI went away. That evening she came behind me and struck me with a rod. 'Go out now and roam as a wolf, ' she said, and there and then I waschanged into a wolf. 'Is that not true?'" said he to the woman. "It istrue, " she said. 

"And being changed into a wolf, I went through the woods seeking wolf'smeat. And now you must ask my wife to tell you more of the story. " TheKing of Ireland's Son turned to the woman who sat on the seat next theEnchanter, and asked her to tell him more of the story. And thereuponshe began

Before all that happened I was known as the Maid of the Green Mantle. One day a King rode up a mountain with five score followers and a mistcame on them as they rode. The King saw his followers no more. He calledout after a while and four score answered him. And he called out againafter another while and two score answered him. And after another whilehe called out again and only a score answered him through the mist, andwhen he called out again no one answered him at all. 

"The King went up the mountain until he came to the place where I livedwith the Druids who reared me. He stayed long in that place. The Kingloved me for a while and I loved the King, and when he went away Ifollowed him. 

"Because he would not come back to me I enchanted him so that therewere times when he was left between life and death. Once when he wasseemingly dead a girl watched by him, and she followed his spirit intomany terrible places and so broke my enchantment. "

"Sheen was the girl's name, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"Sheen was her name, " said the woman. "He brought her to his Kingdom, and made her his queen. After that I married the man who is herenow--the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands, the Son of the Druid of theGray Rock. Ask him now to tell you the rest of the story. "

When she changed me into a gray wolf, " said the Enchanter, "I wentthrough the woods searching for what a wolf might eat, but could findnothing to stay my hunger. Then I came back and stood outside my houseand the woman who had been called the Maid of the Green Mantle came tome. 'I will give you back your human form, ' she said, 'if you do as Ibid you. '

"I promised her I would do as she bade. 

"She bade me go to a King's house where a child had been born. She bademe steal the child away. I went to the King's house. I went into thechamber and I stole the child from the mother's side. Then I ran throughthe woods. But in the end I fell into a trap that the Giant Crom Duv hadset for the wolves that chased his stray cattle. 

"For a night I lay in the trap with the child beside me. Then Crom Duvcame and lifted out wolf and child. Three Hags with Long Teeth werethere when he took us out of the trap, and he gave the child to one ofthem, telling her to rear it so that the child might be a servant forhim. 

"He put me into a sack, promising himself that he would give me a goodbeating. He left me on the floor of his house. But while he was gone forhis club I bit my way out of the sack and made my escape. I came backto my own house, and my wife struck me with the wand of enchantment, andchanged me from a wolf into a man again. 'Is that not true?'" said he tothe woman. 

"It is true, " said she. 

"That is all of the Unique Tale that I know, " said the Enchanter ofthe Black Back-Lands, "and now that I have told it to you, put up yoursword. "

"I will put up no sword, " said the King of Ireland's Son, "until youtell me what King and Queen were the father and mother of the child thatwas reared by the Hags of the Long Teeth. "

"I made no promise to tell you that, " said the En-chanter of the BlackBack-Lands. "You have got the story you asked for, and now let me seeyour back going through my door. "

"Yes, you have got the story, and be off with you now, " said the womanwho sat by the fire. 

He put up his sword; he went to the door; he left the house of theEnchanter of the Black Back-Lands. He mounted the Slight Red Steed androde off. He knew now what went before and what came after the UniqueTale. The Gobaun Saor would clean the blemish of the blade of the Swordof Light and would show him how to come to the Land of Mist. Then hewould win back his love Fedelma. 

He thought too on the tidings he had for his comrade Flann--Flann wasthe Son of the King who was called the Hunter-King and of Sheen whosebrothers had been changed into seven wild geese. He shook his horse'sreins and went back towards the Town of the Red Castle. 

V

Flann thought upon the Princess Flame-of-Wine. He walked through thetown after the King's Son had ridden after the Enchanter, withoutnoticing anyone until he heard a call and saw Mogue standing beside alittle tent that he had set up before the Bull's Field. 

Flann went to Mogue and found him very disconsolate on account of theloss of the horse he had brought into the town. "This is a bad town tobe in, " said Mogue, "and unless I persuade yourself to become partnerswith me I shall have done badly in it. Join with me now and we'll dosome fine feats together. "

"It would not become a King's Son to join with a robber-captain, " saidFlann. 

"Fine talk, fine talk, " said Mogue. He thought that Flann was jestingwith him when he spoke of himself as a King's Son. 

"I want to sell three treasures I have with me, " said Mogue. "I have themost wonderful things that were ever brought into this town. "

"Show them to me, " said Flann. 

Mogue opened one of his packs and took out a box. When he opened thisbox a fragrance came such as Flann had never felt before. "What is thatthat smells like a garden of sweet flowers?" said Flann. 

"It is the Rose of Sweet Smells, " said Mogue, and he took a little roseout of the box. "It never withers and its fragrance is never any less. It is a treasure for a King's daughter. But I will not show it in thistown. "

"And what is that shining thing in the box?"

"It is the Comb of Magnificence. That is another treasure for a King'sdaughter. The maiden who would wear it would look the most queenly womanin the Kingdom. But I won't show that either. "

"What else have you, Mogue?"

"A girdle. The woman who wears it would have to speak the truth. " TheTown of

Flann thought he would do much to get the Rose of Sweet Smells orthe Comb of Magnificence and bring them as presents to the PrincessFlame-of-Wine. 

He slept in Mogue's tent, and at the peep of day, he rose up and wentto the House of Hospitality where Dermott and Downal were. With them hewould go to the King's orchard, and he would see, and perhaps hewould speak to, Flame-of-Wine. But Dermott and Downal were not in theBrufir's. Flann wakened their grooms and he and they made search for thetwo youths. But there was no trace of Dermott and Downal. It seemed theyhad left before daybreak with their horses. Flann went with the groomsto the gate of the town. There they heard from the watchman that the twoyouths had gone through the gate and that they had told the watchman totell the grooms that they had gone to take the world for their pillow. 

The grooms were dismayed to hear this, and so indeed was Flann. Withoutthe King's Son and without Downal and Dermott how would he go to theKing's Garden? He went back to Mogue's tent to consider what heshould do. And first he thought he would not go to the Festival of theGathering of the Apples, as he knew that Flame-of-Wine had only askedhim with his comrades. And then he thought that whatever else happenedhe would go to the King's orchard and see Flame-of-Wine. 

If he had one of the wonderful things that Mogue had shown him--the Roseof Sweet Smells or the Comb of Magnificence! These would show her thathe was of some consequence. If he had either of these wonderful thingsand offered it to her she might be pleased with him!

He sat outside the tent and waited for Mogue to return. When he cameFlann said to him, "I will go with you as a servant, and I will serveyou well although I am a King's Son, if you will give me something now. "

"What do you want from me?" said Mogue. 

"Give me the Rose of Sweet Smells, " said Flann. 

"Sure that's the finest thing I have. I couldn't give you that. "

"I will serve you for two years if you will give it to me, " said Flann. 

"No, " said Mogue. 

"I will serve you for three years if you will give it to me, " saidFlann. 

"I will give it to you if you will serve me for three years. " ThereuponMogue opened his pack and took the box out. He opened it and put theRose of Sweet Smells into Flann's hand. 

At once Flann started off for the King's orchard. The Steward who hadseen him the day before signed to the servants to let him pass throughthe gate. He went into the King's orchard. 

Maidens were singing the "Song for the Time of the Blossoming of theApple-trees" and all that day and night Flann held their song in hismind

 The touch of hands that drew it down Kindled to blossom all the bough O breathe the wonder of the branch, And let it through the darkness go!

Youths were gathering apples, and the Princess Flame-of-Wine walked byherself on the orchard paths. 

At last she came to where Flann stood and lifting her eyes she looked athim. "I had companions, " said Flann, "but they have gone away. "

"They are unmannerly, " said Flame-of-Wine with anger, and she turnedaway. 

Flann took the rose from under his cloak. Its fragrance came toFlame-of-Wine and she turned to him again. 

"This is the Rose of Sweet Smells, " said Flann. "Will you take it fromme, Princess?"

She came back to him and took the rose in her hand, and there was wonderin her face. 

"It will never wither, and its fragrance will never fail, " said Flann. "It is the Rose of Sweet Smells. A King's daughter should have it. "

Flame-of-Wine held the rose in her hand, and smiled on Flann. "What isyour name, King's Son?" said she, with bright and friendly eyes. 

"Flann, " he said. 

"Walk with me, Flann, " said she. They walked along the orchard paths, and the youths and maidens turned towards the fragrance that the Rose ofSweet Smells gave. Flame-of-Wine laughed, and said, "They all wonder atthe treasure you have brought me, Flann. If you could hear what I shalltell them about you! I shall tell them that you are the son of a King ofArabia--no less. They will believe me because you have brought me such atreasure! I suppose there is nothing more wonderful than this rose!"

Then Flann told her about the other wonderful thing he had seen--theComb of Magnificence. "A King's daughter should have such a treasure, "said Flame-of-Wine. "Oh, how jealous I should be if someone brought theComb of Magnificence to either of my two sisters--to Bloom-of-Youthor Breast-of-Light. I should think then that this rose was not such atreasure after all. "

When he was leaving the orchard she plucked a flower and gave it to him. "Come and walk in the orchard with me to-morrow, " she said. 

"Surely I will come, " said Flann. 

"Bring the Comb of Magnificence to me too, " said she. "I could not beproud of this rose, and I could not love you so well for bringing itto me if I thought that any other maiden had the Comb of Magnificence. Bring it to me, Flann. "

"I will bring it to you, " said Flann. 

VI

He was at the gate of the town when the King of Ireland's Son rode backon the Slight Red Steed. The King's Son dismounted, put his arm aboutFlann and told him that he now had the whole of the Unique Tale. Theysat before Mogue's tent, and the King's Son told Flann the whole of thestory he had searched for--how a King traveling through the mist hadcome to where Druids and the Maid of the Green Mantle lived, how theKing was enchanted, and how the maiden Sheen released him from theenchantment. He told him, too, how the Enchanter was changed into awolf, and how the wolf carried away Sheen's child. "And the Unique Taleis in part your own history, Flann, " said the King of Ireland's Son, "for the child that was left with the Hags of the Long Teeth was no oneelse than yourself, for you, Flann, have on your breast the stars thatdenote the Son of a King. "

"It is so, it is so, " said Flann, "and I will find out what King andQueen were my father and my mother. "

"Go to the Hags of the Long Teeth and force them to tell you, " said theKing's Son. 

"I will do that, " said Flann, but in his own mind he said, "I will firstbring the Comb of Magnificence to Flame-of-Wine, and I will tell herthat I will have to be away for so many years with Mogue and I shall askher to remember me until I come back to her. Then I shall go to the Hagsof the Long Teeth and force them to tell me what King and Queen were myfather and mother. "

The King of Ireland's Son left Flann to his thoughts and went to findthe Gobaun Saor who would clear for him the tarnished blade of the Swordof Light and would show him the way to where the King of the Land ofMist had his dominion. 

Mogue spent his time with the ballad-singers and the story-tellersaround the market-stake, and when he came back to his tent he wantedto drink ale and go to sleep, but Flann turned him from the ale-pot bysaying to him, "I want the Comb of Magnificence from you, Mogue. "

"By my skin, " said Mogue, "it's my blood you'll want next, my lad. "

"If you give me the Comb of Magnificence, Mogue, I shall serve you forsix years--three years more than I said yesterday. I shall serve youwell, even though I am the son of a King and can find out who my fatherand mother are. "

"I won't give you the Comb of Magnificence. "

"I'll serve you seven years if you do, Mogue. "

Mogue drank and drank out of the ale-pot, frowning to himself. He putthe ale-pot away and said, "I suppose your life won't be any good to youunless I give you the Comb of Magnificence?"

"That is so, Mogue. "

Mogue sighed heavily, but he went to his pack and took out the box thatthe treasures were in. He let Flann take out the Comb of Magnificence. 

"Seven years you will have to serve me, " said Mogue, "and you will haveto begin your service now. "

"I will begin it now, " said Flann, but he stole out of the tent, put onhis red cloak and went to the King's orchard. 

VII

"Oh, Flann, my treasure-bringer, " said Flame-of-Wine, when she came tohim. "I have brought you the Comb of Magnificence, " said he. Her handswent out and her eyes became large and shining. He put the Comb ofMagnificence into her hands. 

She put the comb into the back of her hair, and she became at once likethe tower that is builded--what broke its height and turned the fullsunlight from it has been taken away, and the tower stands, the prideof a King and the delight of a people. When she put the Comb ofMagnificence into her hair she became of all Kings' daughters the moststately. 

She walked with Flann along the paths of the orchard, but always shewas watching her shadow to see if it showed her added magnificence. Hershadow showed nothing. She took Flann to the well in the orchard, andlooked down into it, but her image in the well did not show her addedmagnificence either. Soon she became tired of walking on the orchardpaths, and when she came to the gate she walked no further but stoodwith Flann at the gate. "A kiss for you, Flann, my treasure-bringer, "said she, and she kissed him and then went hurrying away. And as Flannwatched her he thought that although she had kissed him he was not nowin her mind. 

He went out of the orchard disconsolate, thinking that when he was onhis seven years' service with Mogue Princess Flame-of-Wine might forgethim. As he walked on he passed the little house where the Spae-Woman hadher besoms and heather-stalks. She ran to him when she saw him. 

"Have you heard that the King's Son has found what went before, and whatcomes after the Unique Tale?" said she. 

"That I have. And I have to go to the Hags of the Long Teeth to find outwho my father and mother were, for surely I am the child who was takenfrom Sheen. "

"And do you remember that Sheen's seven brothers were changed into sevenwild geese?" said she. 

"I remember that, mother. "

"And seven wild geese they will be until a maiden who loves you willgive seven drops of her heart's blood to bring them back to their humanshapes. "

"I remember that, mother. " "Whatever maid you love, her you must askif she would give seven drops of her heart's blood. It may be that shewould. It may be that she would not and that you would still love herwithout thought of her giving one drop of blood of her little finger. "

"I cannot ask the maiden I love to give seven drops of her heart'sblood. "

"Who is the maiden you love?"

"The King's daughter, Flame-of-Wine. "

He told the Spae-Woman about the presents he had given her--he toldthe Spae-Woman too that he had bound himself to seven years' serviceto Mogue on account of these presents. The Spae-Woman said, "What othertreasures are in Mogue's pack?"

"One treasure more the Girdle of Truth. Whoever puts it on can speaknothing but the truth. "

Said the Spae-Woman, "You are to take the Girdle of Truth and give itto Flame-of-Wine. Tell Mogue that I said he is to give it to you withoutadding one day to your years' service. When Flame-of-Wine has put thegirdle around her waist ask her for the seven drops of heart's bloodthat will bring your mother's seven brothers back to their human shapes. She may love you and yet refuse to give you the seven drops from herheart. But tell her of this, and hear what she will say. "

Flann left the Spae-Woman's and went back to Mogue's tent. The loss ofhis treasures had overcome Mogue and he was drinking steadily and wentfrom one bad temper to another. 

"Begin your service now by watching the tent while I sleep, " said he. 

"There is one thing more I want from you, Mogue, " said Flann. 

"By the Eye of Balor! you're a cuckoo in my nest. What do you want now?"

"The Girdle of Truth. "

"Is it my last treasure you'd be taking on me?"

"The Spae-Woman bid me tell you that you're to give me the Girdle ofTruth. "

"It's a pity of me, it's a pity of me, " said Mogue. But he took the boxout of his pack, and let Flann take the girdle. 

VIII

Flame-of-Wine saw him. She walked slowly down the orchard path so thatall might notice the stateliness of her appearance. 

"I am glad to see you again, Flann, " said she. "Have your comrades yetcome back to my father's town?"

Flann told her that one of them had returned. 

"Bid him come see me, " said Flame-of-Wine. Then she saw the girdle inhis hands. 

"What is it you have?" said she. 

"Something that went with the other treasures--a girdle. "

"Will you not let me have it, Flann?" She took the girdle in her hands. "Tell me, youth, " she said, "how you got all these treasures?"

"I will have to give seven years' service for them, " Flann said. 

"Seven years, " said she, "but you will remember--will you not--that Iloved you for bringing them to me?"

"Will you remember me until I come back from my seven years' service?"

"Oh, yes, " said Flame-of-Wine, and she put the girdle around her waistas she spoke. 

"Someone said to me, " said Flann, "that I should ask the maiden wholoved me for seven drops of her heart's blood. " The girdle was now roundFlame-of-Wine's waist. She laughed with mockery. "Seven drops of heart'sblood, " said she. "I would not give this fellow seven eggs out of myrobin's nest. I tell him I love him for bringing me the three treasuresfor a King's daughter. I tell him that, but I should be ashamed ofmyself if I thought I could have any love for such a fellow. "

"Do you tell me the truth now, " said Flann. 

"The truth, the truth, " said she, "of course I tell you the truth. Oh, and there are other truths. I shall be ashamed forever if I tell them. Oh, oh. They are rising to my tongue, and every time I press them backthis girdle tightens and tightens until I think it will kill me. "

"Farewell, then, Flame-of-Wine. "

"Take off the girdle, take off the girdle! What truths are in my mind!I shall speak them and I shall be ashamed. But I shall die in pain if Ihold them back. Loosen the girdle, loosen the girdle! Take the rose yougave me and loosen the girdle. " She let the rose fall on the ground. 

"I will loosen the girdle for you, " said Flann. 

"But loosen it now. How I have to strive to keep truths back, andoh, what pain I am in! Take the Comb of Magnificence, and loosen thegirdle. " She threw the comb down on the ground. 

He took up the Rose of Sweet Smells and the Comb of Magnificence and hetook the girdle off her waist. "Oh, what a terrible thing I put round mywaist, " said Flame-of-Wine. "Take it away, Flann, take it away. But giveme back the Rose of Sweet Smells and the Comb of Magnificence, --givethem back to me and I shall love you always. "

"You cannot love me. And why should I give seven years in service foryour sake? I will leave these treasures back in Mogue's pack. "

"Oh, you are a peddler, a peddler. Go from me, " said Flame-of-Wine. "Anddo not be in the Town of the Red Castle to-morrow, or I shall have myfather's hunting dogs set upon you. " She turned away angrily and wentinto the Castle. 

Flann went back to Mogue's tent and left the Rose of Sweet Smells, theComb of Magnificence and the Girdle of Truth upon Mogue's pack. He satin the corner and cried bitterly. Then the King of Ireland's Son came andtold him that his sword was bright once more--that the stains that hadblemished its blade had been cleared away by the Gobaun Saor who hadalso shown him the way to the Land of the Mist. He put his arm aboutFlann and told him that he was starting now to rescue his love Fedelmafrom the Castle of the King of the Land of Mist. 

THE KING OF THE LAND OF MIST

I

The King of Ireland's Son came to the place where the river that hefollowed takes the name of the River of the Broken Towers. It is calledby that name because the men of the old days tried to build towersacross its course. The towers were built a little way across the riverthat at this place was tremendously wide. 

"The Glashan will carry you across the River of the Broken Towers tothe shore of the Land of Mist, " the Gobaun Saor had said to the King ofIreland's Son. And now he was at the River of the Broken Towers but theGlashan-creature was not to be seen. 

Then he saw the Glashan. He was leaning his back against one of theTowers and smoking a short pipe. The water of the river was up to hisknees. He was covered with hair and had a big head with horse'sears. And the Glashan twitched his horse's ears as he smoked in greatcontentment. 

"Glashan, come here, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

But the Glashan gave him no heed at all. 

"I want you to carry me across the River of the Broken Towers, " shoutedthe King of Ireland's Son. The Glashan went on smoking and twisting hisears. 

And the King of Ireland's Son might have known that the whole clanof the Gruagachs and Glashans are fond of their own ease and will donothing if they can help it. He twitched his ears more sharply when theKing's Son threw a pebble at him. Then after about three hours he cameslowly across the river. From his big knees down he had horse's feet. 

"Take me on your big shoulders, Glashan, " said the King of Ireland'sSon, "and carry me across to the shore of the Land of Mist. "

"Not carrying any more across, " said the Glashan. The King of Ireland'sSon drew the Sword of Light and flashed it. 

"Oh, if you have that, you'll have to be carried across, " said theGlashan. "But wait until I rest myself. "

"What did you do that you should rest?" said the King of Ireland's Son. "Take me on your shoulders and start off. "

"Musha, " said the Glashan, "aren't you very anxious to lose your life?"

"Take me on your shoulders. " "Well, come then. You're not the firstliving dead man I carried across. " The Glashan put his pipe into hisear. The King of Ireland's Son mounted his shoulders and laid hold ofhis thick mane. Then the Glashan put his horse's legs into the water andstarted to cross the River of the Broken Towers. 

"The Land of Mist has a King, " said the Glashan, when they were in themiddle of the river. 

"That, Glashan, I know, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"All right, " said the Glashan. 

Then said he when they were three-quarters of the way across, "Maybe youdon't know that the King of the Land of Mist will kill you?"

"Maybe 'tis I who will kill him, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"You'd be a hardy little fellow if you did that, " said the Glashan. "Butyou won't do it. "

They went on. The water was up to the Glashan's waist but that gave himno trouble. So broad was the river that they were traveling across itall day. The Glashan threw the King's Son in once when he stooped topick up an eel. Said the King of Ireland's Son, "What way is the Castleof the King of the Land of Mist guarded, Glashan?"

"It has seven gates, " said the Glashan. 

"And how are the gates guarded?"

"I'm tired, " said the Glashan, "and I can't talk. "

"Tell me, or I'll twist the horse's ears off your head. "

"Well, the first gate is guarded by a plover only. It sits on the thirdpinnacle over the gate, and when anyone comes near it rises up and fliesround the Castle crying until its sharp cries put the other guards onthe watch. "

"And what other guards are there?"

"Oh, I'm tired, and I can talk no more. "

The King of Ireland's Son twisted his horse's ears, and then the Glashansaid

"The second gate is guarded by five spear-men. "

"And how is the third gate guarded?"

"The third gate is guarded by seven swordsmen. "

"And how is the fourth gate guarded?"

"The fourth gate is guarded by the King of the Land of Mist himself. "

"And the fifth gate?"

"The fifth gate is guarded by the King of the Land of Mist himself. "

"And the sixth gate?"

"The sixth gate is guarded by the King of the Land of Mist. "

"And how is the seventh gate guarded?"

"The seventh gate is guarded by a Hag. "

"By a Hag only?" "By a Hag with poisoned nails. But I'm tired now, andI'll talk no more to you. If I could strike a light now I'd smoke apipe. "

Still they went on, and just at the screech of the day they came to theother shore of the River of the Broken Towers. The King of Ireland's Sonsprang from the shoulders of the Glashan and went into the mist. 

II

He came to where turrets and pinnacles appeared above the mist. Heclimbed the rock upon which the Castle was built. He came to the firstgate, and as he did the plover that was on the third pinnacle above roseup and flew round the Castle with sharp cries. 

He raised a fragment of the ground-rock and flung it against the gate. He burst it open. He dashed in then and through the first courtyard ofthe Castle. 

As he went towards the second gate it was flung open, and the fivespear-men ran upon him. But they had not counted on what was to facethem--the Sword of Light in the bands of the King of Ireland's Son. 

Its stroke cut the spear heads from the spear-holds, and its quickglancing dazzled the eyes of the spear-men. On each and every one ofthem it inflicted the wound of death. He dashed through the second gateand into the third courtyard. 

But as he did the third gate was flung open and seven swordsmen cameforth. They made themselves like a half circle and came towards the Kingof Ireland's Son. He dazzled their eyes with a wide sweep of his sword. He darted it swiftly at each of them and on the seven swordsmen too heinflicted wounds of death. 

He went through the third courtyard and towards the fourth gate. As hedid it opened slowly and a single champion came forth. He closed thegate behind him and stood with a long gray sword in his hand. This wasthe King of the Land of Mist. His shoulders were where a tall man'shead would be. His face was like a stone, and his eyes had never lookedexcept with scorn upon a foe. 

When his enemy began his attack the King of Ireland's Son had power todo nothing else but guard himself from that weighty sword. He had theSword of Light for a guard and well did that bright, swift blade guardhim. The two fought across the courtyard making hard places soft andsoft places hard with their trampling. They fought from when it wasearly to when it was noon, and they fought from when it was noon untilit was long afternoon. And not a single wound did the King of Ireland'sSon inflict upon the King of the Land of Mist, and not a single wounddid the King of the Land of Mist inflict upon him. 

But the King of Ireland's Son was growing faint and weary. His eyeswere worn with watching the strokes and thrusts of the sword that wasbattling against him. His arms could hardly bear up his own sword. Hisheart became a stream of blood that would have gushed from his breast. 

And then, as he was about to fall down with his head under the swordof the King of the Land of Mist a name rose above all histhoughts--"Fedelma. " If he sank down and the sword of the King of theLand of Mist fell on him, never would she be saved. The will becamestrong again in the King of Ireland's Son. His heart became a steadybeating thing. The weight that was upon his arms passed away. Stronglyhe held the sword in his hand and he began to attack the King of theLand of Mist. 

And now he saw that the sword in the hand of his enemy was broken andworn with the guard that the Sword of Light had put against it. And nowhe made a strong attack. As the light was leaving the sky and as thedarkness was coming down he saw that the strength was waning in theKing of the Land of Mist. The sword in his hand was more worn and morebroken. At last the blade was only a span from the hilt. As he drew backto the gate of the fourth courtyard the King of Ireland's Son sprang athim and thrust the Sword of Light through his breast. He stood with hisface becoming exceedingly terrible. He flung what remained of his sword, and the broken blade struck the foot of the King of Ireland's Son andpierced it. Then the King of the Land of Mist fell down on the groundbefore the fourth gate. 

So weary from his battles, so pained with the wound of his foot wasthe King of Ireland's Son that he did not try to cross the body and gotowards the fifth gate. He turned back. He climbed down the rock andwent towards the River of the Broken Towers. 

The Glashan was broiling on a hot stone the eel he had taken out of theriver. "Wash my wound and give me refreshment, Glashan, " said the Kingof Ireland's Son. 

The Glashan washed the wound in his foot and gave him a portion of thebroiled eel with cresses and water. 

"To-morrow's dawn I shall go back, " said the King of Ireland's Son, "andgo through the fifth and sixth and seventh gate and take away Fedelma. "

"If the King of the Land of Mist lets you, " said the Glashan. 

"He is dead, " said the King of Ireland's Son, "I thrust my sword throughhis breast. "

"And where is his head?" said the Glashan. 

"It is on his corpse, " said the King of Ireland's Son. 

"Then you will have another fight to-morrow. His life is in his head, and his life will come back to him if you did not cut it off. It is he, I tell you, who will guard the fourth and fifth and sixth gate. "

"That I do not believe, Glashan, " said the King of Ireland's Son. "Thereis no one to guard the gates now but the Hag you spoke of. To-morrow Ishall take Fedelma out of her captivity, and we will both leave the Landof Mist. But I must sleep now. "

He laid the Sword of Light beside him, stretched himself on the groundand went to sleep. The Glashan drew his horse's legs under him, took thepipe out of his ear, and smoked all through the night. 

III

The King of Ireland's Son rose in the morning but he was in pain andweariness on account of his wounded foot. He ate the cresses and drankthe water that the Glashan gave him, and he started off for the Castleof the King of the Mist. "'Tis only an old woman I shall have to dealwith to-day, " he said, "and then I shall awaken Fedelma, my love. "

He passed through the first gate and the first court-yard, through thesecond gate and the second court-yard, through the third gate and thethird courtyard. The fourth gate was closed, and as he went towards it, it opened slowly, and the King of the Land of Mist stood there--as high, as stone-faced, and as scornful as before, and in his hand he had aweighty gray sword. 

They fought as they fought the day before. But the guard the King ofIreland's Son made against the sword of the King of the Land of Mist wasweaker than before, because of the pain and weariness that came from hiswound. But still he kept the Sword of Light before him and the Sword ofthe King of the Land of Mist could not pass it. They fought until it wasafternoon. The heart in his body seemed turned to a jet of blood thatwould gush forth. His eyes were straining themselves out of theirsockets. His arms could hardly bear up his sword. He fell down upon oneknee, but he was able to hold the sword so that it guarded his head. 

Then the image of Fedelma appeared before him. He sprang up and his armsregained their power. His heart became steady in his breast. And as hemade an attack upon the King of the Land of Mist, he saw that the bladein his hand was broken and worn because of its strokes against the Swordof Light. 

They fought with blades that seemed to kindle each other into sparks andflashes of light. They fought until the blade in the hand of the King ofthe Land of Mist was worn to a hand breadth above the hilt. He drewback towards the gate of the fifth courtyard. The King of Ireland's Sonsprang at him and thrust the Sword of Light through his breast. Down onthe stones before the fifth gate of his Castle fell the King of the Landof Mist. 

The King of Ireland's Son stepped over the body and went towards thefifth gate. Then he remembered what the Glashan had said, "His life isin his head. " He went back to where the King of the Land of Mist hadfallen. With a clean sweep of his sword he cut the head off the body. 

Then out of the mist that was all around three ravens came. With beakand claws they laid hold of the head and lifted it up. They flutteredheavily away, keeping near the ground. 

With his sword in his hand the King of Ireland's Son chased the ravens. He followed them through the fourth courtyard, the third courtyard, thesecond and the first. They flew off the rock on which the Castle wasbuilt and disappeared in the mist. 

He knew he would have to watch by the body of the King of the Land ofMist, so that the head might not be placed upon it. He sat down beforethe fifth gate. Pain and weariness, hunger and thirst oppressed him. 

He longed for something that would allay his hunger and thirst. But heknew that he could not go to the river to get refreshment of water andcresses from the Glashan. Something fell beside him in the courtyard. It was a beautiful, bright-colored apple. He went to pick it up, butit rolled away towards the third courtyard. He followed it. Then, as helooked back he saw that the ravens had lighted near the body of the Kingof the Land of Mist, holding the head in their beaks and claws. He ranback and the ravens lifted the head up again and flew away. 

He watched for another long time, and his hunger and his thirst made himlong for the bright-colored apple he had seen. 

Another apple fell down. He went to pick it up and it rolled away. Butnow the King of Ireland's Son thought of nothing hut that bright-coloredapple. He followed it as it rolled. 

It roiled through the third courtyard, and the second and the first. Itrolled out of the first gate and on to the rock upon which the Castlewas built. It rolled off the rock. The King of Ireland's Son sprang downand he saw the apple become a raven's head and beak. 

He climbed up the rock and ran back. And when he came into the firstcourtyard he saw that the three ravens had come back again. They hadbrought the head to the body, and body and head were now joined. TheKing of the Land of Mist stood up again, and his head was turned towardshis left shoulder. He went to the sixth gate and took up a sword thatwas beside it. 

IV

They fought their last battle before the sixth gate. The guard that theKing of Ireland's Son made was weak, and if the King of the Land of Mistcould have turned fully upon him, he could have disarmed and killed him. But his head had been so placed upon his body that it looked The Kingof the Land of Mist 237 over his left shoulder. He was able to draw hissword down the breast of the King of Ireland's Son, wounding him. The King's Son whirled his sword around his head and flung it at hiswry-headed enemy. It swept his head off, and the King of the Land ofMist fell down. 

The King of Ireland's Son saw on the outstretched neck the mark of theother beheading. He took up the Sword of Light again and prepared tohold the head against all that might come for it. 

But no creature came. And then the hair on the severed head became looseand it was blown away by the wind. And the bones of the head became apowder and the flesh became a froth, and all was blown away by the wind. 

Then the King of Ireland's Son went through the sixth courtyard and cameto the seventh gate. And before it he saw the last of the sentinels. AHag, she was seated on the top of a water-tank taking white doves out ofa basket and throwing them to ravens that flew down from the walls andtore the doves to pieces. 

When the Hag saw the King of Ireland's Son she sprang down from thewater-tank and ran towards him with outstretched arms and long poisonednails. With a sweep of his sword he cut the nails from her hands. Ravenspicked up the nails, and then, as they tried to fly away, they felldead. 

"The Sword of Light will take off your head if you do not take me on themoment to where Fedelma is, " said the King of Ireland's Son. "I am sorryto do it, " said the Hag, "but come, since you are the conqueror. "

He followed the Hag into the Castle. In a net, hanging across a chamber, he saw Fedelma. She was still, but she breathed. And the branch ofhawthorn that put her asleep was fresh beside her. Strands of her brighthair came through the meshes of the net and were fastened to the wall. With a sweep of the Sword of Light he cut the strands. 

Her eyes opened. She saw the King of Ireland's Son, and the full lightcame back to her eyes, and the full life into her face. 

He cut the net from where it hung and laid it on the ground. He cut openthe meshes. Fedelma rose out of it and went into his arms. 

He lifted her up and carried her out into the seventh courtyard. Thenthe Hag who had been one of the sentinels came out of the Castle, closedthe door behind her and ran away into the mist, three ravens flyingafter her. 

And as for Fedelma and the King of Ireland's Son, they went through thecourtyards of the Castle and through the mists of the country and downto the River of the Broken Towers. They found the Glashan broiling asalmon upon hot stones. Salmon were coming from the sea and the Glashanwent in and caught more, The King of the Land of Mist 239 broiled andgave them to the King of Ireland's Son and Fedelma to eat. The littleblack water-hen came out of the river and they fed it. The next day theKing of Ireland's Son bade the Glashan take Fedelma on his shoulders andcarry her to the other shore of the River of the Broken Towers. Andhe himself followed the little black water-hen who showed him all theshallow places in the river so that he crossed with the water neverabove his waist. But he was nearly dead from cold and weariness, andfrom the wounds on breast and foot when he came to the other side andfound the Glashan and Fedelma waiting for him. 

They ate salmon again and rested for a day. They bade good-by to theGlashan, who went back to the river to hunt for salmon. Then they wentalong the bank of the river hand in hand while the King of Ireland's Sontold Fedelma of all the things that had happened to him in his searchfor her. 

They came to where the river became known as the River of the MorningStar. And then, in the distance, they saw the Hill of Horns. Towards theHill of Horns they went, and, at the near side of it, they found a housethatched with the wing of a bird. It was the house of the Little Sageof the Mountain. To the house of the Little Sage of the Mountain Fedelmaand the King's Son now went. 

 TO THE MEMORY OF BEATRICE CASSIDY COLUM

THE HOUSE OF CROM DUV

I

The story is now about Flann. He went through the East gate of the Townof the Red Castle and his journey was to the house of the Hags of theLong Teeth where he might learn what Queen and King were his mother andhis father. It is with the youth Flann, once called the Gilly of theGoatskin, that we will go if it be pleasing to you, Son of my Heart. Hewent his way in the evening, when, as the bard said:--

 The blackbird shakes his metal notes Against the edge of day, And I am left upon my road With one star on my way. 

And he went his way in the night, when, as the same bard said:--

 The night has told it to the hills, And told the partridge in the nest, And left it on the long white roads, She will give light instead of rest. 

And he went on between the dusk and the dawn, when, as the same bardsaid again:--

 Behold the sky is covered, As with a mighty shroud: A forlorn light is lying Between the earth and cloud. 

And he went on in the dawn, when as the bard said (and this is thelast stanza he made, for the King said there was nothing at all in hisadventure):--

 In the silence of the morning Myself, myself went by, Where lonely trees sway branches Against spaces of the sky. 

And then, when the sun was looking over the first high hills he came toa river. He knew it was the river he followed before, for no other riverin the country was so wide or held so much water. As he had gone withthe flow of the river then he thought he would go against the flow ofthe river now, and so he might come back to the glens and ridges anddeep boggy places he had traveled from. 

He met a Fisherman who was drying his nets and he asked him what namethe river had. The Fisherman said it had two names. The people on theright bank called it the Day-break River and the people on the left bankcalled it the River of the Morning Star. And the Fisherman told him hewas to be careful not to call it the River of the Morning Star when hewas on the right bank nor the Daybreak River when he was on the left, asthe people on either side wanted to keep to the name their fathers hadfor it and were ill-mannered to the stranger who gave it a differentname. The Fisherman told Flann he was sorry he had told him the twonames for the River and that the best thing he could do was to forgetone of the names and call it just the River of the Morning Star as hewas on the left bank. 

Flann went on with the day widening before him and when the height ofthe noon was past he came to the glens and ridges and deep boggy placeshe had traveled from. He went on with the bright day going before himand the brown night coming behind him, and at dusk he came to the blackand burnt place where the Hags of the Long Teeth had their house ofstone. 

He saw the house with a puff of smoke coming through every crevicein the stones. He went to the shut door and knocked on it with theknocking-stone. 

"Who's without?" said one of the Hags. 

"Who's within?" said Flann. 

"The Three Hags of the Long Teeth, " said one of the Hags, "and if youwant to know it, " said she, "they are the runners and summoners, thebrewers and candle-makers for Crom Duv, the Giant. "

Flann struck a heavier blow with the knocking-stone and the door brokein. He stepped into the smoke-filled house. 

"No welcome to you, whoever you are, " said one of the three Hags whowere seated around the fire. 

"I am the lad who was called Gilly of the Goatskin, and whom you rearedup here, " said he, "and I have come back to you. "

The three Hags turned from the fire then and screamed at him. 

"And what brought you back to us, humpy fellow?" said the first Hag. 

"I came back to make you tell me what Queen and King were my mother andfather. "

"Why should you think a King and Queen were your father and mother?"they said to him. 

"Because I have on my breast the stars of a son of a King, " said Flann, "and, " said he, "I have in my hand a sword that will make you tell me. "

He came towards them and they were afraid. Then the first Hag bent herknee to him, and, said she, "Loosen the hearthstone with your sword andyou will find a token that will let you know who your father was. "

Flann put his sword under the hearthstone and pried it up. But ifit were a token, what was under the hearthstone was an evil thing--acockatrice. It had been hatched out of a serpent's egg by a black cockof nine years. It had the head and crest of a cock and the body of ablack serpent. The cockatrice lifted itself up on its tail and looked athim with red eyes. The sight of that head made Flann dizzy and he felldown on the floor. Then it went down and the Hags put the hearthstoneabove it. 

"What will we do with the fellow?" said one of the Hags, looking atFlann who was in a swoon on the floor. 

"Cut of his head with the sword that he threatened us with, " saidanother. 

"No, " said the third Hag. "Crom Duv the Giant is in want of a servant. Let him take this fellow. Then maybe the Giant will give us what he haspromised us for so long--a Berry to each of us from the Fairy Rowan Treethat grows in his courtyard. "

"Let it be, let it be, " said the other Hags. They put green branches onthe fire so that Crom Duv would see the smoke and come to the house. Inthe morning he came. He brought Flann outside, and after awhile Flann'ssenses came back to him. Then the Giant tied a rope round his arms anddrove him before him with a long iron spike that he had for a staff. 

II

Crom Duv's arms stretched down to his twisted knees; he had long, yellow, overlapping horse's teeth in his mouth, with a fall-downunder-lip and a drawn-back upper-lip; he had a matted rug of hair on hishead. He was as high as a haystack. He carried in his twisted hand aniron spike pointed at the end. And wherever he was going he went asquickly as a running mule. 

He tied Flann's hands behind his back and drew the rope round Flann'sbody. Then he started off. Flann was dragged on as if at the tail ofa cart. Over ditches and through streams; up hillsides and down intohollows he was hauled. Then they came into a plain as round as the wheelof a cart. Across the plain they went and into a mile-deep wood. Beyondthe wood there were buildings--such walls and such heaps of stones Flannnever saw before. 

But before they had entered the wood they had come to a high grassymound. And standing on that grassy mound was the most tremendous bullthat Flann had ever seen. 

"What bull is that, Giant?" said Flann. 

 "My own bull, " said Crom Duv, "the Bull of the Mound. Look back at him, little fellow. If ever you try to escape from my service my Bull of theMound will toss you into the air and trample you into the ground. " CromDuv blew on a horn that he had across his chest. The Bull of the Moundrushed down the slope snorting. Crom Duv shouted and the bull stoodstill with his tremendous head bent down. 

Flann's heart, I tell you, sank, when he saw the bull that guarded CromDuv's house. They went through the deep wood then, and came to the gateof the Giant's Keep. Only a chain was across it, and Crom Duv liftedup the chain. The courtyard was filled with cattle black and red andstriped. The Giant tied Flann to a stone pillar. "Are you there, Morag, my byre-maid?" he shouted. 

"I am here, " said a voice from the byre. More cattle were in the byreand someone was milking them. 

There was straw on the ground of the courtyard and Crom Duv lay down onit and went to sleep with the cattle trampling around him. A great stonewall was being built all round the Giant's Keep--a wall six feet thickand built as high as twenty feet in some places and in others as highas twelve. The wall was still being built, for heaps of stones and greatmixing-pans were about. And just before the door of the Keep was aRowan Tree that grew to a great height. At the very top of the tree werebunches of red berries. Cats were lying around the stems of the tree andcats were in its branches--great yellow cats. More yellow cats steppedout of the house and came over to him. They looked Flann all over andwent back, mewing to each other. 

The cattle that were in the courtyard went into the byre one by one asthey were called by the voice of the byre-maid. Crom Duv still slept. Byand by a little red hen that was picking about the courtyard came nearhim and holding up her head looked Flann all over. 

When the last cow had gone in and the last stream of milk had sounded inthe milking-vessel the byre-maid came into the courtyard. Flann thoughthe would see a long-armed creature like Crom Duv himself. Instead he sawa girl with good and kind eyes, whose disfigurements were that her facewas pitted and her hair was bushy. "I am Morag, Crom Duv's byre-maid, "said she. 

"Will Crom Duv kill me?" said Flann. 

"No. He'll make you serve him, " said the byre-maid. 

"And what will he make me do for him?"

"He will make you help to build his wall. Crom Duv goes out everymorning to bring his cattle to pasture on the plain. And when he comesback he builds the wall round his house. He'll make you mix mortar andcarry it to him, for I heard him say he wants a servant to do that. "

"I'll escape from this, " said Flann, "and I'll bring you with me. "

"Hush, " said Morag, and she pointed to seven yellow cats that werestanding at Crom Duv's door, watching them. "The cats, " said she, "are Crom Duv's watchers here and the Bull of the Mound is his watcherout-side. "

"And is this Little Red Hen a watcher too?" said Flann, for the LittleRed Hen was watching them sideways. "The Little Red Hen is my friend andadviser, " Morag, and she went into the house with two vessels of milk. 

Crom Duv wakened up. He untied Flann and left him free. "You must mixmortar for me now, " he said. He went into the byre and came out with agreat vessel of milk. He left it down near the mixing-pan. He went tothe side of the house and came back with a trough of blood. 

"What are these for, Crom Duv?" said Flann. "To mix the mortar with, gilly, " said the Giant. "Bullock's blood and new milk is what I mix mymortar with, so that nothing can break down the walls that I'm buildinground the Fairy Rowan Tree. Every day I kill a bullock and every day mybyre-maid fills a vessel of milk to mix with my mortar. Set to now, andmix the mortar for me. "

Flann brought lime and sand to the mixing-pan and he mixed them inbullock's blood and new milk. He carried stones to Crom Duv. And sohe worked until it was dark. Then Crom Duv got down from where he wasbuilding and told Flann to go into the house. 

The yellow cats were there and Flann counted sixteen of them. Eightmore were outside, in the branches or around the stem of the Rowan Tree. Morag came in, bringing a great dish of porridge. Crom Duv took up awooden spoon and ate porridge out of vessel after vessel of milk. Thenhe shouted for his beer and Morag brought him vessel after vessel ofbeer. Crom Duv emptied one after the other. . Then he shouted for hisknife and when Morag brought it he began to sharpen it, singing a queersong to himself. 

"He's sharpening a knife to kill a bullock in the morning, " said Morag. "Come now, and I'll give you your supper. "

She took him to the kitchen at the back of the house. She gave himporridge and milk and he ate his supper. Then she showed him a ladder toa room above, and he went up there and made a bed for himself. He sleptsoundly, although he dreamed of the twenty-four yellow cats within, andthe tremendous Bull of the Mound outside Crom Duv's Keep. 

III

This is how the days were spent in the house of Crom Duv. The Giant andhis two servants, Flann and Morag, were out of their beds at the mouthof the day. Crom Duv sounded his horn and the Bull of the Mound bellowedan answer. Then he started work on his wall, making Flann carry mortarto him. Morag put down the fire and boiled the pots. Pots of porridge, plates of butter and pans of milk were on the table when' Crom Duv andFlann came in to their breakfasts. Then, when the Giant had driven outhis cattle to the pasture Flann cleaned the byre and made the mortar, mixing lime and sand with bullock's blood and new milk. In the afternoonthe Giant came back and he and Flann started work on the wall. 

All the time the twenty-four yellow cats lay on the branches of theRowan Tree or walked about the court-yard or lapped up great crocksof milk. Morag's Little Red Hen went hopping round the courtyard. Sheseemed to be sleepy or to be always considering something. If one of thetwenty-four yellow cats looked at her the Little Red Hen would waken up, murmur something, and hop away. 

One day the cattle came home without Crom Duv. "He has gone on one ofhis journeys, " said Morag, "and will not be back for a night and a day. "

"Then it is time for me to make my escape, " said Flann. 

"How can you make your escape, my dear, my dear?" said Morag. "If yougo by the front the Bull of the Mound will toss you in the air and thentrample you into the ground. "

"But I have strength and cunning and activity enough to climb the wallat the back. "

"But if you climb the wall at the back, " said Morag, "you will only cometo the Moat of Poisoned Water. " "The Moat of Poisoned Water?" "TheMoat of Poisoned Water, " said Morag. "The water poisons the skin of anycreature that tries to swim across the Moat. "

Flann was downcast when he heard of the Moat of Poisoned Water. But hismind was fixed on climbing the wall. "I may find some way of crossingthe poisoned water, " he said, "so bake my cake and give me provision formy journey. "

Morag baked a cake and put it on the griddle. And when it was baked shewrapped it in a napkin and gave it to him. "Take my blessing with it, "said she, "and if you escape, may you meet someone who will be a betterhelp to you than I was. I must keep the twenty-four cats from watchingyou while you are climbing the wall. "

"And how will you do that?" said Flann. 

She showed him what she would do. With a piece of glass she made on thewall of the byre the shadows of flying birds. Birds never flewacross the House of Crom Duv and the cats were greatly taken with theappearances that Morag made with the piece of glass. Six cats watched, and then another six came, and after them six more, and after them thesix that watched in the Rowan Tree. And the twenty-four yellow cats satround and watched with burning eyes the appearances of birds that Moragmade on the byre-wall. Flann looked back and saw her seated on a stone, and he thought the Byre-Maid looked lonesome. 

He tried with all his activity, all his cunning and all his strength, and at last he climbed the wall at the back of Crom Duv's house. He gavea whistle to let Morag know he was over. Then he went through a littlewood and came to the Moat of Poisoned Water. 

Very ugly the dead water looked. Ugly stakes stuck up from the mud topierce any creature that tried to leap across. And here and there on thewater were patches of green poison as big as cabbage leaves. Flann drewback from the Moat. Leap it he could not, and swim it he dare not. Andjust as he drew back he saw a creature he knew come down to the bankopposite to him. It was Rory the Fox. Rory carried in his mouth the skinof a calf. He dropped the skin into the water and pushed it out beforehim. Then he got into the water and swam very cautiously, always pushingthe calf's skin before him. Then Rory climbed up on the bank where Flannwas, and the skin, all green and wrinkled, sank down into the water. 

Rory was going to turn tail, but then he recognized Flann. "Master, "said he, and he licked the dust on the ground. 

"What are you doing here, Rory?" said Flann. 

"I won't mind telling you if you promise to tell no other creature, "said Rory. 

"I won't tell, " said Flann. 

"Well then, " said Rory, "I have moved my little family over here. I wasbeing chased about a good deal, and my little family wasn't safe. So Imoved them over here. " The fox turned and looked round at the countrybehind him. "It suits me very well, " said he; "no creature would thinkof crossing this moat after me. "

"Well, " said Flann, "tell me how you are able to cross it. "

"I will, " said the fox, "if you promise never to hunt me nor any of mylittle family. "

"I promise, " said Flann. 

"Well, " said Rory, "the water poisons every skin. Now the reason that Ipushed the calf's skin across was that it might take the poison out ofthe water. The water poisons every skin. But where the skin goes thepoison is taken out of the water for a while, and a living creature cancross behind it if he is cautious. "

"I thank you for showing me the way to cross the moat, " said Flann. 

"I don't mind showing you, " said Rory the Fox, and he went off to hisburrow. 

There were deer-skins and calf-skins both sides of the moat. Flanntook a calf's skin. He pushed it into the water with a stick. He swamcautiously behind it. When he reached the other side of the moat, theskin, all green and wrinkled, sank in the water. 

Flann jumped and laughed and shouted when he found himself in the forestand clear of Crom Duv's house. He went on. It was grand to see thewoodpecker hammering on the branch, and to see him stop, busy as hewas to say "Pass, friend. " Two young deer came out of the depths of thewood. They were too young and too innocent to have anything to tell him, but they bounded alongside of him as he raced along the Hunter's Path. He jumped and he shouted again when he saw the river before him--theriver that was called the Daybreak River on the right bank and the Riverof the Morning Star on the left. He said to himself, "This time, introth, I will go the whole way with the river. A moving thing is mydelight. The river is the most wonderful of all the things I have seenon my travels. "

Then he thought he would eat some of the cake that Morag had baked forhim. He sat down and broke it. Then as he ate it the thought of Moragcame into his mind. He thought he was looking at her putting the cake onthe griddle. He went a little way along the river and then he began tofeel lonesome. He turned back, "I'll go to Crom Duv's House, " said he, "and show Morag the way to escape. And then she and I will follow theriver, and I won't be lonesome while she's with me. "

So back along the Hunter's Path Flann went. He came to the Moat ofPoisoned Water. He found a deer-skin and pushed it into the water andthen swam cautiously across the moat. He climbed the wall then, and whenhe put his head above it he saw Morag. She was watching for him. 

"Crom Duv has not come back yet, " said she, "but oh, my dear, my dear, Ican't prevent the yellow cats from watching you come over the wall. "

First six cats came and then another six and they sat round and watchedFlann come down the wall. They did nothing to him, but when he came downon the ground they followed him wherever he went. 

"You crossed the moat, " said Morag, "then why did you come back?"

"I came back, " said Flann, "to bring you with me. "

"But, " said she, "I cannot leave Crom Duv's house. "

"I'll show you how to cross the moat, " said he, "and we'll both be gladto be going by the moving river. "

Tears came into Morag's eyes. "I'd go with you, my dear, " said she, "butI cannot leave Crom Duv's house until I get what I came for. "

"And what did you come for, Morag?" said he. 

"I came, " said she, "for two of the rowan berries that grow on theFairy Rowan Tree in Crom Duv's court-yard. I know now that to get theseberries is the hardest task in the world. Come within, " said she, "andif we sit long enough at the supper-board I will tell you my story. "

They sat at the supper-board long, and Morag told

The Story of Morag

IV

I was reared in the Spae-Woman's house with two other girls, Baun andDeelish, my foster-sisters. The Spae-Woman's house is on the top of aknowe, away from every place, and few ever came that way. 

One morning I went to the well for water. When I looked into it I saw, not my own image, but the image of a young man. I drew up my pitcherfilled with water, and went back to the Spae-Woman's house. At noontideBaun went to the well for water. She came back and her pitcher was onlyhalf-filled. Before dark Deelish went to the well. She came back withouta pitcher, for it fell and broke on the flags of the well. 

The next day Baun and Deelish each plaited their hair, and they saidto her who was foster-mother for the three of us: "No one will come tomarry us in this far-away place. We will go into the world to seek ourfortunes. So, " said they, "bake a cake for each of us before the fall ofthe night. "

The Spae-Woman put three cakes on the griddle and baked them. And whenthey were baked she said to Baun and Deelish: "Will you each take thehalf of the cake and my blessing, or the whole of the cake without myblessing?" And Baun and Deelish each said, "The whole of the cake willbe little enough for our journey. "

Each then took her cake under her arm and went the path down the knowe. Then said I to myself, "It would be well to go after my foster-sistersfor they might meet misfortune on the road. " So I said to myfoster-mother, "Give me the third cake on the griddle until I go aftermy foster-sisters. "

"Will you have half of the cake and my blessing or the whole of the cakewithout my blessing?" said she to me. 

"The half of the cake and your blessing, mother, " said I. 

She cut the cake in two with a black-handled knife and gave me the evenhalf of it. Then said she:--

 May the old sea's Seven Daughters They who spin Life's longest threads, Protect and guard you!

She put salt in my hand then, and put the Little Red Hen under my arm, and I went off. 

I went on then till I came in sight of Baun and Deelish. Just as Icaught up on them I heard one say to the other, "This ugly, freckledgirl will disgrace us if she comes with us. " They tied my hands and feetwith a rope they found on the road and left me in a wood. 

I got the rope off my hands and feet and ran and ran until I came insight of them again. And when I was coming on them I heard one say tothe other, "This ugly, freckled girl will claim relationship with uswherever we go, and we will get no good man to marry us. " They laid holdof me again and put me in a lime-kiln, and put beams across it, and putheavy stones on the beams. But my Little Red Hen showed me how to getout of the lime-kiln. Then I ran and I ran until I caught up with Baunand Deelish again. 

"Let her come with us this evening, " said one to the other, "andto-morrow we'll find some way of getting rid of her. "

The night was drawing down now, and we had to look for a house thatwould give us shelter. We saw a hut far off the road and we went to thebroken door. It was the house of the Hags of the Long Teeth. We askedfor shelter. They showed us a big bed in the dormer-room, and they toldus we could have supper when the porridge was boiled. 

The three Hags sat round the fire with their heads together. Baun andDeelish were in a corner plaiting their hair, but the Little Red Henmurmured that I was to listen to what the Hags said. 

"We will give them to Crom Duv in the morning" one said. And anothersaid, "I have put a sleeping-pin in the pillow that will be under each, and they will not waken. "

When I heard what they said I wanted to think of what we could do tomake our escape. I asked Baun to sing to me. She said she would if Iwashed her feet. I got a basin of water and washed Baun's feet, andwhile she sang, and while the Hags thought we were not minding them, Iconsidered what we might do to escape. The Hags hung a pot over the fireand the three of them sat around it once more. 

When I had washed my foster-sister's feet I took a besom and began tosweep the floor of the house. One of the Hags was very pleased to see medoing that. She said I would make a good servant, and after a while sheasked me to sit at the fire. I sat in the corner of the chimney. Theyhad put meal in the water, and I began to stir it with a pot-stick. Then the Hag that had asked me to the fire said, "I will give you a goodshare of milk with your porridge if you keep stirring the pot for us. "This was just what I wanted to be let do. I sat in the chimney-cornerand kept stirring the porridge while the Hags dozed before the fire. 

First, I got a dish and ladle and took out of the pot some half-cookedporridge. This I left one side. Then I took down the salt-box that wason the chimney-shelf and mixed handfuls of salt in the porridge left inthe pot. 

When it was all cooked I emptied it into another dish and brought thetwo dishes to the table. Then I told the Hags that all was ready. Theycame over to the table and they gave my foster-sisters and myself threeporringers of goat's milk. We ate out of the first dish and they ate outof the second. "By my sleep to-night, " said one Hag, "this porridge issalty. " "Too little salt is in it for my taste, " said my foster-sisterDeelish. "It is as salt as the depths of the sea, " said another of theHags. "My respects to you, ma'am, " said Baun, "but I do not taste anysalt on it at all. " My foster-sisters were so earnest that the Hagsthought themselves mistaken, and they ate the whole dishful of porridge. 

The bed was made for us, and the pillows were laid on the bed, and Iknew that the slumber-pin was in each of the pillows. I wanted to putoff the time for going to bed so I began to tell stories. Baun andDeelish said it was still young in the night, and that I should tell noshort ones, but the long story of Eithne, Balor's daughter. I had justbegun that story, when one of the Hags cried out that she was consumedwith thirst. 

She ran to the pitcher, and there was no water in it. Then another Hagshouted out that the thirst was strangling her. The third one said shecould not live another minute without a mouthful of water. She took thepitcher and started for the well. No sooner was she gone than thesecond Hag said she couldn't wait for the first one to come back and shestarted out after her. Then the third one thought that the pairwould stay too long talking at the well, and she started after them. Immediately I took the pillows off our bed and put them on the Hags'bed, taking their pillows instead. 

The Hags came back with a half-filled pitcher, and they ordered us togo to our bed. We went, and they sat for a while drinking porringers ofwater. "Crom Duv will be here the first thing in the morning, " I heardone of them say. They put their heads on the pillows and in the turn ofa hand they were dead-fast-sound asleep. I told my foster-sisters thenwhat I had done and why I had done it. They were very frightened, butseeing the Hags so sound asleep they composed themselves and slept too. 

Before the screech of day Crom Duv came to the house. I went outside andsaw the Giant. I said I was the servant of the Hags, and that they weresleeping still. He said, "They are my runners and summoners, my brewers, bakers and candle-makers, and they have no right to be sleeping solate. " Then he went away. 

I knew that the three Hags would slumber until we took the pillows fromunder their heads. We left them sleeping while we put down a fire andmade our break-fast. Then, when we were ready for our journey, we tookthe pillows from under their heads. The three Hags started up then, but we were out on the door, and had taken the first three steps of ourjourney. 

V

Without hap or mishap we came at last to the domain of the King ofSenlabor. Baun went to sing for the King's foster-daughters, and Deelishwent to work at the little loom in the King's chamber. We were not longat the court of the King of Senlabor when two youths came there from thecourt of the King of Ireland--Dermott and Downal were their names. Therewas a famous sword-smith with the King of Senlabor and these two cameto learn the trade from him. And my two foster-sisters fell so deeply inlove with the two youths that every night the pillow on each side of mewas wet with their tears. 

I went to work in the King's kitchen. Now the King had a dish of suchfine earthware and with such beautiful patterns upon it that he neverlet it be carried from the Kitchen to the Feast-Hall, nor from theFeast-Hall to the Kitchen without going himself behind the servant whocarried it. One day the servant brought it into the Kitchen to be washedand the King came behind the servant. I took the dish and cleaned itwith thrice-boiled water and dried it with cloths of three differentkinds. Then I covered it with sweet-smelling herbs and left it in a binwhere it was sunk in soft bran. The King was pleased to see the goodcare I took of his dish, and he said before his servant that he woulddo me any favor I would ask. There and then I told him about my twofoster-sisters Baun and Deelish, and how they were in love with the twoyouths Dermott and Downal who had come from the court of the King ofIreland. I asked that when these two youths were being given wives, thatthe King should remember my foster-sisters. 

The King was greatly vexed at my request. He declared that the twoyouths had on their breasts the stars that denoted the sons of Kings andthat he intended they should marry his own two foster-daughters when themaidens were of age to wed. "It may be, " he said, "that these two youthswill bring what my Queen longs for--a berry from the Fairy Rowan Treethat is guarded by the Giant Crom Duv. "

The next day the King's Councillor was feeding the birds and I wassifting the corn. I asked him what was the history of the Fairy RowanTree that the Giant Crom Duv guarded and why it was that the Queenlonged for a berry of it. There and then he told me this story:--

The Story of the Fairy Rowan Tree

The history of the Fairy Rowan Tree (said the King's Councillor) beginswith Aine', the daughter of Mananaun who is Lord of the Sea. Curoi, theKing of the Munster Fairies loved Aine' and sought her in marriage. Butthe desire of the girl's heart was set upon Fergus who was a mortal, and one of the Fianna of Ireland. Now when Mananaun MacLir heard Curoi'sproposals and learned how his daughter's heart was inclined, he said, "Let the matter be settled in this way: we will call a hurling-matchbetween the Fairies of Munster and the Fianna of Ireland with Curoi tocaptain one side and Fergus to captain the other, and if the Fairieswin, Aine' will marry Curoi and if the Fianna have the victory she willhave my leave to marry this mortal Fergus. "

So a hurling-match was called for the first day of Lunassa, and itwas to be played along the strand of the sea. Mananaun himself set thegoal-marks, and Aine' was there to watch the game. It was played fromthe rising of the sun until the high tide of noon, and neither side wona goal. Then the players stopped to eat the refreshment that Mananaunhad provided. 

This is what Mananaun had brought from his own country, Silver-CloudPlain: a branch of bright-red rowan berries. Whoever ate one of theserowan berries his hunger and his weariness left him in a moment. Theberries were to be eaten by the players, Mananaun said, and not one ofthem was to be taken into the world of the mortals or the world of theFairies. 

When they stopped playing at the high tide of noon the mortal Fergus sawAine' and saw her for the first time. A spirit that he had never feltbefore flowed into him at the sight of Mananaun's daughter. He forgot toeat the berry he was given and held it in his mouth by the stalk. 

He went into the hurling-match again and now he was like a hawk amongstsmall birds. Curoi defended the goal and drove the ball back. Fergusdrove it to the goal again; the two champions met and Curoi's hurl, madeout of rhinoceros' horn, did not beat down Fergus's hurl made out of theash of the wood. The hosts stood aside and left the game to Fergus andCuroi. Curoi's hurl jerked the ball upward; then Fergus gave it thedouble stroke first with the handle and then with the weighted endof the hurl and drove it, beautifully as a flying bird, between thegoal-marks that Mananaun had set up. The match was won by the goal thatFergus had gained. 

The Fianna then invited the Fairies of Munster to a feast that they weregiving to Fergus and his bride. The Fairies went, and Mananaun and Aine'went before them all. Fergus marched at the head of his troop with therowan berry still hanging from his mouth. And as he went he bit thestalk and the berry fell to the ground. Fergus never heeded that. 

When the feast was over he went to where Mananaun stood with hisdaughter. Aine' gave him her hand. "And it is well, " said Conan, theFool of the Fianna, "that this thick-witted Fergus has at last droppedthe berry out of his mouth. " "What berry?" said Curoi, who was standingby. "The rowan berry, " said Conan, "that he carried across two townlandsthe same as if he were a bird. "

When Mananaun heard this he asked about the berry that Fergus hadcarried. It was not to be found. Then the Fianna and the Fairies ofMunster started back to look for a trace of it. What they found was awonderful Rowan Tree. It had grown out of the berry that Fergus had letfall, but as yet there were no berries on its branches. 

Mananaun, when he saw the tree said, "No mortal may take a berry thatgrows on it. Hear my sentence now. Fergus will have to guard this treeuntil he gets one who will guard it for him. And he may not see nor keepcompany with Aine' his bride until he finds one who will guard it betterthan he can guard it himself. " Then Mananaun wrapped his daughter in hiscloak and strode away in a mist. The Fairy Host went in one directionand the Fianna in another, and Fergus was left standing sorrowfully bythe Fairy Rowan Tree. 

Next day (said Morag), when the King's Councillor was feeding the birdsand I was sifting the corn, he told me the rest of the history of theFairy Rowan Tree. Fergus thought and thought how he might leave offwatching it and be with Aine', his bride. At last he bethought him ofa Giant who lived on a rocky island with only a flock of goats for hispossessions. This Giant had begged Finn, the Chief of the Fianna, fora strip of the land of Ireland, even if it were only the breadth of abull's hide. Finn had refused him. But now Fergus sent to Finn and askedhim to bring the Giant to be the guardian of the Fairy Rowan Tree and togive him the land around it. "I mislike letting this giant Crom Duv haveany portion of the land of Ireland, " said Finn, "nevertheless we cannotrefuse Fergus. "

So Finn sent some of the Fianna to the Giant and they found himliving on a bare rock of an island with only a flock of goats for hispossessions. Crom Duv lay on his back and laughed when he heard whatmessage the men of the Fianna brought to him. Then he put them and hisflock of goats into his big boat and rowed them over to Ireland. 

Crom Duv swore by his flock of goats he would guard the Fairy Rowan Treeuntil the red berries ceased to come on its branches. Fergus left hisplace at the tree then and went to Aine', and it may be that she and heare still together. 

Well did Crom Duv guard the tree, never going far from it and sleepingat night in its branches. And one year a heifer came and fed with hisflock of goats and another year a bullock came. And these were thebeginning of his great herd of cattle. He has become more and moregreedy for cattle, said the King's Councillor, and now he takes themaway to far pastures. But still the Fairy Rowan Tree is well guarded. The Bull that is called the Bull of the Mound is on guard near by, andtwenty-four fierce yellow cats watch the tree night and day. 

The Queen of Senlabor and many another woman besides desires a berryfrom the Fairy Rowan Tree that stands in Crom Duv's courtyard. Forthe woman who is old and who eats a berry from that tree becomes youngagain, and the maid who is young and who eats a berry gets all thebeauty that should be hers of right. And now, my maid, said the King'sCouncillor to me, I have told you the history of the Fairy Rowan Tree. 

When I heard all this (said Morag), I made up my mind to get a berry forthe Queen and maybe another berry besides from the Fairy Rowan Tree inCrom Duv's courtyard. When the King came into the kitchen again, I askedhim would he permit my foster-sisters to marry Downal and Dermott if Ibrought to his Queen a berry from the Fairy Rowan Tree. He said he wouldgive permission heartily. That night when I felt the tears of Baun andDeelish I told them I was going to search for such a dowry for them thatwhen they had it the King would let them marry the youths they had settheir hearts on. They did not believe I could do anything to help them, but they gave me leave to go. 

The next day I told the Queen I was going to seek for a berry from theFairy Rowan Tree. She told me that if I could bring back one berry toher she would give me all the things she possessed. I said good-by to myfoster-sisters and with the Little Red Hen under my arm I went towardsthe house of the Hags of the Long Teeth. I built a shelter and waitedtill Crom Duv came that way. One early morning he came by. I stoodbefore him and I told him that I wanted to take service in his house. 

Crom Duv had never had a servant in his house. But I told him that heshould have a byre-maid and that I was well fitted to look after hiscattle. He told me to follow him. I saw the Bull of the Mound and I wasmade wonder how I could get away with the berry from the Fairy RowanTree. Then I saw the twenty-four fierce yellow cats and I was madewonder how I could get the berry from the tree. And after that I foundout about the Moat of Poisoned Water that is behind the high wall at theback of Crom Duv's house. And so now (said Morag), you know why I havecome here and how hard the task is I have taken on myself. 

VI

Now that he had heard the history of the Fairy Rowan Tree, Flann oftenlooked at the clusters of scarlet berries that were high up on itsbranches. The Tree could be climbed, Flann knew. But on the top of thetree and along its branches were the fierce yellow cats--the cats thatthe Hags of the Long Teeth had reared for Crom Duv, thinking that hewould some time give each of them the berry that would make them youngagain. And at the butt of the tree there were more cats. And all aboutthe courtyard the Hags' fierce cats paraded themselves. 

The walls round the Giant's Keep were being built higher by Crom Duv, helped by his servant Flann. The Giant's herd was now increased by manycalves, and Morag the byre-maid had much to do to keep all the cowsmilked. And day and night Morag and Flann heard the bellowing of theBull of the Mound. 

Now one day while Crom Duv was away with his herd, Flann and Morag werein the courtyard. They saw the Little Red Hen rouse herself up, shakeher wings and turn a bright eye on them. "What dost thou say, my LittleRed Hen?" said Morag. 

"The Pooka, " murmured the Little Red Hen. "The Pooka rides a fiercehorse, but the Pooka himself is a timid little fellow. " Then the LittleRed Hen drooped her wings again, and went on picking in the courtyard. 

"The Pooka rides a fierce horse, " said Morag, "if the Pooka rides afierce horse he might carry us past the Bull of the Mound. "

"And if the Pooka himself is a timid little fellow we might take thefierce horse from him, " said Flann. 

"But this does not tell us how to get the berries off the Fairy RowanTree, " said Morag. 

"No, " said Flann, "it does not tell us how to get the berries off thetree the cats guard. "

The next day Morag gave grains to the Little Red Hen and begged forwords. After a while the Little Red Hen murmured, "There are things Iknow, and things I don't know, but I do know what grows near the ground, and if you pull a certain herb, and put it round the necks of the catsthey will not be able to see in the light nor in the dark. And to-morrowis the day of Sowain, " said the Little Red Hen. She said no more words. She had become sleepy and now she flew down and roosted under the table. There she went on murmuring to herself--as all hens murmur--where theChildren of Dana hid their treasures--they know, for it was the Childrenof Dana who brought the hens to Ireland. 

"To-morrow, " said Morag to Flann, "follow the Little Red Hen, and ifshe makes any sign when she touches an herb that grows near the ground, pluck that herb and bring it to me. "

That night Morag and Flann talked about the Pooka and his fierce horse. On Sowain night--the night before the real short days begin--the Pookarides through the countryside touching any fruit that remains, so thatit may bring no taste into winter. The blackberries that were goodto eat the day before are no good on November day, because the Pookatouched them the night before. What else the Pooka does no one reallyknows. He is a timid fellow as the Little Red Hen said, and he hopesthat the sight of his big black horse and the sound of its trampling andpanting as he rides by will frighten people out of his way, for he has agreat fear of being seen. 

The next day the Little Red Hen stayed in the courtyard until Crom Duvleft with his herd. Flann followed her. She went here and there betweenthe house and the wall at the back, now picking a grain of sand andnow an ant or spider or fly. And as she went about the Little Red Henmurmured a song to herself:--

 When sleep would settle on me Like the wild bird down on the nest, The wind comes out of the West: It tears at the door, maybe, And frightens away my rest-- When sleep would come upon me Like the wild bird down on the nest. 

 The cock is aloft with his crest: The barn-owl comes from her quest She fixes an eye upon me And frightens away my rest When sleep would settle on me Like the wild bird down on its nest. 

Flann watched all the Little Red Hen did. He saw her put her head onone side and look down for a while at a certain herb that grew near theground. Flann plucked that herb and brought it to Morag. 

The cattle had come home, but Crom Duv was not with them. Morag milkedthe cows and brought all the milk within, leaving no milk for the catsto drink outside. Six came into the kitchen to get their supper there. One after another they sprang up on the table, one more proud andoverbearing than the other. Each cat ate without condescending to makea single mew. "Cat of my heart, " said Morag to the first, when he hadfinished drinking his milk. "Cat of my heart! How noble you would lookwith this red around your neck. " She held out a little satchel in whicha bit of the herb was sewn. The first cat gave a look that said, "Well, you may put it on me. " Morag put the red satchel around his neck and hejumped off the table. 

It was so with all the other cats. They finished lapping their milk andMorag showed them the red ribbon satchel. They let her put it round eachof their necks and then they sprang off the table, and marched off morescornful and overbearing than before. 

Six of the fierce yellow cats climbed into the branches of the FairyRowan Tree; six stayed in the kitchen; six went into Crom Duv's chamber, and six went to march round the house, three taking each side. No soundcame from the cats that were within or without. Morag drew a ball ofcotton across the floor, and the cats that were in the kitchen gave nosign of seeing it. "The sight has left their eyes, " said Morag. "Then, "said Flann, "I will climb the Fairy Rowan Tree and bring down twoberries. " "Be sure you bring down two, my dear, my dear, " said Morag. 

They went out to the courtyard and Flann began to climb the Fairy RowanTree with all suppleness, strength and cunning. The cats that werebelow felt him going up the tree and the cats that were above humpedthemselves up. Flann passed the first branch on which a cat wascrouched. He went above where the rowan berries were, and bending downhe picked two of them and put them into his mouth. 

He came down quickly with the cats tearing at him. Others had come outof the house and were mewing and spitting in the courtyard. Only one hadfastened itself on Flann's jerkin, and this one would not let go. "Comeinto the wood, come into the wood, " said Morag. "Now we must standbetween the house and the mound, and wait till the Pooka rides by. "Flann put the two berries into her hand, they jumped across the chain, and ran from the house of the Giant Crom Duv. 

VII

They went into the wood, Flann and Morag, and the Little Red Hen wasunder Morag's arm. They thought they would hide behind trees until theyheard the coming of the Pooka and his horse. But they were not far inthe wood when they heard Crom Duv coming towards his house. He cametowards them with the iron spike in his hand. Flann and Morag ran. Then from tree to tree Crom Duv chased them, shouting and snorting andsmashing down branches with the iron spike in his hand. Morag andFlann came to a stream, and as they ran along its bank they heard thetrampling and panting of a horse coming towards them. Up it came, agreat black horse with a sweeping mane. "Halt, Pooka, " said Flann ina commanding voice. The black horse halted and the Pooka that was itsrider slipped down to its tail. 

Flann held the snorting horse and Morag got on its back. Then Flannsprang up between Morag and the horse's head. Crom Duv was just besidethem. "Away, Pooka, away, " said Flann, and the horse started through thewood like the wind of March. 

And then Crom Duv blew on the horn that was across his breast and theBull of the Mound bellowed in answer. As they went by the mound the Bullcharged down and its horns tossed the tail of the Pooka's horse. TheBull turned and swept after them with his head down and hot breathcoming out of his nostrils. And when they were in the hollow he was onthe height, and when they were on the height he was in the hollow. And ahollow or a height behind his Bull came Crom Duv himself. 

Then the breath of the Bull became hot upon Morag and Flann and thePooka. "Oh, what shall we do now?" said Morag to the Pooka who washanging on to the horse's tail, his little face all twisted up withfear. 

"Put your hand into my horse's ear and fling behind what you will findthere, " said the Pooka, his teeth chattering. Flann put his hand intothe horse's right ear and found a twig of ash. He flung it behind them. Instantly a tangled wood sprang up. They heard the Bull driving throughthe tangle of the wood and they heard Crom Duv shouting as he smashedhis way through the brakes and branches. But the Bull and the man gotthrough the wood and again they began to gain on the Pooka's horse. Again the breath of the Bull became hot upon them. "Oh, Pooka, whatshall we do now?" said Morag. 

"Put your hand into my horse's ear and fling behind what you will findthere, " said the Pooka, his teeth chattering with fear as he held on tohis horse's tail. Flann put his hand into the horse's left ear and hefound a bubble of water. He flung it behind them. Instantly it spreadout as a lake and as they rode on, the lake waters spread behind them. 

Morag and Flann never knew whether the Giant and the Bull went into thatlake, or if they did, whether they ever came out of it. They crossed theriver that marked the bounds of Crom Duv's domain and they were safe. Flann pulled up the horse and jumped on to the ground. Morag sprang downwith the Little Red Hen. Then the Pooka swung forward and whispered intohis horse's ear. Instantly it struck fire out of its hooves and sprangdown the side of a hill. From that day to this Morag nor Flann ever sawsight of the Pooka and his big, black, snorting and foaming horse. 

"Dost thou know where we are, my Little Red Hen?" said Morag when thesun was in the sky again. 

"There are things I know and things I don't know, " said the Little RedHen, "but I know we are near the place we started from. "

"Which way do we go to come to that place, my Little Red Hen?" saidMorag. "The way of the sun, " said the Little Red Hen. So Morag and Flannwent the way of the sun and the Little Red Hen hopped beside them. Moraghad in a weasel-skin purse around her neck the two rowan berries thatFlann had given her. 

They went towards the house of the Spae-Woman. And as they went Moragtold Flann of the life she had there when she and her foster-sisterswere growing up, and Flann told Morag of the things he did when he wasin the house of the Spae-Woman after she and her foster-sisters had leftit. 

They climbed the heather-covered knowe on which was the Spae-Woman'shouse and the Little Red Hen went flitting and fluttering towards thegate. The Spae-Woman's old goat was standing in the yard, and its hornswent down and its beard touched its knees and it looked at the LittleRed Hen. Then the Little Red Hen flew up on its back. "We're here again, here again, " said the Little Red Hen. 

And then the Spae-Woman came to the door and saw who the comers were. She covered them with kisses and watered them with tears, and dried themwith cloths silken and with the hair of her head. 

VIII

Flann told the Spae-Woman all his adventures. And when he had told herall he said--"What Queen is my mother, O my fosterer?" "Your mother, "said the Spae-Woman, "is Caintigern, the Queen of the King of Ireland. "

"And is my mother then not Sheen whose story has been told me?" "Hername was changed to Caintigern when her husband who was called theHunter-King made himself King over Ireland and began to rule as KingConnal. "

"Then who is my comrade who is called the King of Ireland's Son?"

"He too is King Connal's son, born of a queen who died at his birth andwho was wife to King Connal before he went on his wanderings and metSheen your mother. "

And as the Spae-Woman said this someone came and stood at the doorway. Agirl she was and wherever the sun was it shone on her, and wherever thebreeze was it rippled over her. White as the snow upon a lake frozenover was the girl, and as beautiful as flowers and as alive as birdswere her eyes, while her cheeks had the red of fox-gloves and her hairwas the blending of five bright soft colors. She looked at Flann happilyand her eyes had the kind look that was always in Morag's eyes. Andshe came and 'knelt down, putting her hands on his knees. "I am Morag, Flann, " she said. 

"Morag indeed, " said he, "but how have you become so fair?"

"I have eaten the berry from the Fairy Rowan Tree, " said she, "and now Iam as fair as I should be. "

All day they were together and Flann was happy that his friend was sobeautiful and that so beautiful a being was his friend. And he toldher of his adventures in the Town of the Red Castle and of the PrincessFlame-of-Wine and his love for her. "And if you love her still I willnever see you again, " said Morag. 

"But, " said Flann, "I could not love her after the way she mocked atme. "

"When did she mock at you?"

"When I took her a message that the Spae-Woman told me to give her. "

"And what was that message?"

"'Ask her, ' said the Spae-Woman, 'for seven drops of her heart'sblood--she can give them and live--so that the spell may be taken fromthe seven wild geese and the mother who longs for you may be atpeace again. ' This was the message the Spae-Woman told me to giveFlame-of-Wine. And though I had given her wonderful gifts she laughed atme when I took it to her. And by the way she laughed I knew she was hardof heart. "

"Yet seven drops of heart's blood are hard to give, " said Morag sadly. 

"But the maiden who loves can give them, " said the Spae-Woman who wasbehind. 

"It is true, foster-mother, " said Morag. 

That evening Morag said, "To-morrow I must pre-pare for my journey tothe Queen of Senlabor. You, Flann, may not come with me. The Spae-Womanhas sent a message to your mother, and you must be here to meet her whenshe comes. A happy meeting to her and you, O Flann of my heart. And Ishall leave you a token to give to her. So to-morrow I go to the Queenof Senlabor with the Rowan Berry and I shall bring my Little Red Henfor company, and shall stay only until my sisters are wed to Dermott andDownal, your brothers. "

The next day when he came into the house he saw Morag dressed for herjourney but seated at the fire. She was pale and ill-looking. "Do notgo to-day, Morag, " said he. "I shall go to-day, " said Morag. She put herhand into the bosom of her dress and took out a newly-woven handkerchieffolded. "This is a token for your mother, " she said. "I have woven itfor her. Give her this gift from me when you have welcomed her. "

"That I will do, Morag, my heart, " said Flann. 

The Spae-Woman came in and kissed Morag good-by and said the charm for ajourney over her. 

 May my Silver- Shielded Magian Shed all lights Across your path. 

Then Morag put the Little Red Hen under her arm and started out. "Ishall find you, " said she to Flann, "at the Castle of the King ofIreland, for it is there I shall go when I part from my foster-sistersand the Queen of Senlabor. Kiss me now. But if you kiss anyone until youkiss me again you will forget me. Remember that. "

"I will remember, " said Flann, and he kissed Morag and said, "When youcome to the King of Ireland's Castle we will be married. "

"You gave me the Rowan Berry, " said Morag, "and the Rowan Berry gave meall the beauty that should be mine. But what good will my beauty be tome if you forget me?"

"But, Morag, " said he, "how could I forget you?"

She said nothing but went down the side of the knowe and Flann watchedand watched until his eyes had no power to see any more. 

THE SPAE-WOMAN

I

There are many things to tell you still, my kind foster-child, butlittle time have I to tell you them, for the barnacle-geese are flyingover the house, and when they have all flown by I shall have no more tosay. And I have to tell you yet how the King of Ireland's Son won homewith Fedelma, the Enchanter's daughter, and how it came to pass that theSeven Wild Geese that were Caintigern's brothers were disenchanted andbecame men again. But above all I have to tell you the end of that storythat was begun in the house of the Giant Crom Duv--the story of Flannand Morag. 

The barnacle-geese are flying over the house as I said. And so they werecrossing and flying on the night the King of Ireland's Son and Fedelmawhom he had brought from the Land of Mist stayed in the house of theLittle Sage of the Mountain. On that night the Little Sage told themfrom what bird had come the wing that thatched his house. That was awonderful story. And he told them too about the next place they shouldgo to--the Spae-woman's house. There, he said he would find people thatthey knew--Flann, the King's Son's comrade, and Caintigern, the wife ofthe King of Ireland, and Fedelma's sister, Gilveen. 

In the morning the Little Sage of the Mountain took them down thehillside to the place where Fedelma and the King's Son would get a horseto ride to the Spae-Woman's house. The Little Sage told them fromwhat people the Spae-Woman came and why she lived amongst the poorand foolish without name or splendor or riches. And that, too, was awonderful story. 

Now as the three went along the river-side they saw a girl on the otherside of the river and she was walking from the place towards which theywere going. The girl sang to herself as she went along, and the King'sSon and Fedelma and the Little Sage of the Mountain heard what shesang, --

 A berry, a berry, a red rowan berry, A red rowan berry brought mc beauty and love. 

 But drops of my heart's blood, drops of my heart's blood, Seven drops of my heart's blood I have given away. 

 Seven wild geese were men, seven wild geese were men, Seven drops of my heart's blood are there for your spell. 

 A kiss for my love, a kiss for my love, May his kiss go to none till he meet me again. 

 If to one go his kiss, if to one go his kiss, He may meet, he may meet, and not know me again. 

The girl on the other bank of the river passed on, and the King's Sonand Fedelma with the Little Sage of the Mountain came to the meadowwhere the horse was. A heavy, slow-moving horse he seemed. But when theymounted him they found he had the three qualities of Finn's steeds--aquick rush against a hill, the gait of a fox, easy and proud, on thelevel ground, and the jump of a deer over harriers. They left health andgood luck with the Little Sage of the Mountain, and on the horse he gavethem they rode on to the Spae-Woman's house. 

II

When Fedelma and the King of Ireland's Son came to the Spae-Woman'shouse, who was the first person they saw there but Gilveen, Fedelma'ssister! She came to where they reined their horse and smiled in thefaces of her sister and the King of Ireland's Son. And she it was whogave them their first welcome. "And you will be asking how I came here, "said Gilveen, "and I will tell you without wasting candle-light. Myselfand sister Aefa went to the court of the King of Ireland after you, mysister, had gone from us with the lucky man of your choice. And as forAefa, she has been lucky too in finding a match and she is now marriedto Maravaun the King's Councillor. I have been with Caintigern theQueen. And now the Queen is in the house of the Spae-Woman with theyouth Flann and she is longing to give the clasp of welcome to both ofyou. And if you sit beside me on this grassy ditch I will tell you thewhole story from the first to the last syllable. "

They sat together, and Gilveen told Fedelma and the King's Son thestory. The Spae-Woman had sent a message to Caintigern the Queen to tellher she had tidings of her first-born son. Thereupon Caintigern went tothe Spae-Woman's house and Gilveen, her attendant, went with her. Shefound there Flann who had been known as Gilly of the Goatskin, and knewhim for the son who had been stolen from her when he was born. Flanngave his mother a token which had been given him by a young woman. Thetoken was a handkerchief and it held seven drops of heart's blood. TheSpae-Woman told the Queen that these seven drops would disenchant herbrothers who had been changed from their own forms into the forms ofseven wild geese. 

And while Gilveen was telling them all this Flann came to see whosehorse was there, and great was his joy to find his comrade the King ofIreland's Son. They knew now that they were the sons of the one father, and they embraced each other as brothers. And Flann took the hand ofFedelma and he told her and the King's Son of his love for Morag. Butwhen he was speaking of Morag, Gilveen went away. 

Then Flann took them into the Spae-Woman's house, and the Queen who wasseated at the fire rose up and gave them the clasp of welcome. Theface she turned to the King's Son was kindly and she called him by hischild's name. She said too that she was well pleased that he and Flannher son were good comrades, and she prayed they would be good comradesalways. 

Fedelma and the King of Ireland's Son rested themselves for a day. Thenthe Spae-Woman said that the Queen would strive on the next night--itwas the night of the full moon--to bring back her seven brothers totheir own forms. The Spae-Woman said too that the Queen and herselfshould be left alone in the house and that the King of Ireland'sSon with Flann and Fedelma and Gilveen should go towards the King ofIreland's Castle with MacStairn the woodman, and wait for the Queen at aplace a day's journey away. 

So the King of Ireland's Son and Flann, Fedelma and Gilveen bade good-byto the Queen, to the Spae-Woman and to the Spae-Woman's house, andstarted their journey towards the King's Castle with MacStairn theWoodman who walked beside their horses, a big axe in his hands. 

At night MacStairn built two bothies for them--one covered with greenboughs for Fedelma and Gilveen and one covered with cut sods for Flannand the King of Ireland's Son. Flann lay near the opening of thisbothie. And at night, when the only stir in the forest was that of theleaves whispering to the Secret People, Gilveen arose from where she layand came to the other bothie and whispered Flann's name. He awakened, and thinking that Morag had come back to him (he had been dreaming ofher), he put out his arms, drew Gilveen to him and kissed her. ThenGilveen ran back to her own bothie. And Flann did not know whether hehad awakened or whether he had remained in a dream. 

But when he arose the next morning no thought of Morag was in hismind. And when the King's Son rode with Fedelma he rode with Gilveen. Afterwards Gilveen gave him a drink that enchanted him, so that hethought of her night and day. 

Neither Fedelma nor the King's Son knew what had come over Flann. Theymentioned the name he had spoken of so often--Morag's name but it seemedas if it had no meaning for him. At noon they halted to bide until theQueen came with or without her seven brothers. Flann and Gilveen werealways together. And always Gilveen was smiling. 

III

When Caintigern had come, when she knew her son Flann, and when it wasknown to her and to the Spae-Woman that the token Morag had given himheld the seven drops of heart's blood that would bring back to theirown forms the seven wild geese that were Caintigern's brothers--whenall this was known the Spae-Woman sent her most secret messenger to themarshes to give word to the seven wild geese that they were to fly toher house on the night when the moon was full. Her messenger was thecorncrake. She traveled night and day, running swiftly through themeadows. She hid on the edge of the marshes and craked out her messageto the seven wild geese. At last they heard what she said. On the daybefore the night of the full moon they flew, the seven together, towardsthe Spae-Woman's house. 

No one was in the house but Caintigern the Queen. The door was leftopen to the light of the moon. The seven wild geese flew down and stayedoutside the door, moving their heads and wings in the full moonlight. 

Then Caintigern arose and took bread that the Spae-Woman had made. Shemoistened it in her mouth, and into each bit of moistened bread she puta piece of the handkerchief that had a drop of blood. She held outher hand, giving each the moistened bread. The first that ate it fellforward on the floor of the Spae-Woman's house, his head down on theground. His sister saw him then as a kneeling man with this arms heldbehind him as if they were bound. And when she looked outside she sawthe others like kneeling men with their heads bent and their arms heldbehind them. Then Caintigern said, giving the Spae-Woman her secretname, "O Grania Oi, let it be that my brothers be changed back to men!"When she said this she saw the Spae-Woman coming across the court-yard. The Spae-Woman waved her hands over the bent figures. They liftedthemselves up as men--as naked, gray men. 

The Spae-Woman gave each a garment and the seven men came into thehouse. They would stand and not sit, and for long they had no speech. Their sister knelt before each and wet his hand with her tears. Shethought she should see them as youths or as young men, and they weregray now and past the prime of their lives. 

They stayed at the house and speech came back to them. Then they longedto go back to their father's, but Caintigern could not bear that theyshould go from her sight. At last four of her brothers went and threestayed with her. They would go to her husband's Castle and the otherswould go too after they had been at their father's. Then one dayCaintigern said farewell. The thanks that was due to the Spae-Woman, shesaid she would give by her treatment of the maid who had given thetoken to her son Flann. And she prayed that Morag would soon come to theKing's Castle. 

She went with her three brothers to the place where Flann and the Kingof Ireland's Son, Fedelma and Gilveen waited for them. A smith groomedand decked horses for all of them and they rode towards the King ofIreland's Castle, MacStairn, the Woodman, going before to announce theircoming. 

The King of Ireland waited at the stone where the riders to his Castledismount, and his steward, his Councillor and his Druid were beside him. He lifted his wife off her horse and she brought him to Flann. And whenthe King looked into Flann's eyes he knew he was his son and the sonof Sheen, now known as Caintigern. He gave Flann a father's clasp ofwelcome. And the queen brought him to her own three brothers who hadbeen estranged from human companionship from before he knew her. And shebrought him to the youth who was always known as the King of Ireland'sSon, and him his father welcomed from the path of danger. 

And then the King's Son took Fedelma to his father and told him shewas his love and his wife to be. And the King welcomed Fedelma to theCastle. Then said Gilveen, "There is a secret between this young man, Flann, and myself. "

"What is the secret?" said the Queen, laying her hands suddenly uponGilveen's shoulders. 

"That I am his wife to be, " said Gilveen. 

The Queen went to her son and said, "Dost thou not remember Morag, Flann, who gave the token that thou gavest me?"

And Flann said, "Morag! I think the Spae-Woman spoke of her name in astory. "

"I am Flann's wife to be, " said Gilveen, smiling in his face. 

"Yes, my wife to be, " said Flann. Then the King welcomed Gilveen too, and they all went into the Castle. He told his wife he had messages fromthe King of Senlabor about his other sons Dermott and Downal, sayingthat they were making good names for themselves, and that everythingthey did was becoming to sons of Kings. In the hall Fedelma saw Aefa herother sister. Aefa was so proud of herself since she married Maravaunthe King's Councillor that she would hardly speak to anyone. She gaveher sisters the tips of her fingers and she bowed very slightingly tothe two youths. The King questioned his druid as to when it would bewell to have marriages made in his Castle and the druid said it would bewell not to make them until the next appearance of the full moon. 

IV

As for Morag she went by track and path, by boher and bohereen, throughfords in rivers and over stepping-stones across them, until at last shecame to the country of Senlabor and to the Castle of the King. 

No one of high degree was in the Castle, for all had gone to watch theyoung horses being broken in the meadow by the river; the King andQueen had gone, and the King's foster-daughters; and of the maids in theCastle, Baun and Deelish had gone too. The King's Councillor also hadgone from the Castle. Morag went and stayed in the kitchen, and themaids who were there did not know her, either because they were new andhad not heard her spoken of at all, or because she had changed to suchbeauty through eating the berry of the Fairy Rowan Tree that no onecould know her now for Morag who had cleaned dishes in that kitchenbefore. 

It was Breas the King's Steward who came to her and asked her who shewas. She told him. Then Breas looked sharply at her and saw she wasindeed Morag who had been in the King's kitchen. Then he said loudly, "Before you left you broke the dish that the King looked on as hisespecial treasure, and for this, you will be left in the Stone House. Iwho have power in this matter order that it be so. " Then he said in herear, "But kisses and sweet words would make me willing to save you. "

Morag, in a voice raised, called him by that evil name that he was knownby to the servants and their gossips. But the servants, hearing thatname said in the hearing of Breas, pretended to be scandalized. Theywent to Morag and struck her with the besoms they had for sweeping thefloor. 

Just then her foster-sisters, Baun and Deelish, came into the kitchen. Seeing her there they knew her. They spoke to her quietly, but withanger, saying they had not wanted her to go on the journey she hadtaken, but, as she had gone it was a pity she had come back, for now shehad behaved in an iii-mannered way, and they who were her foster-sisterswould be thought to be as ill-mannered; they told her too that beforeshe came back they were well-liked by all, and that Breas had evenordered a shady place to be given them at the horse-breaking sports, and they had been able to see the two youths who had broken the horses, Dermott and Downal. 

"It was for a benefit to you that I came back, " said Morag. "I shallask one of you to do a thing for me. You, Baun, sing for thefoster-daughters of the King. Before they sleep to-night ask them totell the Queen that Morag has returned, and has a thing to give her. "

"I shall try to remember that, Morag, " said Baun. Morag was taken tothe Stone House by strong-armed bondswomen, and Baun and Deelish sat incorners and cried and did not go near her. 

That night the King's foster-daughters kept awake for long, and afterBaun had sung to them they asked her to tell them what had happened inthe Castle. Then Baun remembered the tumult in the kitchen that had comefrom the name given to Breas. She told the King's foster-daughters thatMorag had come back. "She was reared in the same house with us, " saidBaun, "but she is not of the same parents. " And then she said; "If yourFair Finenesses can remember, tell the Queen that Morag has come back. "

The next day when they were walking with the Queen one of the King'sfoster-daughters said, "Did you know of a maid named Morag? I have heardthat she has been away and has come back. "

"How did she fare?" said the Queen. 

"We have not heard that, " said the maiden who spoke. 

The Queen went to where Baun and Deelish were and from them she heardthat Morag had been put into the Stone House on the charge that she hadbroken the King's dish when she had been in the Castle before. Now theQueen knew that the dish had been safe after Morag had left. She wentto the King's Steward and accused him of having broken it and Breasadmitted that it was so. Thereupon he lost his rank and became themeanest and the most despised servant in the Castle. 

The Queen went to the Stone House and took Morag out. She asked her howshe had fared and thereupon Morag put the Rowan Berry in the Queen'shand. She hastened to her own chamber and ate it, and her youth andbeauty came back to her, and the King who had grown solitary, loved theQueen again. 

Then Morag came to great honor in the Castle and the Queen asked herto name the greatest favor she could think of. And the favor that Moragnamed was marriages for her foster-sisters with the two youths theyloved, Downal and Dermott from the court of the King of Ireland. 

The Queen, when she heard this, brought fine clothes out of her chestsand gave them to Baun and Deelish. When they had dressed in theseclothes the Queen made them known to the two youths. Downal and Dermottfell in love with Morag's foster-sisters, and the King named a day forthe pairs to marry. 

Morag waited to see the marriages, and the King and Queen made it agrand affair. There were seven hundred guests at the short table, eight hundred at the long table, nine hundred at the round table, anda thousand in the great hall. I was there, and I heard the whole story. But I got no present save shoes of paper and stockings of butter-milkand these a herdsman stole from me as I crossed the mountains. 

But Morag got better presents, for the Queen gave her three gifts--ascissors that cut cloth of itself, a ball of thread that went into theneedle of itself, and a needle that sewed of itself. 

V

Morag, with the three gifts that the Queen of Senlabor gave her, came again to the Spae-Woman's house. Her Little Red Hen was in thecourtyard, and she fluttered up to meet her. But there was no sign ofany other life about the place. Then, below at the washing-streamshe found the Spae-Woman rinsing clothes. She was standing on themiddle-stones, clapping her hands as if in great trouble. "Oh, Morag, my daughter Morag, " cried the Spae-Woman, "there are signs on theclothes--there are signs on the clothes!"

After a while she ceased crying and clapping her hands and came up fromthe stream. She showed Morag that in all the shifts and dimities shewashed for her, a hole came just above where her heart would be. Moraggrew pale when she saw that, but she stood steadily and she did notwail. "Should I go to the King's Castle, fosterer?" said she. "No, "said the Spae-Woman, "but to the woodman's hut that is near the King'sCastle. And take your Little Red Hen with you, my daughter, " said she, "and do not forget the three presents that the Queen of Senlabor gaveyou. " Then the Spae-Woman stood up and said the blessing of the journeyover Morag:--

 May the Olden One, whom Fairy Women nurtured Through seven ages, Bring you seven Waves of fortune. 

Morag gave her the clasp of farewell then, and went on her way with theLittle Red Hen under her arm and the three presents that the Queen ofSenlabor gave her in her pouch. 

Morag was going and ever going from the blink of day to the mouth ofdark and that for three crossings of the sun, and at last she camewithin sight of the Castle of the King of Ireland. She asked a dog-boyfor the hut of MacStairn the Woodman and the hut was shown to her. Shewent to it and saw the wife of MacStairn. She told her she was a girltraveling alone and she asked for shelter. "I can give you shelter, "said MacStairn's wife, "and I can get you earnings too, for there ismuch sewing-work to be done at this time. " Morag asked her what reasonthere was for that, and the woodman's wife told her there were twocouples in the Castle to be married soon. "One is the youth whom we havealways called the King of Ireland's Son. He is to be married to a maidencalled Fedelma. The other is a youth who is the King's son too, hutwho has been away for a long time. Flann is his name. And he is to bemarried to a damsel called Gilveen. "

When she heard that, it was as if a knife had been put into and turnedin her heart. She let the Little Red Hen drop from her arm. "I would sewthe garments that the damsel Gilveen is to wear, " said she, and she satdown on the stone outside the woodman's hut. MacStairn's wife then sentto the Castle to say that there was one in her hut who could sew all thegarments that Gilveen would send her. 

The next day, with a servant walking behind, Gilveen came to thewoodman's hut with a basket of cloths and patterns. The basket was leftdown and Gilveen began to tell MacStairn's wife how she wanted them cut, stitched and embroidered. Morag took up the crimson doth and let herscissors--the scissors that the Queen of Senlabor gave her--run throughit. It cut out the pattern exactly. "What a wonderful scissors, " saidGilveen. She stooped down to where Morag was sitting on the stoneoutside of the woodman's house and took up the scissors in her hand. Sheexamined it. "I cannot give it back to you, " said she. "Give it to me, and I will let you have any favor you ask. " "Since you want me toask you for a favor, " said Morag, "I ask that you let me sit at thesupper-table to-night alone with the youth you are to marry. " "That willdo me no harm, " said Gilveen. She went away, taking the scissors andsmiling to herself. 

That night Morag went into the Castle and came to the supper-table whereFlann was seated alone. But Gilveen had put a sleeping-draught intoFlann's cup and he neither saw nor knew Morag when she sat at thetable. "Do you remember, Flann, " said she, "how we used to sit at thesupper-board in the house of Crom Duv?" But Flann did not hear her, norsee her, and then Morag had to go away. 

VI

The next day Gilveen came to where Morag sat on the stone outside thewoodman's hut to watch her stitch the garment she had cut out. Thethread went into the needle of itself. "What a wonderful ball ofthread, " said Gilveen, taking it up. "I cannot give it back to you. Askme for a favor in place of it. " "Since you would have me ask a favor, "said Morag, "I ask that you let me sit at the supper-table alone withthe youth you are going to marry. " "That will do me no harm, " saidGilveen. She took the ball of thread and went away smiling. 

That night Morag went into the Castle and came to the supper-table whereFlann was seated alone. But Gilveen again had put a sleeping-draughtinto his cup, and Flann did not see or know Morag. "Do you not remember, Flann, " said she, "the story of Morag that I told you across thesupper-board in the House of Crom Duv?" But Flann gave no sign ofknowing her, and then Morag had to go away. 

The next day Gilveen came to watch Morag make the red embroideries uponthe white garment. When she put the needle into the cloth it worked outthe pattern of itself. "This is the most wonderful thing of all, " saidGilveen. She stooped down and took the needle in her hand. "I cannotgive this back to you, " she said, "and you will have to ask for a favorthat will recompense you. "

"If I must ask for a favor, " said Morag, "the only favor I would ask isthat you let me sit at the supper-table to-night alone with the youthyou are to marry. " "That will do me no harm, " said Gilveen, and she tookthe needle and went away smiling. Morag went to the Castle again thatnight, but this time she took the Little Red Hen with her. She scatteredgrains on the table and the Little Red Hen picked them up. "Little Hen, Little Red Hen, " said Morag, "he slept too when I gave the seven dropsof my heart's blood for his mother's sake. " The Little Red Hen flewinto Flann's face. "Seven drops of heart's blood, seven drops of heart'sblood, " said the Little Red Hen, and Flann heard the words. 

He opened his eyes and saw the Little Red Hen on the table and knew thatshe belonged to one that he had known. Morag, at the other side of thetable, looked strange and shadowy to him. But he threw crumbs on thetable and fed the Little Red Hen, and as he watched her picking up thecrumbs the memory of Morag came back to him. Then he saw her. He knewher for his sweetheart and his promised wife and he went to her andasked her how it came that she had not been in his mind for so long. "Iwill tell you how you came to forget me, " said she, "it was because ofthe kiss you gave Gilveen, and the enchantment she was able to put onyou because of that kiss. "

There was sorrow on Morag's face when she said that, but the sorrow wentas the thin clouds go from before the face of the high-hung moon, andFlann saw her as his kind comrade of Crom Duv's and as his beautifulfriend of the Spae-Woman's house. They kissed each other then, and everyenchantment went but the lasting enchantment of love, and they sat withhands joined until the log in the fire beside them had burnt itself downinto a brand and the brand had burnt itself into ashes, and all the timethat passed was, as they thought, only while the watching-gilly outsidewalked from one side of the Castle Gate to the other. 

Gilveen had come into the room and she saw Flann and Morag give eachother a true-lover's kiss. She went away. But the next day she came tothe King's Steward, Art, who at one time wanted to marry her, and whomshe had refused because Aefa, her sister, had married one of a higherdegree--she came to Art and she told him that she would not marry Flannbecause she had found out that he had a low-born sweetheart. "And I amready to marry you, Art, " she said. And Art was well pleased, and he andGilveen left the Castle to be married. 

Then the day came when Fedelma and the King of Ireland's Son, and Moragand Flann were married. They were plighted to each other in the Circleof Stones by the Druids who invoked upon them the powers of the Sun, theMoon, the Earth, and the Air. They were married at the height of the dayand they feasted at night when the wax candles were lighted round thetables. They had Greek honey and Lochlinn beer; ducks from Achill, apples from Emain and venison from the Hunting Hill; they had troutand grouse and plovers' eggs and a boar's head for every King in thecompany. And these were the Kings who sat down to table with the King ofEirinn: the King of Sorcha, the King of Hispania, the King of Lochlinnand the King of the Green Island who had Sunbeam for his daughter. Andthey had there the best heroes of Lochlinn, the best story-tellers ofAlba, the best bards of Eirinn. They laid sorrow and they raised music, and the harpers played until the great champion Split-the-Shields told atale of the realm of Greece and how he slew the three lions that guardedthe daughter of the King. They feasted for six days and the last daywas better than the first, and the laugh they laughed when Witless, theSaxon fool, told how Split-the-Shield's story should have ended, shookthe young jackdaws out of every chimney in the Castle and brought themdown fluttering on the floors. 

The King of Ireland lived long, but he died while his sons were in theirstrong manhood, and after he passed away the Island of Destiny cameunder the equal rule of the two. And one had rule over the courts andcities, the harbors and the military encampments. And the other had ruleover the waste places and the villages and the roads where masterlessmen walked. And the deeds of one are in the histories the shanachieshave written in the language of the learned, and the deeds of the otherare in the stories the people tell to you and to me. 

 When I crossed the Ford They were turning the Mountain Pass; When I stood on the Stepping-stones They were travelling the Road of Glass.