Myths and Folk-Lore of Ireland. Jeremiah Curtin

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СКАЧАТЬ 't is for you."

      ​"Oh! then," said the giant, "it is either the devil or my daughter that helped you to do that work, for I know you never did it alone."

      "It 's neither the devil nor your daughter, but my own strength that did the work," said the son of the king of Erin.

      "You have done the work; now you must have your meat."

      "I want no meat to-day; I am well satisfied as I am," said the king's son.

      "Well," said the giant, "since you 'll have no meat, you must go to sleep in the tank."

      He went into the tank. The giant himself was soon snoring, for he was tired from hunting over Erin all day.

      The moment her father was away, Yellow Lily came, took the king's son out of the tank, gave him a good supper and bed, and watched till the giant was stirring before daybreak. Then she roused the king's son and put him in the tank.

      "Are you alive in the tank?" asked the giant at daybreak.

      "I am," said the king's son.

      "Well, you have a great work before you to-day. That stable you cleaned yesterday has n't been thatched these seven hundred years, and if you don't have it thatched for me when I come home to-night, with birds' feathers, and not two feathers ​of one color or kind, I 'll have your head on the seven hundredth spike to-morrow."

      "Here are two whistles—an old, and a new one; take your choice of them to call the birds."

      The king's son took the new whistle, and set out over the hills and valleys, whistling as he went. But no matter how he whistled, not a bird came near him. At last, tired and worn out with travelling and whistling, he sat down on a hillock and began to cry.

      That moment Yellow Lily was at his side with a cloth, which she spread out, and there was a grand meal before him. He had n't finished eating and drinking, before the stable was thatched with birds' feathers, and no two of them of one color or kind.

      When he came home that evening the giant called out: "Have you the stable thatched for me to-night?"

      "I have indeed," said the king's son; "and small trouble I had with it."

      "If that 's true," said the giant, "either the devil or my daughter helped you."

      "It was my own strength, and not the devil or your daughter that helped me," said the king's son.

      He spent that night as he had the two nights before.

      Next morning, when the giant found him alive in ​the tank, he said: "There is great work before you to-day, which you must do, or your head 'll be on the spike to-morrow. Below here, under my castle, is a tree nine hundred feet high, and there is n't a limb on that tree, from the roots up, except one small limb at the very top, where there is a crow's nest. The tree is covered with glass from the ground to the crow's nest. In the nest is one egg: you must have that egg before me here for my supper to-night, or I 'll have your head on the seven hundredth spike to-morrow."

      The giant went hunting, and the king's son went down to the tree, tried to shake it, but could not make it stir. Then he tried to climb; but no use, it was all slippery glass. Then he thought, "Sure I 'm done for now; I must lose my head this time."

      He stood there in sadness, when Yellow Lily came, and said: "How are you thriving in your work?"

      "I can do nothing," said the king's son.

      "Well, all that we have done up to this time is nothing to climbing this tree. But first of all let us sit down together and eat, and then we 'll talk," said Yellow Lily.

      They sat down, she spread the cloth again, and they had a splendid feast. When the feast was over she took out a knife from her pocket and said:—

      ​"Now you must kill me, strip the flesh from my bones, take all the bones apart, and use them as steps for climbing the tree. When you are climbing the tree, they will stick to the glass as if they had grown out of it; but when you are coming down, and have put your foot on each one, they will drop into your hand when you touch them. Be sure and stand on each bone, leave none untouched; if you do, it will stay behind. Put all my flesh into this clean cloth by the side of the spring at the roots of the tree. When you come to the earth, arrange my bones together, put the flesh over them, sprinkle it with water from the spring, and I shall be alive and well before you. But don't forget a bone of me on the tree."

      "How could I kill you," asked the king's son, "after what you have done for me?"

      "If you won't obey, you and I are done for," said Yellow Lily. "You must climb the tree, or we are lost; and to climb the tree you must do as I say."

      The king's son obeyed. He killed Yellow Lily, cut the flesh from her body, and unjointed the bones, as she had told him.

      As he went up, the king's son put the bones of Yellow Lily's body against the side of the tree, using them as steps, till he came under the nest and stood on the last bone.

      ​Then he took the crow's egg; and coming down, put his foot on every bone, then took it with him, till he came to the last bone, which was so near the ground that he failed to touch it with his foot.

      He now placed all the bones of Yellow Lily in order again at the side of the spring, put the flesh on them, sprinkled it with water from the spring. She rose up before him, and said: "Did n't I tell you not to leave a bone of my body without stepping on it? Now I am lame for life! You left my little toe on the tree without touching it, and I have but nine toes."

      When the giant came home that night, the first words he had were, "Have you the crow's egg for my supper?"

      "I have," said the king's son.

      "If you have, then either the devil or my daughter is helping you."

      "It is my own strength that 's helping me," said the king's son.

      "Well, whoever it is, I must forgive you now, and your head is your own."

      So the king's son was free to go his own road, and away he went, and never stopped till he came home to his own father and mother, who had a great welcome before him; and why not? for they thought he was dead.

      ​When the son was at home a time, the king called up the old blind sage, and asked, "What must I do with my son now?"

      "If you follow my advice," said the old blind sage, "you 'll find a wife for him; and then he 'll not go roaming away again, and leave you as he did before."

The king was pleased with the advice, and he sent a message to the king of Lochlin^[2] to ask his daughter in marriage.

      The king of Lochlin came with the daughter and a ship full of attendants, and there was to be a grand wedding at the castle of the king of Erin.

      Now, the king's son asked his father to invite the Giant of Loch Léin and Yellow Lily to the wedding. The king sent messages for them to come.

      The day before the marriage there was a great feast at the castle. As the feast went on, and all were merry, the Giant of Loch Léin said: "I never was at a place like this but one man sang a song, a СКАЧАТЬ