Part 17 (1/2)

Sean Ruadh mounted his black steed, and was gone before the princess could stop him. Sad was her heart when she saw him rush off between the earth and sky more swiftly than any wind.

Sean Ruadh went to the first giant's castle and put away his horse, clothes, and sword. Then he slept on the giant's bed till evening, when the housekeeper woke him, and he drove home the cows. Meeting the king, he asked: ”Well, how has your daughter fared to-day?”

”Oh! the urfeist came out of the sea to carry her away; but a wonderful black champion came riding between earth and sky and saved her.”

”Who was he?”

”Oh! there is many a man who says he did it. But my daughter isn't saved yet, for the urfeist said he'd come to-morrow.”

”Well, never fear; perhaps another champion will come to-morrow.”

Next morning Sean Ruadh drove the king's cows to the land of the second giant, where he left them feeding, and then went to the castle, where the housekeeper met him and said: ”You are welcome. I'm here before you, and all is well.” ”Let the brown horse be brought; let the giant's apparel and sword be ready for me,” said Sean Ruadh.

The apparel was brought, the beautiful blue dress of the second giant, and his sword of light. Sean Ruadh put on the apparel, took the sword, mounted the brown steed, and sped away between earth and air three times more swiftly than the day before.

He rode first to the seash.o.r.e, saw the king's daughter sitting on the rock alone, and the princes and champions far away, trembling in dread of the urfeist. Then he rode to the king, enquired about the crowd on the seash.o.r.e, and received the same answer as before. ”But is there no man to save her?” asked Sean Ruadh.

”Oh! there are men enough,” said the king, ”who promise to save her, and say they are brave; but there is no man of them who will stand to his word and face the urfeist when he rises from the sea.”

Sean Ruadh was away before the king knew it, and rode to the princess in his suit of blue, bearing his sword of light. ”Is there no one to save you?” asked he.

”No one.”

”Let me lay my head on your lap, and when the urfeist comes, rouse me.”

He put his head on her lap, and while he slept she took out the three hairs, compared them with his hair, and said to herself: ”You are the man who was here yesterday.”

When the urfeist appeared, coming over the sea, the princess roused the stranger, who sprang up and hurried to the beach.

The monster, moving at a greater speed, and raising more water than on the day before, came with open mouth to land. Again Sean Ruadh stood in his way, and with one blow of the giant's sword made two halves of the urfeist. But the two halves rushed together, and were one as before.

Then the urfeist turned to the sea again, and said as he went: ”All the champions on earth won't save her from me to-morrow!”

Sean Ruadh sprang to his steed and back to the castle. He went, leaving the princess in despair at his going. She tore her hair and wept for the loss of the blue champion,--the one man who had dared to save her.

Sean Ruadh put on his old clothes, and drove home the cows as usual. The king said: ”A strange champion, all dressed in blue, saved my daughter to-day; but she is grieving her life away because he is gone.”

”Well, that is a small matter, since her life is safe,” said Sean Ruadh.

There was a feast for the whole world that night at the king's castle, and gladness was on every face that the king's daughter was safe again.

Next day Sean Ruadh drove the cows to the third giant's pasture, went to the castle, and told the housekeeper to bring the giant's sword and apparel, and have the red steed led to the door. The third giant's dress had as many colors as there are in the sky, and his boots were of blue gla.s.s.

Sean Ruadh, dressed and mounted on his red steed, was the most beautiful man in the world. When ready to start, the housekeeper said to him: ”The beast will be so enraged this time that no arms can stop him; he will rise from the sea with three great swords coming out of his mouth, and he could cut to pieces and swallow the whole world if it stood before him in battle. There is only one way to conquer the urfeist, and I will show it to you. Take this brown apple, put it in your bosom, and when he comes rus.h.i.+ng from the sea with open mouth, do you throw the apple down his throat, and the great urfeist will melt away and die on the strand.”

Sean Ruadh went on the red steed between earth and sky, with thrice the speed of the day before. He saw the maiden sitting on the rock alone, saw the trembling kings' sons in the distance watching to know what would happen, and saw the king hoping for some one to save his daughter; then he went to the princess, and put his head on her lap; when he had fallen asleep, she took the three hairs from her bosom, and looking at them, said: ”You are the man who saved me yesterday.”

The urfeist was not long in coming. The princess roused Sean Ruadh, who sprang to his feet and went to the sea. The urfeist came up enormous, terrible to look at, with a mouth big enough to swallow the world, and three sharp swords coming out of it. When he saw Sean Ruadh, he sprang at him with a roar; but Sean Ruadh threw the apple into his mouth, and the beast fell helpless on the strand, flattened out and melted away to a dirty jelly on the sh.o.r.e.

Then Sean Ruadh went towards the princess and said: ”That urfeist will never trouble man or woman again.”