Part 14 (1/2)

Then Kilhuch set forward, and as many as wished ill to Yspathaden Penkawr. And they took the marvels with them to his court. And Kaw of North Britain came and shaved his beard, skin and flesh clean off to the very bone from ear to ear.

”Art thou shaved man?” said Kilhuch.

”I am shaved,” answered he.

”Is thy daughter mine now?”

”She is thine, but therefore needst thou not thank me, but Arthur who hath accomplished this for thee. By my free will thou shouldst never have had her, for with her I lose my life.”

Then Goreu, the son of Custennin, seized him by the hair of his head and dragged him after him to the keep, and cut off his head and placed it on a stake on the citadel.

Thereafter the hosts of Arthur dispersed themselves each man to his own country.

Thus did Kilhuch, son of Kelython, win to wife Olwen, the daughter of Yspathaden Penkawr.

Jack and His Comrades

Once there was a poor widow, as often there has been, and she had one son. A very scarce summer came, and they didn't know how they'd live till the new potatoes would be fit for eating. So Jack said to his mother one evening, ”Mother, bake my cake, and kill my hen, till I go seek my fortune; and if I meet it, never fear but I'll soon be back to share it with you.”

So she did as he asked her, and he set out at break of day on his journey. His mother came along with him to the yard gate, and says she, ”Jack, which would you rather have, half the cake and half the hen with my blessing, or the whole of 'em with my curse?”

”O musha, mother,” says Jack, ”why do you ax me that question? sure you know I wouldn't have your curse and Damer's estate along with it.”

”Well, then, Jack,” says she, ”here's the whole lot of 'em, with my thousand blessings along with them.” So she stood on the yard fence and blessed him as far as her eyes could see him.

Well, he went along and along till he was tired, and ne'er a farmer's house he went into wanted a boy At last his road led by the side of a bog, and there was a poor a.s.s up to his shoulders near a big bunch of gra.s.s he was striving to come at.

”Ah, then, Jack asth.o.r.e,” says he, ”help me out or I'll be drowned.”

”Never say't twice,” says Jack, and he pitched in big stones and sods into the slob, till the a.s.s got good ground under him.

”Thank you, Jack,” says he, when he was out on the hard road; ”I'll do as much for you another time. Where are you going?”

”Faith, I'm going to seek my fortune till harvest comes in, G.o.d bless it!”

”And if you like,” says the a.s.s, ”I'll go along with you; who knows what luck we may have!”

”With all my heart; it's getting late, let us be jogging.”

Well, they were going through a village, and a whole army of gossoons were hunting a poor dog with a kettle tied to his tail. He ran up to Jack for protection, and the a.s.s let such a roar out of him, that the little thieves took to their heels as if the ould boy was after them.

”More power to you, Jack,” says the dog.

”I'm much obleeged to you: where is the baste and yourself going?”

”We're going to seek our fortune till harvest comes in.”

”And wouldn't I be proud to go with you!” says the dog, ”and get rid of them ill-conducted boys; purshuin' to 'em.”