Part 13 (1/2)

So they came again to their father, and this time Ethnea, their sister, was with him; and they told them that Luga had given them the canoe.

”I have much fear,” said Turenn, ”that it will avail you little against the dangers of your quest. Nevertheless, Luga desires to obtain that part of the eric that will be useful to him at the battle of Moytura,[11] and so far he will help you. But in seeking that which is of no advantage to him, namely, the cooking-spit, and the three shouts on Midkena's Hill, therein he will give you no aid, and he will be glad if ye perish in your attempts to obtain it.”

They then set out for Bruga of the Boyne, accompanied by their sister Ethnea, leaving Turenn lamenting after them. The canoe they found lying in the river; and Brian went into it and said--

”It seems to me that only one other person can sit here along with me;”

and he began to complain very bitterly of its smallness. He ceased, however, at the bidding of Ethnea, who told him that the canoe would turn out large enough when they came to try it, and that it was under strict command not to let any one grumble at its smallness. And she went on to say--

”Alas, my beloved brothers, it was an evil deed to slay the father of Luga of the Long Arms! and I fear you will suffer much woe and hards.h.i.+p on account of it.”

ETHNEA.

The deed was a dark one, a deed full of woe, Your brother Dedannan to slay; And hard and relentless the heart of your foe, The bright-faced Ildana, that forced you to go, This eric of vengeance to pay!

THE BROTHERS.

Oh, cease, sister Ethnea, cease thy sad wail; Why yield to this terror and gloom?

Long, long shall the poets remember the tale, For our courage and valour and swords shall prevail, Or win us a glorious tomb!

ETHNEA.

Then search ye, my brothers, go search land and sea; Go search ye the isles of the East.-- Alas, that the cruel Ildana's decree Has banished my three gentle brothers from me, On this fearful and perilous quest!

FOOTNOTES:

[XLV.] Bruga of the Boyne, the palace of Angus, the great Dedannan magician, was situated on the north sh.o.r.e of the Boyne, not far from Slane. (See note 1 at end.)

CHAPTER VI.

THE APPLES OF THE GARDEN OF HISBERNA.

After this the three brothers entered the canoe, which they now found large enough to hold themselves and their arms, and whatsoever else they wished to bring; for this was one of its secret gifts. They then bade their sister farewell, and, leaving her weeping on the sh.o.r.e, they rowed swiftly till they had got beyond the beautiful sh.o.r.es and bright harbours of Erin, out on the open sea.

Then the two younger brothers said, ”Now our quest begins: what course shall we take?”

Brian answered, ”As the apples are the first part of the fine, we shall seek them first.”

And then he spoke to the canoe, ”Thou canoe of Mannanan, thou Sweeper of the waves, we ask thee and we command thee, that thou sail straightway to the Garden of Hisberna!”

The canoe was not unmindful of the voice of its master, and obeyed the command without delay, according to its wont. It took the shortest way across the deep sea-chasms, and, gliding over the green-sided waves more swiftly than the clear, cold wind of March, it stayed not in its course till it reached the harbour near the land of Hisberna.

Brian now spoke to his brothers, ”Be sure that this quest is a perilous one, since we know that the best champions of the country, with the king at their head, are always guarding the apples. And now in what manner, think you, is it best for us to approach the garden?”

”It seems to us,” answered his brothers, ”that we had better go straight and attack these champions, and either bring away the apples, or fall fighting for them. For we cannot escape the dangers that lie before us; and if we are doomed to fall in one of these adventures, it may, perchance, be better for us to die here than to prolong our hards.h.i.+ps.”

But Brian answered, ”Not so, my brothers; for it becomes a warrior to be prudent and wary as well as brave. We should now act so that the fame of our skill and valour may live after us, and that future men may not say, 'These sons of Turenn did not deserve to be called brave champions, for they were senseless and rash, and sought their own death by their folly.' In the present case, then, what I counsel is this: Let us take the shape of strong, swift hawks; and as we approach the garden, have ye care of the light, sharp lances of the guards, which they will certainly hurl at us: avoid them actively and cunningly, and when the men have thrown all, let us swoop down and bring away an apple each.”