Blair Collection > Beside the fire

THE ALP-LUACHRA. 67
as he could, and to keep it nearly touching the water,
and " wait there quiet and easy," says he ; " and for
your life don't stir, till you see what will happen to
you."
The poor man promised that he would be quiet, and
he stretched his body on the grass^ and held his mouth
open, over the stream of water, and remained there
without stirring.
The prince went backwards, about five yards, and
drew the daughter and the old man with him, and the
last word he said to the sick man was : " Be certain, and
for your life, don't put a stir out of you, whatever thing
at all happens to you."
The sick man was not lying like that more than a
quarter of an hour, when something began moving
inside of him, and he felt something coming up in his
throat, and going back again. It came up and went
back three or four times after other. At last it came to
the mouth, stood on the tip of his tongue, but frightened,
and ran back again. However, at the end of a little
space, it rose up a second time, and stood on his tongue,
and at last jumped down into the water. The prince
was observing him closely, and just as the man was
going to rise, he called out : " Don't stir yet."
The poor man had to open his mouth again, and he
waited the same way as before ; and he was not there a
minute until the second one came up the same way as
the last, and went back and came] up two or three
times, as if it got frightened ; but at last, it also, like
the first one, came up to the mouth, stood on the tongue,
and when it felt the smell of the water below it, leaped
down into the little stream.