Blair Collection > Beside the fire

GULEESH NA GUSS DHU. ill
The cold wind of winter that was before them they over-
took her, and the cold wind of winter that was behind
them, she did not overtake them, and they never stopped
of that race, till they came as far as the palace of the
king of France.
They got off their horses there, and a man of them
said a word that Guleesh did not understand, and on
the moment they were lifted up, and Guleesh found him-
self and his companions in the palace. There was a
great feast going on there, and there was not a noble-
man or a gentleman in the kingdom but was gathered
there, dressed in silk and satin, and gold and silver, and
the night was as bright as the day with all the lamps
and candles that were lit, and Guleesh had to shut his
two eyes at the brightness. When he opened them
again and looked from him, he thought he never saw
anything as fine as all he saw there. There were a hun-
dred tables spread out, and their full of meat and drink
on each table of them, flesh-meat, and cakes and sweet-
meats, and wine and ale, and every drink that ever a
man saw. The musicians were at the two ends of the
hall, and they playing the sweetest music that ever a
man's ear heard, and there were young women and fine
youths in the middle of the hall, dancing and turning,
and going round so quickly and so lightly, that it put a
soorawn in Guleesh's head to be looking at them. There
were more there playing tricks, and more making fun
and laughing, for such a feast as there was that day had
not been in France for twenty years, because the old
king had no children alive but only the one daughter,
and she was to be married to the son of another king
that night. Three days the feast was going on, and the
third night she was to be married, and that was the
night that Guleesh and the sheehogues came, hoping if