Blair Collection > Beside the fire

124 GULEESH NA GUSS DHU.
growing up by his own door, and to boil it and give it
to her and she'd be well," said another voice.
"That's true for you."
" He is an omadawn.''
" Don't bother your head with him, we'll be going."
" We'll leave the bodach as he is."
And with that they rose up into the air, and out with
them of one roolya-hoolya the way they came; and they
left poor Guleesh standing where they found him, and
the two eyes going out of his head, looking after them
and wondering.
He did not stand long till he returned back, and he
thinking in his own mind on all he saw and heard, and
wondering whether there was really an herb at his own
door that would bring back the talk to the king's daugh-
ter. " It can't be," says he to himself, " that they would
tell it to me, if there was any virtue in it ; but perhaps
the sheehogue didn't observe himself when he let the
word slip out of his mouth. I'll search well as soon as
the sun rises, whether there's any plant growing beside
the house except thistles and dockings."
He went home, and as tired as he was he did not sleep
a wink until the sun rose on the morrow. He got up
then, and it was the first thing he did to go out and search
well through the grass round about the house, trying
could he get any herb that he did not recognize. And,
indeed, he was not long searching till he observed a
large strange herb that was growing up just by the
gable of the house.
He went over to it, and observed it closely, and saw
that there were seven little branches coming out of
the stalk, and seven leaves growing on every branche-i?;;
of them, and that there was a white sap in the leaves.
" It's very wonderful,'' said he to himself, " that I never