Matheson Collection > Folk tales and fairy lore in Gaelic and English

FOLK TALES AND FAIRY LORE. 87
thy language proves thee to be courageous. We will
give thee an opportunity to prove what thou canst do.
Thou shalt get to-morrow to rest; but after that every
one of us will take his own way, and he who brings
home most spoil for three nights will be chief over the
rest, and will have nothing to do but to take care of
the house while his companions are away." This
pleased John well, and he stayed at home till the first
day of trial came.
Then he went off and took his own way, as did every
one of the band. When night came he returned home
with the little bag of copper which he had hidden near
the shore; and none of the company had as much.
He started off next day, and returned at night with
the little bag of silver; and if he had done better than
his comrades the first night, he did seven times better
that day. On the third day he went out for the last
time, and brought home the little bag of gold. He
poured out all it contained on the floor, and asked
if any of them had done better. They all answered
that they had not; and as he was as good as his pro-
mise to them, they would be as good as their promise
to him, and they made him chief over them all.
Next day the robbers went away to seek their fortune,
while John stayed at home. As soon as he found him-
self alone he bethought him that he would search the
house. He took down a big bunch of keys he saw hang-
ing on a nail in the wall, and with them he opened every
room in the house save one. The key of that one the
woman had hidden, and she at first refused to part
with it. However, when John told her that he was
now chief, and that she must be obedient to him, she
gave up the key.