J. F. Campbell Collection > Fireside stories of Ireland

^J'WM
90 THE FIRESIDE STORIES OF IRELAND.
and you may be sure the ass looked very leivd of himself.
" Oh, what are we to do now, at all, at all ? " says he.
*' Never despair," says the weasel. He looked down into
the deep water and cried, " Hear, all you frogs and fish !
There is a great army coming to take yous out, and eat
yous red raw ; look sharp! '^ " Oh, and what can we do?"
says they, coming up to the top. " Gather up all the stones,
and hand them to us, and we'll make a big wall on the
bank to defend you." They began to work like little divels
in a mud wall, and were hard and fast reaching up the peb-
bles they found on the bottom, ^t last a big fro ^ came up
:Eitli the egg in his mouthj and when the weasel had hold
s of it, he got up in a tree, and cried out, " That will do.
The army is frightened and running away." So the poo r
\ thin gs were greatly relieved.
* You may be sure that Jack was very rejoiced to see his
friends and the egg again. They were soon back in their
castle and lawn, and when Jack began to feel lonesome he
did not find it hard to make out a fine young wife for him-
self, and his three friends were as happy as the day was
long.
' THE GILLA EUA.
The Gilla Rua [Eed Fellow], when he had no suspicion
of you, you might turn him round your little finger, but
once he found jom were a canned, he'd outwit you if you
were as cute as Cahir-na-Goppal. He bought a mule one
day at the fair, and when he was riding it home, the eldest
of three brothers that were neighbours of his, met him, an'
axed him what he was after buying. " This brave mule,
to be sure," says he. " Mule inagh ! Oh, my poor Gilla,
don't you see it is a thorough-bred ass ?" "There's some
shraumogues on your eyes, my poor man," says Gilla. "Be
it so," says the other : " time 'ill tell." A quarter of a mile
further he met the second brother. " Good morrow, Gilla."
*' Good morrow, sir." " Where are you going?" "Home
Irom the fair with this mule I bought." " Mule ! Where
did you learn to give that name to a common sturk of an