J. F. Campbell Collection > Fireside stories of Ireland

134 THE FIRESIDE STORIES OF IRELAXD.
The unlucky animal was liberated, and the children reco-
vered. The strayed animals were found, ill-luck left the
place, and white rabbits were carefully avoided for the fu-
ture by every member of the family.
There was a " hurling" in the glen by the side of the
river Feale, and among the spectators were James Eoche
and his son John, a child of seven years old. Cliona came
out of the rock, unseen by any one in the crowd, and
throwing a cloak over the boy, she led him into her cavern,
and for fourteen years he was never seen by mortal. At
the end of that period he presented himself to the eyes of
his father, a full-grown young man, and while fear and joy
were struggling iu the heart of the old man, he thus spoke :
" Dear father, I have been kept by Cliona in her rock for
fourteen years, and now she is obliged to let me be seen by my
family. If you cannot free me from her power in three
months, she will oblige me to marry a young woman whom
she stole when a child, and neither she nor I will ever again
enjoy the society of our kind. If you travel to the lower
part of Ireland, and persuade Kathleen Dhu, who lives by
the church of Clogher, to come with you, she can free me
from the enchantment in which I am held."
It was not long till the sorrowful father was on his jour-
ney, and after long travelling and much fatigue he was in
the presence of the dark witch. She was ill of a fever at
the time, but told him her daughter was equally powerful
with herself, and would return with him if he would libe-
rally reward her. " There's nothing in my possession she
may ask," said he, " that I can refuse, if she free my son
from the Sighe."
So they set out, and in due time they arrived at his house.
"Get me now," said she, "the skin of a newly-killed sheep."
It was got, and dried, and the wool plucked off, and she
put it on as a cloak with the flesh side out ; and so she and
Soche presented themselves at the entrance of Carrig Cliona,
" Hail Cliona of the Carrig ! " said she. " A long distance
I came to see you, all along from the church of Clogher,
wJiere the birds speah to the horder of the foxes. If John, son