J. F. Campbell Collection > Fireside stories of Ireland

THE DISCOVERY OF MITCHELSTOWN CAVES. 1 57
grass within the field. Examining diligently around he came
to an opening, and getting down through it he found a poor
sheep suffering with a broken leg. He lifted her up care-
fully, brought her to his cabin, and was about making mut-
ton of her ; but she looked so pitifully in his face that he could
not find it in his heart to draw her blood. His wife wash-
ed and tied up the Hmb, gave her provender, and the poor
animal soon could use the leg. In time she had two lambs.
The wool of the sheep and lambs resembled silk, and brought
four times the price of ordinary wool ; and in a reasonably
short time their lazy master became a comfortable farmer.
The venerable great grandmother who had brought this
luck into the family was grown old and useless, and it en-
tered the head of the ungrateful Gorman to kill her for St.
Martin's day. In vain his better dispositioned wife strove
to dissuade him from the thankless act. Kill her he would
next day. The morning came, and with it came the young
herd to Gorman's bedside. " Get up, master," said he,
" every sheep on the pasture has gone away, and not a cru-
heen of them can I find anywhere." Up he jumped and put
on his clothes, and to the fields with him without saying a
prayer, or even blessing himself. After a long chase he
came up with the sheep and drove them home ; but as they
passed the liole from which he liad taken the first of them,
every one of them slipped into it, and he might as well have
thought of catching "last year's snow as gripping one of their
fleeces. Down after them he went, but he found all empty,
and when the neighbours joined him with dipped rushes
and fanglts [lighted cones of banded straw, the French
faineiit], and looked about, they found the beautiful caves
with their alabaster pillars and ornaments. The sheep were
lost for ever.
LORD CLANCARTY'S GHOST:
A LEGEND OF BLARNEY CASTLE.
A MODERN proprietor of Blarney Castle took the liberty of
cutting down various old trees which had shed honour on
the grounds for centuries. Having received the price of them