Blair Collection > Popular tales of the West Highlands > Volume 2

I 40 WEST HIGHLAND TALES.
thing.' Said I, ' There mil be a day of battle and
combat between thee and me, before the matter is so.'
I went away ; I took my ship ; I took a skipper with
me ; and I sailed to Alba. I reached Alba, and I got
three hundred s"\vift heroes, three hundred brave heroes,
and tlu-ee hundred full heroes ; now I am come to thee
to see what help thou "wilt give me."
" I will give thee as many more, and a hero at their
head," said the king of Sassun.
They went away, and they sailed to Erin. They
went on shore on a crag in Erin, and the name of
Carrig Fhearghuis is on that rock still. He reached
the king. "Brother of my mother, art thou now
ready Ì " — " Well, then, Fhearghuis, though I said
that, I thought thou Avouldst not take anger ; but I
have not gathered my lot of people yet." — " That is no
answer for me. Thou hast Erin under thy rule. I
am here with my men, and I have neither place, nor
meat, nor drink for them."
" Oo ! " said the king, " the storehouses of Erin
are open beneath thee, and I will go away and gather
my people."
He went away. He went all round Erin. He
came to a place wliich they called " An t' lubhar "
(Newry). There was but one man in the lubhar, who
was called Goibhlean Gobha (Goivlan Smith). He
thought to go in, for tliirst was on him ; and that he
would quench his thirst, and breathe a while. He went
in. There was -vvithin but the smith's daughter. She
brought him a chair in wliich he might sit. He asked
for a drink. The smith's daughter did not know what
she should do, for the smith had but one cow, wliich
was called the Glas Ghoibhlean (Grey Goivlan), with
the vessel he had for the milk of the cow ; three times
in the day it would go beneath the cow ; three times