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

XLIIL
THE SHAEP GEEY SHEEP.
From John Dewar, labourer, Glendaruail, (Jowal.
rpHERE was a king and a queen, and they had a
-*- daughter, and the queen found deat]i, and tlie
king married another. And the last queen was bad to
the daughter of the first queen, and she used to beat
lier and put her out of the door. She sent her to herd
the sheep, and was not gi'V'ing her wliat should suffice
her. And there was a sharp (horned) grey .-^heep in
the flock that was coming with meat to her.
The queen was taking wonder that she was keep-
ing alive and that she was not getting meat enough
from herself, and she told it to the henwife. The
benwife thought that she would send her o\\aa daughter
to watch how she was getting meat, and M ]\lhaol
Characb,* the henwife's daugliter, went to herd the
sheep with the queen's daughter. The sheep would
not come to her so long as Ni Mhaol Characli Avas
there, and ISTi Mhaol Characb Avas staying all the day
with her. The queen's daugliter was longing for lier
meat, and she said^ — " Set thy head on my knee and I
will dress thy hair."'t" And M Mhaol Characb set her
head on the knee of the queen's daughter, and she
slept.
The sheep came with meat to the queen's daugli-
* Bald scabby thing. -f Fasgabhaidh.