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

34° WEST HIGHLAND TALES.
thyself riding her, and take the King of France's
daiighter at thy back, and the White Glave of Light
with its back against thy nose ; or else if thou be not
so, when thy ninime sees thee, she has a glance that
is so deadly that she will bewitch thee, and thou wilt
fall a faggot of firewood ; but if the back of the sword
is against thy nose, and its edge to her, when she tries
to bewitch thee, she will fall down herself as a faggot
of sticks.
Maclain Direach did as the Gille Mairtean asked
him ; and when he came in sight of the house, and
his muime looked at him with a deadly bewitching
eye, she fell as a faggot of sticks, and Maclain Direach
set fire to her, and then he was free from fear ; and he
had got tlie Best Wife in Albainn ; and the Yellow Bay
Filly was so swift that she could leave the one wind
and she would catch the other wind, and the Blue
Falcon would keep him in plenty of game, and the
AVliite Glave of Light would keep off each foe ; and
Maclain Direach was steadily, luckily ofi'.
Said Maclain Direach to the Gille Mairtean, " Thou
art welcome, thou Lad of March, to go through my
ground, and to take any beast thou dost desire thyself
to take with thee ; and I will give word to my ser-
vants that they do not let an arrow at thee, and that
they do not kill thee, nor any of thy race, whatever
one of the flock thou takest with thee."
Said the Gille Mairtean, " Keep thou thy herds to
thyself ; there is many a one who has wethers and sheep
as well as thou hast, and I will get plenty of flesh in
another place without coming to put trouble on thee ;
and the Fox gave a blessing to the son of Upright
John, and he went away ; and the tale \\as spent.