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

THE KXIGHT OF THE RED SHIELD. 443
array ; and the Son of the Green Spring by Valour
went into his arms and his array.
He went into his harness of battle and hard combat,
As was a shirt of smooth yellow silk and gauze stretched on his
breast ;
His coat, his kindly coat, above the kindly covering ;
His boss covered ; hindering sharp-pointed shield on his left hand
His head-dress a helm of hard combat,
To cover his crown and his head top.
To go in the front of the fray and the fray long lasting ;
His heroes hard slasher in his right hand,
A sharp surety knife against his waist.
He raised himself np to the top of the shore ; and
there was no turf he would cast behind his heels, that
Avas not as deep as a turf that the bread covering tree*
Avould cast when deepest it would be ploughing. He
reached the circle of fire ; he leaped from the points
of his spear to the points of his toes over the fire.
Then there was the very finest isle that ever was
seen from the beginning of the universe to the end of
eternity ; he went up about the island, and he saw a
yellow bare hill in the midst. He raised himseK up
against the hill ; there was a treasure of a woman sit-
ting on the hill, and a great youth with his head on.
her knee, and asleep. He spoke to her in instructed,
eloquent, true, wise, soft maiden words of true know-
ledge. She answered in hke words ; and if they were
no better, they were not a whit worse, for the time.
" A man of thy seeming is a treasure for me ; and
if I had a right to thee, thou shouldst not leave the
island," said the httle treasure.
'' If a man of my seeming were a treasure for thee,
thouwouldst tell me what were waking for that youth,"
said the Son of the Green Spring by Valour,
t Dalla chrann arain, a plough.