J. F. Campbell Collection > Popular tales of the West Highlands > Volume 2

THE THREE WISE MEN. 23.
and tliought, " Tliis man must have a small company."
'' All," said the man, " it Avill go about."
" Now," said the farmer, " I must know what all
this means. I will neither eat nor drink in this house
unless you tell me. I saluted you, and you bent your
heads, and never answered for ten minutes. When
you did speak, I could not understand you, and now
you seem to understand my thoughts." Then the old
man said, " Sit down, and I will explain it aU. Our
father was a very wise man. "We never knew how
wise he was till long after he went away. We are
three brothers, and on the bed of death our father left
us this pretty place, and we have it amongst us, and
plenty besides. Our father made us swear that we
would never talk on important matters but in whis-
pers. When thou camest, we bent our heads and
wliispered, as we always do, for men cannot dispute in
a whisper, and we never quarrel. My first brother had
the corpse of his motlier-in-law within ; he was un-
wilKng to ask a stranger to a house of sorrow. She is
to be buried to-morrow — K that were out which he
had within, he had given thee a night's share. My
second brother has a wife who will do nothing tiU she
gets three blows of a stick. Then she is like other
women, and a good wife ; he did not hke a stranger
to see the blows given, and he knew she would do no-
thing without them — If he had done what was un-
done, he had given thee a night's share. I had
nothing to do more than usual. Thou didst teU thy
news, and when my wife came in, I knew thy thought.
If I were dead, and thou and she were wilhng, you
might be married. So if I, and thou, and my
daughter were wiUing, you might be married too.
Now, then, said the old man, sit and eat. The little
pot will go about ; it will serve for us. My company