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

THE RIDERE (kNIGHt) OF RIDDLES. 3 I
Hero of the White Sliield jumped over a great rampart,
and he asked him to meet him in the morning. This
leap put the other to shame, and he said to him " Well
may it be that thou wilt not be so supple about this
time to-morrow," The young brother now went to a
poor little bothy that was near to the house of the Hero
of the White Shield tired and drowsy, and in the
morning they dared the fight again. And the Hero of
the White Shield began to go back, till he went back-
wards into a river. " There must be some of my blood
in thee before that was done to me." " Of what blood
art thou ? " said the youngest. " 'T is I am son of
Ardan, great King of the Albann." " 'Tis I am thy
brother." It was now they knew each other. They
gave luck and welcome to each other, and the Hero of
the White Shield now took him into the palace, and
she it was that was pleased to see him — the knight's
daughter. He stayed a while with them, and after that
he thought that he would go home to his own kingdom ;
and when he was going past a great palace that was
there he saw twelve men playing at shinny over against
the palace. He thought he would go for a while and
play shinny Avith them ; but they were not long
playing shinny when they fell out, and the weak-
est of them caught him and he shook him as he
would a child. He tliought it was no use for him to
lift a hand amongst these twelve wortliies, and he asked
them to whom they were sons. They said they were
cliildren of the one father, the brother of the Hero of
White Shield, but that no one of them had the same
mother. " I am your father," said he ; and he asked
them if their mothers were all alive. They said that
they were. He went with them till he found the
mothers, and when they were all for going, he took
home with him the twelve wives and the twelve sons ;