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

3 I 6 WEST HIGHLAisT) TALES.
and it stuck in the face of the crag, and he said to the
giant, " Do that, old carl."
And the giant would throw as strongly as he could,
l3ut the more pith the giant would send with the stone
he would throw, the smaller it would break. And
Mac-a-Eusgaich would throw another little ball of the
clay, and he would say,
" Thou art not half throwing it. Wilt thou not
make the stone stick in the crag as I am doing 1 "
And the giant said, " We are long enough at this
work ; we will go and take our dinner, and then we will
see which of us can best throw the stone of force
(putting stone)."
" I am willing," said Mac-a-Rusgaich, and they
went home.
They began at their dinner, and the giant said to
Mac-a-Rusgaich,
" Unless thou eatest of bread and cheese as much as
I eat, a thong shall be taken out of thy skin, from the
back of thy head to thy heel."
"Make seven of it," said Mac-a-Eusgaich. "On
covenant that seven thongs shall be taken out of thy
skin, from the back of thy head to thy heel, unless
thou eatest as much as I eat."
"Try thee, then," said the giant.
" Stop then tiU I get a drink," said Mac-a-Eusgaich ;
and he went out to get a drink, and he got a leathern
bag, and he put the bag between his shirt and his skin,
and he went in wliere the giant was, and he said
to the giant, " Try thee now."
The two began to eat the bread and the cheese,
and IMac-a-Eusgaich was putting the bread and the
cheese into the bag that he had in under his slurt, but
at last the giant said,
" It is better to cease than burst."