Ossian Collection > Waifs and strays of Celtic tradition > Volume 4

248 T/ie Finns.
" Of all those lying there, may you be the last man of
your mother's race to rise ! "
" No, but I shall be the second man to rise," and he
rose up, and threw off both of their heads together.
He was there but a short time after he got that battle
over when he heard the musical harpers drawing near,
and the next regiment hurrying towards him. He was
overcome with fatigue and was dropping asleep. To
keep himself awake, he placed the hilt of his sword on
the upper part of his foot and the point to his eyebrow,
and whenever he began to nod the sword kept him
awake. When the band of soldiers passed near him he
came up after them and killed them all.
He now thought the Tall Old Man would not be long
of appearing, and he began to dig a wide, deep hole in
the earth, and to cover it with wood, grass, and moss.
When the pitfall was nearly finished, in the gathering
twilight the terrific and incomparably dreadful Big Grey
Man came, and he and the little Swaddler began to
fight a battle. They attacked one another roughly and
fiercely. In the heat of the conflict they drew near the
opening that was in the ground, and the terrible Great
Man fell in. Then the little Swaddler took the advan-
tage of him, and cut off his head.
Shortly after this fight was over, the Old Woman,
whose size was large and great, appeared. As she
came close to him, her breath was weakening him ; he
endeavoured as much as he could to keep her from him,
and they fought almost all night. At the break of day,
when one of the brothers awoke, he said to him-
self: "I must rise, for I am certain that the man who
went to fight in my place is long since dead."
Another of the brothers said : " That part is not the
worst of it for you, but that your kingdom will be de-
stroyed." The third brother said to them all : " We had
better go together to the place where the battle is being
foucrht."