Gods and Fighting Men, Lady I. A Gregory [best e books to read TXT] 📗

discouragement

on him, his wife and his brothers to have been brought away. But he had

forty of his fighting men left that had each killed a man of the

foreigners, and they had brought one in alive. And this man told them

news of the country he came from. And when Tadg heard that, he made a

plan in his own head, and he gave orders for a curragh to be built that

would be fit for a long voyage. Very strong it was, and forty ox-hides

on it of hard red leather, that was after being soaked in bark. And it

was well fitted with masts, and oars, and pitch, and everything that was

wanting. And they put every sort of meat, and drink, and of clothes in

it, that would last them through the length of a year.

 

When all was ready, and the curragh out in the tide, Tadg said to his

people: "Let us set out now on the high sea, looking for our own people

that are away from us this long time."

 

They set out then over the stormy, heavy flood, till at last they saw no

land before them or behind them, but only the hillsides of the great

sea. And farther on again they heard the singing of a great flock of

unknown birds; and pleasant white-bellied salmon were leaping about the

curragh on every side, and seals, very big and dark, were coming after

them, breaking through the shining wash of the oars; and great whales

after them again, so that the young men liked to be looking at them, for

they were not used to see the like before.

 

They went on rowing through twenty days and twenty nights, and at the

end of that time they got sight of a high land, having a smooth coast.

And when they reached it they all landed, and they pulled up the curragh

and lit their fires, and food was given out to them, and they were not

long making an end of it. They made beds for themselves then on the

beautiful green grass, and enjoyed their sleep till the rising of the

sun on the morrow.

 

Tadg rose up then and put on his arms, and went out, and thirty of his

men along with him, to search the whole island.

 

They went all through it, but they found no living thing on it, man or

beast, but only flocks of sheep. And the size of the sheep was past all

telling, as big as horses they were, and the whole island was filled

with their wool. And there was one great flock beyond all the others,

all of very big rams, and one of them was biggest of all, nine horns he

had, and he charged on Tadg's chief men, attacking them and butting at

them.

 

There was vexation on them then, and they attacked him again, and there

was a struggle between them. And at the first the ram broke through five

of their shields. But Tadg took his spear that there was no escape from,

and made a lucky cast at the ram and killed him. And they brought the

ram to the curragh and made it ready for the young men to eat, and they

stopped three nights on the island, and every night it was a sheep they

had for their food. And they gathered a good share of the wool and put

it in the curragh because of the wonder and the beauty of it. And they

found the bones of very big men on the island, but whether they died of

sickness or were killed by the rams they did not know.

 

They left that island then and went forward till they found two strange

islands where there were great flocks of wonderful birds, like

blackbirds, and some of them the size of eagles or of cranes, and they

red with green heads on them, and the eggs they had were blue and pure

crimson. And some of the men began eating the eggs, and on the moment

feathers began to grow out on them. But they went bathing after that,

and the feathers dropped off them again as quick as they came.

 

It was the foreigner they had with them gave them the course up to this

time, for he had been on the same track before. But now they went on

through the length of six weeks and never saw land, and he said then,

"We are astray on the great ocean that has no boundaries." Then the wind

with its sharp voice began to rise, and there was a noise like the

tramping of feet in the sea, and it rose up into great mountains hard to

climb, and there was great fear on Tadg's people, for they had never

seen the like. But he began to stir them up and to rouse them, and he

bade them to meet the sea like men. "Do bravery," he said, "young men of

Munster, and fight for your lives against the waves that are rising up

and coming at the sides of the curragh." Tadg took one side of the

curragh then and his men took the other side, and he was able to pull it

round against the whole twenty-nine of them, and to bale it out and keep

it dry along with that. And after a while they got a fair wind and put

up their sail, the way less water came into the curragh, and then the

sea went down and lay flat and calm, and there were strange birds of

many shapes singing around them in every part. They saw land before them

then, with a good coast, and with that courage and gladness came on

them.

 

And when they came nearer to the land they found a beautiful inver, a

river's mouth, with green hills about it, and the bottom of it sandy and

as bright as silver, and red-speckled salmon in it, and pleasant woods

with purple tree-tops edging the stream. "It is a beautiful country

this is," said Tadg, "and it would be happy for him that would be always

in it; and let you pull up the ship now," he said, "and dry it out."

 

A score of them went forward then into the country, and a score stopped

to mind the curragh. And for all the cold and discouragement and bad

weather they had gone through, they felt no wish at all for food or for

fire, but the sweet smell of the crimson branches in the place they were

come to satisfied them. They went on through the wood, and after a while

they came to an apple garden having red apples in it, and leafy

oak-trees, and hazels yellow with nuts. "It is a wonder to me," said

Tadg, "to find summer here, and it winter time in our own country."

 

It was a delightful place they were in, but they went on into another

wood, very sweet smelling, and round purple berries in it, every one of

them bigger than a man's head, and beautiful shining birds eating the

berries, strange birds they were, having white bodies and purple heads

and golden beaks. And while they were eating the berries they were

singing sweet music, that would have put sick men and wounded men into

their sleep.

 

Tadg and his men went farther on again till they came to a great smooth

flowery plain with a dew of honey over it, and three steep hills on the

plain, having a very strong dun on every one of them. And when they got

to the nearest hill they found a white-bodied woman, the best of the

women of the whole world, and it is what she said: "Your coming is

welcome, Tadg, son of Cian, and there will be food and provision for you

as you want it."

 

"I am glad of that welcome," said Tadg; "and tell me now, woman of sweet

words," he said, "what is that royal dun on the hill, having walls of

white marble around it?" "That is the dun of the royal line of the kings

of Ireland, from Heremon, son of Miled, to Conn of the Hundred Battles,

that was the last to go into it." "What is the name of this country?"

Tadg said then. "It is Inislocha, the Lake Island," she said, "and there

are two kings over it, Rudrach and Dergcroche, sons of Bodb." And then

she told Tadg the whole story of Ireland, to the time of the coming of

the Sons of the Gael. "That is well," said Tadg then, "and you have good

knowledge and learning. And tell me now," he said, "who is living in

that middle dun that has the colour of gold?" "It is not myself will

tell you that," she said, "but go on to it yourself and you will get

knowledge of it." And with that she went from them into the dun of white

marble.

 

Tadg and his men went on then till they came to the middle dun, and

there they found a queen of beautiful shape, and she wearing a golden

dress. "Health to you, Tadg," she said. "I thank you for that," said

Tadg. "It is a long time your coming on this journey was foretold," she

said. "What is your name?" he asked then. "I am Cesair," she said, "the

first that ever reached Ireland. But since I and the men that were with

me came out of that dark, unquiet land, we are living for ever in this

country."

 

"Tell me, woman," said Tadg, "who is it lives in that dun having a wall

of gold about it?" "It is not hard to tell that," she said, "every king,

and every chief man, and every noble person that was in a high place of

all those that had power in Ireland, it is in that dun beyond they are;

Parthalon and Nemed, Firbolgs and Tuatha de Danaan." "It is good

knowledge and learning you have," said Tadg. "Indeed I have good

knowledge of the history of the world," she said, "and this island," she

said, "is the fourth paradise of the world; and as to the others, they

are Inis Daleb to the south, and Inis Ercandra to the north, and Adam's

Paradise in the east of the world." "Who is there living in that dun

with the silver walls?" said Tadg then. "I will not tell you that,

although I have knowledge of it," said the woman; "but go to the

beautiful hill where it is, and you will get knowledge of it."

 

They went on then to the third hill, and on the top of the hill was a

very beautiful resting-place, and two sweethearts there, a boy and a

girl, comely and gentle. Smooth hair they had, shining like gold, and

beautiful green clothes of the one sort, and any one would think them to

have had the same father and mother. Gold chains they had around their

necks, and bands of gold above those again. And Tadg spoke to them: "O

bright, comely children," he said, "it is a pleasant place you have

here." And they answered him back, and they were praising his courage

and his strength and his wisdom, and they gave him their blessing.

 

And it is how the young man was, he had a sweet-smelling apple, having

the colour of gold, in his hand, and he would eat a third part of it,

and with all he would eat, it would never be less. And that was the food

that nourished the two of them, and neither age or sorrow could touch

them when once they had tasted it.

 

"Who are you yourself?" Tadg asked him then. "I am son to Conn of the

Hundred Battles," he said. "Is it Connla you are?" said Tadg. "I am

indeed," said the young man, "and it is this girl of many shapes that

brought me here." And the girl said: "I have given him my love and my

affection, and it is because of that I brought him to this place, the

way we might be looking at one another for ever, and beyond that we have

never gone."

 

"That is a beautiful thing and a strange thing," said Tadg, "and a thing

to wonder at. And who is there in that grand dun with the silver

walls?" he said. "There is no one at all in it," said the girl. "What is

the reason of that?" said Tadg. "It is for the kings that are to rule

Ireland yet," she said; "and there will be a place in it for yourself,

Tadg. And come now," she said, "till you see it."

 

The lovers went on to the dun, and it is hardly the green grass was bent

under their white feet. And Tadg and