Page:Beside the Fire - Douglas Hyde.djvu/198

 136 He went in then, drew the sword, and gave a fine light to them all, and to everybody that was in the island. They then gave him a good supper, and he went to sleep. When he was going away in the morning, the man of the house asked him for the honour of God, to leave the sword with them.

"Since you asked for it in the honour of God, you must have it," said the king's son.

He walked the second day till the darkness was coming. He went to another great house, beat the door, and it was not long till the woman of the house came to him, and he asked lodgings of her. The man of the house came and said:

"I can give you that; but I have not a drop of water to dress food for you."

"I have plenty of water myself," said the king's son.

He went in, drew out the bottle, and there was not a vessel in the house he did not fill, and still the bottle was full. Then a supper was dressed for him, and when he ate and drank his enough, he went to sleep. In the morning, when he was going, the woman asked of him, in the honour of God, to leave them the bottle.

"Since it has chanced that you ask it for the honour of God," said the king's son, "I cannot refuse you, for my mother put me under gassa (mystic obligations), before she died, never, if I could, to refuse anything that a person would ask of me for the honour of God."

Then he left the bottle to them.

He walked the third day until darkness was coming, and he reached a great house on the side of the road. He struck the door; the man of the house came out, and he asked lodgings of him.

"I can give you that, and welcome," said the man; "but I'm grieved that I have not a morsel of bread for you."