Page:Celtic Stories by Edward Thomas.djvu/88

 is, that if one of thy men be slain to-day, and be cast therein, to-morrow he will be as well as ever he was at the best, except that he will not regain his speech.' And thereupon Matholwch gave him great thanks, and very joyful was he for that cause.

In the morning they gave Matholwch his horses.

When Bran and Matholwch again sat together, the King of Ireland asked where the cauldron had come from. 'I had it,' said Bran, 'from Llassar Llaesgyvnewid and his wife, who came hither after escaping from the red-hot Iron House in Ireland. It is strange that thou shouldst know nothing of this.' 'But,' said Matholwch: 'I do know. I was hunting in Ireland beside the Lake of the Cauldron, when I saw a yellow-haired man, hideous and huge, coming out of the lake with a cauldron upon his back. After him came a woman of twice his bulk. They greeted me, and because the woman was before long to be delivered of a child I took them back with me and maintained them. But they were a terror to my people, with their violence, and either they must go or I must lose my kingdom. They would not go of their own free will and could not be driven out. So a chamber of iron was built. Coals were heaped high all round it. Llassar and his wife were served with plenty of meat and drink, and when they were very full they were thrust into the chamber and shut in. The coal was set on fire. When the walls were red hot they held a council in the middle of the floor. They waited until the iron was white hot: then Llassar burst through the wall and his wife followed him out. Thus they came over unto thee. How didst thou receive them?'

'Their offspring are now scattered all over my country. They prosper everywhere and fortify their abodes with men and arms of the best that were ever seen.'