Page:Celtic Stories by Edward Thomas.djvu/91

 Bran accepted the offer, for Bronwen had pleaded with him, in fear lest he should lay waste the country.

The great house for Bran was built as if to last for ever. But the Irish were very crafty. They put brackets on each side of the hundred pillars in the house, and placed a leathern bag on each of them, and in each bag a warrior. Then Evnissyen came in before the host of the Island of the Mighty. He scanned the house with fierce and savage looks, and caught sight of the leathern bags around the pillars. 'What is in this bag?' asked he of one of the Irish. 'Meal, good soul,' said the man. And Evnissyen felt about it until he came to the warrior's head, and he squeezed the head until he felt his fingers meet together in the brain through the bone. And he left that one, and put his hand upon another, and asked what was therein. 'Meal,' said the Irishman. So he did the same to every one of them, until he had left alive, of all the two hundred men, only one; and coming to this last one, he asked what was there. 'Meal, good soul,' said the Irishman. And he felt about until he felt the head, and he squeezed that head as he had done the others; and though he found that the head of this one was armed, he left him not until he had killed him.

So the two hosts entered the house, the men of Ireland on one side and the men of the Island of the Mighty on the other. They sat down in peace, and Gwern the son of Bronwen was crowned King of Ireland. Thus the peace was confirmed. Then Bran called the boy to him, and he came, and his uncle kissed him. Manawythan called him and kissed him, and so did Nissyen. To each of them the boy ran up lovingly. 'Why does my nephew not come to me,' said Evnissyen, 'though he were not King of Ireland I would kiss him gladly.'