Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 25, 1914.djvu/127

 Collectanea, 1 1 5

And the next few days there were a big crowd of Chctharacdns came to Mike Connor, a heap of them, little men and little womens and short little red petticoats on the womens and little white caps on them, demanding their cattle. So Mike had the cattle removed, and he was too clever for the Clutharacdns. So the Clutharacdns had to go without the cows, and they gave Mike a good thrashing before they went.

5. Hiwips off, — humps on !

There was a lios in a certain place and there used to be great noises heard in the lios by the people who were living around. Well, there was a little man who was a hunchback as was passing by, and he heard a woman inside. And she was singing, and it was a curious sort of song she had. The song was " Dta Luaifi, Dia Mart," [" Monday, Tuesday "], and she kept it up like that. Well the little man got the music on his tongue, and he said ^^ Dia Luain, Dia Mart, Dia Ceadaoin," ["Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday"]. Well, that added to the song and improved it altogether, and she sent out to see who was abroad that helped her with her song. So the messenger that came out said it was a little man with a hump on his back. So the woman inside, who was the queen of the fairies, sent for the little man. So he went, and the hump was taken off of him, and he was made a straight man. He came home then, and everyone was surprised to see him without his hump. So he told the tale to everybody, — what had occurred and how he got rid of the hump.

Well, there was another man that had a hump in the same neighbourhood, so he said he'd try his luck. So he went out, and he heard the song, and what she was singing now was, — " Dia Ltiaiti, Dia Mdrt, Dia Ceadaoin" So he ups and says, — " Dia Ljtain, Dia Mdrt, Dia Ceadaoin, Diardaoin" [" Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday "]. So this spoilt the music of her song, and she sent out to see who was abroad that spoilt her song. And the little man was brought in, an' the hump that was taken off the other man was put on to him, so he had to go home with the two humps on his back."

' Cf. the well-known Breton story.