Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 25, 1914.djvu/363

 Fo/k-7\j/cs from Westeini Ireland.

The Putting Out of the Changeling.

Red John Solan of Killeaden told me of the putting out of the changeling. I also heard the story from another old man. The two men gave the same name to the godfather, and placed the scene of the exorcising in the neighbouring village of Treenbauntrigh.

A child was born there, whose godfather's name was Pat Walsh. Soon after it was born it began to ail, and as the years went on got no better, so that when it was six years old it was as small as a child of three. It was always hungry and very troublesome. At last it took to its bed, and lay there with the face of an old man. It was appa- rently dying, yet would not die. All the neighbours saw it was not a " right child," and the father and mother knew it as well. Each day people would come in to see it die, but each day it was there grinning at them. Word was brought to Pat Walsh of the state of affairs, and he went over to the house, and up to the bed, and looked at the child. " If you aren't out of this house by night," he said, " I'll put you out with a fork." And he made a mixture (the nature of which was told me), that if thrown on a changeling would make it go. When night came the bed was empty — the child had gone. Before it vanished Pat Walsh went home. He said he would be back in the morning to see if the child was still in the bed. He had a dog with him, a fierce fighter. It was dark when he left the house. When he had crossed two fields he came to a ditch ; a thorn bush stood near it. He heard a noise in the ditch, and some- thing jumped out of it at him. What shape it had he could not tell, but his dog rushed towards it and drove it off". It came again at him from the bush. It had no shape that he knew, but was like a big lump. It followed him all the way, jumping at him till he reached the river. Only for the dog it would have killed him. He crossed the river, and was safe. The thing could not come across the water.