Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 26, 1915.djvu/194

 1 84 Collectanea.

" I told you," said the horse, " have nothing to do with the rib of hair. What will you do now, or where will you go? Now, if you are not a good horseman {marcadh ag maii) you're done ! When you go as far as the big door of the house of the queen, golden flaming, I'll go up and down the lawn, and it is not the colour I'll have going up that I'll have coming down. And she will ask me of you to ride awhile. You must tell her that you do not give your horse to any one to ride on, but if she wishes she can sit behind you."

He went to the big door of the house. The horse was a beauti- ful speckle going up, and a different colour coming down. The queen, golden, flaming asked, "AVill you give me your horse to ride? I like her very much."

The son of the nobleman said "I don't give my horse to any one, but if you like to sit behind me you can."

She said she would not, but if she did, in spite of that, she sat behind him. The horse went so fast that it would catch the wind that was before her, and the wind that was behind her could not catch her, until he came to the door of the king's son. The queen, golden, flaming, was the finest lady that could be seen, and she said she would never marry the king's son until he got her three bottles of water from the cow's well. The king's son went to the wise blind man, and asked him who would get that for him. "Who but the boy who got the rib of the hair and the queen, golden, flaming," said the wise blind man.

The king's son went to the nobleman's son and told him to bring him three bottles of water from the cow's well ; and the boy went to his horse and told her. " I told you to have nothing to do with the rib of gold hair," said the horse. " Now ! what are you to do at all ? There is a great sea between us and the cow's well."

He got on the horse and went on till he came to the brink of the sea.

The horse said, "Take your sword and kill me." "That's what I'll never do," said the boy.

"Kill me," she said, "and the crows will come to pick my puddings. You are to catch three, and tie these three bottles to their necks, and tell them to bring you three bottles of water from the cow's well."