Page:Heroes of the dawn.djvu/96

 Shadows. When the Tuatha de Danann first became invisible to men, the Dagda gave me this pleasant hillside to dwell in, and many years we lived here in peace. But one day when I was away from home, there came a giant Fomorian from the Island of Torach, who seized my daughter, and would have carried her away with him to his island of rocks. When I returned I sought for her, but could find her nowhere. I looked then in the quiet pool of water there, which holds pictures of all that has been or will be, and saw what had happened. Quickly I followed in their footsteps, and on the seashore came up to them. Before the Fomorian could speak a word I cast my spear, which passed through him from one side to the other; but as he fell to the ground he placed a spell on my daughter, and she changed instantly to the fierce boar your dogs hunted. Not for myself would I ask a favour from an enemy, but for the sake of my beautiful daughter I implored him to remove the spell from her before he died. Though he lay dying on the ground he laughed at me, and said that he had doomed her to