Page:Myths and Folk-Lore of Ireland (Curtin).djvu/191

 The head took up the cards and played with its mouth as well as any man could with his hands. It won all the time,—was n't playing fairly. Then Kil Arthur thought: "I'll settle this;" and he took the cards and showed how the head had taken five points in the game that did n't belong to it. Then the head sprang at him, struck and beat him till he seized and hurled it into the fire.

As soon as he had the head in the fire a beautiful woman stood before him, and said: "You have killed nine of my brothers, and this was the best of the nine. I have eight more brothers who go out to fight with four hundred men each day, and they kill them all; but next morning the four hundred are alive again and my brothers have to do battle anew. Now my mother and these eight brothers will be here soon; and they 'll go down on their bended knees and curse you who killed my nine brothers, and I 'm afraid your blood will rise within you when you hear the curses, and you 'll kill my eight remaining brothers."

"Oh," said Kil Arthur, "I 'll be deaf when the curses are spoken; I 'll not hear them." Then he went to a couch and lay down. Presently the mother and eight brothers came, and cursed Kil Arthur with all the curses they knew. He heard them to the end, but gave no word from himself.

Next morning he rose early, girded on his