Page:The Allies Fairy Book.djvu/82

 without their seeing what did it. Out on the door of the palace with them without being stopped or hindered, for nobody saw them, and “My horse and bridle and saddle!” says every man of them.

“My horse and bridle and saddle!” says Guleesh; and on the moment the horse was standing ready caparisoned before him. “Now, jump up, Guleesh,” said the little man, “and put the lady behind you, and we will be going; the morning is not far off from us now.”

Guleesh raised her up on the horse’s back, and leaped up himself before her, and “Rise horse,” said he; and his horse, and the other horses with him, went in a full race until they came to the sea.

“Hie over cap!” said every man of them.

“Hie over cap!” said Guleesh; and on the moment the horse rose under him and cut a leap in the clouds, and came down in Erin.

They did not stop, but went of a race to the place where was Guleesh’s house and the rath. And when they came as far as that, Guleesh turned and caught the young girl in his two arms, and leaped off the horse.

“I call and cross you to myself, in the name of God!” said he; and on the spot, before the word was out of his mouth, the horse fell down, and what was in it but the beam of a plough, of which they had made a horse; and every other horse they had, it was that way they made it. Some of them were riding on an old besom, and some on a broken stick, and more on a ragweed or a hemlock-stalk.

The good people called out together when they heard what Guleesh said:

“Oh, Guleesh, you clown, you thief, that no good may happen you. Why did you play that trick on us?”

But they had no power at all to carry off the girl after Guleesh had consecrated her to himself.

“Oh, Guleesh, isn’t that a nice turn you did us, and we