Page:West Irish folk-tales and romances - William Larminie.djvu/121

 Rh and my brother to hurl against your four-and-twenty; and this is the bargain I'll make with you:—Whoever it is that sends the ball to the goal is to have a blow with his hurl on the others: if your four-and-twenty men win the goal against us, they have four-and-twenty blows to strike on us. If we win the goal, we have a blow on every one of them.”

The ball was put in the sand. They gathered round it. The champion of the red belt had the ball. He struck it. When it fell he was shaking it again. Not one man on the strand got a blow at it till he put it to the goal.

“Now,” said he, “did you not get fair play?”

“I got it; you are the best champion ever I saw.”

“Put the men in a row that I may get my blows.”

He put the men standing in a row. “Now,” said he to his brother, “any man that I don't knock down, knock him down you.’” [sic]

He struck the first blow. He killed. He struck the second blow then. He killed. He was striking and killing. There was one man at the end outside. When he came killing, drawing towards him, he went out of the row. He went up on the side of a hill.

“Death and destruction and the death-bands on you, champion of the red belt! It is you that are