Page:West Irish folk-tales and romances - William Larminie.djvu/123

 Rh “The King of Greece is not your father,” said the man. “He had no family but the one young girl in the house.”

“I am grateful to you for all that you have told me about the way I came here. If I live, I will do you a service.”

They were troubled. They knew not whence they had come. They went home. The King of Greece welcomed his two sons.

“Put not your sonship upon us. We are only the children of a poor man who had no means to rear us. I will sleep no night but this night in your house till I find out how I came hither.”

“Do not so,” said the king; “stay in this place. I will give you the half of my kingdom.”

“I would not stay if you gave me your kingdom all.”

When the king's daughter heard he was not her brother, she was ready to die unless he married her. He said to her he would not marry her; that he would wear his two legs down to his two knees till he found out how he came. “If I find that out, I will come to you and marry you.”

They were greatly troubled when they were departing. They went till they came to the sea. He threw his hat out. He made a ship of the hat, a mast of his stick, a flag of his shirt. He hoisted the sails speckled spotted, to the top of the straight mast. He turned the prow to sea,