Page:West Irish folk-tales and romances - William Larminie.djvu/176

 144 “A green sod over you, churl!”

“Stay, stay! best of champions that ever I saw. I am but a third of the world, and my brother is the half of the world, and the other is as strong as the world; and if you spare me, I and my brothers will be your helpers, and we will conquer the world.”

“That's not what I will do,” said the son of the King of Scotland; “but I will cut the head off you.”

And he caught hold of his sword and cut the head off the giant. And the young girl all the time was watching the young champion; and she ran to him and kissed him, and asked him if he would come home with her, and he said he would not come. She took a pair of scissors and cut away a piece of the champion's suit that was on him.

He went with himself then, and came to the hen-wife, and told her that the giant's head was cut off; and she asked him if any one was before her to the king with the news. And she ran to the king and told him the giant's head was cut off, and he gave her a shovel of gold as the reward of her trouble.

When the son of the King of Scotland was gone, the son of the King of Prussia arose out of his hole, and he took with him a book and a knife, and he swore that unless she said it was he had