Page:West Irish folk-tales and romances - William Larminie.djvu/187



HERE was a king then, and he had but one son. He was out hunting. He was going past the churchyard. There were four men in the churchyard and a corpse. There was debt on the corpse. The king's son went in. He asked what was the matter. Said one of the men:

“The dead man is in our debt. I am not willing to bury the body, till the two sons who are here, promise to pay the debts.”

“We are not able to pay,” said one of them. I have five pounds,” said the king's son; “I will give them to you to bury the body.”

He gave the five pounds. The body was buried. The king's son went hunting. He went home in the evening. In the morning of the morrow there was snow. He went out hunting in the snow. He killed a black raven. He stood over it and looked at it. He said in his own Rh