Page:West Irish folk-tales and romances - William Larminie.djvu/237

 Rh sky, and who was it but the eagle! He told the eagle he would remit to him the tribute of the seven years, if he could give him tidings of the three black ravens that are in the eastern world. “Well!” said he, “it is a year and a day since I saw them, and I'll take another year and a day before I can come to you with account of them.” “You must wait here” (said he to the woman) to the end of a year and a day till the eagle comes back to me with news, and you will have nothing to do but sit down.”

When the day and the year were ended, the eagle came back and the three black ravens with him, and he gave them to the giant, and the giant took them from him. “And now” (said he) “when you go home he will ask you if you have them, and you will say you have not; and he will say he believes you never went at all to look for them, and you will take them with you then, and show them to him and let them out of your hand, and they will not stop till they come to me here.”

When she came home her husband said to her,—“Have you the three ravens?”

“If I promised to bring them to you, I did not promise to give them to you.” And she let them away.

He went that night to the old druid he had himself, and he told him the thing she said to