The Scottish Celtic review

74 IIoiv the Great Tiudrlsgeul was 'put to Death.take the old grey man he has in the house for it: and when you giveit to him, take the bridle off its head and keep it; and when youwant the .steed, shake the bridle, and you will have it." He nowgave him the old grey-haired man. " Now, whatever the oldgrey man asks you to do, do you the contrary to that."He went away having the old grey man astride on his neck {lit.,about the bone of his neck). The old grey man now said to him," Do you see two roads there ? " "I see them," said the son of theKing of Ireland. " Is thei-e a road going west and a road goingeast ? " " Yes," said the son of the King of Ireland. " Take,then, the road that goes west." The son of the King of Irelandtook the road that went east. "! I don't think myself it is theright road you have taken ; but that gives longer life to you, andshorter life to me. Do you see a house there ? " said the oldgrey man. " I see it," said the son of the King of Ireland. " Twodoors to it ? " said the old grey-haired man ;" go you in at thewest door, and avoid the cast door." He went in at the eastdoor. " It was not at the right door you went in; but that giveslonger life to you, and shorter life to me." They went in." Are there two chairs there ? " said the old grey-haired man." Yes," said the son of the King of Ireland. He sat in the onechair, and the old grey-haired man in the other. " Do you see acauldron there V "I see it," said the son of the King of Ireland.''Put it on. Well do I know the object of your going and journeying.It is to find out how the Great Tuairisgeul was put todeath you have toiled till now ; and many a king and squire's sonhave suffered death in finding it out, if you can find it out. I ammyself the son of a king ; and my mother died, and left three sons,myself and two others ; and my fiitlier mairied another queen, and'Trouble-the-house ' came to my father's house. She said tomy stepmother that little good would her children get fromanything that my father had, but that all the good would go tothe other children. And she took a bribe from my stepmother toplace us under enchantments ; and she struck us with the diviningrod {lit., the beetle or mallet of Druidism), and made three wolvesof us. We went away, and took to the hills as three wolves ; andwe used to come the way of the town, and kill her hens. Wecould not take more revenge upon her. She then understood itwas we who came and killed her hens ; and she ordered everyvermin-killer that was in the kingdom to assemble to destroy us.We three M'ere then hard pressed against a big precipitous rock,