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to come in on me. I knew very well on the first sight of me that
could be got, I would be shot like a dog. However, I had not time to
lose. I took and raised up the man which I had killed, as if he was
standing on his feet, and I, crouching behind him, bore him up as
well as I could, so that the guards readily saw him as they came up
to the vault. Seeing the man in black, one of the men cried that
was the Black Thief, and, presenting his piece, fired at the man, at
which I let him fall, and crept into a little dark corner myself, that
was at the entrance of the place. When they saw the man fall,
they ran all into the vault, and never stopped until they were at the
end of it, for fear, as I thought, that there might be some others
along with him that was killed. But while they were busy
inspecting the corpse and the vault to see what they could miss, I
slipped out, and, once away, and still away; but they never had the
Black Thief in their power since.’
`Well, my brave fellow,’ says the Knight of the Glen, `I see you
have come through many dangers: you have freed these two princes
by your stories; but I am sorry myself that this young prince has
to suffer for all. Now, if you could tell me something as wonderful
as you have told already, I would pardon him likewise; I pity this
youth and do not want to put him to death if I could help it.’
`That happens well,’ says the Thief of Sloan, `for I like him
best myself, and have reserved the most curious passage for the last
on his account.’
`Well, then,’ says the knight, `let us hear it.’
`I was one day on my travels,’ says the Black Thief, `and I
came into a large forest, where I wandered a long time, and could
not get out of it. At length I came to a large castle, and fatigue
obliged me to call in the same, where I found a young woman and
a child sitting on her knee, and she crying. I asked her what
made her cry, and where the lord of the castle was, for I wondered
greatly that I saw no stir of servants or any person about the
place.
` “It is well for you,” says the young woman, “that the lord of
this castle is not at home at present; for he is a monstrous giant,
with but one eye on his forehead, who lives on human flesh. He
brought me this child,” says she, “I do not know where he got it,
and ordered me to make it into a pie, and I cannot help crying at
the command.”
`I told her that if she knew of any place convenient that I
could leave the child safely I would do it, rather than it should be
killed by such a monster.
`She told me of a house a distance off where I would get a
woman who would take care of it. “But what will I do in regard
of the pie?”
` “Cut a finger off it,” said I, “and I will bring you in a young
wild pig out of the forest, which you may dress as if it was the
child, and put the finger in a certain place, that if the giant doubts
anything about it you may know where to turn it over at the first,
and when he sees it he will be fully satisfied that the pie is made of
the child.”
`She agreed to the scheme I proposed, and, cutting off the child’s
finger, by her direction I soon had it at the house she told me of,
and brought her the little pig in the place of it. She then made
ready the pie, and after eating and drinking heartily myself, I was
just taking my leave of the young woman when we observed the giant
coming through the castle gates.
` “Bless me,” said she, “what will you do now? Run away and
lie down among the dead bodies that he has in the room (showing
me the place), and strip off your clothes that he may not know you
from the rest if he has occasion to go that way.”
`I took her advice, and laid myself down among the rest, as if
dead, to see how he would behave. The first thing I heard was
him calling for his pie. When she set it down before him he swore
it smelled like swine’s flesh, but knowing where to find the finger,
she immediately turned it up, which fairly convinced him of the
contrary. The pie only served to sharpen his appetite, and I heard
him sharpening his knife and saying he must have a collop or two, for
he was not near satisfied. But what was my terror when I heard
the giant groping among the bodies, and, fancying myself, cut the
half of my hip off, and took it with him to be roasted. You may be
certain I was in great pain, but the fear of being killed prevented
me from making any complaint. However, when he had eaten all
he began to drink hot liquors in great abundance, so that in a short
time he could not hold up his head, but threw himself on a large creel
he had made for the purpose, and fell fast asleep. When I heard
him snoring, as I was I went up and caused the woman to bind my
wound with a handkerchief; and, taking the giant’s spit, reddened it
in the fire, and ran it through the eye, but was not able to kill him.
`However, I left the spit sticking in his head, and took to my
heels; but I soon found he was in pursuit of me, although blind;
and having an enchanted ring he threw it at me, and it fell on my
big toe and remained fastened to it.
`The giant then called to the ring, where it was, and to my great
surprise it made him answer on my foot; and he, guided by the
same, made a leap at me which I had the good luck to observe, and
fortunately escaped the danger. However, I found running was of
no use in saving me, as long as I had the ring on my foot; so I
took my sword and cut off the toe it was fastened on, and threw
both into a large fish-pond that was convenient. The giant called
again to the ring, which by the power of enchantment always made
him answer; but he, not knowing what I had done, imagined it was
still on some part of me, and made a violent leap to seize me, when
he went into the pond, over head and ears, and was drowned. Now,
sir knight,’ says the Thief of Sloan, `you see what dangers I came
through and always escaped; but, indeed, I am lame for the want
of my toe ever since.’
`My lord and master,’ says an old woman that was listening all
the time, `that story is but too true, as I well know, for I am the
very woman that was in the giant’s castle, and you, my lord, the
child that I was to make into a pie; and this is the very man that
saved your life, which you may know by the want of your finger
that was taken off, as you have heard, to deceive the giant.’
The Knight of the Glen, greatly surprised at what he had heard
the old woman tell, and knowing he wanted his finger from his
childhood, began to understand that the story was true enough.
`And is this my deliverer?’ says he. `O brave fellow, I not
only pardon you all, but will keep you with myself while you live,
where you shall feast like princes, and have every attendance that
I have myself.’
They all returned thanks on their knees, and the Black Thief
told him the reason they attempted to steal the Steed of Bells, and
the necessity they were under in going home.
`Well,’ says the Knight of the Glen, `if that’s the case I bestow
you my steed rather than this brave fellow should die; so you may
go when you please, only remember to call and see me betimes,
that we may know each other well.’
They promised they would, and with great joy they set off for
the King their father’s palace, and the Black Thief along with
them.
The wicked Queen was standing all this time on the tower, and,
hearing the bells ringing at a great distance off, knew very well it
was the princes coming home, and the steed with them, and through
spite and vexation precipitated herself from the tower and was
shattered to pieces.
The three princes lived happy and well during their father’s
reign, and always keeping the Black Thief along with them; but
how they did after the old King’s death is not known.[4]
[4] The Hibernian Tales.
THE MASTER THIEFTHERE was once upon a time a husbandman who had three sons.
He had no property to bequeath to them, and no means of putting
them in the way of getting a living, and did not know what to
do, so he said that they had his leave to take to anything they most
fancied, and go to any place they best liked. He would gladly
accompany them for some part of their way, he said, and that he did.
He went with them till they came to a place where three roads
met, and there each of them took his own way, and the father bade
them farewell and returned to his own home again. What became
of the two elder I have never been able to discover, but the youngest
went both far and wide.
It came to pass, one night, as he was going through a great
wood, that a terrible storm came on. It blew so hard and rained
so heavily that he could scarcely keep his eyes open, and before he
was aware of it he had got quite out of the track, and could neither
find road nor path. But he went on, and at last he saw a light far
away in the wood. Then he thought he must try and get to it, and
after a long, long time he did reach it. There was a large house,
and the fire was burning so brightly inside that he could tell that
the people were not in bed. So he went in, and inside there was
an old woman who was busy about some work.
`Good evening, mother!’ said the youth.
`Good evening!’ said the old woman.
`Hutetu! it is terrible weather outside to-night,’ said the young
fellow.
`Indeed it is,’ said the old woman.
`Can I sleep here, and have shelter for the night?’ asked the
youth.
`It wouldn’t be good for you to sleep here,’ said the old hag,
`for if the people of the house come home and find you, they will
kill both you and me.’
`What kind of people are they then, who dwell here?’ said the
youth.
`Oh! robbers, and rabble of that sort,’ said the old woman;
`they stole me away when I was little, and I have had to keep
house for them ever since.’
`I still think I will go to bed, all the same,’ said the youth.
`No matter what happens, I’ll
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