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How Ian Direach Got the Blue Falcon Long ago a king and queen ruled over the islands of the west, and they had one son, whom they loved dearly. The boy grew up to be tall and strong and handsome, and he could run and shoot, and swim and dive better than any lad of his own age in the country.
Hastily he led the bay colt from his stall, and put the golden saddle on her back, and the silver bridle over his head, and with the colt's bridle in his hand, he hurried to meet the princess. 'I have brought you the king of France's daughter, said Ian Direach. And the king of Erin looked at the maiden, and was well pleased, not knowing that it was Gille Mairtean the fox.
'But eat first, and yet once more will I help you. At these words the heart returned again to Ian Direach, and he gathered sticks and made a fire and ate with Gille Mairtean the fox, and slept on the sand. At dawn next morning Gille Mairtean said to Ian Direach: 'I will change myself into a ship, and will bear you across the seas to Erin, to the land where dwells the king.
Quickly the fox took his own shape again, and galloped away to the sea shore, where Ian Direach and the princess and the bay colt awaited him. 'I will become a ship, cried Gille Mairtean, 'and you shall go on board me. And so he did, and Ian Direach let the bay colt into the ship and the princess went after them, and they set sail for Dhiurradh.
And he bowed low, and besought her to do him the honour to enter the palace; and Gille Mairtean, as he went in, turned to look back at Ian Direach, and laughed. In the great hall the king paused and pointed to an iron chest which stood in a corner.
And the Big Women heard it, and came running back, and took the sword from him, and said: 'If it is our sword you want, you must first bring us the bay colt of the King of Erin. Humbled and ashamed, Ian Direach left the house, and sat by the side of the sea, and soon Gille Mairtean the fox came to him. 'Plainly I see that you have taken no heed to my words, Ian Direach, spoke the fox.
'And what can you do? asked the giant again. 'I can feed birds and tend pigs; I can feed and milk a cow, and also goats and sheep, if you have any of these, replied Ian Direach. 'Then enter, for I have great need of such a one, said the giant.
Besides, he knew how to sail about, and sing songs to the harp, and during the winter evenings, when everyone was gathered round the huge hall fire shaping bows or weaving cloth, Ian Direach would tell them tales of the deeds of his fathers. So the time slipped by till Ian was almost a man, as they reckoned men in those days, and then his mother the queen died.
And Gille Mairtean the fox bade Ian Direach tell the princess that she must bide yet a while in a cave amongst the rocks, for they had business on land, and after a while they would return to her. Then they took a boat and rowed up to some rocks, and as they touched the land Gille Mairtean changed himself into a fair woman, who laughed, and said to Ian Direach, 'I will give the king a fine wife.
'If it is spells you are laying I can lay them too, answered Ian Direach; 'and you shall stand with one foot on the great house and another on the castle, till I come back again, and your face shall be to the wind, from wheresoever it shall blow. Then he went away to seek the bird, as his stepmother bade him; and, looking homewards from the hill, he saw the queen standing with one foot on the great house, and the other on the castle, and her face turned towards whatever tempest should blow.
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