Vietnam or Thailand ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
Updated: May 19, 2025
That night Morag went into the Castle and came to the supper-table where Flann was seated alone. But Gilveen again had put a sleeping-draught into his cup, and Flann did not see or know Morag. "Do you not remember, Flann," said she, "the story of Morag that I told you across the supper-board in the House of Crom Duv?" But Flann gave no sign of knowing her, and then Morag had to go away.
"What are these for, Crom Duv?" said Flann. "To mix the mortar with, gilly," said the Giant. "Bullock's blood and new milk is what I mix my mortar with, so that nothing can break down the walls that I'm building round the Fairy Rowan Tree. Every day I kill a bullock and every day my byre-maid fills a vessel of milk to mix with my mortar. Set to now, and mix the mortar for me."
He came towards them with the iron spike in his hand. Flann and Morag ran. Then from tree to tree Crom Duv chased them, shouting and snorting and smashing down branches with the iron spike in his hand. Morag and Flann came to a stream, and as they ran along its bank they heard the trampling and panting of a horse coming towards them. Up it came, a great black horse with a sweeping mane.
"You crossed the moat," said Morag, "then why did you come back?" "I came back," said Flann, "to bring you with me." "But," said she, "I cannot leave Crom Duv's house." "I'll show you how to cross the moat," said he, "and we'll both be glad to be going by the moving river." Tears came into Morag's eyes.
Flann thought he would see a long-armed creature like Crom Duv himself. Instead he saw a girl with good and kind eyes, whose disfigurements were that her face was pitted and her hair was bushy. "I am Morag, Crom Duv's byre-maid," said she. "Will Crom Duv kill me?" said Flann. "No. He'll make you serve him," said the byre-maid. "And what will he make me do for him?"
Then he started work on his wall, making Flann carry mortar to him. Morag put down the fire and boiled the pots. Pots of porridge, plates of butter and pans of milk were on the table when' Crom Duv and Flann came in to their breakfasts. Then, when the Giant had driven out his cattle to the pasture Flann cleaned the byre and made the mortar, mixing lime and sand with bullock's blood and new milk.
There was straw on the ground of the courtyard and Crom Duv lay down on it and went to sleep with the cattle trampling around him. A great stone wall was being built all round the Giant's Keep a wall six feet thick and built as high as twenty feet in some places and in others as high as twelve. The wall was still being built, for heaps of stones and great mixing-pans were about.
The Tree could be climbed, Flann knew. But on the top of the tree and along its branches were the fierce yellow cats the cats that the Hags of the Long Teeth had reared for Crom Duv, thinking that he would some time give each of them the berry that would make them young again. And at the butt of the tree there were more cats. And all about the courtyard the Hags' fierce cats paraded themselves.
"Cut of his head with the sword that he threatened us with," said another. "No," said the third Hag. "Crom Duv the Giant is in want of a servant. Let him take this fellow. Then maybe the Giant will give us what he has promised us for so long a Berry to each of us from the Fairy Rowan Tree that grows in his courtyard." "Let it be, let it be," said the other Hags.
Beyond the wood there were buildings such walls and such heaps of stones Flann never saw before. But before they had entered the wood they had come to a high grassy mound. And standing on that grassy mound was the most tremendous bull that Flann had ever seen. "What bull is that, Giant?" said Flann. "My own bull," said Crom Duv, "the Bull of the Mound. Look back at him, little fellow.
Word Of The Day
Others Looking