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"Whatever it was," said mac an Da'v, "what was it?" "Look down the road on this side and tell me who is coming," said his master. "It is a lord with his troop." "It is the King of Leinster," said Mongan. "The man," said mac an Da'v in a tone of great pity, "the man that took away your wife!
Mac an Da'v said it was a great shame, and he kicked some of the servants, but they did not budge, and then he slipped out to the stables and saddled two mares.
Then he changed himself so that he became the living image of Ae, the son of the King of Connaught, who had just been married to Ivell of the Shining Cheeks, and then he changed mac an Da'v into the likeness of Ae's attendant, and then they all set off towards the fortress, singing the song that begins: My wife is nicer than any one's wife, Any one's wife, any one's wife, My wife is nicer than any one's wife, Which nobody can deny.
"This time," said he to mac an Da'v, "I'll get back my wife." "You will indeed," said mac an Da'v heartily, "and you'll get mine back too." "Go over yonder," said Mongan, "and tell the Hag of the Mill that I want to talk to her." Mac an Da'v brought her over to him. "Is it true what the servant man said?" she asked. "What did he say?" said Mongan. "He said you wanted to talk to me."
"It is true," said Mongan. "This is a wonderful hour and a glorious minute," said the hag, "for this is the first time in sixty years that any one wanted to talk to me. Talk on now," said she, "and I'll listen to you if I can remember how to do it. Talk gently," said she, "the way you won't disturb the animals, for they are all sick." "They are sick indeed," said mac an Da'v pityingly.
When Duv Laca went away with the King of Leinster, her servant, mac an Da'v's wife, went with her, so there were two wifeless men in Ulster at that time, namely, Mongan the king and mac an Da'v his servant. One day as Mongan sat in the sun, brooding lamentably on his fate, mac an Da'v came to him. "How are things with you, master?" asked Mac an Da'v. "Bad," said Mongan.
His chest was pulled inwards, and his head was stuck outwards and hung down in the place where his chest should have been, and his arms were crooked in front of him with the hands turned wrongly, so that one palm was shown to the east of the world and the other one was turned to the west. "How goes it, mac an Da'v?" said the king. "Bad," said mac an Da'v.
But every time he sent anything to the hag, mac an Da'v snatched it out of her lap and put it in his pocket. "Now," said Mongan to the hag, "tell the servant to say that you would not leave your own husband for all the wealth of the world." She told the servant that, and the servant told it to the king.
They met him near the place where the games were played. "Good my soul, Tibraide'!" cried the King of Leinster, and he gave Mongan a kiss. Mongan kissed him back again. "Amen, amen," said mac an Da'v. "What for?" said the King of Leinster. And then mac an Da'v began to sneeze, for he didn't know what for.
"The cat has a sore tail," said she, "by reason of sitting too close to a part of the hob that was hot. The dog has a toothache, the horse has a pain in her stomach, and the hen has the pip." "Ah, it's a sad world," said mac an Da'v. "There you are!" said the hag. "Tell me," Mongan commenced, "if you got a wish, what it is you would wish for?"
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