AN GAOḊAL.
219
us," ars mi-se, "le draoiġeaċt do ċur
i g-coṁair i n-aġaiḋ na droinge atáid
le ciantaiḃ id' ḃuaiḋreaḋ. I d-taoiḃ
an ime dá ḃ-fuiḃinn-se mo ṫoil féin air
doġéoḃainn a ċur id' ṡeilḃ arís go sim¬
pliḋe, socair, ar an t-sliġe so. Lion
suas do ṁeadaraċ ar nós do buḋ gna¬
ṫaċ d'uaċtar, & faġ soc ceuċta ar na
ġoraḋ-ḋearg ón ngriosaċ & snioṁ-ċean¬
gal é go dluṫ do ġad caorṫain fa ċom
an ṁeadaraċa. Annsan gaḃ ag buai¬
leaḋ na loingide le fuirse-fairse fua¬
draċ go ḃeiṫ dod' ċnaṁaiḃ agus dod'
ċneas ar na n-a n-ola-ḃáiḋte re dian-
ḟrascaiḃ alluis & muna ḃ-fuiġḃir im 'n
a ċruaċaiḃ go buaic an tiġe ar noimin
na h-uaire is meallta dul a muġaḋ a¬
tá m'intinn-si. Buail do ṡeisreaċ fa
bán deiċ m-bliaḋan & gaḃ ag treaḃaḋ
leo go d-teigéaṁaiḋ cloċ beag ar ḃárr
do ṡuic, & beir leat é sin oiḋċe ḋuḃ-rae
go hárus do easgcarad & caiṫ é trí
h-uaire tar mullaċ a ḃoṫáin i n-ainm
an diaḃail & doġéaḃair ar d-teaċt i
ḃaile ḋuit do ċuid arḃar go leir do
gaideaḋ uait maille le draoiġeaċt idir
eorna, coirce, cruiṫneaċt & seagal, id
ioṫlainn féin roṁat. Agus ma atá suil
agat le dioġaltas & diaċair do ḃuain
asta taḃair puint do Ṡeáġan Gaḃaḋ
& cuir d'ḟiaċaiḃ air 'cluig do ṁallaċt'
do ḃualaḋ dóiḃ le n-a láṁ-órd ar a
inneóin d'a ráḋ fán' am ċeudna na ḃ-
focal buḋ oireaṁnaċ d'a leṫéid sin d'
ocáid & biaiḋ a ḟios ag an duṫaiġ cia
r b'iad fa ciontaċ id' ṫraoċaḋ ar an
dtreasgairt gan truaġ & ar an sgrio¬
saḋ fola agus feola ḃéaras orra tre
neiṁneaċas an ċluiṫċe sin."
"Leig dod' ċadrás a ċlaḋaire na
mioċoṁairle," ars mi-se, "atáim ag
druidim anois le bliaḋantaiḃ mo ṡean-
órḋaċta, & rud nár ḋearnas ariaṁ, ní
ḃia buain agam le coṁaċtaiḃ ifrinn go
deireaḋ mo rae, giḋ go liaṫfaḋ mo
ċeann & go ḃ-feoḋfaḋ mo ḟeoil & mo
ḟéiṫe le neart iota & ocrais. Gluais
uaim i n-ainm Dé ní ḟuileóngad duine
dod' ċlamparaċt i m' aice níḋ buḋ
faide."
D'imṫiġ sé leis & do ḃáḋas-sa ann-
tioned signs he said to me, "Not diffi¬
cult for thee to get thine own share
back again and more beside.” "How"?
Said I. "By working enchantment a¬
gainst the parties that have been so
long oppressing you. As to the butter
if I got my own will I could put it in¬
to your possession simply and easily in
this wise: Fill up thy churn in the
ordinary way and then having heated
a plough-share red hot in the fire tie it
tightly with a withe of mountain ash
round the middle of the churn. Then
begin pounding the dash with hurry
and haste until thy bones and skin are
oiled with heavy drops of sweat and
then if thou gettest not butter in ricks
to the ridge of the roof my mind is de¬
ceived and gone astray. Take, then,
thy yoke of ploughing horses into a
ten year 'bawn' field and plough away
with it until a small stone sticks bet¬
ween share and coulter. Take that
with thee of a dark moonless night to
the dwelling of the enemy and, having
cast it thrice over his house top in the
Devil's name, come home and thou
wilt find all the corn that was ever
stolen from thee through enchantment
whether barley, and oats, wheat, or
rye, before thee in thine own haggard.
And if thou be desirous of inflicting
vengeance and harm on them give a
pound to Jack the Smith and he will
strike the 'cursed knell' for them with
his sledge on the anvil, using at the
same time the form of words necessary
for such an occasion, and the world
will know who were those that were
guilty of thy harm through the des¬
truction and sorrow and through the
affliction in flesh and blood that will
overtake them by the poisonous power
of that charm."
"Cease thy evil prating thou rascal
of the ill-advice," said I. I am now
approaching the years of my old age
and a thing I never did before, neither,
will I, now, meddle with the powers
of Hell to the end of my life though
my head should become grey and my
flesh and sinews wither away for hun¬
