AN GAODHAL.
121
CÚ BÁN AN t-SLÉIBHE.
(Leanta.)
18. D' fhan sí mar sin ar feadh
seacht m-bliadhna, nuair thainic sí di
féin arís. Bhí sí ag dul róimpi go d-
tinic sí go teach an mhaoir. D'iarr sé
ciar'd a chas in seo í. D'innis sí dhó.
Dubhairt sesean go mbudh h-olc an rud
di a bheith ann, mur nach rabh duine ann
le fada nár mharbhuidh seanchailleach
ghránna a bhí n-a comhnuidhe astigh 'san
g-cnoc. Dubhairt sise nár mharbhaidh sí
an Cú Bán, ach gur phós sí é, & go rabh
sé in a chómhnuidhe ann sós, & dubhairt
sí leis go mbudh mhaith leithe é fheiceál.
19. Níor bh' fhada go d-tainic cailín
a bhí ag an t-seanchailligh le léine do
nigheamh ag loch a bhí ann. D'iar an bhean
di cia rabh sí a dul. Dubhairt sí gur
a nigheachán léine a maighisdir. Go rabh
ceithre bhall fola innti nár bh' fhéidir a
bhaint amach, & go rabh dhá cheud cailín
marbh ag an t-seanchailligh 'nuair nár
fheud siad an fhuil a bhaint aisti. Dubh¬
airt an bhean léithe an léine do thas¬
bháint di & go b' fheuchadh sí le iad do
bhaint amach. Chuaidh siad araon dho'n
loch, & ní túisge leag sí a lámh uirri na
thainic na baill fola amach. Bhí faitchíos
ar an g-cillín bocht go marbhóchadh an t-
seanchailleach í, nuair a rachfadh sí a
abhaile, ach dubhairt an bhean
leithe a rádh go rabh préachán a dul thart
le láimh duine mhairbh in a ghob, & gur
thuit an lámh síos ar an léine a's gur
bhain sí an fhuil aisti.
20. Nuair i thainic an cailín abhaile,
d'fhiafruidh an t-seanchailleach di cia 'n
nós ar bhain sí 'n fhuil amach. D' innis
sí dhi mar dubhairt an bhean leithi. Bhí luth¬
gháir mhór ar an g-cailligh 'nuair a chual¬
aidh sí sin, mar shaoil sí gur b'í bean
Cú Ban an tSléibhe bhí marbh & go mb'í
sin cean d'a cuid lámh. Bhí go maith.
'Nuair i thainic Maol-charrach (b' é seo
ainm an chailín, tugthaoi Cúl Carrach
ar an g-cailligh) go d-ti teach an mhaoir
lá ar na márach, leag bean Cú Bán
an t-Sléibhe an chiairín ar a ceann, & bhí
gruag uirri cho deas a's chonnaic
THE WHITE HOUND OF THE MOUN¬
TAIN.
(Translation.)
18. She remained in this state for
seven years, when she recovered a
gain. She proceeded onward until
she came to the steward’s house. He
asked her what brought her there,
and she told him. He said it was a
bad thing for her to be there, there
being no one there in a long time
that was not killed by the ugly old
hag that lived within the hill. She
said that she did not kill the White
Hound but that she married him,
and that he dwelt there yet, and she
told him she wished to see him.
19. Shortly the old hag's girl came
to a lake near by to wash her mas¬
ter's shirt The woman asked her
where she was going. She said to
wash her
master,s shirt. — That it had four
bloody spots impossible of removal
and that the old hag had killed two
hundred girls who fail'd to remove
them. The woman told her to let
her see the shirt to see if she could
remove them. They proceeded to
the lake together, and no sooner
did she put her hand on it than the
blood vanished. The girl was fear¬
ful lest the old hag would kill her
when she went home, but the wo¬
man told her to say that a crow
went by with a dead person’s hand
in its beak, and that the hand fell
down on the shirt and removed the
blood from it.
20. When the girl came home the
hag asked her in what way did she
remove the blood. She told as the
woman directed her. The hag was
most joyful when she heard that,
as she thought that it was the wife
of the White Hound of the Moun¬
tain that was dead and that that
was one of her hands. Very well.
When Maol-Carrach (that was the
name of the girl — the hag was call¬
ed Cul-carrach) came to the stew¬
ard’s house the next day, the White
