ra to the chase. As he was leaving the palace the light mists were drifting away from the hill-tops, an

e by a wave of her little hand, that was as white as a wild rose in the hedges in June, and leaning from her b

er was summer morning half as bright, or as sweet, or as fair as she. The glimpse which he had just caught of her filled his heart with delight, and almost

102 away through the forest. The prince, spurri

t from the forest, up heathery hills, and over long stretches of moorland, and across brown rush

e prince heard was the noise of his horse's hoofs sounding in the hollow cave. Once more he endeavoured to check his career, but the reins broke in his hands, and in that instant the prince felt the horse had taken a plunge into a gulf, and was sinking down and down, as a stone cast from the summit of a cliff sinks down to the sea. At last 103 the horse struck the ground again, and the prince was almost thrown out of his saddle, but he succeeded in regaining his seat. Then on through the darkness galloped the steed, and when he came into the light the prince's eyes were for some time unable to bear it. But when he got used to the brightness h

n in his steed, but the impetu

been sent by the Princess Crede to greet you and to lead

w this may be,

iting her fairy kinsmen, who dwell in one of the pleasant hills that lie near Tara, she saw you with the high king and princes and nobles of Erin following the chase. And seeing you he

ry in her court; for above in Erin there is the Lady Ailinn, the loveliest of all the ladies who g

ue champion, like you, cannot, I know, refuse to

ver bells in the distance, and almost as soon as he heard them he saw coming up towards him a troop of warriors on coal black steeds. All the warriors wore helmets of shining silver, and cloaks of blue 105 silk. And on the horses' breasts were crescents of silver, on which were h

l down over their shoulders. And when the prince came near them they lowered their lances, and then they turned their horses' heads around and marched before him. And it was not long until above the pleasant jingle of the bells the prince heard the measured strains of music, and he saw coming towards him a band of harpers, dressed in green and gold, and when the harpers had saluted the prince they marched in front of the cavalcade, playing all the time, and it was not lo

t he felt the ground moving under them, and on looking back he could see no sign of the golden bridge,

" said the herald, "and before you i

the Scandinavian Mountains, and was sent with other costly presents by the King of Scandinavia to the King of Erin, and he gave it to 107 the princess, and it was the virtue of this bracelet, that whoever was wearing it could not forget the person who gave it to him, and it could never be loosened from the arm by any

she hoped that before the prince was long in the fl

held out her hand, and Cuglas, having thanked her

tments, where a bath of the cool blue waters of the lake has been made ready for you, and when y

ickness, and sorrow, and old age, are unknown, 108 and where every rosy hour that flies is brighter than the one that has fled before it. And when the fea

s shining brightly, and he heard outside the palace the jingle of bells and the music of baying hounds, and his heart was st

. And at that moment the pages came to say the queen wished to know if he would join them, and the prince went out and found his steed ready saddle

the pages to the presence of the queen. The prince found the qu

the queen, and taking his arm she led him along

rose over the boat, and silken awning of various colours over the others, and the royal boat moved off from the bank followed by all the rest, and in every boat sat a harper with a golden harp, and when the queen waved her wand for the third time, the harpers struck the trembling chords, and to the sound of the delightful music the boats glided over the sunlit lake. And on they went until they approache

under the trees, and she and Cuglas sat on one apart from th

; and when the feast was over there was dancing in the glades to the music of the harps, and when they were tired dancing they set out for the boats

he banquet hall, the days passed, but all the time the prince was thinking of the Princess Ailinn, and one

hould he see sitting on the sill outside but a l

window, and the little woman floated on the moon

the Princess Ailinn,"

f anyone else,"

awaits you. Step into it and it will lead you to the mainland, and when you reach it you will find before you a path that will take you to the green fields of Erin and the plains of Tara. I know you will have to face danger. I know not what kind of danger; but whatever it m

ood-red hue, and a wind arose that stirred the waters, and they leaped up against the little boat, tossing it from side to side. While Cuglas was wondering at the change, he heard a strange, unearthly noise ahead of him, and a bristling monster, lifting its claws above the water, in a moment was beside the boat and stuck one of his claws in the left arm of the prince, and pierced the flesh to the bone. Maddened by the pain the prince drew his sword and chopped off the monster's claw.

ng on the couch, thinking of the Princess Ailinn, and again he saw t

it the little woman

rass that grows in the fruitful fields of Erin, she could never bring you back again. And so, when you find she has left the palace, go at once into the banquet hall and look behind the throne, and you will see a small door let down into the ground. Pull this up a

woman, rising from the floor,

ended the steps, and he found himself in a gloomy and lonesome valley. Jagged mountains, black as night, rose on either side, and huge rocks seemed ready to topple down up

his eyes, but he saw it not. He shouted that he might hear the sound of his own voice, but he heard it not. He stamped his foot on the rocky ground, but no sound was returned to him. He rattled his sword in its brazen scabbard, but it gave no answer back to him. His heart grew colder and colder, when suddenly the cloud above him was rent in a dozen places, and lightning flash

vanished, the thunder ceased, the dark cloud passed, and the sun shone out as bright as on a sum

sooner set foot upon the desert than he heard behind him a crashing sound louder than thunder. He looked around, and he saw that the walls

cool them in the limped waters, the fountain vanished as suddenly as it appeared. With great pain, and almost choking with heat and thirst, he struggled on, and again the fountain sprang up in front of him and moved before him, 116 almost within his reach. At last he came to the end of the desert, and he saw a green hill up which a pathway climbed; but as he came to the foot of the hill, there, sitting ri

ating Island, and the prince spoke as gaily as he could to her, although in his heart there was sadness when he remembered that if he

ay on his couch, he kept his eyes fixed upon the window; but hours passed, and there was no sign of anyone. At long last, and when he

rom the rest of the party in the wood throw your reins upon your horse's neck and he will lead you to the edge of the lake. Then cast this golden bodkin into the lake in the direction of the mainland, and a golden bridge will be thrown across, over which you can pass s

before them, and the royal party pressed after him in pursuit. The prince's steed outstripped the others, and whe

battle. The prince's sword almost leaped out of its scabbard at the martial sound, and, like a true knight of Tara, he dashed against his foe, and swinging his sword above his head, with one blow he clove the silver helmet, and the strange warrior reeled from his horse and fell upon the golden bridge. The prince, content with this achievement, spurred his horse to pass the fallen champion, but the horse refused to sti

o pleasure in the joys and delights of fairyland. And when all in the palace were at rest he used to roam through the forest, always thinking of the Princess Ailinn, and hoping against hope that the little woman would come again to him, but at last he began to despair of ever seeing her. It chanced

, "I gave you three chances, a

n the sandy desert, and dashed the crystal cup untasted from the fairy's hand; but I could never have faced th

0 woman; "but for all that you can never return to the fair hills of Erin. But cheer up, Cuglas, there are mossy ways and forest paths and nestling bowers in fairyland. Lonely they are, I know

linn for the fairy queen,

anything of the

you mean?" s

ought to be yourself. So now good night; and I have no more to say, except that perhaps, if you happen to be here this night week a

from the bank, and he was alone. He went back to the palace, and

hey 121 would have lighted darkness like a star, lost nearly all their lustre, and the king's leeches could do nothing for her, and at last they g

tender light, and they began to hope she was about to be restored to them, when suddenly the room was in darkness as if the night had swept across the sky, and blotted out the sun. Then they heard the sound of fairy music, and over the couch where the princess lay they beheld a gleam of golden light, but only for a moment; and again the

othing, and was about to turn away when he heard the faint sound of fairy music. He listened and listened, and the sound came nearer and clearer, and away in the distance, like drops of glistening water breaking the level of the lake, he saw a fleet of fairy boats, and he thought it was the fairy queen sailing in the moonlight. And it was the fairy queen, and soon he

" said the little woman, tapping h

Cuglas, as he caught the

glas," said

bit jealous," said the lit

am not," s

elights of fairyland he might forget you. It was all in vain. I know now that there is one thing no fairy power above or below the stars, or beneath the waters, can ever

y watching his cattle in the fields hears the tuneful cry of hounds, and follows it till it leads him to a darksome cave, and as fearfully he listens to the sound becoming fainter and fainter he hears the clatter of ho