A long time ago—before St. Patrick’s time—there was an old king in Connacht, and he had three sons. The king had a sore foot for many years, and he could get no cure. One day he sent for the Dall Glic (wise blind man) which he had, and said to him: “I’m giving you wages this twenty years, and you can’t tell me what will cure my foot.”
“You never asked me that question before,” said the Dall Glic; “but I tell you now that there is nothing in the world to cure you but a bottle of water from the Well of D’yerree-in-Dowan” (i.e., end of the world).
In the morning, the day on the morrow, the king called his three sons, and he said to them:
“My foot will never be better until I get a bottle of water from the Well of D’yerree-in-Dowan, and whichever of you will bring me that, he has my kingdom to get.”
“We will go in pursuit of it to-morrow,” says the three. The names of the three were Art, Nart (i.e., strength), and Cart[30] (i.e., right).
On the morning of the day on the morrow, the king gave to each one of them a purse of gold, and they went on their way. When they came as far as the cross-roads, Art said:
“Each one of us ought to go a road for himself, and if one of us is back before a year and a day, let him wait till the other two come; or else let him set up a stone as a sign that he has come back safe.”
They parted from one another after that, and Art and Nart went to an inn and began drinking; but Cart[130] went on by himself. He walked all that day without knowing where he was going. As the darkness of the night came on he was entering a great wood, and he was going forwards in the wood, until he came to a large house. He went in and looked round him, but he saw nobody, except a large white cat sitting beside the fire. When the cat saw him she rose up and went into another room. He was tired and sat beside the fire. It was not long till the door of the chamber opened, and there came out an old hag.
“One hundred thousand welcomes before you, son of the king of Connacht,” says the hag.
“How did you know me?” says the king’s son.
“Oh, many’s the good day I spent in your father’s castle in Bwee-sounee, and I know you since you were born,” said the hag.
Then she prepared him a fine supper, and gave it to him. When he had eaten and drunk enough, she said to him:
“You made a long journey to-day; come with me until I show you a bed.” Then she brought him to a fine chamber, showed him a bed, and the king’s son fell asleep. He did not awake until the sun was coming in on the windows the next morning.
Then he rose up, dressed himself, and was going out, when the hag asked him where he was going.
“I don’t know,” said the king’s son. “I left home to find out the Well of D’yerree-in-Dowan.”
“I’m after walking a good many places,” said the hag, “but I never heard talk of the Well of D’yerree-in-Dowan before.”
The king’s son went out, and he was travelling till he came to a cross-roads between two woods. He did not know which road to take. He saw a seat under the[131] trunk of a great tree. When he went up to it he found it written: “This is the seat of travellers.”
The king’s son sat down, and after a minute he saw the most lovely woman in the world coming towards him, and she dressed in red silk, and she said to him:
“I often heard that it is better to go forward than back.”
Then she went out of his sight as though the ground should swallow her.
The king’s son rose up and went forward. He walked that day till the darkness of the night was coming on, and he did not know where to get lodgings. He saw a light in a wood, and he drew towards it. The light was in a little house. There was not as much as the end of a feather jutting up on the outside nor jutting down on the inside, but only one single feather that was keeping up the house. He knocked at the door, and an old hag opened it.
“God save all here,” says the king’s son.
“A hundred welcomes before you, son of the king of the castle of Bwee-sounee,” said the hag.
“How do you know me?” said the king’s son.
“It was my sister nursed you,” said the hag, “and sit down till I get your supper ready.”
When he ate and drank his enough, she put him to sleep till morning. When he rose up in the morning, he prayed to God to direct him on the road of his luck.
“How far will you go to-day?” said the hag.
“I don’t know,” said the king’s son. “I’m in search of the Well of D’yerree-in-Dowan.”
“I’m three hundred years here,” said the hag,[132] “and I never heard of such a place before; but I have a sister older than myself, and, perhaps, she may know of it. Here is a ball of silver for you, and when you will go out upon the road throw it up before you, and follow it till you come to the house of my sister.”
When he went out on the road he threw down the ball, and he was following it until the sun was going under the shadow of the hills. Then he went into a wood, and came to the door of a little house. When he struck the door, a hag opened it and said:
“A hundred thousand welcomes before you, son of the king of the castle of Bwee-sounee, who were at my sister’s house last night. You made a long journey to-day. Sit down; I have a supper ready for you.”
When the king’s son ate and drank his enough, the hag put him to sleep, and he did not wake up till the morning. Then the hag asked:
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t rightly know,” said the king’s son. “I left home to find out the Well of D’yerree-in-Dowan.”
“I am over five hundred years of age,” said the hag, “and I never heard talk of that place before; but I have a brother, and if there is any such place in the world, he’ll know of it. He is living seven hundred miles from here.”
“It’s a long journey,” said the king’s son.
“You’ll be there to-night,” said the hag.
Then she gave him a little garraun (nag, gelding) about the size of a goat.
“That little beast won’t be able to carry me,” said the king’s son.
“Wait till you go riding on it,” said the hag.
The king’s son got on the garraun, and out for ever with him as fast as lightning.
When the sun was going under, that evening, he came to a little house in a wood. The king’s son got off the garraun, went in, and it was not long till an old grey man came out, and said:
[133]
“A hundred thousand welcomes to you, son of the king of the castle of Bwee-sounee. You’re in search of the Well of D’yerree-in-Dowan.”
“I am, indeed,” said the king’s son.
“Many’s the good man went that way before you; but not a man of them came back alive,” said the old man; “however, I’ll do my best for you. Stop here to-night, and we’ll have sport to-morrow.”
Then he dressed a supper and gave it to the king’s son, and when he ate and drank, the old man put him to sleep.
In the morning of the day on the morrow, the old man said:
“I found out where the Well of D’yerree-in-Dowan is; but it is difficult to go as far as it. We must find out if there’s any good in you with the tight loop (bow?).”
Then he brought the king’s son out into the wood, gave him the loop, and put a mark on a tree two score yards from him, and told him to strike it. He drew the loop and struck the mark.
“You’ll do the business,” said the old man.
They then went in, and spent the day telling stories till the darkness of the night was come.
When the darkness of the night was come, the old man gave him a loop (bow?) and a sheaf of sharp stings (darts), and said:
“Come with me now.”
They were going until they came to a great river. Then the old man said:
“Go on my back, and I’ll swim across the river with you; but if you see a great bird coming, kill him, or we shall be lost.”
Then the king’s son got on the old man’s back, and the old man began swimming. When they were in the middle of the river the king’s son saw a great eagle[134] coming, and his gob (beak) open. The king’s son drew the loop and wounded the eagle.
“Did you strike him?” said the old man.
“I struck him,” said the king’s son; “but here he comes again.”
He drew the loop the second time and the eagle fell dead.
When they came to the land, the old man said:
“We are on the island of the Well of D’yerree-in-Dowan. The queen is asleep, and she will not waken for a day and a year. She never goes to sleep but once in seven years. There is a lion and a monster (uillphéist) watching at the gate of the well, but they go to sleep at the same time with the queen, and you will have no difficulty in going to the well. Here are two bottles for you; fill one of them for yourself, and the other for me, and it will make a young man of me.”
The king’s son went off, and when he came as far as the castle he saw the lion and the monster sleeping on each side of the gate. Then he saw a great wheel throwing up water out of the well, and he went and filled the two bottles, and he was coming back when he saw a shining light in the castle. He looked in through the window and saw a great table. There was a loaf of bread, with a knife, a bottle, and a glass on it. He filled the glass, but he did not diminish the bottle. He observed that there was a writing on the bottle and on the loaf; and he read on the bottle: “Water For the World,” and on the loaf: “Bread For the World.” He cut a piece off the loaf, but it only grew bigger.
“My grief! that we haven’t that loaf and that bottle at home,” said the king’s son, “and there’d be neither hunger nor thirst on the poor people.”
Then he went into a great chamber, and he saw the[135] queen and eleven waiting-maids asleep, and a sword of light hung above the head of the queen. It was it that was giving light to the whole castle.
When he saw the queen, he said to himself: “It’s a pity to leave that pretty mouth without kissing it.” He kissed the queen, and she never awoke; and after that he did the same to the eleven maidens. Then he got the sword, the bottle, and the loaf, and came to the old man, but he never told him that he had those things.
“How did you get on?” said the old man.
“I got the thing I was in search of,” said the king’s son.
“Did you see any marvel since you left me?” said the old man.
The king’s son told him that he had seen............