’The Red Bull came to meet him then, and his head was as big as another’s body would be; and he and the little Black Bull went to fight together; and Jack stopped up in the tree.

’And in the evening he looked at the little bottle; and what was in it was as white as before.  So he came down, and he found the Black Bull, and got up on his back again; and they went off the same as before.

’They came then to the wood where the White Bull was, and he came out to fight the Black; and all happened the same as the first day.

’And Jack came down from his tree and got on his back again; and they went on to another wood.  And the Green Bull came to meet him this time; and Jack went up in a tree.  And at evening he looked at the little bottle, and it was red up to the cork.

’He got down then, and went to look for the little Black Bull, and he found him lying on the ground at the point of death; and the Green Bull gave a great bellow, and made away and left him there.

’And the Black Bull said:  “I am going from you now, Jack; but I won’t go without leaving you something,” he said.  “When I am dead, cut three strips of hide off me from the nape of the neck to the root of the tail, and put them about your body; and they’ll give you the strength of six hundred men."’

Jack had many adventures after this; he killed three giants, rescued a princess from a dragon, and married her.  These were told with dramatic effect; and the other men, young and old, who had gathered round the teller, cried out at each new splendid adventure:  ’Good boy, Peter; that’s it; bring it out.’  And the last words, telling how Jack and his Princess ‘put on the kettle and made the tea,’ were drowned in applause and laughter, and clapping of hands.

But I had already heard that part of the story, in almost the same words, in Gort Workhouse; and had given it to Mr. Yeats for his ’Celtic Twilight,’ so I need not put it down here.

* * * * *

Then an old man said:  ’There was a young man one time was out hunting; and as he was going home, he heard the cry of a child beside a sand-pit.  And he got off his horse to look what was it; and it was a young little child was there, a girl.  And he took her up on the horse and wrapped her up, and brought her home to his mother.  And they reared her up, and she grew to be a beautiful young girl; and the young man thought the world and all of her.

’But he got some sickness and died.  And the mother was fretting for him always; and she shut up his room and locked it, that no one could go in.  And she did not like to be looking at the young girl, because of the son being so fond of her; and she looked for a way to get rid of her.

’So she sent her out on a message into a wood that had wild beasts in it, and she thought they would make an end of her.  And the girl went astray there, and lay down and slept for the night.  And the beasts came and lay down beside her, and did her no harm at all.  And there she was found in the morning, asleep among them.