Part 3
'Lie, lie an' take a sleep, Juan,' says he; 'I've got all the sheep in the fold, but there was one loaghtan (brown native sheep) yearling there that give me more trouble till all the res'. My seven curses on the little loaghtan! I was twice round Barrule Mooar afther her, but I caught her for all.'
When Juan went out in the morning all the sheep were safe in the cogee house and a big hare in with them, with two short lankets on him, that was the brown yearling!
After a time the Fynoderee went up to the top of Barrule Mountain to live, up to the very peak. Himself and the wife went to make a potful of porridge one day, and they fell out.
She ran and left him. He threw a big white rock after her and it struck her on the heel--the mark of the blood is still on the stone at Cleigh Fainey. While she stooped to put a rag on her heel he threw a lot of small rocks at her, that made her give a spring to the Lagg, two miles away. Then he threw a big rock with the pot-stick in it--it's in the Lagg river to-day. At that she gave two leaps over the sea to the Mountains of Mourne in Ireland; and for all that I know she's living there still.
THE LHONDOO AND THE USHAG-REAISHT
One time Lhondoo, the Blackbird, was living in the mountains and Ushag-reaisht, the Bird of the Waste, as Manx ones call the Golden Plover, was living in the lowlands, and neither of them was able to leave his own haunts. One day, however, the two birds met on the borders between mountain and plain, and they made it up between them that they would change places for a while. The Bird of the Waste should stay in the mountains till the Lhondoo should return.
The Lhondoo found himself better off in his new home than in the old one, and he did not go back. So the poor Bird of the Waste was left in the mountains and any day you may hear him cry in a mournful voice:
'Lhondoo, vel oo cheet, vel oo cheet? S'foddey my reayllagh oo!' Black Thrush, are you coming, are you coming? The time is long and you are not here!
But the Lhondoo answers:
'Cha jig dy braa, cha jig dy braa!' Will never come, will never come!
Then the poor Ushag-reaisht wails:
'T'eh feer feayr, t'eh feer feayr!' It's very cold, it's very cold.
Then the Blackbird goes his ways.
BILLY BEG, TOM BEG, AND THE FAIRIES
Not far from Dalby, Billy Beg and Tom Beg, two humpback cobblers, lived together on a lonely croft. Billy Beg was sharper and cleverer than Tom Beg, who was always at his command. One day Billy Beg gave Tom a staff, and quoth he:
'Tom Beg, go to the mountain and fetch home the white sheep.'
Tom Beg took the staff and went to the mountain, but he could not find the white sheep. At last, when he was far from home and dusk was coming on, he began to think that he had best go back. The night was fine, and stars and a small crescent moon were in the sky. No sound was to be heard but the curlew's sharp whistle. Tom was hastening home, and had almost reached Glen Rushen, when a grey mist gathered and he lost his way. But it was not long before the mist cleared, and Tom Beg found himself in a green glen such as he had never seen before, though he thought he knew every glen within five miles of him, for he was born and reared in the neighbourhood. He was marvelling and wondering where he could be, when he heard a far-away sound drawing nearer to him.
'Aw,' said he to himself, 'there's more than myself afoot on the mountains to-night; I'll have company.'
The sound grew louder. First, it was like the humming of bees, then like the rushing of Glen Meay waterfall, and last it was like the marching and the murmur of a crowd. It was the fairy host. Of a sudden the glen was full of fine horses and of Little People riding on them, with the lights on their red caps, shining like the stars above, and making the night as bright as day. There was the blowing of horns, the waving of flags, the playing of music, and the barking of many little dogs. Tom Beg thought that he had never seen anything so splendid as all he saw there. In the midst of the drilling and dancing and singing one of them spied Tom, and then Tom saw coming towards him the grandest Little Man he had ever set eyes upon, dressed in gold and silver, and silk shining like a raven's wing.
'It is a bad time you have chosen to come this way,' said the Little Man, who was the king.
'Yes; but it is not here that I'm wishing to be though,' said Tom.
Then said the king: 'Are you one of us to-night, Tom?'
'I am surely,' said Tom.
'Then,' said the king, 'it will be your duty to take the password. You must stand at the foot of the glen, and as each regiment goes by, you must take the password: it is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.'
'I'll do that with a heart and a half,' said Tom.
At daybreak the fiddlers took up their fiddles, the Fairy army set itself in order, the fiddlers played before them out of the glen, and sweet that music was. Each regiment gave the password to Tom as it went by--Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday; and last of all came the king, and he, too, gave it--Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Then he called in Manx to one of his men:
'Take the hump from this fellow's back,' and before the words were out of his mouth the hump was whisked off Tom Beg's back and thrown into the hedge. How proud now was Tom, who so found himself the straightest man in the Isle of Mann! He went down the mountain and came home early in the morning with light heart and eager step. Billy Beg wondered greatly when he saw Tom Beg so straight and strong, and when Tom Beg had rested and refreshed himself he told his story: how he had met the Fairies who came every night to Glen Rushen to drill.
The next night Billy Beg set off along the mountain road and came at last to the green glen. About midnight he heard the trampling of horses, the lashing of whips, the barking of dogs, and a great hullabaloo, and, behold, the Fairies and their king, their dogs and their horses, all at drill in the glen as Tom Beg had said.
When they saw the humpback they all stopped, and one came forward and very crossly asked his business.
'I am one of Yourselves for the night, and should be glad to do you some service,' said Billy Beg.
So he was set to take the password--Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. And at daybreak the King said: 'It's time for us to be off,' and up came regiment after regiment giving Billy Beg the password--Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Last of all came the king with his men, and gave the password also--Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 'and Sunday,' says Billy Beg, thinking himself clever. Then there was a great outcry.
'Get the hump that was taken off that fellow's back last night and put it on this man's back,' said the King, with flashing eyes, pointing to the hump that lay under the hedge.
Before the words were well out of his mouth the hump was clapt on to Billy Beg's back.
'Now,' said the King, 'be off, and if ever I find you here again, I will clap another hump on to your front!'
And on that they all marched away with one great shout, and left poor Billy Beg standing where they had found him, with a hump growing on each shoulder. And he came home next day dragging one foot after another, with a wizened face and as cross as two sticks, with his two humps on his back, and if they are not off they are there still.
THE LAZY WIFE
Well, there was a woman once, and she was scandalous lazy. She was that lazy she would do nothing but sit in the corner of the chiollagh warming herself, or going on the houses for newses the day long. And one day her man gives her some wool to spin for him; he was terrible badly off for clothes to wear, for she was letting them get all ragged on him. He had told her to mend them until he was tired, but all he could get out of her was 'Traa dy liooar.' Time enough!
One day he comes to her, and says:
'Thou liggey my hraa, here is some wool for thee to spin, and if it is not done a month from this day, I'll throw thee out on the side of the road. Thou and thy Traa dy liooar have left me nearly bare.'
Well, she was too lazy to spin, but she would be pretending to be working hard when the husband was in the house. She used to put the wheel out on the floor every night before the husband came in from work, to let on to him that she had been spinning.
The husband was asking her was the thread getting near spun, for he said he was seeing the wheel so often on the floor that he wanted to know if she had enough to take to the weaver. When it came to the last week but one, she had only one ball spun, and that one was knotted and as coarse as gorse. When her husband says to her:
'I'm seeing the wheel middling often on the floor when I come home at night; maybe there's enough thread spun at thee now for me to take to the weaver next week?'
'I don't know, at all,' says the wife. 'Maybe there is; let us count the balls.'
Then the play began! Up she went on the lout, and flung the ball through the hole, down to him.
'Keep count thyself, and fling the balls back again to me,' says she to the man. And as fast as he flung the ball up to her, so fast she flung it down to him again. When he had counted the ball, maybe, two score times, she says to him:
'That's all that's in.'
'Aw, 'deed, you've spun well, woman, for all,' says he; 'there's plenty done at thee for the weaver.'
Aw, then she was in a great fix, and didn't know in her senses what to do to save herself. She knew she would sup sorrow if she was found out, but she could think of nothing.
At last she bethought herself of the Giant that lived in a lonesome place up the mountain, for she had heard tell he was good to work, and the woman, she says to herself:
'I've a mind to go my ways to him.' She took the road early next morning, she and her rolls of wool, and she walked up hills, down gills, till at last she came to the Giant's house.
'What are thou wanting here?' says the Giant.
'I'm wanting thee to help me,' says she; and she up and told him about the ball of thread and everything.
'I'll spin the wool for thee,' says the Giant, 'if thou'll tell me my name when thou come for the balls a week from this day. Are thou satisfied?'
'Why shouldn't I be satisfied?' says the woman; for she thought to herself it would be a middling queer thing if she couldn't find out his name within a week. Well, the woman she tried every way to find out the Giant's name, but, go where she might, no one had ever heard tell of it. The time was getting over fast, and she was no nearer to the Giant's name. At last it came to the last day but one.
Now, as it happened, the husband was coming home from the mountain that day in the little evening, and as he neared the Giant's house, he saw it all in a blaze of light, and there was a great whirling and whistling coming to his ears, and along with it came singing, and laughing, and shouting. So he drew near the window, and then he sees the big Giant inside sitting at a wheel, spinning like the wind, and his hands flying with the thread to and fro, to and fro, like the lightning, and he shouting to the whistling wheel: 'Spin, wheel, spin faster; and sing, wheel, sing louder!'
And he sings, as the wheel whirls faster and faster:
'Snieu, queeyl, snieu; 'rane, queeyl, 'rane; Dy chooilley clea er y thie, snieu er my skyn. Lheeish yn ollan, lhiams y snaie, S'beg fys t'ec yn ven litcheragh Dy re Mollyndroat my ennym!'
Spin, wheel, spin; sing, wheel, sing; Every beam on the house, spin overhead. Herself's is the wool, mine is the thread, How little she knows, the lazy wife, That my name is Mollyndroat!
When the husband got home that evening he was late, and his wife said to him:
'Where have you been so late? Did thou hear anything new?'
Then he said:
'Thou are middling good to spin thyself, ven thie; but I'm thinking there's one in that's better than thee, for all. Never in all my born days did I see such spinning, a thread as fine as a cobweb, and hear such singing as there was going on in the Giant's house to-night.'
'What was he singing?' says the wife. And he sang the song to her:
Snieu, queeyl, snieu; 'rane, queeyl, 'rane; Dy chooilley clea er y thie, snieu er my skyn. Lheeish yn ollan, lhiams y snaie, S'beg fys t'ec yn ven litcheragh Dy re Mollyndroat my ennym!
Well, well, the joy the woman took when she heard the song!
'Aw, what sweet music! Sing it again, my good man,' says she.
And he sang it to her again, till she knew it by heart.
Early next morning, she went as fast as her feet could carry her to the Giant's house. The road was long, and a bit lonesome under the trees, and to keep up her heart she sang to herself:
'Snieu, queeyl, snieu; snieu, queeyl, snieu; Dy chooilley vangan er y villey, snieu er my skyn. S'lesh hene yn ollan, as lesh my hene y snaie, Son shenn Mollyndroat cha vow eh dy braa.'
Spin, wheel, spin; spin, wheel, spin; Every branch on the tree, spin overhead. The wool is Himself's, the thread is my own, For old Mollyndroat will never get it.
When she got to the house, she found the door open before her, and in she went.
'I've come again for the thread,' says she.
'Aisy, aisy, good woman,' says the Giant. 'If thou don't tell me my name thou won't get the thread--that was the bargain.' And says he: 'Now, what's my name?'
'Is it Mollyrea?' says she--to let on that she didn't know it.
'No, it is not,' says he.
'Are you one of the Mollyruiy ones?' says she.
'I'm not one of that clan,' says he.
'Are they calling you Mollyvridey?' says she.
'They are not,' says he.
'I'll warrant your name is Mollychreest?' says she.
'You are wrong, though,' says he.
'Are you going by the name of Mollyvoirrey?' says she.
''Deed I am not,' says he.
'Maybe your name is Mollyvartin?' says she.
'And, maybe, it's not at all,' says he.
'They're saying,' says she, 'that there was only seven families living on the islan' at one time, and their names all began with "Molly"; and so,' says she, 'if you are not a Mollycharaine, you are none of the rael, oul' Manx ones, at all.'
'I am not a Mollycharaine,' says he. 'Now, be careful, woman; next guess is your last.'
At that she pretended to be frightened, and says she, slowly, pointing her finger at him:
'S'lesh hene yn ollan, as lesh my hene y snaie, Son shenn--Moll-YN-DROAT cha vow eh dy braa.'
The wool is Himself's, and the thread is my own, For old--Moll-YN-DROAT will never get it.
Well the Giant, he was done, and he was in a red rage, and he cries:
'Bad luck to you! You never would have found out my name unless you're a mummig yn aishnee.'
'Bad luck to yourself, my boy,' says she, 'for trying to steal a dacent woman's wool.'
'Go to the Devil, yourself and your fortune-telling,' shouts he, jumping up and flinging the balls at her.
And away home with her, and her balls of thread. And if she didn't spin her own wool for ever after, that's nothing to do with you and me.
THE MERMAID OF GOB NY OOYL
Once on a time there lived at the bottom end of Cornah gill a family of the name of Sayle, and the Mermaid who had her haunt up Bulgham way was a friend to them. They were always in luck's way and never seemed to be short of anything. Sure enough they were full of thrift, and to fill in odds of spare time they made lobster pots from the osier that grew around in plenty, and they always found a ready market. They kept a cow and a few sheep, just to give work to the women in the long winter nights, but their living was mostly got by the sea.
It was well known that Sayle had a strong liking for apples, and that he would often bring some with him out in the boat, but when he got well up in years he would be leaving a lot of the boat-work for the boys, and then the luck began to get less, and many a time one of them had to take a gun to keep something in the pot. Then the bigger ones took to the herrings. One, Evan, however, had to stay about to keep things going, and it happened that one day, after he had the creels set, just at Bulgham, that he pulled the boat in and went up the brow after eggs. On coming back to the boat he heard some one calling to him, and, looking round, he saw a fine-looking woman sitting on the edge of a rock.
'And how's your father?' said she. 'It's seldom he's coming this way now.'
Young Sayle was a bit frightened at first, but seeing a pleasant look on her face, he took courage and told her how things were at home. Then, saying she hoped to see him again, she slipped into the water and disappeared.
On getting home he told what had taken place, and the father, his face lighting up, declared:
'There will be luck on the house yet.'
And he said:
'Take some apples with you the next time you go up that way, an' we'll see.'
The very next time the young chap went, he took some apples with him, and when he got to the place where he had seen the beautiful woman, he went, as usual, on the hunt among the rocks. Then he heard sweet singing, and when he turned round what should he see but the Mermaid leaning over the boat and smiling pleasantly. She took an apple and began to eat and chant:
The luck o' the sea be with you, but don't forgetful be Of bringing some sweet lan' eggs for the children of the sea.
From that time he was nearly living on the water until, at last, he was taken to task for being idle. Then he made up his mind to go sailing in foreign parts. The Mermaid was in great distress, so to please her, he went and planted an apple tree on the brow above her haunt, telling her that when he would be far away this tree would grow land-eggs which, when they would be sweet and ready for eating, would come of themselves to the water for her. And, sure enough, the luck of the family remained, though the boy was gone.
She seemed to bear up well for a long time and would often be seen sitting on the rocks in the evening, singing sad songs, and casting longing glances up to the apple tree above. She kept very shy of everyone coming her way, and at last, finding the apples slow in coming, made up her mind to go in search of young Sayle, hoping the apples would be ready for taking when they would come back.
But neither of them ever came back, though for many a long year the apple tree bore fruit and marked the little creek where the Mermaid used to live.
THE LOST WIFE OF BALLALEECE
One time the Farmer of Ballaleece married a beautiful young wife and they were thinking the world of one another. But before long she disappeared. Some persons said that she was dead and others that she was taken by the Little People. Ballaleece mourned for her with a heavy heart and looked for her from Point of Ayr to the Calf; but in the end, not finding her, he married another wife. This one was not beautiful, but there was some money at her.
Soon after the marriage his first wife appeared to Ballaleece one night, and said to him:
'My man, my man, I was taken away by the Little People, and I live with them near to you. I can be set free if you will but do what I tell you.'
'Tell me quick,' said Ballaleece.
'We'll be riding through Ballaleece barn at midnight on Friday,' said she. 'We'll be going in on one door and out on another. I'll be riding behind one of the men on horseback. You'll sweep the barn clean, and mind there is not one straw left on the floor. Catch hold of my bridle rein, hold it fast, and I shall be free.'
When the night came Ballaleece took a besom and swept the barn floor so clean that not one speck was left on it. Then he waited in the dark.
At midnight the barn doors opened wide, sweet music was heard, and in through the open door came a fine company of Little People, in green jackets and red caps, riding fine horses. On the last horse, sitting behind a Little Fellow, Ballaleece saw his first wife as pretty as a picture, and as young as when she left him. He seized hold of her bridle rein, but he was shaken from side to side like a leaf on a tree, and he was not able to hold her. As she went out through the door she stretched out her right hand and pointed to a bushel in the corner of the barn, and called out in a sad voice:
'There's been a straw put under the bushel--for that reason you couldn't hold me, and you've done with me for ever!'
The second wife had heard what had passed and had hidden the straw, and turned the bushel upside down so that it would not be seen.
The young wife was never heard of any more.
SMEREREE
The speckled hen and the little chicken were scratching under an apple tree in the garden, and an apple fell off the tree and it hit the little chicken on the head. And says he to the speckled hen:
'Let us go to Rome, for the world has fallen.'
'Who said that to you, little chicken?' said the speckled hen.
'It fell on my head, Smereree!'
Then the speckled hen and the little chicken went their ways until they met the cock.
'Where are you going, speckled hen?' said the cock.
'Going to Rome, for the world has fallen,' said the speckled hen.
'Who said that to you, speckled hen?'
'The little chicken said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, little chicken?'
'It fell on my head, Smereree!'
So they went their ways together until they met a gander.
'Where are you going, cock?' said the gander.
'Going to Rome, for the world has fallen.'
'Who said that to you, cock?' said the gander.
'The speckled hen said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, speckled hen?'
'The little chicken said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, little chicken?'
'It fell on my head, Smereree!'
So they went all together until they met a bull.
'Where are you going, gander?' said the bull.
'Going to Rome, for the world has fallen.'
'Who said that to you, gander?'
'The cock said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, cock?'
'The speckled hen said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, speckled hen?'
'The little chicken said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, little chicken?'
'It fell on my head, Smereree!'
So they went all together until they met a goat.
'Where are you going, bull?' said the goat.
'Going to Rome, for the world has fallen,' said the bull.
'Who said that to you, bull?' said the goat.
'The gander said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, gander?'
'The cock said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, cock?'
'The speckled hen said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, speckled hen?'
'The little chicken said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, little chicken?'
'It fell on my head, Smereree!'
So they all went together until they met a horse.
'Where are you going, goat?' said the horse.
'Going to Rome, for the world has fallen.'
'Who said that to you, goat?'
'The bull said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, bull?'
'The gander said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, gander?'
'The cock said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, cock?'
'The speckled hen said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, speckled hen?'
'The little chicken said it to me.'
'Who said that to you, little chicken?'
'It fell on my head, Smereree!'
So they all went travelling together until they came to the house of the giant; they went in the house and the giant was from home. So the horse went under the big table, and the bull went under the dresser, and the goat went on the stairs, and all the rest in the corners.
When the giant came home, they all went at him at once, and there was heavy war between them.
'Calk! Calk! If I come down to you,' said the cock.
He came down at last and picked the giant's eyes out, and they killed him, and they all lived in his house together.
And if they are not dead, they are living there yet.
KEBEG