Celtic Fairy Tales | Page 6

she's marrying, and she has no love for the husband she is to
marry. The king was going to give her to him three years ago, when she
was only fifteen, but she said she was too young, and requested him to
leave her as she was yet. The king gave her a year's grace, and when

that year was up he gave her another year's grace, and then another; but
a week or a day he would not give her longer, and she is eighteen years
old to-night, and it's time for her to marry; but, indeed," says he, and he
crooked his mouth in an ugly way--"indeed, it's no king's son she'll
marry, if I can help it."
Guleesh pitied the handsome young lady greatly when he heard that,
and he was heart-broken to think that it would be necessary for her to
marry a man she did not like, or, what was worse, to take a nasty
sheehogue for a husband. However, he did not say a word, though he
could not help giving many a curse to the ill-luck that was laid out for
himself, to be helping the people that were to snatch her away from her
home and from her father.
He began thinking, then, what it was he ought to do to save her, but he
could think of nothing. "Oh! if I could only give her some help and
relief," said he, "I wouldn't care whether I were alive or dead; but I see
nothing that I can do for her."
He was looking on when the king's son came up to her and asked her
for a kiss, but she turned her head away from him. Guleesh had double
pity for her then, when he saw the lad taking her by the soft white hand,
and drawing her out to dance. They went round in the dance near where
Guleesh was, and he could plainly see that there were tears in her eyes.
When the dancing was over, the old king, her father, and her mother the
queen, came up and said that this was the right time to marry her, that
the bishop was ready, and it was time to put the wedding- ring on her
and give her to her husband.
The king took the youth by the hand, and the queen took her daughter,
and they went up together to the altar, with the lords and great people
following them.
When they came near the altar, and were no more than about four yards
from it, the little sheehogue stretched out his foot before the girl, and
she fell. Before she was able to rise again he threw something that was
in his hand upon her, said a couple of words, and upon the moment the

maiden was gone from amongst them. Nobody could see her, for that
word made her invisible. The little maneen seized her and raised her up
behind Guleesh, and the king nor no one else saw them, but out with
them through the hall till they came to the door.
Oro! dear Mary! it's there the pity was, and the trouble, and the crying,
and the wonder, and the searching, and the rookawn, when that lady
disappeared from their eyes, and without their seeing what did it. Out
of the door of the palace they went, without being stopped or hindered,
for nobody saw them, and, "My horse, my bridle, and saddle!" says
every man of them. "My horse, my bridle, and saddle!" says Guleesh;
and on the moment the horse was standing ready caparisoned before
him. "Now, jump up, Guleesh," said the little man, "and put the lady
behind you, and we will be going; the morning is not far off from us
now."
Guleesh raised her up on the horse's back, and leaped up himself before
her, and, "Rise, horse," said he; and his horse, and the other horses with
him, went in a full race until they came to the sea.
"Hie over cap!" said every man of them.
"Hie over cap!" said Guleesh; and on the moment the horse rose under
him, and cut a leap in the clouds, and came down in Erin.
They did not stop there, but went of a race to the place where was
Guleesh's house and the rath. And when they came as far as that,
Guleesh turned and caught the young girl in his two arms, and leaped
off the horse.
"I call and cross you to myself, in the name of God!" said he; and on
the spot, before the word was out of his mouth, the horse fell down, and
what was in it but the beam of a plough, of which they had made a
horse; and every other horse they