The King of Irelands Son | Page 8

the goats was a fawn
with white feet and little bright horns. The fawn saw them, bounded
into the air, and raced away to the wood as quickly as any arrow that a
man ever shot from a bow.
"That is Whitefoot the Fawn," said the Enchanter of the Black
Back-Lands. "She grazes with my goats but none of my gillies can
bring her into my goat-house. Here is your first task--run down
Whitefoot the Fawn and bring her with my goats into the goat-shelter
this evening." When he said that the Enchanter of the Black
Back-Lands went away laughing to himself.
"Good-by, my life," said the King of Ireland's Son, "I might as well try
to catch an eagle on the wing as to run down the deer that has gone out
of sight already." He sat down on the ground and his despair was great.
Then his name was called and he saw Fedelma coming towards him.
She looked at him as though she were in dread, and said, "What task
has my father set you?" He told her and then she smiled. "I was in

dread it would be a more terrible task," she said. "This one is easy. I
can help you to catch Whitefoot the Fawn. But first eat what I have
brought you."
She put down bread and meat and wine, and they sat down and he ate
and drank. "I thought he might set you this task," she said, "and so I
brought you something from my father's store of enchanted things.
Here are the Shoes of Swiftness. With these on your feet you can run
down Whitefoot the Fawn. But you must catch her before she has gone
very far away. Remember that she must be brought in when the goats
are going into their shelter at sunset. You will have to walk back for all
the time you must keep hold of her silver horns. Hasten now. Run her
down with the Shoes of Swiftness and then lay hold of her horns.
Above all things Whitefoot dreads the loss of her silver horns."
He thanked Fedelma. He put on the Shoes of Swiftness and went into
the wood. Now he could go as the eagle flies. He found Whitefoot the
Fawn drinking at the Raven's pool.
When she saw him she went from thicket to thicket. The Shoes of
Swiftness were hardly any use to him in these shut-in places. At last he
beat her from the last thicket. It was the hour of noon-tide then. There
was a clear plain before them and with the Shoes of Swiftness he ran
her down. There were tears in the Fawn's eyes and he knew she was
troubled with the dread of losing her silver horns.
He kept his hands on the horns and they went back over miles of plain
and pasture, bog and wood. The hours were going quicker than they
were going. When 'he came within the domain of the Enchanter of the
Black Back-Lands he saw the goats going quickly before him. They
were hurrying from their pastures to the goat-shelter, one stopping,
maybe, to bite the top of a hedge and another giving this one a blow
with her horns to hurry her on. "By your silver horns, we must go
faster," said the King of Ireland's Son to the Fawn. They went more
quickly then.
He saw the Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands waiting at the
goat-house, now counting the goats that came along and now looking at

the sun. When he saw the King of Ireland's Son coming with his
capture he was so angry that he struck an old full-bearded goat that had
stopped to rub itself. The goat reared up and struck him with his horns.
"Well," said the Enchanter of the Black Back- Lands, "you have
performed your first task, I see. You are a greater enchanter than I
thought you were. Whitefoot the Fawn can go in with my goats. Go
back now to your own sleeping-place. To-morrow I'll come to you
early and give you your second task."
The King of Ireland's Son went back and into the dry water-tank. He
was tired with his day's journey after Whitefoot the Fawn. It was his
hope that Fedelma would come to him and give him shelter for that
night.

IV
Until the white moon rose above the trees; until the hounds went out
hunting for themselves; until the foxes came down and hid in the
hedges, waiting for the cocks and hens to stir out at the first light--so
long did the King of Ireland's Son stay huddled in the dry water-tank.
By that time he was stiff and sore and hungry. He saw a great white
owl flying towards the tank. The