Tales of Our Coast

nd the sea, two men stood on the edge of the great

tared back at it without blinking. His companion, a little, shrivelled old man, whom he held by the arm, had the glowing li

lf?' he asked; his aged v

fall a hundred fathoms in the air.' Murtogh's free arm and hand made the terrible gesture to fit his words, but he

iringly. 'There is none to equal your strength, or your grand co

Day,' he said, quietly, with the pride of a child. 'If it were a hundred times as bright, I would look at it, and never fear for my eyes

assented the old man, in

adiance above deepened, the waters grew ashen and coldly dark. Musi

McSwineys put out your eyes? Were you s

n my mother's arms. There were the men breaking in through the wall, and the kine bellowing outside, and my father cut down; a

cannot tell when, just now; but I will go, and I will burn and desolate everything for s

ut think, Murty,-I am a very old man, and no kin of yours. It is fifty years since the last man who took my eyes drew breath. If you went now, no living soul could tell wha

d sharply between his teeth,

give them all my bidding to do, and they will do it, or I will kill them, and spoil their castles. You could not behold it, but you have your song from the words of others: how last year I fell upon Diarmaid Bhade, and crushed him and his house, and slew his son, and brought away his herds. His father'

on. The old bard lifted his head, and his brow scored itself in lines of listening attention. If Murtogh heard, he gave no sign,

marked at last. 'Tell me, you, does the earth w

u led me out beyond here, and I felt the big round sea-pinks under

heard it read from this book that the world turned round one way, like a duck on a spit, and the sun turned round the other way, and that was why they were apart all nig

head after a moment's waiting. 'It would not be true, Murty,' he suggested. 'Old Fineen ha

se. How will they rise at the blessed Resurrection, with all that burden of stone to hold them down? I have a better understanding than that. I buried my father, as he buried his father, out yonder in the sea. And I will be buried there, too, and my son

sake of saying something. Then, gathering courage, he pulled upon the strong arm whi

in my beard,-I'd be fit to pray for the men who took my eyes from me. And Murty dear,'-his voice rose in tremulous entreaty as he went on,-'tell me, Murty,-I'm

o imagine it. There is no one like her in all the world. She is not just flesh and blood like you, Owny, or even like me. I am a great lord among men, Owny, and I am not afraid of any man. I would put the MacCarthy, or even the Earl of Desmond, over my cliff like a rat, if he came to me he

incess in the world might be proud t

Do you remember how I took her,-how I swam for her through the breakers-and snapped the bone of my arm to keep the mast of their wreck from crushing her when

song?' said Owny, w

And her family,-the Sigersons of that island beyond Tiobrad,-when men of mine sailed thither, and asked for Hugh, son of Art, were they not told that the O'Flaherty had passed over the island, and left n

last he seemed to shake his head. 'They would not be displaying such piety, as the old stories of them

re better for me to make ten thousand more blind men like you, and tear my own eyes out, and

owards his chief, he seized the protecting arm again, and patted it, and fawned ag

not realised before that it was dusk. 'They will be looking for me,' he said, and moved forward, guiding hi

llow woollen cloth, and uncovered heads with tangled and matted shocks of black hair. The li

is at the gate,-young Donogh, son of Donogh Bhade

ave beaten his father; if I have the mind, his

young man with breeches and a sword, w

tle and the boats, and I will have them light torches, and stand in a line from the second tower to the postern, and show their spears well in front, and be silent