Page:Cnuasacht trágha - Sheehan.djvu/78

70 47. ♦• It is just the fact." 48. "I will not go any further in search of it, on its track." 49. " He stayed with them." 50. " And there's for you (the story of) John without Fear." 61. *' Goodness help me. If I had no fear a while ago (I assure you) that I may be afraid now. Better for you to come down the road with me, Paddy." e-AccuA iiA con •ouit!)e. 1. "The adventures of the Black Hound." This story tnuijur Ó muLnAon (Maurice Ryan) learned by rote about fifty years ago, from a very old man, miceul ó mutjiAon. tnuinif Ó tnuttiAon is one of the few real feAncAi-ote, that is, one of the few reciters who have preserved the exact words and method of delivery of previous generations Dr. Henebry noted the peculiar structure of the sentences, and the fondness for short monosyllabic endiogs in this tale. From the pronunciation of certain ^words, he surmises that the story came originally from Kerry. He has no doubt that it is a prose version of a poetic composition. The story was reported, a matter of no small difficulty, by SeÁAti Ó CA-otA, S|tÁi-o am ttluitinn, ConncAe CoitcAi^e, and afterwards verified by me at a second recital. eAcctiA riA con -ouibe, pronounced cotiA. Such forms as ■óeiti, •oeunAnn, &c., have been allowed to stand. 2. "One day when Finn, king of the princely Fianna, arose, what should he see coming in his direction, before the sun shone towards us over the sea, but a man with a red hood • and a black hound. Redder than the rose were his cheeks, the magician, and not mean was his appearance, for his hair was black, a noble crown was on his head, a royal star on his right side, a silver rod in his hand, a gold chain around the neck of his hound, polished spurs on the paws of his whelp, as he advanced to conflict with the Fianna." "OAit éitnj;, on which he rose. The -co, if -oo be the word concealed in -oÁíi, has the meaning "at" or " on, as it has in the phrase ca-o acá cú a [-do] -oeunAni. It does not mean, " one of the days on which F. rose." 3. " Bitter torture be mine . . . the like of Bran I never yet saw, but here she comes towards us, the Black Hound." 4. " Why should you set the strange dog in comparison with our whelp, but when the magician comes to us across the strand, I will get from him an exchange of hounds," That is, Finn would give one of his dogs, but not Bran, in exchange for the Black Hound. The magician's challenge interfered with his design.