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017 - The Story-Teller at Fault · Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales

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  Speaker 1: Section sixteen of Celtic Folk and Fairy Tales. This is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. A LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Celtic Folkin Fairy Tales edited by Joseph Jacobs, Number sixteen.
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  Speaker 1: The story Teller at Fault. At the time when the
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  Speaker 1: Tuathadidannan held the sovereignty of Ireland, there reigned in Leinster
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  Speaker 1: a king who was remarkably fond of hearing stories. Like
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  Speaker 1: the other princes and chieftains of the island, he had
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  Speaker 1: a favorite story teller who held a large estate from
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  Speaker 1: his majesty on condition of telling him a new story
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  Speaker 1: every night of his life before he went to sleep. Many, indeed,
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  Speaker 1: were the stories he knew, so that he had already
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  Speaker 1: reached a good old age without failing even for a
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  Speaker 1: single night in his task. And such was the skill
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  Speaker 1: he displayed, that whatever cares of state or other annoyances
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  Speaker 1: might prey upon the monarch's mind, his story teller was
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  Speaker 1: sure to send him asleep. One morning, the story teller
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  Speaker 1: arose early, and as his custom was strolled out into
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  Speaker 1: his garden, turning over in his mind incidents which he
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  Speaker 1: might weave into a story for the king at night.
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  Speaker 1: But this morning he found himself quite at fault. After
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  Speaker 1: pacing his whole dements, he returned to the house without
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  Speaker 1: being able to think of anything new or strange. He
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  Speaker 1: found no difficulty in there was once a king who
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  Speaker 1: had three sons, or one day the king of all
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  Speaker 1: of Ireland. But further than that he could not get.
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  Speaker 1: At length, he went in to breakfast and found his
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  Speaker 1: wife much perplexed at his delay. Why don't you come
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  Speaker 1: to breakfast, my dear, said she. I have no mind
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  Speaker 1: to eat anything, replied the story teller. Long as I
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  Speaker 1: have been in the service of the King of Leinster,
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  Speaker 1: I had never set down to breakfast without having a
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  Speaker 1: new story ready for evening. But this morning my mind
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  Speaker 1: is quite shut up, and I don't know what to do.
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  Speaker 1: I might as well lie down and die at once.
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  Speaker 1: I'll be disgraced forever this evening when the king calls
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  Speaker 1: for his story teller. Just at this moment, the lady
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  Speaker 1: looked out of the window. Do you see that black
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  Speaker 1: thing at the end of the field, said she, I do,
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  Speaker 1: replied her husband. They drew nigh and saw a miserable
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  Speaker 1: looking old man lying on the ground with a wooden
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  Speaker 1: leg placed beside him. Who are you, my good man,
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  Speaker 1: asked the story teller. Oh, then tis little matter who
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  Speaker 1: I am. I'm a poor, old, lame, decrepit, miserable creature
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  Speaker 1: sitting down here to rest. Awhile? And what are you
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  Speaker 1: doing with that box and dice I see in your hand?
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  Speaker 1: I am waiting here to see if any one will
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  Speaker 1: play a game with me, replied the beggar man. Play
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  Speaker 1: with you? Why what has a poor old man like
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  Speaker 1: you to play for? I have one hundred pieces of
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  Speaker 1: gold in this leathern purse, replied the old man. You
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  Speaker 1: may as well play with him, said the story teller's wife,
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  Speaker 1: and perhaps you'll have something to tell the king of
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  Speaker 1: the evening. A smooth stone was placed between them, and
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  Speaker 1: upon it they cast their throes. It was but a
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  Speaker 1: little while, and the story teller lost every penny of
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  Speaker 1: his money. Much good may it do you? Friend? Said he?
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  Speaker 1: What better hap could I look for a fool that
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  Speaker 1: I am? Will you play again? Asked the old man.
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  Speaker 1: Don't be talking, man, you have all my money, haven't you.
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  Speaker 1: Chariots and horses and hounds well, what of them? I'll
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  Speaker 1: stake all the money I have against thine nonsense. Man,
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  Speaker 1: do you think for all the money in Ireland, I'd
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  Speaker 1: run the risk of seeing my lady tramp home on foot.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe you'd win, said the bocot. Maybe I wouldn't, said
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  Speaker 1: the story teller. Play with him, husband, said his wife.
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  Speaker 1: I don't mind walking if you do love. I never
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  Speaker 1: refused you before, said the story teller, and I won't
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  Speaker 1: do so. Now down he sat again, and in one
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  Speaker 1: throw lost horses, hounds and chariot. Will you play again,
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  Speaker 1: asked the beggar. Are you making game of me? Man?
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  Speaker 1: What else have I to stake? I'll stake all my
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  Speaker 1: winnings against your wife, said the old man. The story
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  Speaker 1: teller turned away in silence, but his wife stopped him
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  Speaker 1: accept his offer, said she this is the third time,
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  Speaker 1: and who knows what luck you may have, you'll surely win.
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  Speaker 1: Now they played again, and the story teller lost. No
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  Speaker 1: sooner had he done so, than to his sorrow and surprise,
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  Speaker 1: his wife went and sat down near the ugly old beggar.
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  Speaker 1: Is that the way you're leaving me? Said the story teller.
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  Speaker 1: Sure I was one, she said, you would not cheat
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  Speaker 1: the poor old man. Would you have you any more
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  Speaker 1: to stake? Asked the old man. You know very well
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  Speaker 1: I have not, replied the story teller. I'll stake the
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  Speaker 1: whole now, wife, and all against your own self, said
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  Speaker 1: the old man. Again they played, and again the story
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  Speaker 1: teller lost. Well, here I am, and what do you
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  Speaker 1: want with me? I'll soon let you know, said the
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  Speaker 1: old man, And he took from his pocket a long
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  Speaker 1: cord and a Wand now he said to the story teller,
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  Speaker 1: what kind of animal would you rather be? A deer,
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  Speaker 1: a fox or a hare? You have your choice now,
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  Speaker 1: but you may not have it later. To make a
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  Speaker 1: long story short, the story teller made his choice of
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  Speaker 1: a hare. The old man threw the cord round him,
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  Speaker 1: struck him with the wand and lo, a long eared,
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  Speaker 1: frisking hair was skipping and jumping on the green. But
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  Speaker 1: it wasn't for long who but his wife called the
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  Speaker 1: hounds and set them on him. The hare fled. The
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  Speaker 1: dogs followed round the field on a high wall, so
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  Speaker 1: that run as he might, he couldn't get out, And
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  Speaker 1: mightily diverted. Were Beggar and lady to see him twist
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  Speaker 1: and double in vain did he take refuge with his wife.
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  Speaker 1: She kicked him back again to the hounds, until at
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  Speaker 1: length the beggar stopped the hounds, and with a stroke
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  Speaker 1: of the wand panting and breathless, the story teller stood
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  Speaker 1: before them again. And how did you like the sport,
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  Speaker 1: said the beggar. It might be sport to others, replied
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  Speaker 1: the story teller, looking at his wife. For my part,
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  Speaker 1: I could well put up with the loss of it.
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  Speaker 1: Would it be asking too much? He went on to
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  Speaker 1: the beggar. To know who you are at all, or
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  Speaker 1: where you come from, or why you take a pleasure
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  Speaker 1: in plaguing a poor old man like me, Oh, replied
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  Speaker 1: the stranger. I'm an odd kind of good for little
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  Speaker 1: fellow one day poor, another day rich. But if you
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  Speaker 1: wish to know more about me or my habits, come
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  Speaker 1: with me, and perhaps I may show you more than
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  Speaker 1: you would make out if you went alone. I'm not
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  Speaker 1: my own master to go or stay, said the story teller,
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  Speaker 1: with a sigh. The stranger put one hand into his
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  Speaker 1: wallet and drew out of it. Before their eyes a
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  Speaker 1: well looking middle aged man, to whom he spoke as follows,
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  Speaker 1: by all you heard and saw, since I put you
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  Speaker 1: into my wallet, take charge of this lady, and of
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  Speaker 1: the carriage and horses, and have them ready for me
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  Speaker 1: whenever I want them. Scarcely had he said these words.
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  Speaker 1: When all vanished, and the story teller found himself at
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  Speaker 1: the fox's Ford, near the castle of Red Hugh O'Donnell.
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  Speaker 1: He could see all, but none could see him. O'Donnell
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  Speaker 1: was in his hall, and heaviness of flesh and weariness
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  Speaker 1: of spirit were upon him. Go out, he said to
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  Speaker 1: his door keeper, and see who or what may be coming.
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  Speaker 1: The door keeper went, and what he saw was a lank,
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  Speaker 1: gray beggarman, half his sword bared behind his haunch, his
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  Speaker 1: two shoes full of cold rode awayish water south sing
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  Speaker 1: about him, the tips of his two ears out through
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  Speaker 1: his old hat, his two shoulders out through his scant
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  Speaker 1: tattered cloak, and in his hand a green wand of holley.
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  Speaker 1: Save you, O'Donnell, said the lank gray beggarman. And you,
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  Speaker 1: likewise said O'Donnell, whence come you? And what is your craft?
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  Speaker 1: I come from the outmost stream of earth, from the
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  Speaker 1: glens where the white swans glide, A knight in islay,
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  Speaker 1: a knight in man, a knight on the cold hill side.
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  Speaker 1: It's the great traveler you are, said o'donald. Maybe you've
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  Speaker 1: learnt something on the road. I am a juggler, said
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  Speaker 1: the lank great beggarman. And for five pieces of silver
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  Speaker 1: you shall see a trick of mine. You shall have them,
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  Speaker 1: said O'Donnell. And the lank great beggar man took three
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  Speaker 1: small straws and placed them in his hand. The middle one,
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  Speaker 1: said he I'll blow away the other two i'll leave.
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  Speaker 1: Thou canst not do it, said one and all, but
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  Speaker 1: the lank gray beggar man put a finger on either
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  Speaker 1: outside straw, and with away he blew the middle one.
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  Speaker 1: Tis a good trick, said o'ddannal. And he paid him
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  Speaker 1: his five pieces of silver. For half of the money,
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  Speaker 1: said one of the chief's lads, I'll do the same trick.
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  Speaker 1: Take him at his word, o'donnal. The lad put the
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  Speaker 1: three straws in his hand, and a finger on either
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  Speaker 1: outside straw, and he blew. And what happened but that
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  Speaker 1: the fist was blown away with the straw. Thou art sore,
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  Speaker 1: an thou wilt beat sore, said o'dnal. Six more pieces,
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  Speaker 1: O Donald, And I'll do another trick for THEE, said
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  Speaker 1: the lank gray beggarman. Six shalt thou have seest thou
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  Speaker 1: my two ears, one I'll move, but not the other.
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  Speaker 1: It is easy to see them there big enough. But
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  Speaker 1: thou canst never move one ear and not the two together.
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  Speaker 1: The lank gray beggarman put his hand to his ear
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  Speaker 1: and gave it a pull. O'Donnell laughed and paid him
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  Speaker 1: the six pieces. Call that a trick, said the fistless lad.
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  Speaker 1: Any one can do that, and so saying, he put
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  Speaker 1: up his hand pulled his ear, And what happened was
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  Speaker 1: that he pulled away ear and head sore. Thou art
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  Speaker 1: and soarer thou'lt it be well, O Donald, said the
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  Speaker 1: lank gray beggarman. Strange are the tricks I've shown THEE.
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  Speaker 1: But I'll show THEE a stranger one yet for the
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  Speaker 1: same money. Thou hast my word for it, said O'Donnell.
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  Speaker 1: With that, the lank gray beggarman took a bag from
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  Speaker 1: under his armpit, and from the bag took a ball
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  Speaker 1: of silk, and he unwound the ball and he flung
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  Speaker 1: its lant wise up into the clear blue heavens, and
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  Speaker 1: it became a ladder. Then he took a hair and
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  Speaker 1: placed it upon the thread, and up it ran again.
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  Speaker 1: He took out a red eared hound, and it swiftly
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  Speaker 1: ran up after the hare. Now said the lank gray
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  Speaker 1: beggar man. Has any one o mine to run after
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  Speaker 1: the dog? And on the course I will, said a
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  Speaker 1: lad of O'Donnell's up with you, Then said the juggler,
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  Speaker 1: But I warn you if you let my hair be killed,
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  Speaker 1: I'll cut off your head when you come down. The
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  Speaker 1: lad ran up the thread, and all three soon disappeared.
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  Speaker 1: After looking up for a long time, the lank gray
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  Speaker 1: beggar man said, I'm afraid the hound is eating the hare,
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  Speaker 1: and that our friend has fallen asleep. Saying this, he
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  Speaker 1: began to wind the thread, and down came the lad,
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  Speaker 1: fast asleep, And down came the red eared hound, and
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  Speaker 1: in his mouth the last morsel of the hare. He
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  Speaker 1: struck the lad astroke with the edge of his sword,
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  Speaker 1: and so cast his head off. As for the hound,
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  Speaker 1: if he used it no worse, he used it no better.
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  Speaker 1: It's little line, please and sore. I'm angered, said O'Donnell
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  Speaker 1: that a hound and a lad should be killed at
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  Speaker 1: my court five pieces of silver twice over for each
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  Speaker 1: of them, said the juggler, and their heads shall be
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  Speaker 1: on them, as before thou shalt get that, said O'Donnell,
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  Speaker 1: five pieces, and again five were paid him, and lo,
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  Speaker 1: the lad had his head and the hound had his.
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  Speaker 1: And though they lived to the uttermost end of time,
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  Speaker 1: the hound would never again touch a hair, and the
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  Speaker 1: lad took care to keep his eyes open. Scarcely had
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  Speaker 1: the lank, gray beggarman done this. When he vanished from
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  Speaker 1: out their sight, and no one present could say if
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  Speaker 1: he had flown through the air, or if the earth
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  Speaker 1: had swallowed him up. He moved his wave tumbling nor
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  Speaker 1: wave as whirlwind, following whirlwind as a furious wintry blasts,
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  Speaker 1: so swiftly, sprucely, cheerily, right, proudly, and no stop made
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  Speaker 1: until he came to the court of Leinster's King. Gave
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  Speaker 1: a cheery light leap o'er the top of the turret
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  Speaker 1: of court and city of Leinster's King. Heavy was the flesh,
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  Speaker 1: and weary the spirit of Leinster's King. Twas the hour
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  Speaker 1: he was wont to hear a story, but send he
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  Speaker 1: might right, and left not a jot of tidings about
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  Speaker 1: the story teller. Could he get? Go to the door,
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  Speaker 1: said he to his doorkeeper, and see if a soul
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  Speaker 1: was in sight, who may tell me something about my
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  Speaker 1: story teller. Doorkeeper went, and what he saw was a
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  Speaker 1: lank gray beggarman, half his sword beared behind his haunch,
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  Speaker 1: his two old shoes full of cold rowed awayish water
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  Speaker 1: sousing about him, the tips of his two ears out
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  Speaker 1: through his old hat, his two shoulders out through his
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  Speaker 1: scant tattered cloak, and in his hand a three stringed harp.
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  Speaker 1: What canst thou do? Said the door keeper. I can play,
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  Speaker 1: said the lank gray beggarman, never fear, added he to
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  Speaker 1: the story teller, thou shalt see all, and not a
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  Speaker 1: man shall see thee. When the King heard a harper
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  Speaker 1: was outside, he bade him in. It is I that
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  Speaker 1: have the best harpers, and the five fifths of Ireland,
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  Speaker 1: said he, and he signed them to play. They did so,
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  Speaker 1: and if they played, the lank gray beggar man listened,
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  Speaker 1: hurtst thou ever the like, said the King? Did you ever,
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  Speaker 1: o King? Hear a cat purring over a bowl of broth,
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  Speaker 1: or the buzzing of beals in the twilight, or a
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  Speaker 1: shrill tongued old woman scolding your head off that I
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  Speaker 1: have often said the King, more melodious to me, said
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  Speaker 1: the lank gray beggar man. Were the worst of these
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  Speaker 1: sounds than the sweetest harping of thy harpers. When the
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  Speaker 1: harpers heard this, they drew their swords and rushed at him,
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  Speaker 1: But instead of striking him, their blows fell on each other,
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  Speaker 1: and soon not a man but was cracking his neighbor's skull,
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  Speaker 1: and getting his own cracked in turn. When the King
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  Speaker 1: saw this, he thought it hard. The harpers weren't content
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  Speaker 1: with murdering the music, but must needs murder each other.
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  Speaker 1: Hang the fellow who began at all, he said, And
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  Speaker 1: if I can't have a story, let me have peace.
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  Speaker 1: Up came the guards, seized the lank gray beggarman, marched
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  Speaker 1: him to the gallows, and hanged him high and dry.
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  Speaker 1: Back they marched to the hall, and who should they
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  Speaker 1: see but the lank gray beggarman's seated on a bench
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  Speaker 1: with his mouth to the flagon of ale. Never welcome
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  Speaker 1: you in, said the captain of the guard. Didn't we
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  Speaker 1: hang you this minute? And what brings you here? Is
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  Speaker 1: it me myself? You mean who else? Said the captain.
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  Speaker 1: May your hand turn into a pig's foot with you
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  Speaker 1: when you think of tying the rope? Why should you
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  Speaker 1: speak of hanging me back? They scurried to the gallows,
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  Speaker 1: and there hung the king's favorite brother. Back. They hurried
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  Speaker 1: to the King, who had fallen fast asleep. Please, your majesty,
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  Speaker 1: said the captain. We hang that strolling vagabond. But here
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  Speaker 1: he is back again, as well as ever. Hang him again,
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  Speaker 1: said the king, and off he went to sleep once more.
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  Speaker 1: They did as they were told, But what happened was
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  Speaker 1: that they found the king's chief harper hanging where the
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  Speaker 1: lank gray beggarman should have been. The captain of the
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  Speaker 1: guard was sorely puzzled. Are you wishful to hang me
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  Speaker 1: a third time? Said the lank gray beggar man. Oh
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  Speaker 1: go where you will, said the captain, And as fast
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  Speaker 1: as you please, if you'll only go far enough. It's
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  Speaker 1: trouble enough you've given us already. Now you're reasonable, said
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  Speaker 1: the beggar man. And since you've given up trying to
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  Speaker 1: hang a stranger because he finds fault with your music.
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  Speaker 1: I don't mind telling you that if you go back
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  Speaker 1: to the gallows, you'll find your friends sitting on the sward,
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  Speaker 1: none the worse for what has happened. As he said
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  Speaker 1: these words, he vanished, and a story teller found himself
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  Speaker 1: on the spot where they first met, and where his
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  Speaker 1: wife still was with the carriage and horses. Now, said
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  Speaker 1: the lank, gray beggarman, I'll torment you no longer. There's
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  Speaker 1: your carriage and your horses, and your money and your wife.
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  Speaker 1: Do what you please with them. For my carriage and
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  Speaker 1: my horse and my hounds, said the story teller. I
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  Speaker 1: thank you, But for my wife and my money you
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  Speaker 1: may keep no, said the other, I want neither. And
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  Speaker 1: as for your wife, don't think ill of her for
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  Speaker 1: what she did. She couldn't help it, not help it,
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  Speaker 1: not help kicking me into the mouth of my own hounds,
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  Speaker 1: not help casting me off for the sake of a
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  Speaker 1: beggarly old. I'm not as beggarly or as old as
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  Speaker 1: you think I am, Angus of the Bruff. Many a
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  Speaker 1: good turn you've done me with the King of Leinster.
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  Speaker 1: This morning. My magic told me the difficulty you were in,
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  Speaker 1: and I made up my mind to get you out
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  Speaker 1: of it. As for your wife, there the power that
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  Speaker 1: changed your body changed her mind. Forget and forgive, as
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  Speaker 1: man and wife should do. And now you have a
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  Speaker 1: story for the King of Leinster when he calls for one.
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  Speaker 1: And with that he disappeared. It's true enough. He now
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  Speaker 1: had a story fit for a king. From first to last,
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  Speaker 1: he told all that had befallen him so long, and
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  Speaker 1: loud laughed the king that he couldn't go to sleep
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  Speaker 1: at all. And he told the story teller never to
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  Speaker 1: trouble for fresh stories. But every night, as long as
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  Speaker 1: he lived, he listened again, and he laughed afresh at
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  Speaker 1: the tale of the lank gray begger Man. End of
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: section sixteen.