Page:Beside the Fire - Douglas Hyde.djvu/214

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
152
NEIL O'CARREE.

delay. He sent me for medicine, and I did not come in time, loose my master, perhaps he would heal the king's son yet."

They loosed him. They came to the king's house. The red man went to the place where the dead man was. He began gathering the bones that were in the skillet. He gathered them all but only the two ears.

"What did you do with the ears?"

"I don't know," said Neil O'Carree, "I was so much frightened."

The red man got the ears. He put them all together. He drew a green herb out of his pocket. He rubbed it round on the head. The skin grew on it, and the hair, as well as ever it was. He put the head in the skillet then. He knocked a boil out of it. He put the head back on the neck as well as ever it was. The king's son rose up in the bed.

"How are you now?" says the red man.

"I am well," says the king's son, "but that I'm weak."

The red man shouted again for the king. There was great joy on the king when he saw his son alive. They spent that night pleasantly.

The next day when they were going away, the king counted out three hundred pounds. He gave it to Neil O'Carree. He said to Neil that if he had not enough he would give him more. Neil O'Carree said he had enough, and that he would not take a penny more. He bade farewell and left his blessing, and struck out, drawing towards home.

When they saw that they were come to the place where they fell out with one another, "I think," says the red man, "that this is the place where we differed before." "It is, exactly," said Neil O'Carree. They sat down and they divided the money. He gave a half