heard tell, had his
hump taken off by the fairies; for there is a son of a gossip of mine
who has got a hump on him that will be his death; and, maybe, if he
could use the same charm as Lusmore the hump may be taken off him. And
now I have told you the reason of my coming so far; 'tis to find out
about this charm if I can."

Lusmore, who was ever a good-natured little fellow, told the woman all
the particulars, how he had raised the tune for the fairies at
Knockgrafton, how his hump had been removed from his shoulders, and how
he had got a new suit of clothes into the bargain.

The woman thanked him very much and then went away, quite happy and
easy in her own mind. When she came back to her gossip's house, in the
county of Waterford, she told her everything that Lusmore had said, and
they put the little hump-backed man, who was a peevish and cunning
creature from his birth, upon a car, and took him all the way across the
country. It was a long journey, but they did not care for that, so the
hump was taken from off him; so they brought him just at nightfall, and
left him under the old moat of Knockgrafton.

Jack Madden, for that was the humpy man's name, had not been sitting
there long when he heard the tune going on within the moat much sweeter
than before; for the fairies were singing it the way Lusmore had settled
their music for them, and the song was going on, Da Luan, Da Mort, Da
Luan, Da Mort, Da Luan, Da Mort, augus Da Dardeen, without ever
stopping. Jack Madden, who was in a great hurry to get quit of his hump,
never thought of waiting till the fairies had done, or watching for a
fit opportunity to raise the tune higher than Lusmore had; so, having
heard them sing it over seven times without stopping, out he bawls,
never minding the time or the humour of the tune, or how he could bring
his words in properly, augus Da Dardeen, augus Da Hena, thinking that if
one day was good two were better, and that, if Lusmore had one suit of
clothes given him, he should have two.

No sooner had the words passed his lips than he was taken up and whisked
into the moat with prodigious force, and the fairies came crowding round
about him with great anger, screeching and screaming, and roaring out,
"Who spoiled our tune? Who spoiled our tune?" And one stepped up to him
above all the rest and said:

Jack Madden! Jack Madden!
Your words came so bad in
The tune we felt glad in;--
This castle you're had in,
That you