the son of
O'Conor, King of Ireland. I am a friend, and if you give me your horse
to give to eat to four hungry birds that I have, I shall bear you
farther than your horse would bear you, and, perhaps, I would put you on
the track of him you are looking for."

"You can have the horse, and welcome," says the King's son, "although
I'm sorrowful at parting from him."

"All right, I shall be here to-morrow at sunrise." With that she opened
her great gob, caught hold of the horse, struck in his two sides against
one another, took wing, and disappeared out of sight.

The King's son ate and drank his enough, put his travelling bag under
his head, and it was not long till he was asleep, and he never awoke
till the eagle came and said, "It is time for us to be going; there is a
long journey before us. Take hold of your bag and leap up upon my back."

"But to my grief," says he, "I must part from my hound and my hawk."

"Do not be grieved," says she; "they will be here before you when you
come back."

Then he leaped up on her back. She took wing, and off and away with her
through the air. She brought him across hills and hollows, over a great
sea, and over woods, till he thought that he was at the end of the
world. When the sun was going under the shadow of the hills, she came to
earth in the midst of a great desert, and said to him, "Follow the path
on your right-hand side, and it will bring you to the house of a friend.
I must return again to provide for my birds."

He followed the path, and it was not long till he came to the house, and
he went in. There was a grey old man sitting in the corner. He rose and
said, "A hundred thousand welcomes to you, King's son, from Rathcroghan
of Connacht."

"I have no knowledge of you," said the King's son.

"I was acquainted with your grandfather," said the grey old man. "Sit
down; no doubt there is hunger and thirst on you."

"I'm not free from them," said the King's son.

The old man then smote his two palms against one another, and two
servants came and laid a board with beef, mutton, pork, and plenty of
bread before the King's son, and the old man said to him:

"Eat and drink your enough. Perhaps it may be a long time before you get
the like again."

He ate and drank as much as he desired, and thanked him for it.

Then the old man said, "You are going seeking for the King of the Black
Desert. Go to sleep now, and I will go through my books to see if I can
find out the