son will grow into a powerful champion."

"Not he," said the Hag of the House, with great anger. "He'll never
become a Champion. He's only a little hump-backed fellow with no weapons
and with no garment but a goatskin."

"It would be better to kill him when he comes back," said the first of
the Hags with the Long Teeth.

"And if he doesn't come back, tell the Giant Crom Duv," said the second.

Gilly of the Goatskin crept from under the cradle, put his bow resting
on the bottom that was now turned uppermost, took up some of the rods
that were on the floor and then shouted at the Hags. "Oh, if that's
a hazel rod he has at his bow he will kill us all," they screamed out
together.

He drew back the string, fired the willow rod and struck the middle Hag
full on the breast. The three Hags fell down on the ground. The pot that
was always hanging over the fire turned itself upside down and the
house was filled with smoke. Gilly of the Goatskin, the bow in his hand,
sprang across the cradle, over the threshold of the door, and out into
the width and the height, the length and the breadth, the gloom and the
gleam of the world.

VII

He was out, as I have said, in the width and the height, the length and
the breadth, the gloom and the gleam of the world. He fired arrows into
the air. He leaped over ditches, he rolled down hillsides, he raced
over level places until he came to what surprised him more than all the
things in the world--a river. He had never seen such water before and
he wondered to see it moving with swiftness. "Where is it going?" said
Gilly of the Goatskin. "Does it go on like that in the night as well
as in the day?" He ran by its side and shouted to the river. He saw
a wide-winged bird flying across it. It was the bird that we call the
crane or the heron. And as Gilly watched the great winged thing he saw
that it held a little animal in its claws. Gilly fired an arrow and
the crane dropped towards the ground. The little animal that was in its
claws fell down. The crane rose up again and flew back across the river.

The little animal that had been in the claws of the crane came to Gilly
of the Goatskin. It was smaller than the one-eyed cat that used to sit
on the hearth of the Hag of the House. It kept its head up and was very
bold-looking. "Good morning, Lad in the Goatskin," it said to Gilly,
"you saved my life and I'm very thankful to you." "What are you?" said
Gilly of the Goat-skin. "I'm the Wea