him and thrust the Sword of Light through his breast. He stood with his
face becoming exceedingly terrible. He flung what remained of his sword,
and the broken blade struck the foot of the King of Ireland's Son and
pierced it. Then the King of the Land of Mist fell down on the ground
before the fourth gate.

So weary from his battles, so pained with the wound of his foot was
the King of Ireland's Son that he did not try to cross the body and go
towards the fifth gate. He turned back. He climbed down the rock and
went towards the River of the Broken Towers.

The Glashan was broiling on a hot stone the eel he had taken out of the
river. "Wash my wound and give me refreshment, Glashan," said the King
of Ireland's Son.

The Glashan washed the wound in his foot and gave him a portion of the
broiled eel with cresses and water.

"To-morrow's dawn I shall go back," said the King of Ireland's Son, "and
go through the fifth and sixth and seventh gate and take away Fedelma."

"If the King of the Land of Mist lets you," said the Glashan.

"He is dead," said the King of Ireland's Son, "I thrust my sword through
his breast."

"And where is his head?" said the Glashan.

"It is on his corpse," said the King of Ireland's Son.

"Then you will have another fight to-morrow. His life is in his head,
and his life will come back to him if you did not cut it off. It is he,
I tell you, who will guard the fourth and fifth and sixth gate."

"That I do not believe, Glashan," said the King of Ireland's Son. "There
is no one to guard the gates now but the Hag you spoke of. To-morrow I
shall take Fedelma out of her captivity, and we will both leave the Land
of Mist. But I must sleep now."

He laid the Sword of Light beside him, stretched himself on the ground
and went to sleep. The Glashan drew his horse's legs under him, took the
pipe out of his ear, and smoked all through the night.

III

The King of Ireland's Son rose in the morning but he was in pain and
weariness on account of his wounded foot. He ate the cresses and drank
the water that the Glashan gave him, and he started off for the Castle
of the King of the Mist. "'Tis only an old woman I shall have to deal
with to-day," he said, "and then I shall awaken Fedelma, my love."

He passed through the first gate and the first court-yard, through the
second gate and the second court-yard, through the third gate and the
third courtyard. The fourth gate was closed, and as he we