ked she
wrapped it in a napkin and gave it to him. "Take my blessing with it,"
said she, "and if you escape, may you meet someone who will be a better
help to you than I was. I must keep the twenty-four cats from watching
you while you are climbing the wall."

"And how will you do that?" said Flann.

She showed him what she would do. With a piece of glass she made on the
wall of the byre the shadows of flying birds. Birds never flew
across the House of Crom Duv and the cats were greatly taken with the
appearances that Morag made with the piece of glass. Six cats watched,
and then another six came, and after them six more, and after them the
six that watched in the Rowan Tree. And the twenty-four yellow cats sat
round and watched with burning eyes the appearances of birds that Morag
made on the byre-wall. Flann looked back and saw her seated on a stone,
and he thought the Byre-Maid looked lonesome.

He tried with all his activity, all his cunning and all his strength,
and at last he climbed the wall at the back of Crom Duv's house. He gave
a whistle to let Morag know he was over. Then he went through a little
wood and came to the Moat of Poisoned Water.

Very ugly the dead water looked. Ugly stakes stuck up from the mud to
pierce any creature that tried to leap across. And here and there on the
water were patches of green poison as big as cabbage leaves. Flann drew
back from the Moat. Leap it he could not, and swim it he dare not. And
just as he drew back he saw a creature he knew come down to the bank
opposite to him. It was Rory the Fox. Rory carried in his mouth the skin
of a calf. He dropped the skin into the water and pushed it out before
him. Then he got into the water and swam very cautiously, always pushing
the calf's skin before him. Then Rory climbed up on the bank where Flann
was, and the skin, all green and wrinkled, sank down into the water.

Rory was going to turn tail, but then he recognized Flann. "Master,"
said he, and he licked the dust on the ground.

"What are you doing here, Rory?" said Flann.

"I won't mind telling you if you promise to tell no other creature,"
said Rory.

"I won't tell," said Flann.

"Well then," said Rory, "I have moved my little family over here. I was
being chased about a good deal, and my little family wasn't safe. So I
moved them over here." The fox turned and looked round at the country
behind him. "It suits me very well," said he; "no creature would think
of cross