tle to search for a little bell that he might put upon the Slight Red
Steed. He found the little bell, but it fell out of his hand and slipped
through a crack in the floor. He went and looked through the crack. He
saw below a room and in it was Caintigern, the Queen, and beside her
were two women in the cloaks of enchantresses. And when he looked again
he knew the two of them--they were Aefa and Gilveen, the daughters of
the enchanter of the Black Back-Lands and Fedelma's sisters. "And
will my two sons come to rule over their father's dominion?" he heard
Caintigern ask.

"The Prince who gains the Sword of Light will rule over his father's
dominion," Aefa said.

"Then one of my sons must get the Sword of Light," Caintigern said.
"Tell me where they must go to get knowledge of where it is."

"Only the Gobaun Saor knows where the Sword of Light is," said Aefa.

"The Gobaun Saor! Can he be seen by men?" said Caintigern.

"He can be seen," said Aefa. "And there is one--the Little Sage of the
Mountain--who can tell what road to go to find the Gobaun Saor."

"Then," said Caintigern, "my two sons, Dermott and Downal, will ride out
to-morrow to find the Little Sage of the Mountain, and the Gobaun Saor,
so that one of them may find the Sword of Light and come to rule over
his father's dominion."

When the King of Ireland's Son heard that, he went to the stable where
the Slight Red Steed was, and put the bridle upon him and rode towards
the Hill of Horns, on one side of which was the house thatched with the
one great wing of a bird, where the Little Sage of the Mountain lived.

THE SWORD OF LIGHT

AND THE UNIQUE TALE WITH AS MUCH OF THE ADVENTURES OF GILLY OF THE
GOATSKIN AS IS GIVEN IN "THE CRANESKIN BOOK"

I

He came to the house that was thatched with the one great wing of a
bird, and, as before, the Little Sage of the Mountain asked him to do a
day's work. The King's Son reaped the corn for the Little Sage, and as
he was reaping it his two foster-brothers, Dermott and Downal, rode by
on their fine horses. They did not know who the young fellow was who
was reaping in the field and they shouted for the Little Sage of the
Mountain to come out of the house and speak to them. "We want to know
where to find the Gobaun Saor who is to give us the Sword of Light,"
said Dermott.

"Come in," said the Sage, "and help me with my day's work, and I'll
search in my book for some direction."

"We can't do such an unpr