blowing and whatever sleep was on his eye it
blew away. He walked on with the dark clouds of the night
going behind him and the bright light of the day growing
before him. "I'll turn back," said he, "when I hear a cock
crowing, and whatever I find beside me then I'll take with me
to remind myself of where I have been."

He found himself on a moor and he walked on until he was far
on it. A cock crew. "Time to turn back," said
Feet-in-the-Ashes. He looked round to see what he might bring
with him and he saw on the ground a round stone.

"A round stone?" said the Hen-grouse.

"Yes," said the Cock-grouse, "a round black stone. He took it up, that
round black stone, and he went back to the Castle, hungry for his
breakfast."

In the Castle Chamber the three youths were still slumbering,
one on the bench, one on the floor and one in a bed and
MacDraoi the Harper was still hanging by his feet from the
beam across the Chamber. "Lift me down from this, good lad,"
said the Giant's Harper.

"I will," said Feet-in-the-Ashes, "when my three companions
awaken."

"They won't awaken," said MacDraoi the Harper.

"Then you can hang there," said Feet-in-the-Ashes.

"They won't awaken," said MacDraoi, "until I cause them to
awaken, and I shall cause them to awaken if you lift me down
from this."

"Will you promise by your head," said Feet-in-the-Ashes.

"By my head I promise," said the Giant's Harper.

Then Feet-in-the-Ashes lifted the Harper down from the
rafters and set him upon his legs. MacDraoi took up the harp
and he pulled the strings back-ways. The notes he drew out
were so piercing that first one and then another and then a
third of the three youths wakened up. Then, when they were on
their feet MacDraoi, the Giant's Harper, slipped out of the
house and went away. What happened to the Harper after that
no one knows.

"Cluck, cluck," said the Hen-grouse, "and what did they do after
that?"

"The next thing they had to do," said the Cock-grouse, drawing himself
up, "was to fight. Yes, my lady, to fight." The Hen-grouse drooped her
head and said no more, and the Cock-grouse went on valiantly--

Swords they drew out--the three youths who were with
Feet-in-the-Ashes. They sharpened these swords. They marched
off towards the moor with the swords in their hands.
Feet-in-the-Ashes