green
hair fell over my foam-white, foam soft body. I danced on, O my
listeners, and as no one had ever seen me looked upon, I thought no
one looked upon me now.

But this King of the earthly Kingdom saw me. He saw me as I danced by
the waves, and I was the fairest thing he had ever looked upon. At
first he was all wonder and no robber's thoughts were in his mind. But
the Ravens came to him. One perched on one shoulder and one perched on
the other, and one said "If you carry Eevil off you will have the
fairest wife in all the world," and the other said "If you leave her
here you will never look on anything as fair again."

The Ravens flapped before him to guide him to a place in the dark
rocks where he might hide and to which I might come. He followed where
they led. But I saw his shadow on a rock. I drew back and the sea took
me and drew me into its depths. "The sea has taken her," said Branduv
to the Ravens.

"Mananaun is Lord of the Sea," said one of the Ravens.

"And Mananaun has promised you a gift, and he cannot refuse what you
will ask," said the other Raven.

Then the Ravens flapped away and Mananaun came to where the King was
standing. "You have asked me for a gift," said Mananaun, "think now of
what you desire before I take you back to your own island." Then said
Branduv, "What I ask is that you bestow upon me the Sea-maiden who was
dancing here, Eevil."

[Illustration]

Mananaun in anger lifted his spear. But then he remembered he was
bound by a promise to Branduv. He lowered the spear he had raised. "I
will give you any other gift you ask," said he, "even my own boat 'The
Ocean Sweeper.'"

"I hold you to your promise," said Branduv, "and I declare to you
that I shall take no other gift unless it be the maiden who was here
dancing by the sea."

"It must be then that I give her you," said Mananaun, and his face was
dark.

[Illustration]

Down he went to the Kingdom-Under-Wave and he came to the black
mansion where lived the Seven Spinning Women of the Sea. He spoke as
speaks a King who has a hard thing to do. "A law has to be broken,"
said he. "What law, Lord?" said the Spinning Women. "The law that
saves our Maidens from taking part in the stormy lives of men." "We
would rather that anything else but this should happen, Lord," said
the Seven Spinning Women. "This thing must happen," said Mananaun,
"and the Maiden Eevil must go to Branduv the King." "She must be
prepared for this," said the Se