school together.'
'Cheer up, man,' said I, 'and let's have the story, and let it be about
Ma-Coul and the salmon, and his thumb.' {291} 'Arrah, Shorsha! I can't.
Well, to oblige you, I'll give it you. Well you know Ma-Coul was an
exposed child, and came floating over the salt sea in a chest which was
cast ashore at Veintry Bay. In the corner of that bay was a castle,
where dwelt a giant and his wife, very respectable and decent people, and
this giant, taking his morning walk along the bay, came to the place
where the child had been cast ashore in his box. Well, the giant looked
at the child, and being filled with compassion for his exposed state,
took the child up in his box, and carried him home to his castle, where
he and his wife, being dacent respectable people, as I telled ye before,
fostered the child and took care of him, till he became old enough to go
out to service and gain his livelihood, when they bound him out
apprentice to another giant, who lived in a castle up the country, at
some distance from the bay.

'This giant, whose name was Darmod David Odeen, was not a respectable
person at all, but a big old vagabond. He was twice the size of the
other giant, who, though bigger than any man, was not a big giant; for,
as there are great and small men, so there are great and small giants--I
mean some are small when compared with the others. Well, Finn served
this giant a considerable time, doing all kinds of hard and unreasonable
service for him, and receiving all kinds of hard words, and many a hard
knock and kick to boot--sorrow befall the ould vagabond who could thus
ill-treat a helpless foundling. It chanced that one day the giant caught
a salmon, near a salmon-leap upon his estate--for, though a big ould
blackguard, he was a person of considerable landed property, and high
sheriff for the county Cork. Well, the giant brings home the salmon by
the gills, and delivers it to Finn, telling him to roast it for the
giant's dinner; "but take care, ye young blackguard," he added, "that in
roasting it--and I expect ye to roast it well--you do not let a blister
come upon its nice satin skin, for if ye do, I will cut the head off your
shoulders." "Well," thinks Finn, "this is a hard task; however, as I
have done many hard tasks for him, I will try and do this too, though I
was never set to do anything yet half so difficult." So he prepared his
fire, and put his gridiron upon it, and lays the salmon fairly and