and her face turned towards whatever tempest should
blow.

On he journeyed, over hills, and through rivers till he reached a wide
plain, and never a glimpse did he catch of the falcon. Darker and darker
it grew, and the small birds were seeking their nests, and at length Ian
Direach could see no more, and he lay down under some bushes and sleep
came to him. And in his dream a soft nose touched him, and a warm body
curled up beside him, and a low voice whispered to him:

'Fortune is against you, Ian Direach; I have but the cheek and the hoof
of a sheep to give you, and with these you must be content.' With that
Ian Direach awoke, and beheld Gille Mairtean the fox.

Between them they kindled a fire, and ate their supper. Then Gille
Mairtean the fox bade Ian Direach lie down as before, and sleep till
morning. And in the morning, when he awoke, Gille Mairtean said:

'The falcon that you seek is in the keeping of the Giant of the Five
Heads, and the Five Necks, and the Five Humps. I will show you the
way to his house, and I counsel you to do his bidding, nimbly and
cheerfully, and, above all, to treat his birds kindly, for in this
manner he may give you his falcon to feed and care for. And when this
happens, wait till the giant is out of his house; then throw a cloth
over the falcon and bear her away with you. Only see that not one of her
feathers touches anything within the house, or evil will befall you.'

'I thank you for your counsel,' spake Ian Direach, 'and I will be
careful to follow it.' Then he took the path to the giant's house.

'Who is there?' cried the giant, as someone knocked loudly on the door
of his house.

'One who seeks work as a servant,' answered Ian Direach.

'And what can you do?' asked the giant again.

'I can feed birds and tend pigs; I can feed and milk a cow, and also
goats and sheep, if you have any of these,' replied Ian Direach.

'Then enter, for I have great need of such a one,' said the giant.

So Ian Direach entered, and tended so well and carefully all the birds
and beasts, that the giant was better satisfied than ever he had been,
and at length he thought that he might even be trusted to feed the
falcon. And the heart of Ian was glad, and he tended the blue falcon
till his fathers shone like the sky, and the giant was well pleased; and
one day he said to him:

'For long my brothers on the other side of the mountain have besought me
to visit them, but never could I go for fear o