This I must carry to the giant of the Five Heads
and Five Necks and Five Humps, and, in place of it, he will bestow on
me the blue falcon, which I have promised my stepmother, so that she may
free me from the spell which she has laid on me.'

'I would rather be wife to you,' answered the princess.

By-and-by the ship sailed into a harbour on the coast of Erin, and
cast anchor there. And Gille Mairtean the fox bade Ian Direach tell the
princess that she must bide yet a while in a cave amongst the rocks, for
they had business on land, and after a while they would return to her.
Then they took a boat and rowed up to some rocks, and as they touched
the land Gille Mairtean changed himself into a fair woman, who laughed,
and said to Ian Direach, 'I will give the king a fine wife.'

Now the king of Erin had been hunting on the hill, and when he saw a
strange ship sailing towards the harbour, he guessed that it might
be Ian Direach, and left his hunting, and ran down to the hill to the
stable. Hastily he led the bay colt from his stall, and put the golden
saddle on her back, and the silver bridle over his head, and with the
colt's bridle in his hand, he hurried to meet the princess.

'I have brought you the king of France's daughter,' said Ian Direach.
And the king of Erin looked at the maiden, and was well pleased, not
knowing that it was Gille Mairtean the fox. And he bowed low, and
besought her to do him the honour to enter the palace; and Gille
Mairtean, as he went in, turned to look back at Ian Direach, and
laughed.

In the great hall the king paused and pointed to an iron chest which
stood in a corner.

'In that chest is the crown that has waited for you for many years,' he
said, 'and at last you have come for it.' And he stooped down to unlock
the box.

In an instant Gille Mairtean the fox had sprung on his back, and gave
him such a bite that he fell down unconscious. Quickly the fox took his
own shape again, and galloped away to the sea shore, where Ian Direach
and the princess and the bay colt awaited him.

'I will become a ship,' cried Gille Mairtean, 'and you shall go on board
me.' And so he did, and Ian Direach let the bay colt into the ship and
the princess went after them, and they set sail for Dhiurradh. The wind
was behind them, and very soon they saw the rocks of Dhiurradh in front.
Then spoke Gille Mairtean the fox:

'Let the bay colt and the king's daughter hide in these rocks, and I
will change my