Free Folk Tales of Scotland by William Montgomerie Page A

before I’ve built the ship!’
    Away he went with his bannock and roasted cock, to a wood by the river. He sat down to eat, when a great Uruisg, or water goblin, came up out of the water.
    ‘Give me a share of your bannock,’ said the Uruisg.
    ‘I’ll not do that,’ said he. ‘There’s little enough for myself.’
    After he had eaten, he began to chop down a tree, but as soon as he felled a tree it was standing again. At night he gave up and went home.
    The next day the second son asked his mother to bake him a bannock and roast him a cock.
    ‘A large bannock with a malison, or a small bannock with a blessing?’ she asked.
    ‘A large one will be little enough,’ said he.
    And away he went with the bannock and roasted cock, to the wood by the river. He sat down to eat, when a great Uruisg came up out of the water.
    ‘Give me a share of your bannock,’ said she.
    ‘There’s less than enough for myself,’ he replied.
    The same thing happened to him as to his eldest brother. As fast as he cut down a tree, it was standing again. So he gave up and went home.
    Next day the youngest son asked his mother to bake him a bannock and roast him a cock. But he chose the wee bannock with a blessing.
    Away he went to the wood by the river. There he sat down to eat, when a great Uruisg came up out of the water, and said:
    ‘Give me a share of your bannock.’
    ‘You shall have that,’ said the lad, ‘and some of the roasted cock too, if you like.’
    After the Uruisg had eaten, she said:
    ‘Meet me here at the end of a year and a day, and I shall have a ship ready to sail on land and sea.’
    At the end of a year and a day, the youngest son found that the Uruisg had the ship ready. He went aboard, and sailed away.
    He had not sailed far when he saw a man drinking up a river.
    ‘Come with me,’ said the lad. ‘I’ll give you meat and wages, and better work than that.’
    ‘Agreed!’ said the man.
    They had not sailed far when they saw a man eating all the oxen in a field.
    ‘Come with me,’ said the lad. ‘I’ll give you meat and wages, and better work than that.’
    ‘Agreed!’ said the man.
    They had not sailed much farther when they saw a man with his ear to the ground.
    ‘What are you doing?’ asked the lad.
    ‘I’m listening to the grass coming up through the earth,’ said the man.
    ‘Come with me,’ said the lad. ‘I’ll give you meat and wages, and better work than that.’
    So he went with the lad and the other two men, and they sailed on till the Listener said:
    ‘I hear the giants and the King’s three daughters under the earth.’
    So they let a creel down the hole, with four of them in it, to the dwelling of the first giant and the King’s eldest daughter.
    ‘You’ve come for the King’s daughter,’ said the giant, ‘but you’ll not get her unless you have a man that can drink as much water as I.’
    The lad set the Drinker to compete with the giant. Before the Drinker was half full, the giant burst. They freed the eldest daughter, and went to the house of the second giant.
    ‘You’ve come for the King’s daughter,’ said he, ‘but you’ll not get her till you find a man who can eat as much as I.’
    So the lad set the Eater to compete with the giant. Before he was half full, the giant burst. They freed the second daughter, and went to the house of the third giant.
    ‘You’ve come for the King’s daughter,’ said the giant, ‘but you’ll not get her unless you are my slave for a year and a day.’
    ‘Agreed!’ said the lad.
    Then he sent the Listener, the Drinker and the Eater up in the creel, and after them the three Princesses. The three men left the lad at the bottom of the hole and led the Princesses back to
their father, the Kingof Lochlin. They told the King of all the brave deeds they had done to rescue his daughters.
    Now, at the end of a year and a day, the lad told the giant he was leaving, and the giant said:
    ‘I’ve an eagle that will carry you to the