“As best you can,” said the hag.
“By this and by that,” said Ciad, seizing her staff, “I’ll make meal of your old bones if you don’t direct me.”
She took him down to the shore, took a black whistle from her pocket and blew on it, when a little red fish appeared on top of the water.
“There,” she said, “follow that fish, and it will lead you to Feach-An-Chruic.”
Ciad stepped into his ship, hoisted his sails, and went off after the little red fish.
He went away for long, long days and long, long nights, sailing one-third of the whole world, until at length the little fish ran into a wood-bordered bay. Ciad anchored his ship here, and went on shore.
He traveled over the mountains for three days and three nights, and on the fourth day he found Feach-An-Chruic dividing beef among his men.
Ciad walked up to him, and asked for a bit of the beef.
“By my faith, no!” said Feach-An-Chruic. “But now that you’re here I’ll save my beef.”
“How is that?” said Ciad.
“Because I’ll divide you among my men,” said Feach-An-Chruic.
“You might not,” said Ciad.
So Ciad and the Feach fell to and fought.
The Feach was a wild and terrible fighter surely, but the courageous spirit of Ciad made him a better. The noise and din and fierceness of the fight was so great that the boars came down from the hills, and the deer came up from the valleys, and the birds came from the woods of the world, to watch it; but before night fell Ciad put the Feach down. Then he put his knee on his breast, and asked him where he would find the bottle of loca and the Riches of the World.
Feach-An-Chruic said: “If that is what you came for and what you fought for, I’m sorry for you. I had the bottle of loca and the Riches of the World only one night when Feach-An-Choille [the Terrible Man of the Wood] took them from me.”
“I do not believe it,” said Ciad.
But the Feach showed him the footprints of Feach-An-Choille, with last night’s rains still lying in them.
“And where does Feach-An-Choille live?” said Ciad.
“He lives a third of the world from here,” said Feach-An-Chruic.
“And how may I get there?” Ciad asked.
“You’re a brave man,” said Feach-An-Chruic, “and I would like to see you succeed.”
With the point of his spear he rang three times on his shield, and a wolf-dog came running up. “Follow that dog,” said Feach-An-Chruic, “and he will lead you to Feach-An-Choille.”
Ciad set out after the dog, and he traveled away and away, far further than I could tell you, and twice as far as you could tell me, over hill, height, and hollow, mountain, moor, and scrug, lone valley and green glen, for long and for long, until at length and at last he reached the land of Feach-An-Choille. Traveling through it he came upon a hut, and saw Feach-An-Choille himself standing outside. He was leaning against the end of his hut laughing, and every time he laughed oak trees fell.
“Why do you laugh?” said Ciad, when he reached him.
“I’m laughing for the joy of killing you,” said Feach-An-Choille.
“Wouldn’t it be better to laugh after?” said Ciad.
Then he raised his spear, and he and the Feach went at the fight. The noise and the din and the fierceness of the fight was such that the boars came down from the hills, and the deer came up from the valleys, and the birds from the woods of the world loaded the tree tops around, to watch. If Feach-An-Chruic was a great fighter, Feach-An-Choille was a far greater, but as great as he was, Ciad’s courageous spirit was still greater, and when the sun was behind the trees in the west, Ciad put the Feach down.
“You’re a brave man,” said the Feach, when he was down. “What can I do for you?”
“You can give me the bottle of loca and the Riches of the World,” said Ciad.
“I cannot,” said the Fezch. “I’m sorry. I had the bottle of loca and the Riches of the World only one night, when the King of Persia took them from me. And now,” said the Feach, “you may as well return home, for you can never get them from the King of Persia.”
“Why cannot I?” said Ciad.
“Because,” he said, “the King of Persia, when he got the Riches of the World, called together at once the Seven Wizards of the East, and had them lay spells on him, so that no man could ever conquer him.”
“I’m sorry for that,” said Ciad, “but I’ll not return home; I’ll travel on to meet my fate.”
Ciad traveled on for a long time. He came to a plain that was covered with dead men, and on one of the dead men he saw a gold boot and a silver boot. He got hold of the gold boot and tried to pull it off, and the man whom he thought was dead struck him with the other boot and tossed him.
“Who are you ?” said Ciad.
“I am Swift Sword, son of the King of Spain, one blow of whose sword has the power of one thousand men for one thousand years, and would blow the sea dry,” he said. “This is my army that I brought into the Eastern World, and all of them are killed.”
“I am glad to find you,” said Ciad, “for I am your cousin Ciad, the son of the King of Norway. Come with me.”
Ciad and Swift Sword set out, and traveled on and on until they came to the lake of the Singing Shore, and traveled by it until they reached a small house. As they came up to the house they saw a white pigeon fly from the chimney at every step they took.
Ciad thought this very strange and that he would go in and find out what it meant. Inside he saw a very beautiful young lady sitting by the fire. She had in her hand a wand covered with scales. She was plucking the scales from it, one by one, and flinging them into the fire, and for every scale she flung into the fire a white pigeon got up and flew from the chimney.
“The blessing of Crom on you,” said Ciad. “I am Ciad, the son of the King of Norway. I am traveling in search of the King of Persia, to get from him the bottle of loca and the Riches of the World. I should like to know the name of the beautiful damsel I am addressing.”
She said, “I am Pearl Mouth, daughter of the King of Persia, and am living here all alone, very far from my country and my people.”
“How is that?” said Ciad.
She said: “A year ago I married Blue Gold, the son of the King of Africa, and on my marriage day he was carried away by force by Mountain of Fierceness, son of the King of Greece, and turned into a pigeon in the Eastern Skies. I have sat here for a year sending off these messengers to find him, but not one of them has come back.”
“I am very sorry for you,” said Ciad.
“And I am very sorry for you,” said Pearl Mouth.
“How is that?” said Ciad.
“Because my father, the King of Persia,” she said, “cannot be conquered by living man; so you can never force from him the bottle of loca and the Riches of the World.”
“Then I’ll die in trying,” said Ciad.
“Isn’t it better to get them and live ?” Pearl Mouth said.
“But I cannot do that,” Ciad said.
“If you are a very great hero there is just a chance for you,” said Pearl Mouth.
Ciad asked her what that chance was, and she told him that if he would find Mountain of Fierceness, the son of the King of Greece, and conquer him and bring back to her Blue Gold, she would get for him from her father what he wanted.
“Then,” he said, “I will do that.”
“Not so easily,” said Pearl Mouth, “for no one in the world can overcome Mountain of Fierceness unless he has the buaidh [pronounced ”boo-ee,“ and means ”power of victory“] of Soul of Steel, Prince of India.”
“Then,” said Ciad, “I will set off and find that.”
Away he started, and did not stop until he reached India. He demanded buaidh from Soul of Steel.