Celts -- Folklore; Fairy tales; Fairy tales -- Great Britain; Folklore -- Great Britain; Tales -- Great Britain
When she had enough of my killing the fowl she came out into the
garden, for she knew I was in the badger's hole. She came to me
and made me a wolf. I had to be off, and go to an island, where no
one at all would see me, and now and then I used to be killing
sheep, for there were not many of them, and I was afraid of being
seen and hunted; and so I passed a year, till a shepherd saw me
among the sheep and a pursuit was made after me. And when the dogs
came near me there was no place for me to escape to from them; but
I recognised the sign of the king among the men, and I made for
him, and the king cried out to stop the hounds. I took a leap upon
the front of the king's saddle, and the woman behind cried out,
"My king and my lord, kill him, or he will kill you!"
"Oh! he will not kill me. He knew me; he must be pardoned."
The king took me home with him, and gave orders I should be well
cared for. I was so wise, when I got food, I would not eat one
morsel until I got a knife and fork. The man told the king, and
the king came to see if it was true, and I got a knife and fork,
and I took the knife in one paw and the fork in the other, and I
bowed to the king. The king gave orders to bring him drink, and it
came; and the king filled a glass of wine and gave it to me.
I took hold of it in my paw and drank it, and thanked the king.
"On my honour," said he, "it is some king or other has lost him,
when he came on the island; and I will keep him, as he is trained;
and perhaps he will serve us yet."
And this is the sort of king he was,--a king who had not a child
living. Eight sons were born to him and three daughters, and they
were stolen the same night they were born. No matter what guard
was placed over them, the child would be gone in the morning. A
twelfth child now came to the queen, and the king took me with him
to watch the baby. The women were not satisfied with me.
"Oh," said the king, "what was all your watching ever good for?
One that was born to me I have not; I will leave this one in the
dog's care, and he will not let it go."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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