The next day the second of the girls went out to keep watch, where the
son and the Bullockeen were eating their dinner together. But the
Bullockeen rose a fog and an enchantment around them, that she could see
nothing, and so she went home to her mother.
The third day the third of the daughters went out, and the son took the
pin of slumber as before, and put it in her ear, and she fell asleep.
But if the two front eyes were shut, the eye at the back of the poll was
open. Then the Bullockeen put the fog and the enchantment around her;
but if he did, the eye at the back of her poll was able to see through
every enchantment, and she went back and she told the mother that the
step-brother got all he could use out of the Bullockeen’s horn, and that
he got out of it the best dinner was in the world.
So the Queen sent again for the old prophecy, and she came, and the
Queen asked her what way could she bring the King to do away with the
Bullockeen. ‘For he will not do it for my asking,’ says she.
‘Let you let on to be sick,’ says the hag, ‘and stop in your bed,’ says
she, ‘and send for the King, and tell him there is nothing will cure you
but the liver of the Bullockeen,’ says she.
So the Queen stopped in her bed and let on to be sick, and she sent for
the King, and she said there was nothing could cure her but to kill the
Bullockeen and to give her his liver. ‘I cannot do that,’ says the King;
‘for when that boy’s mother was dying,’ says he, ‘she made a will,’ says
he, ‘and she willed him nothing but the little Bullockeen in the meadow.
But ask me any other thing,’ says he, ‘and I will give it.’
So the Queen sent for the hag and told her that. ‘Let you take a little
black cock is without,’ says the hag, ‘and let them kill it and take the
puddings out of him,’ says she, ‘and fill it with blood, and let you put
that in your mouth and squeeze it the time the King will come in, and
tell him it is the heart’s blood is running from you for the want of the
liver of the Bullockeen,’ says she.
So the Queen did as she bade her, and they killed the cock and filled
the pudding with blood, and the Queen put it in her mouth where she was
in bed. ‘Oh, go run out for the King,’ says she, ‘for I am near my
death.’ So the King came running in. ‘Oh,’ says she, ‘I am near my
death!’ says she, and she squeezes the blood out of her mouth, and the
King thought it was her heart’s blood was coming from her. ‘It will not
stop,’ says she, ‘till I’ll get the liver of the little Bullockeen; and
let you kill him now for me,’ says she. ‘I cannot do that,’ says the
King; and he made her the same answer as before and went out of the
room.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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