Then she went to the henwife's house. The old woman put on the cloak of
darkness, got everything for her she had the first Sunday at church, and
put her on the white mare in the same fashion. Then Trembling rode along
the highway to the front of the house. All who saw her the first time
said: "This is the lady we saw at church."
Then she went away a second time, and a second time came back on the
black mare in the second dress which the henwife gave her. All who saw
her the second Sunday said: "That is the lady we saw at church." A
third time she asked for a short absence, and soon came back on the
third mare and in the third dress. All who saw her the third time said:
"That is the lady we saw at church." Every man was satisfied, and knew
that she was the woman.
Then all the princes and great men spoke up, and said to the son of the
king of Omanya: "You'll have to fight now for her before we let her go
with you."
"I'm here before you, ready for combat," answered the prince.
Then the son of the king of Lochlin stepped forth. The struggle began,
and a terrible struggle it was. They fought for nine hours; and then the
son of the king of Lochlin stopped, gave up his claim, and left the
field. Next day the son of the king of Spain fought six hours, and
yielded his claim. On the third day the son of the king of NyerfA cubedi
fought eight hours, and stopped. The fourth day the son of the king of
Greece fought six hours, and stopped. On the fifth day no more strange
princes wanted to fight; and all the sons of kings in Erin said they
would not fight with a man of their own land, that the strangers had had
their chance, and as no others came to claim the woman, she belonged of
right to the son of the king of Omanya.
The marriage-day was fixed, and the invitations were sent out. The
wedding lasted for a year and a day. When the wedding was over, the
king's son brought home the bride, and when the time came a son was
born. The young woman sent for her eldest sister, Fair, to be with her
and care for her. One day, when Trembling was well, and when her husband
was away hunting, the two sisters went out to walk; and when they came
to the sea-side, the eldest pushed the youngest sister in. A great whale
came and swallowed her.
The eldest sister came home alone, and the husband asked, "Where is your
sister?"
"She has gone home to her father in Ballyshannon; now that I am well, I
don't need her."
"Well," said the husband, looking at her, "I'm in dread, it's my wife
that has gone."
"Oh! no," said she; "it's my sister Fair that's gone."
Since the sisters were very much alike, the prince was in doubt. That
night he put his sword between them, and said: "If you are my wife, this
sword will get warm; if not, it will stay cold."
In the morning when he rose up, the sword was as cold as when he put it
there.
It happened when the two sisters were walking by the seashore, that a
little cowboy was down by the water minding cattle, and saw Fair push
Trembling into the sea; and next day, when the tide came in, he saw the
whale swim up and throw her out on the sand. When she was on the sand
she said to the cowboy: "When you go home in the evening with the cows,
tell the master that my sister Fair pushed me into the sea yesterday;
that a whale swallowed me, and then threw me out, but will come again
and swallow me with the coming of the next tide; then he'll go out with
the tide, and come again with to-morrow's tide, and throw me again on
the strand. The whale will cast me out three times. I'm under the
enchantment of this whale, and cannot leave the beach or escape myself.
Unless my husband saves me before I'm swallowed the fourth time, I
shall be lost. He must come and shoot the whale with a silver bullet
when he turns on the broad of his back. Under the breast-fin of the
whale is a reddish-brown spot. My husband must hit him in that spot, for
it is the only place in which he can be killed."
When the cowboy got home, the eldest sister gave him a draught of
oblivion, and he did not tell.
Next day he went again to the sea. The whale came and cast Trembling on
shore again. She asked the boy: "Did you tell the master what I told you
to tell him?"
"I did not," said he; "I forgot."
"How did you forget?" asked she.
"The woman of the house gave me a drink that made me forget."
"Well, don't forget telling him this night; and if she gives you a
drink, don't take it from her."
As soon as the cowboy came home, the eldest sister offered him a drink.
He refused to take it till he had delivered his message and told all to
the master. The third day the prince went down with his gun and a silver
bullet in it. He was not long down when the whale came and threw
Trembling upon the beach as the two days before. She had no power to
speak to her husband till he had killed the whale. Then the whale went
out, turned over once on the broad of his back, and showed the spot for
a moment only. That moment the prince fired. He had but the one chance,
and a short one at that; but he took it, and hit the spot, and the
whale, mad with pain, made the sea all around red with blood, and died.
That minute Trembling was able to speak, and went home with her husband,
who sent word to her father what the eldest sister had done. The father
came, and told him any death he chose to give her to give it. The prince
told the father he would leave her life and death with himself. The
father had her put out then on the sea in a barrel, with provisions in
it for seven years.
In time Trembling had a second child, a daughter. The prince and she
sent the cowboy to school, and trained him up as one of their own
children, and said: "If the little girl that is born to us now lives, no
other man in the world will get her but him."
The cowboy and the prince's daughter lived on till they were married.
The mother said to her husband: "You could not have saved me from the
whale but for the little cowboy; on that account I don't grudge him my
daughter."
The son of the king of Omanya and Trembling had fourteen children, and
they lived happily till the two died of old age.