"Never fear," said the old woman; "there is never a brown horse but is
giddy, he cannot overtake us." She rushed on as before. A third time she
said: "Look around, and see who is coming now." Fin looked, and said:
"I see a black warrior on a black horse, following fast."
"There is no horse so tough as a black horse," said the grandmother.
"There is no escape from this one. My grandson, one or both of us must
die. I am old, my time has nearly come. I will die, and you and Bran
save yourselves. (Bran had been with them all the time.) Right here
ahead is a deep bog; you jump off my back, and escape as best you can.
I'll jump into the bog up to my neck; and when the king's men come, I'll
say that you are in the bog before me, sunk out of sight, and I'm trying
to find you. As my hair and yours are the same color, they will think my
head good enough to carry back. They will cut it off, and take it in
place of yours, and show it to the king; that will satisfy his anger."
Fin slipped down, took farewell of his grandmother, and hurried on with
Bran. The old woman came to the bog, jumped in, and sank to her neck.
The king's men were soon at the edge of the bog, and the black rider
called out to the old woman: "Where is Fin?"
"He is here in the bog before me, and I'm trying can I find him."
As the horsemen could not find Fin, and thought the old woman's head
would do to carry back, they cut it off, and took it with them, saying:
"This will satisfy the king."
Fin and Bran went on till they came to a great cave, in which they found
a herd of goats. At the further end of the cave was a smouldering fire.
The two lay down to rest.
A couple of hours later, in came a giant with a salmon in his hand. This
giant was of awful height, he had but one eye, and that in the middle
of his forehead, as large as the sun in heaven.
When he saw Fin, he called out: "Here, take this salmon and roast it;
but be careful, for if you raise a single blister on it I'll cut the
head off you. I've followed this salmon for three days and three nights
without stopping, and I never let it out of my sight, for it is the most
wonderful salmon in the world."
The giant lay down to sleep in the middle of the cave. Fin spitted the
salmon, and held it over the fire.
The minute the giant closed the one eye in his head, he began to snore.
Every time he drew breath into his body, he dragged Fin, the spit, the
salmon, Bran, and all the goats to his mouth; and every time he drove a
breath out of himself, he threw them back to the places they were in
before. Fin was drawn time after time to the mouth of the giant with
such force, that he was in dread of going down his throat.
When partly cooked, a blister rose on the salmon. Fin pressed the place
with his thumb, to know could he break the blister, and hide from the
giant the harm that was done. But he burned his thumb, and, to ease the
pain, put it between his teeth, and gnawed the skin to the flesh, the
flesh to the bone, the bone to the marrow; and when he had tasted the
marrow, he received the knowledge of all things. Next moment, he was
drawn by the breath of the giant right up to his face, and, knowing from
his thumb what to do, he plunged the hot spit into the sleeping eye of
the giant and destroyed it.
That instant the giant with a single bound was at the low entrance of
the cave, and, standing with his back to the wall and a foot on each
side of the opening, roared out: "You'll not leave this place alive."
Now Fin killed the largest goat, skinned him as quickly as he could,
then putting the skin on himself he drove the herd to where the giant
stood; the goats passed out one by one between his legs. When the great
goat came the giant took him by the horns. Fin slipped from the skin,
and ran out.
"Oh, you've escaped," said the giant, "but before we part let me make
you a present."
"I'm afraid to go near you," said Fin; "if you wish to give me a
present, put it out this way, and then go back."
The giant placed a ring on the ground, then went back. Fin took up the
ring and put it on the end of his little finger above the first joint.
It clung so firmly that no man in the world could have taken it off.