There was a blacksmith in Dun Kinealy beyond Killybegs, and he had two
young men serving him whose names were CA(C)sa MacRi na Tulach and Lun Dubh
MacSmola.
When their time was up the young men settled with the blacksmith and
took their pay of him. After they had eaten breakfast in the morning
they went away together.
When they had gone some distance from the house they changed their gait,
so that when they took one step forward they took two backwards; and
when evening came they were not five perches away from the house where
they had eaten breakfast in the morning.
Then one said to the other: "I suppose what is on one of us is on the
other."
"What's that?" asked the first.
"We are both in love with ScA(C)hide ni WAinanan."
"That is true," said the other, "we are both in love with the
blacksmith's maid."
When this was said they turned and went back to the house. The
blacksmith welcomed them, and was glad.
"You need not welcome us," said they; "we have not come back to you to
seek hire; but we are both in love with ScA(C)hide ni WAinanan, and you'll
have to settle the matter for us."
"Well," said the blacksmith, "I can do that. We'll open the two doors
of the forge, and let you and the maiden go in and stand in the middle
of the place. Then do you two go out, one at each door, and the man
she'll follow will have her."
The three came in,--one man went out at each door of the forge; ScA(C)hide
followed Lun Dubh.
When he saw this CA(C)sa spoke up, and said: "I'm willing to leave her with
you; but turn back a moment here to me, for the word that'll be between
us."
Lun Dubh turned back into the forge, and CA(C)sa said: "Put your finger on
this anvil."
Lun Dubh put his finger on the anvil. CA(C)sa, catching up a good spike,
which the old blacksmith had made, and a hammer drove the spike through
the finger of Lun Dubh, fastening him to the anvil.
"Now," said Lun Dubh to CA(C)sa; "let me go free, and do you take ScA(C)hide;
but I must have the first blow on you in battle or war, or wherever else
I meet you in the world."
"I will give you that," said CA(C)sa. So he freed his comrade from the
anvil. The young men parted from each other,--Lun Dubh went one way
alone, and CA(C)sa another with ScA(C)hide ni WAinanan.
As CA(C)sa went along he bought a skin at every house where he could find
one, until he had enough to make clothes in which to disguise himself;
for he was in dread of Lun Dubh, on account of the first blow which he
had the right to strike when they met.
He put on the skin clothes, and changed his name to Gilla na Grakin (the
fellow of the skins).
Gilla and his wife held on their way till they came to the castle of Fin
MacCumhail; and the time they came there was no one in the place but
women.
"Where is Fin MacCumhail with his men to-day?" asked Gilla na Grakin.
"They are all out hunting," said the women.
Now Gilla saw that the castle stood with open door facing the wind, and
turning again to the women he asked: "Why do you have the door of the
castle to the wind?"
"When Fin and his men are at home and the wind comes in at the door,
they all go out, take hold of the castle and turn it around till the
door is on the sheltered side."
When Gilla na Grakin heard this he went out, put his hands to the
castle, and turned it around till the door was on the sheltered side.
In the evening when Fin and the Fenians of Erin were coming from the
hunt, they saw the castle turned around, and Fin said to the men: "I'm
afraid we haven't half enough of game for the supper of the strangers
who have come to visit us to-day, there are so many of them that they
have turned the castle around."
When they came home they saw there was no man there but Gilla na Grakin,
and they wondered at the work he had done.