‘I never slept a wink in my life,’ answered he, ‘and the master who hires me may find it useful to have someone who is always awake.’
‘That is true,’ said Finn, and he hired him on the spot.
He had not gone much farther before he met another man, whose face was also strange to him.
‘Who are you, and what do you seek?’ he asked.
The man answered in the same words that the first had done: ‘I am a good servant in search of employment.’
‘And what can you do?’ said Finn, wondering what this fellow’s answer would be.
‘I hear all things,’ answered the stranger. ‘I can even hear the grass coming through the ground.’
‘In truth, a useful accomplishment,’ said Finn, and he hired this lad also.
Soon a third stranger made his appearance, and the Chief, half amused, half amazed, asked him his business.
His answer was once more the same. ‘I am a good servant seeking employment.’
‘And what can you do?’
‘I am good at keeping hold of what I have got. When once I get a grip of anything, I never let it go.’
‘Just the man for me,’ said Finn, and he hired him too.
No sooner had he done so than a fourth man appeared, and the same question was asked, and the same answer given.
This man said that he was such a good thief that he would undertake to steal an egg from a heron’s nest, while the bird was standing by, without its knowing it.
‘If things go on like this, I shall soon have men who are able to do everything,’ said Finn, and he engaged this clever thief on the spot.
Soon a fifth man appeared, and he claimed to be able to climb a wall, even although it was covered with the skins of eels, which, as everyone knows, are the most slippery things in the world.
He also was added to the band.
Then a sixth stranger came, who boasted that every stone he threw became part of a stone and lime wall.
‘A cheap and easy way of building,’ said Finn. ‘It seems to me this good fortune cannot continue,’ and he hired this last man without delay.
But there was still a seventh stranger to come, and he was such a good marksman that he promised to shoot an arrow at any object, and not to miss it by even a hair’s breadth.
So he too was engaged, and after him came no more.
Finn continued his walk with his seven new servants behind him, and presently they came in sight of a King’s Palace.
Then Finn noticed for the first time that he had walked far farther than he had intended, and that night was beginning to fall, and he was far from his own home.
So he went up to the Palace, and knocked at the great door, and when the porter opened it, he desired him to tell his Royal Master that the Chief of the Fian, Finn, the son of Cool, was without, and that he begged of him a night’s shelter for himself and his men.
Now the name of Finn was known throughout the length and breadth of Erin, and the King was delighted that such a mighty hero should come to his Palace, and he came out himself to welcome him.
But when he had brought Finn into his great hall, and ordered bread and wine, and all manner of meats to be set before him, Finn noticed how sad and downcast he was, and asked him if anything was troubling him.
‘Ay,’ said the King, ‘I am sorely troubled. For I have had two children, and both of them have been stolen away, as soon as they were born, by faeries, or demons, or some such uncanny creatures. And this night a third child has been born to the Queen and myself, and our hearts are heavy within us, for we feel sure that this babe will be carried away also; for when one has to do with witchcraft or faerie folk, no watch that mortal man can keep avails against them. And something tells me that this child too will surely be stolen, even if we never take our eyes off his cradle.’
‘That shall he not,’ said Finn, ‘so long as my men and I are in the house.’ And he went out and called to his seven new servants.
He told them the story which he had just heard, and then he looked at the man who had never slept a wink in his life.
‘This night you must sit in the Queen’s chamber,’ he said, ‘and if ever you watched in your life, watch now.’
Then he beckoned to the man who could hear the grass coming through the earth. ‘And you must sit in the Queen’s ante-chamber,’ he said, ‘and if ever you listened in your life, listen now.’
‘And you,’ he went on, turning to the third man, the one who kept a tight grip of what he laid hold of. ‘You had better sit near the baby’s cradle, and whatever comes, be it giant, or witch, or imp, or demon, grip it with all your might.’
The men did as they were bid, and the King’s household settled down for the night, though not to sleep; everyone was too anxious for that, and everyone set themselves to keep awake and watch.
For some time all went well, but just as the clock struck twelve Finn’s servant in the ante-room stirred uneasily.
‘My eyes begin to feel wondrous heavy,’ he said.
‘And so do ours,’ chimed in the crowd of courtiers and attendants who were watching along with him.
Finn’s servant stooped down and listened intently. ‘I can hear far off distant music,’ he said. ‘Do you know where it comes from?’
At these words everyone started and looked at one another with terror written on their faces.
‘‘Tis the Musical Harper,’ they cried, ‘we are undone. We have often heard tell of his wonderful music, although we have never heard it with our own ears; for it lulls everyone to sleep long before he approaches. And how can we watch if we be asleep?’
‘I will take care of that,’ cried the servant who sat in the Queen’s chamber, ‘for this Musical Harper may harp all night if he likes close to my ear, ’twill make no difference to me,’ and he rose up, and went round all the rooms in the Palace, shaking the people he found there, so that they could not go to sleep.
Meanwhile the third man, he who was noted for his wonderful grip, who was sitting at the side of the baby’s cradle, saw an enormously long skinny arm come right through the wall, and reach over to where the infant lay.
‘Ah, you’d steal the Prince, would you?’ he cried. ‘Then feel the strength of my muscles,’ and he jumped up and took tight hold of the mysterious hand.
At this it was drawn back with such a jerk that Finn’s servant was pulled half out of the window. He held bravely on, however, and pulled, and pulled, until, with a crash, the arm parted from its unseen body, and the servant fell back on the floor gasping, grasping it tightly to his breast.
Everyone pressed forward in delight to look at it, for they felt that, now that it had been torn off, there was little risk that its crippled owner would try again to steal the baby.
Alas! alas! In their excitement they forgot to be watchful, and in an instant another long skinny hand was thrust into the room, and, passing over their heads, lifted the baby from its cradle, and was instantly withdrawn, leaving them staring at the wall through which it had passed, in horror-stricken silence.
When they came to themselves they rushed outside and ran madly up and down, seeking in vain for the lost child, but it had vanished completely.
Of course, as you may imagine, the poor King and Queen were almost heartbroken, while Finn could hardly find words in which to express his sorrow and vexation.
‘I promised to guard the babe,’ said he, ‘and now, after all my promises, it’s been carried off before our eyes.’
He strode across the room to where the King stood, trying to stifle his grief beside the empty cradle. ‘May the sky make a nest in my head, and the earth a hollow in my feet, if I do not find the child for you,’ he said solemnly. Then, without wasting more words, Finn called his seven servants together, and passed in silence through the open door, and turned his face in the direction of home.
Now, down by the sea-shore, near the King’s castle, was a wonderfully strong boat, which had been seven years and seven days a-building
, and it had just been finished and newly tarred.
‘’Tis well that everything is ready,’ Finn said to the workmen, ‘for tomorrow I intend to set out in this boat to sail the proud seas.’
And accordingly, next day, he called together the seven servants whom he had met so strangely, and ordered them to make ready to accompany him.
‘I am going to a strange land,’ he said, ‘perhaps I will find you useful there.’
So the eight of them made ready, and that same evening they climbed into the boat, and pushed off from the shore.
They sailed and they sailed, until at last, after many days, they came in sight of a wild and rocky country.
‘This is the land I spoke of,’ said Finn; ‘here will we disembark, and see what we can discover.’
So they jumped ashore, and pulled up the boat on to the green grass, and then, having made it fast, they set out to explore.
At first they saw nothing but bare and desolate country, but at last they caught sight of a house, and when they came near it, they found that the walls, instead of being covered with mortar, were all covered with eel-skins.
‘Ha!’ said Finn, his eyes kindling, ‘it looks as if one of my men would be useful here. Come, fellow,’ he added, turning to the man who was good at climbing, ‘climb up to the top of that house, and peep down the chimney, and see what you can see.’
Without a moment’s hesitation the servant did as he was bid, and it was plain that he had not boasted of his skill in vain, for he went up the slippery eel-skin as if it had been a ladder.
He put one eye to the top of the chimney; then he drew back quickly, and beckoned to Finn to come close up under the wall.
‘Master, Master!’ he whispered joyously, ‘I think we have found what we came to seek. For there is a Giant seated within. He is great and terrible, with one huge eye which glows like a furnace in the middle of his forehead. And, moreover, he has only one arm, and he is sitting gazing at an infant which he is holding in the palm of his hand, while other two children are playing at his feet.’
Then Finn looked round quickly, ‘Where is the man who can steal an egg from the nest while the heron is looking on?’ he asked.
Another servant stepped forward.
‘If ever you stole well, steal well now,’ said Finn. ‘Put in your hand, and take the babes before the Monster has time to mark what is happening.’
The man did as he was bid. He lifted the latch and slipped into the house, and stealing noiselessly up behind the Giant, he seized the two boys who were playing on the floor, and the baby who was lying on his enormous palm; and he did all this so quietly, and in such a wonderfully stealthy manner, that the Giant never noticed him, but simply sat and rubbed his eye, and wondered where the children had gone to.
As the man was stealing away out of the room, he happened to notice three fine puppies which were lying curled up on a piece of matting in the corner.
‘I may as well take these puppies while I am about it,’ he said to himself, ‘they seem fine dogs, and perchance my master would like them.’
So as he passed, he lifted the puppies, and then he crept noiselessly out of the door, shutting it softly behind him.
As you may think, Finn was overjoyed to see that his servant had accomplished his errand so successfully, but he hardly took time to speak to him, for he knew that the instant the Giant realized that the children were really gone, he would rush out to look for them. So, taking one child in his arms, and ordering his men to keep close together, he turned and set out at their head in the direction of the sea.
They had not gone very far, however, before they heard a low, deep noise behind them, as if a dog were baying, and looking back, they saw a great tawny hound coming after them, with eyes that glowed like lamps, and deep-hanging jaws. And the curious thing about this hound was, that as it ran, it lifted one of its forefeet high in the air, as if it would strike some object in front of it.
‘Quick! You that can throw stones, and turn them into a stone and lime wall,’ cried Finn sharply, for he knew that if the hound overtook them, it was likely to tear one or other of them in pieces.
The man he spoke to began picking up stones as fast as he could, and throwing them in the direction of the advancing animal.
And, to everyone’s amazement, wherever a stone fell there sprang up, as if by magic, a great piece of solid wall.
But no matter how high walls are, they do not check the progress of furious dogs; and as quickly as one wall sprang up, the hound jumped over it, so that it soon became plain that they could not hope to stop her in that way.
‘Give her one of her puppies,’ shouted Finn, for he did not want to lose the children for the sake of a dog.
So one of the puppies was set down on the ground and left behind, while the whole company hurried on as fast as they could.
When the great hound came to the tiny creature she stopped, and sniffed it all over, wagging her tail with joy, but she only paused in her chase for a minute or two, then she left the puppy behind and bounded onwards.
Finn looked over his shoulder. It was clear that she was gaining on them.
‘Give her another,’ he cried. So another puppy was left behind. This time the mother seemed satisfied, for she stopped her pursuit and remained where she was, fondling her baby with little cries of contentment.
Meanwhile Finn and his company had reached the place where the boat was lying, and had dragged it down to the water’s edge and launched it, and were rowing away towards Erin as fast as they could.
They rowed, and they rowed, until at last they laid by their oars for a time, thinking they were quite safe from pursuit.
But when they looked behind them they saw something weird and strange, following them far away in the distance.
It was as though the sea were all on fire, with flashing streaks of light darting about in all directions, and in the middle of the light they could see that the water was foaming and frothing as if someone were beating it into fury.
This strange thing came on and on, until at last it was so near that one of the men called out, ‘It is the Giant; I can see his great face, and his one eye fixed on us, as if he would dearly like to destroy us.’
‘And destroy us he surely will,’ said Finn, ‘if he reaches us. One touch of his little finger will be enough to wreck the boat. But we will outdo him yet! Where is the man who can work such wonders with his bow and arrow?’
In an instant the man was beside him, his bowstring at his ear. Straight and swift flew the arrow, and entered the Giant’s eye.
The Monster uttered a cry of rage and pain, but still he swam on, and still the awful lights played round about him, and still the water rose high in the air.
‘Shoot again,’ said Finn, and once more the man drew his bow. This time the Giant was vanquished, for he threw up his one remaining arm in the air, and with a hoarse cry sank down dead.
Then were the hearts of Finn and his men filled with joy, for they knew that their dangers were at last overcome, and that they would reach Erin in safety.
And in due time they did so, and carried the three children in triumph to the King’s Palace.
When the King saw them coming, and realized that Finn had brought back, not only the baby that had been lost, but his two little brothers also, he scarcely knew how to thank him.
‘What can I offer you in return for this great service which you have rendered me, O Finn?’ he said. ‘Nothing is too much for you to ask. Take what you wish, even to the half of my Kingdom.’
But Finn shook his head.
‘I ask not for reward, O King,’ he replied, ‘for the best reward I can have, have I already attained, for I have been able to keep my word to you. I promised to save your child, and I have fulfilled my promise; and, moreover, I have brought to you your other children also, whom you had given up for lost.’
‘But I will keep this pup as a remembrance,’ he added, lifting up the tiny creature and pressing it to his breast,
‘for it has come from an enchanted land, and I perceive that on its forefoot it has a claw, such as I have never seen on any dog before, so that perchance it has powers that we know not of, and may prove to us a help and protection in the days that are to come.’
Which words, as old tales tell us, came abundantly true.
‘How Finn Obtained the Tooth of Knowledge’ by Elizabeth Grierson
All the world knows that the great Irish hero, Finn, the son of Cool, Captain of the Fians, had a wonderful tooth, called the Tooth of Knowledge, by the aid of which he could practise the art of divination.
Which means that he had but to place his thumb in his mouth, and press it against this tooth, and instantly the whole of the future lay bare before him, and he could tell what would happen in the coming days.
Long before he was born, an old soothsayer had told the people of Ireland that there was a certain magic Salmon, the Salmon of Knowledge, swimming about in a deep pool, the Pool of Linnfec, in the River Boyne, and that some day a man named Finn would catch this Salmon and eat it; and that, as soon as he tasted it, the magic gift would pass from the Salmon to him, and he would be able to foretell the future.
No one paid much attention to this ancient prophecy however, until at last, long years after the soothsayer had died, an old poet, whose name also chanced to be Finn, heard of it, and he at once determined that he would try to catch the Salmon, and become the possessor of this marvellous gift of knowledge.
So he left his poetry and his books, and took up his abode in a tent by the side of the pool, and spent the whole of his time in fishing.
But although he managed to catch a great many other kinds of fish, he never managed to catch the wonderful Salmon. He did not lose heart, however, but went on patiently, for he always hoped that he would have better luck next time.
One day a little boy, who looked pinched and pale for want of food, came walking along the river’s bank, clad in rough, coarse garments.
When he saw the tent, and the poet sitting fishing on a three-legged stool by the edge of the river, his eyes brightened, for he was looking for work, and it was possible that this old man might be able to give it to him.
Irish Folk and Fairy Tales Page 16