Legendary fictions of the Irish Celts

252 Fictions of the Irish Celts.
mornings began to grow \txy dismal on Inm. But, before
the day come round, there was great coming and going;
for the other four kings of Ireland were invited, along
with all the lords and ladies that choose to travel so far,
to listen to a great match of harp-playing between Craftine,
the king's harper, and any one that had the consate
to play again him.
Well and good, a week before the day appointed, the
harper found sonie cracks or worm-holes, or some vicea
or other in his instrument, and so he went into the wood
to look for the makings of a new one. Where should
bad luck send him but to the very sally that Thigue told
his secret to ! He cut it down, and fashioned it into the
finest harp that ever you see (an' the dickens a harp ever
I saw but on a halfpenny) ; and when he tried it, he was
enchanted himself, such beautiful music as it played I
So at last the great day came, and the streets wor
filled with coaches and horses, and the big hall in the
palace was crammed. The king was on his high throne,
and the four other kings were before him, and behind
him, and at one side of him, and at the other; and the
great lords and ladies were round the open place in the
centre where all the harpers were sitting ; and all such
people as you and me surrounded the quality, till you
couldn't put the blade of a knife between the walls and
themselves.
So the king gave the word of command, and up got
Craftine, and the music be made was so mournful, that
those who couldn't cover their faces put a cross look on
themselves to hide their grief. This didn't please the
king ; so he waved his hand, and Craftine struck up
a jig, and so bothered were they all, gentle and simple,
that they had no room for dancing, that they shouted out
for merriment, and any one that had a hat or a cap flung
it up to the rafters. By and by he got afeard that they
would all rush in on himself and the other harpers for
dancing room, and he changed the air to " Brian Boru's
March." Well, they were not so uproarious while it was