Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race - Knowledge Rush

324 Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race[376]Pryderi still clinging to the bowl and unable to speak. She also,then, laid hold of the bowl, when the same fate befell her, andimmediately afterwards came a peal of thunder, and a heavy mistfell, and when it cleared off the castle had vanished with all thatit contained, including the two spell-bound wanderers.Manawyddan then went back to Narberth, where only Kicva,Pryderi's wife, now remained. And when she saw none butherself and Manawyddan in the place, “she sorrowed so that shecared not whether she lived or died.” When Manawyddan sawthis he said to her, “Thou art in the wrong if through fear of methou grievest thus. I declare to thee were I in the dawn of youth Iwould keep my faith unto Pryderi, and unto thee also will I keepit.” “Heaven reward thee,” she said, “and that is what I deemedof thee.” And thereupon she took courage and was glad.Kicva and Manawyddan then again tried to support themselvesby shoemaking in Lloegyr, but the same hostility drove themback to Dyfed. This time, however, Manawyddan took backwith him a load of wheat, and he sowed it, and he prepared threecrofts for a wheat crop. Thus the time passed till the fields wereripe. And he looked at one of the crofts and said, “I will reap thisto-morrow.” But on the morrow when he went out in the greydawn he found nothing there but bare straw—every ear had beencut off from the stalk and carried away.Next day it was the same with the second croft. But on thefollowing night he armed himself and sat up to watch the thirdcroft to see who was plundering him. At midnight, as he watched,he heard a loud noise, and behold, a mighty host of mice camepouring into the croft, and they climbed up each on a stalk andnibbled off the ears and made away with them. He chased themin anger, but they fled far faster than he could run, all save onewhich was slower in its movements, and this he barely managedto overtake, and he bound it into his glove and took it home toNarberth, and told Kicva what had happened. “To-morrow,” hesaid, “I will hang the robber I have caught,” but Kicva thought it