away in the sky as bowstring could send or bow could carry." "Thou art good enough; thou mayest pass by."
All this gave Finn great encouragement. He turned round and said to the Carpenter, "Prove thy skill." The Carpenter went where the stock was, and struck it with his ax thrice; and as he had said, the ship was ready.
When Finn saw the ship ready he ordered his men to put her out. They did that and went on board of her.
Finn now ordered the Tracker to go to the bow and prove himself. At the same time he told him that yesterday a Big Young Hero left yonder haven in his ship, and that he wanted to follow the Hero to the place in which he now was. Finn himself went to steer the ship, and they departed. The Tracker was telling him to keep her that way or to keep her this way. They sailed a long time forward without seeing land, but they kept on their course until the evening was approaching. In the gloaming they noticed that land was ahead of them, and they made straight for it. When they reached the shore they leaped to land, and drew up the ship.
Then they noticed a large fine house in the glen above the beach. They took their way up to the house; and when they were nearing it they saw the Big Young Hero coming to meet them. He ran and placed his two arms about Finn's neck and said, "Darling of all men in the world, hast thou come?"
"If I had been thy darling of all the men in the
world, it is not as thou didst leave me that thou wouldst have left me," said Finn.
"Oh, it was not without a way of coming I left thee," said the Big Young Hero. "Did I not send a company of seven men to meet thee?"
When they reached the house, the Big Young Hero told Finn and his men to go in. They accepted the invitation and found abundance of meat and drink.
After they had quenched their hunger and thirst, the Big Young Hero came in where they were, and said to Finn, "Six years from this night my wife was in child-bed, and a child was born to me. As soon as the child came into the world, a large Hand came in at the chimney, and took the child with it in the hollow of the hand. Three years from this night the same thing happened. And tonight she is going to be in child-bed again. It was told me that thou wert the only man in the world who could keep my children for me, and now I have courage since I have found thee."