“And how are the gates guarded?”
“I’m tired,” said the Glashan, “and I can’t talk.”
“Tell me, or I’ll twist the horse’s ears off your head.”
“Well, the first gate is guarded by a plover only. It sits on the third pinnacle over the gate, and when anyone comes near it rises up and flies round the Castle crying until its sharp cries put the other guards on the watch.”
“And what other guards are there?”
“Oh, I’m tired, and I can talk no more.”
The King of Ireland’s Son twisted his horse’s ears, and then the Glashan said
“The second gate is guarded by five spear-men.”
“And how is the third gate guarded?”
“The third gate is guarded by seven swordsmen.”