“Are you still a friend to me, Eagle?” said the King’s Son.
“I am still a friend to you, King’s Son,” said Laheen.
“Then tell me where I should go to get knowledge of the Unique Tale,” said the King of Ireland’s Son.
“The Unique Tale—I never heard of it at all,” said Laheen the Eagle, changing from one leg to the other. “I am old,” she said, shaking her wings, “and I never heard of the Unique Tale.”
The King’s Son looked and saw that Laheen was really old. Her neck was bare of feathers and her wings were gray. “Oh, if you are so old,” said the King’s Son, “and have gone to so many places, and do not know of the Unique Tale, to whom can I go to get knowledge of it?”
“Listen,” said Laheen the Eagle, “there are five of us that are called the Five Ancient Ones of Ireland, and it is not known which one of the five is the oldest. There is myself, Laheen the Eagle; there is Blackfoot the Elk of Ben Gulban, there is the Crow of Achill, the Salmon of Assaroe and the Old Woman of Beare. We do not know ourselves which of us is the oldest, but we know that we five are the most ancient of living things. I have never heard of the Unique Tale,” said Laheen, “but maybe one of the other Ancients has heard of it.”
“I will go to them,” said the King’s Son. “Tell me how I will find the Crow of Achill, the Elk of Ben Gulban, the Salmon of Assaroe and the Old Woman of Beare—tell me how to go to them, Laheen the Eagle.”
“You need not go to the Salmon of Assaroe,” said the Eagle, “for the Salmon would not have heard any tale. I will get you means of finding the other three. Follow the stream now until you come to the river. Wait at the ford and I will fly to you there.” Laheen the Eagle then shook her wings and flew slowly away. The King of Ireland’s Son followed the stream until he came to the river—the River of the Ox it was.
IV
And having come to the River of the Ox he sought the ford and waited there for Laheen the Eagle. When it was high noon he saw the shadow of the Eagle in the water of the ford. He looked up. Laheen let something fall into the shallows. It was a wheel. Then Laheen lighted on the rocks of a waterfall above the ford and spoke to the King of Ireland’s Son.