The king had nothing for the others, and he had nothing for himself. All had to go away hungry, and there was great dissatisfaction in the castle, and complaining.
The king had nothing to do now but to go to the henwife a third time for advice in his trouble.
“You have,” said she, “three hundred and fifty pipes of wine. If his company cannot drink every drop of the wine, don’t give him the daughter.”
Next day Dyeermud went to the castle. “Am I to have the daughter now?” asked he of the king.
“I will not give my daughter,” said the king, “unless you and your company will drink the three hundred and fifty pipes of wine that are in my castle.”
“Bring out the wine,” said Dyeermud; “we’ll come to-morrow, and do the best we can to drink it.”
Dyeermud and his men went next day to where the wine was. Gulping-a-River was the man for drinking, and they let him at it. After he got a taste, he was that anxious that he broke in the head of one pipe after another, and drank till there wasn’t a drop left in the three hundred and fifty pipes. All the wine did was to put thirst on Gulping-a-River; and he was that mad with thirst that he drank up the spring well at the castle, and all the springs in the neighborhood, and a loch three miles distant, so that in the evening there wasn’t a drop of water for man or beast in the whole place.
What did the king do but go to the henwife the fourth time.
“Oh,” said she, “there is no use in trying to get rid of him this way; you can make no hand of Dyeermud by eating or drinking. Do you send him now to the Eastern World to get the bottle of cure from the three sons of Sean [pronounced Shawn,—John] Mac Glinn, and to have it at the castle before noon to-morrow.”
“Am I to get the daughter now?” asked Dyeermud of the king.