THE VOYAGE OF THE SONS OF O'CORRA.[CLV.]
A princely upright hundred-herd brugaid[CLVI.] was born one time in the lovely province of Connaught, namely, Conall Derg O'Corra the fair-haired. And thus was this brugaid (circumstanced):—he was a fortunate, rich, prosperous man; and his house was never found without three shouts in it—the shout of the brewers brewing ale, and the shout of the servants over the caldrons distributing (meat) to the hosts, and the shout of the youths over the chessboards[CLVII.] winning games from one another.
The same house was never without three measures:—a measure of malt for making yeast, a measure of wheat for providing bread for the guests, and a measure of salt for savouring each kind of food.
His wife was Cairderga[CLVIII.] the daughter of the Erenach[CLIX.] of Clogher.[CLX.] They felt no want of any kind except being without children; and it was not that they were without children (being born to them), but that the infants always died the moment after birth.
Then this brugaid said (one day) to his wife as she reclined near him on the couch:—"It is a sad thing for us," said he, "that we have no children who would take our place and fill it worthily when we are gone."
"What desire is in your mind in regard to that?" says the wife.
"It is my desire," says the brugaid, "to make a bond with the demon to try if he would give us a son or a daughter who would take our place after us (since God has not done so)."
"Let us do that," said the woman.