“O, it was Mehane,” answered she; “Mehane a veil Mehane!”
“Well, then,” said the farmer, “I suppose it can’t be helped, as it was yourself that did it. So here, ‘Boy!’ take her on your back, and carry her home: it was but an accident!”
So Rooshkulum carried her off and put her to bed, she all the time crying out. “Ah! but it was Myself that ruined Myself!” till her son thought her half cracked. She was quite unable to rise next morning; so Rooshkulum “the fool” made an excellent and hearty breakfast, which he took care also to share with the greyhound.
But then the old lady called her son to her bedside, and explained how that it was “the Boy” who had done the mischief, “and I command you,” said she, “to get rid of him, and for that purpose desire him at once to go and make ‘cuisseh na cuissheh na guirach’ (the road of the sheeps’ feet), that you have long been intending to do, and then to send him with the flock over the road to the land of the giant; we shall then never see him more; and it is better to lose even a flock of sheep than have him longer here, now that he has discovered our trick.”
The farmer called Rooshkulum to him, and taxed him with what he had done to his mother.
“And,” said Rooshkulum, “could you blame me?”
“Why, no,” answered the farmer, remembering his part of the agreement, “I don’t blame you, but you must never do it any more. And now you must take these (pointing to the sheep), and because the bog is soft on the road to the ‘land of the giant,’ you must make ‘the road of the sheeps’ feet’ for them to go over, and come back when they are fat, and the giant will support you while you are there. Do you blame me for that?”
“No,” said Rooshkulum, driving away the sheep.
But, contrary to all their expectations, in an hour’s time in marched Rooshkulum, covered with bog dirt and blood. “O!” said he, “I have had hard work since, and made a good deal of the road of the sheeps’ legs; but, indeed, there are not half enough legs after all, and you must give me more legs, if you would wish the road made firm.”
“And, you rascal, do you tell me you have cut off the legs of all my fine sheep?”