his tread. They galloped across the very sea, and the maiden, whose name
was Niam, sang to him as they rode, and this so enchantingly that he
scarcely knew whether hours passed or days. Sometimes deer ran by them
over the water, followed by red-eared hounds in full chase; sometimes a
maiden holding up an apple of gold; sometimes a beautiful youth; but they
themselves rode on always westward.

At last they drew near an island which was not, Niam said, the island
they were seeking; but it was one where a beautiful princess was kept
under a spell until some defender should slay a cruel giant who held her
under enchantment until she should either wed him or furnish a defender.
The youth Usheen, being an Irishman and not easily frightened, naturally
offered his services as defender, and they waited three days and nights to
carry on the conflict. He had fought at home--so the legend says--with
wild boars, with foreign invaders, and with enchanters, but he never had
quite so severe a contest as with this giant; but after he had cut off his
opponent's head and had been healed with precious balm by the beautiful
princess, he buried the giant's body in a deep grave and placed above it a
great stone engraved in the Ogham alphabet--in which all the letters are
given in straight lines.

After this he and Niam again mounted the white steed and galloped away
over the waves. Niam was again singing, when soft music began to be heard
in the distance, as if in the centre of the setting sun. They drew nearer
and nearer to a shore where the very trees trembled with the multitude of
birds that sang upon them; and when they reached the shore, Niam gave one
note of song, and a band of youths and maidens came rushing towards them
and embraced them with eagerness. Then they too sang, and as they did it,
one brought to Usheen a harp of silver and bade him sing of earthly joys.
He found himself chanting, as he thought, with peculiar spirit and melody,