himself that he would give me a good
beating. He left me on the floor of his house. But while he was gone for
his club I bit my way out of the sack and made my escape. I came back
to my own house, and my wife struck me with the wand of enchantment, and
changed me from a wolf into a man again. 'Is that not true?'" said he to
the woman.

"It is true," said she.

"That is all of the Unique Tale that I know," said the Enchanter of
the Black Back-Lands, "and now that I have told it to you, put up your
sword."

"I will put up no sword," said the King of Ireland's Son, "until you
tell me what King and Queen were the father and mother of the child that
was reared by the Hags of the Long Teeth."

"I made no promise to tell you that," said the En-chanter of the Black
Back-Lands. "You have got the story you asked for, and now let me see
your back going through my door."

"Yes, you have got the story, and be off with you now," said the woman
who sat by the fire.

He put up his sword; he went to the door; he left the house of the
Enchanter of the Black Back-Lands. He mounted the Slight Red Steed and
rode off. He knew now what went before and what came after the Unique
Tale. The Gobaun Saor would clean the blemish of the blade of the Sword
of Light and would show him how to come to the Land of Mist. Then he
would win back his love Fedelma.

He thought too on the tidings he had for his comrade Flann--Flann was
the Son of the King who was called the Hunter-King and of Sheen whose
brothers had been changed into seven wild geese. He shook his horse's
reins and went back towards the Town of the Red Castle.

V

Flann thought upon the Princess Flame-of-Wine. He walked through the
town after the King's Son had ridden after the Enchanter, without
noticing anyone until he heard a call and saw Mogue standing beside a
little tent that he had set up before the Bull's Field.

Flann went to Mogue and found him very disconsolate on account of the
loss of the horse he had brought into the town. "This is a bad town to
be in," said Mogue, "and unless I persuade yourself to become partners
with me I shall have done badly in it. Join with me now and we'll do
some fine feats together."

"It would not become a King's Son to join with a robber-captain," said
Flann.

"Fine talk, fine talk," said Mogue. He thought that Flann was jesting
with him when he spoke of himself as a King's Son.

"I want to sell three treasures I have with me,"