many days and adventures too numerous to relate, he came to
the house of the King of the Gnomes, which was inside a mountain
and as thickset with jewels as the grass with dew on a fine
morning.

Shamus told his desire and the King of the Gnomes ordered the dog
to be brought. It was a tiny creature, and looking at its coat one
way its color was gold, and looking at it another way its color was
green, and underneath it was a fire red. Around its neck was a
silver bell that chimed sweetly as it walked and at the sound of
which all sorrow was forgotten.

"'Tis a fine dog," said Shamus.

"'Tis that." said the King, "and the sound of the bell is sweet,
but one thing it will not do. Have you a wife?" said he.

"I have not," said Shamus.

The King looked at him long with envy in his eyes.

"Some are born lucky in this world," said he. "Know that I have a
wife whose tongue is like the roar of a waterfall day and night,
save now and then when she takes a nap as she is now doing. Her
talk drowns out the sound of the silver bell and drives me nearly
mad. Make her cease her clatter, and the dog is yours."

Just then there was a great noise and out came the Queen, talking
thirteen to the dozen. The King clapped his fingers to his ears,
and the magic dog put his tail between his legs and crawled under
the throne. The King said never a word, but his glance said plain
as day, "Isn't it as I said?"

So Shamus took his harp and began to play his song of running
water. At first he could not make himself heard, but after a while,
as he played, the Queen's talk came slower and slower, and softer
and softer, and by and by she was speechless.

Then Shamus began to walk slowly away, and the Queen followed. On
and on he walked until he came to a stream. In the middle was a
stone. Around it foamed the white water. Onto the stone leapt
Shamus, still playing. The Queen stood on the bank and wrung her
hands, and then with a shriek she threw herself in and was swept
away in the white water.

Shamus leapt back to the bank where stood the King much pleased.

"The dog is yours," said he, "and a good bargain I've made. The
silence," he said, "will be like honey on the tongue. Now and
then," he said, "I'll likely come to the stream and drop in a bit
of a stone. It roars louder than it did,