s had agreed together to slay him.

"Lord," said Kicva, "Wherefore should this be borne from these boors?"
"Nay," said he, "we will go back unto Dyved." So towards Dyved they set
forth.

Now Manawyddan, when he set out to return to Dyved, took with him a
burden of wheat. And he proceeded towards Narberth, and there he dwelt.
And never was he better pleased than when he saw Narberth again, and the
lands where he had been wont to hunt with Pryderi and with Rhiannon. And
he accustomed himself to fish, and to hunt the deer in their covert. And
then he began to prepare some ground and he sowed a croft, and a second,
and a third. And no wheat in the world ever sprung up better. And the
three crofts prospered with perfect growth, and no man ever saw fairer
wheat than it.

And thus passed the seasons of the year until the harvest came. And he
went to look at one of his crofts, and behold it was ripe. "I will reap
this to-morrow," said he. And that night he went back to Narberth, and
on the morrow in the grey dawn he went to reap the croft, and when he
came there he found nothing but the bare straw. Every one of the ears of
the wheat was cut from off the stalk, and all the ears carried entirely
away, and nothing but the straw left. And at this he marvelled greatly.

Then he went to look at another croft, and behold that also was ripe.
"Verily," said he, "this will I reap to-morrow." And on the morrow he
came with the intent to reap it, and when he came there he found nothing
but the bare straw. "Oh gracious Heaven," he exclaimed, "I know that
whosoever has begun my ruin is completing it, and has also destroyed the
country with me."

Then he went to look at the third croft, and when he came there, finer
wheat had there never been seen, and this also was ripe. "Evil betide
me," said he, "if I watch not here to-night. Whoever carried off the
other corn will come in like manner to take this. And I will know who it
is." So he took his arms, and began to watch the croft. And he told
Kicva all that had befallen. "Verily," said she, "what thinkest thou to
do?" "I will watch the croft to-night," said he.

And he went to watch the croft. And at midnight, lo! there arose the
loudest tumult in the world. And he looked, and behold the mightiest
host of mice in the world, which could neither be numbered nor measured.
And he knew not what it was until the mice had made their way into the
croft, and each of them clim