ends, as you shall see.

There came a time of famine in Ireland, and there was not food enough to
go around, as has often happened there from the earliest days until even
now. Comgall and his household at Bangor were very hungry. But what made
it hardest to bear was that they knew where there was plenty of food
close by, if only they could get it. For Croadh was a great Prince who
lived in the neighborhood, and Croadh had barns and storehouses full of
grain which could be made into bread. But he was a selfish, stingy man
and would not give away or even sell his stores, for he would rather see
the people starve. Now Croadh had a wicked old mother living in his
palace, who was even more cruel than himself. Her name was Luch, and
Luch means in Irish "the Mouse." And it was her name which put an idea
into Comgall's head.

After sending all sorts of messengers to beg Croadh to give them some of
his grain; after trying all sorts of ways to make him sell it, Comgall
went himself to the Prince's palace to see what he could do. He carried
with him a beautiful silver goblet which had been given him by some one
as a present, and it was worth many bushels of grain.

Comgall strode into the Prince's hall and stood before Croadh holding
out the goblet in his hand. And he said,--

"Here, O Prince, is a valuable thing. We are starving in the monastery,
and silver we cannot eat. Give me and my monks some of your golden grain
and I will exchange for it the silver cup. Be merciful, O Croadh, and
hear me."

But the Chief only laughed and said mockingly, "Not so. You keep your
silver goblet and I will keep my golden grain. Your beggarly pupils
shall not eat of my stores. I want all, every grain, for my old Mouse."
And by that word he meant his mother, the black-eyed, wrinkled, gray old
Luch, whose name meant "the Mouse." For she was the most miserly,
wicked, old woman in the world, and she had made him promise not to give
up any of the grain. Then Comgall was angry, because he saw that the
Prince meant to see the people starve.

"Very well," he said, fixing his eyes sternly upon Croadh, "as you have
said, so shall it be. The mouse shall have your grain." And drawing his
robe about him he strode home with the useless silver goblet.

As I have said, the mice were Comgall's friends. He had only to call
them and explain what the hard-hearted Prince had done; he had only to
tell the mice what he wished them to do, and the matter was settl