There was once a King in the Highlands who had a quarrel with a wizard. Now wizards are uncanny people to quarrel with, and if the Queen been alive she would no doubt have persuaded the King to " let sleeping dogs lie," as they say. Instead of which the King called the wizard a scoundrel and declared that he would be revenged on him.
How it happened we do not know—whether the wizard killed the King or whether he only willed his death—but the King died very suddenly, leaving his son Fergus and his daughter Fiona alone. They had a big old castle, but not much money—for the King was poor, as kings go; and they had few friends, and no servants—so they felt very desolate indeed.
The wizard came to see them, and he said pityingly: "Poor young things! Although your father, the King, quarrelled with me, I should like to be your friend," and Fiona was grateful for his kindness.
But Fergus distrusted the wizard, and felt sure that he only wanted to get possession of the golden sceptre and the inlaid sword that were the dead King's greatest treasures. So he stole out in the night, carrying the sword and the sceptre. He made for Beinn Ghloine, the nearest mountain, which was a very difficult hill to climb, because at all times of the year it had a glassy surface like ice.
But Fergus knew it well, and he soon reached the cairn on the top. He pulled the cairn down, stone by stone, placed the sceptre and the sword at its base, and rebuilt it. And then, tired out with all his exertion, he lay down and fell asleep.
The wizard, meanwhile, had wakened, and finding Fergus' bed empty, he thought:
"What can that lad be doing at this time of night? I must go after him and find out."
He traced Fergus by his footprints on the dewy grass right to the foot of Beinn Ghloine, which he proceeded to climb. He took a very long time to reach the mountaintop, but when he got up, there was Fergus, lying sound asleep, and at his mercy.
"Aha! I have you now! " he snarled, and he began to chant a horrid spell, as he made some waving motions over the sleeping boy.
And poor Fergus woke to find that the wizard had turned him into a greyhound, and in that form he had to retrace his way down the mountain-side. |
