Collectanea. 1 8 3
he was looking for a master. And the gentleman said, "That is good, I, myself am looking for a boy, and when the year is up, I Avill give you the best horse in my stable."
When the year was up the boy went to see an old blind sage, and he told him not to take one horse but a little brown horse that was in a dark stable. So when he was given his choice of the horses he said it was one little brown one he wanted.
And his master said, " That one you shan't get."
" I will take no other one but her," said the boy, when he found his master liked the horse. So he got it, and went off with the horse, and met another gentleman, a king's son, and was his servant and got good wages, but he did not get more than two inches of a candle for the night by which to eat his supper. And one day in the evening he was coming home with his horse when he saw a fine light {agjis connaic sc solas breagh), and he drew to it. And he said to himself that fine light would show him light when he was eating his supper, for he was never half full when the light went out.
The horse had never spoken to him till then, and it said " Leave the rib of hair behind or you will suffer."
" I won't," he said, " it is just what will answer me while I am at supper."
And the light showed through the keyhole of his room, it was so beautiful ; and the king's son came and knocked at the door. "Where did you get that beautiful light?" he asked.
" A rib of hair I got when I was coming home," said the son of the nobleman.
The king's son went to his old blind wise man, and asked him what did the rib of hair mean that showed such a light. The old wise blind man said, " That is a rib of the hair of the queen golden, flaming {beanrioghan, oir, /oisgeac/i), and when she went out the wind blew the rib off her hair ; and all her hair shines light."
And the king's son said, " How can I get that one? "
The wise man said, " Who can get her but the boy who got the hair."
The king's son told the son of the nobleman that was at him as a servant to go and get the queen, golden, flaming, for him. So he went to the little horse in the stable and told her the news.
