Bits of Blarney, Page 3

  LEGEND OF THE LAKE.

  Once upon a time, and there was no lake here, at all at all. In themiddle of the place where that lake is, there stood a large castle, andin it dwelt an unbaptized giant--it was before blessed Saint Patrickcame into the country, Heaven rest his soul--and this giant had martialrule over all the country, far and near.

  In his time, the Aw-martin, nor any other river, did not flow near us.Indeed, though there was plenty of wine in the Castle, there was a greatwant of water. This was very inconvenient for the ladies--the fellow hadas many wives as a Turk--because they were always wanting to wash theirclothes, and their pretty faces, and their white hands, and theirwell-shaped bodies; and, more than that, they could not make themselvesa raking cup of tea, by any means, for the want of good soft water. So,one and all, they sent a petition to the giant, praying that he wouldhave the kindness to procure them a well of water. When he read it, hemade no more ado but whipped off through the air--just like a bird ofParadise--to his old aunt, who was a fairy, and had foretold that, someday or other, water would be the death of him. Perhaps that was thereason that he always took his liquor neat.

  Well, he told her what he had come about, and after a world ofentreaty--for she had a foreboding that something unfortunate would comeof it--the old fairy put a little bottle into his hands. "Take this,"said she, "and drill a hole in the rock at the foot of the Castlebarbican, where the sun throws his latest ray before he sinks into thewest. Make a stone-cover for the top of it--one that will fit itexactly. Then pour the water from this bottle into that hole in therock, and there will be a well of pure water, for the use of yourselfand your family. But, when no one is actually taking water out of thiswell, be sure that the close-fitting stone-cover is always left upon it,for it is the nature of the liquid to overflow, unless it be keptconfined."

  He gave her a thousand thanks, and home he went. The first thing he didwas to drill a hole in the rock (and he did not find _that_ a very easyjob), then to fit it with an air-tight stone-cover, and, lastly, to pourin the water out of the little bottle.

  Sure enough, there immediately bubbled up an abundance of bright, clear,and sparkling water. The giant then assembled all his family, and toldthem how the stone-cover must always be kept over the well when theywere not using it. And then his wives agreed that, as they had been soanxious to get this water, one of them, turn about, should sit by thewell, day and night, and see that no one left it uncovered. They werecontent to submit to this trouble, rather than run the risk of losingthe water.

  Things went on very well for some time. At last, as _must_ be the casewhen a woman is to the fore, there came a tremendous blow-up. One of thegiant's ladies was a foreigner, and had been married, in her owncountry, before she fell into his hands. Mild and pale she always was,pretty creature! lamenting the land she had left and the lover she hadlost. It happened, one day as she sat by the well, that an old pilgrimcame to the gate, asked for a draught of water, in God's name, and heldout his pitcher for it. Her thoughts were far away, never fear, but shehad a tender heart, and she raised the cover from the well to fill hisvessel. While she was doing this, the pilgrim pulled off his gown andhis false beard, and who should he be but her own husband! She sprangoff her seat towards him, and then, faint with joy and pale as death,she sank back into the oaken chair on which she had been sitting, as theguardian of the well. A bird never flew through the air faster than _he_flew towards _her_. He seated himself beside her in the chair, held herlovingly in his arms, kissed her cheeks and lips twenty times over,called her all manner of fond names, and sprinkled her with water untilthe fresh color came again into her face, and the warm life into herheart.

  All this time the well was left uncovered, and the watersrose--rose--rose, until they surrounded the Castle. Higher and higherdid they rise, until, at last, down fell the gates, and then the streamrushed in, drowning every living soul within the place, and settlingdown into the very lake that we sit by now.

  The moral of the story is, that the lady and the pilgrim escaped--forthe oaken chair supported them and floated them until they safely puttheir feet on dry land. All the rest perished, because they hadwillingly consented to live in sin with the giant; but this one lady hadbeen kept there entirely against her will. The two thanked God for theirescape, and returned to their own country, where they lived long andhappily. It had been the giant's pride to put all his best jewels onwhoever kept watch over the well, in order that all who passed mightnotice them and pay respect to his wealth. As this lady had them allupon her when the Castle was swallowed up, she and her husband had moneyenough, out of the sale of them, to keep them in a very genteel way oflife at home. Some people say that, at times, the walls of the drownedCastle can be seen through the waters of the lake,--but I won't swear tothe fact, as I never noticed it myself.

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  Such was Tim Cronin's account of the formation of the lake--a versionmore pleasant than probable. I ventured to inquire how the meadow nextthe waters came to be so bare, while all the others bore such luxuriantgrass and grain? Mr. Cronin asked me, whether I saw a gray rock on theleft, with three pines on its summit. I noticed them, as required."Then," said he, "look well at the place all around, and I shall tellyou another story or two about Blarney."

  Thus admonished, I took a closer survey of the place. The rock rose witha gentle swell in the distance, but its front was so precipitous as tobe nearly perpendicular; and it was thickly covered with ivy, tangledlike network, with which were mingled wild honeysuckle, dog-rose, andother parasites. There was a sort of rugged entrance at its base, overwhich the wild-brier and honeysuckle had formed a natural arch. Exceptthis, the rock had a commonplace aspect.