The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-18

sword and dagger by his side, with a
great bronze ak swung over his fur
clad shoulders.
Now, one of these captives, a blue
eyed, dark-haired lad, marched some
what apart from the others, for he was
of gentle race in his own country, and
therefore destined to serve as bonds
man to the king himself, to the wild
king of this wild, heather land. Pat
rick they called him, or, in Gaelic.
"Patraic," which was the nearest they
could go towards pronouncing its name
-Patricius," or the patrician.
AS he stepped with bare feet out of
the shoal water, this dark-haired lad
took something furtively from his trav-
el-stained tunic and gazed at it with
lack-lustre eye. 1t was a little clump
of brown mould, with, growing from 1t,
a tiny plant of slender green stems,
and a tiny green leaf curiously shaped
upon every stem. The great rugged sea
rovers were busy with their boats and
their other prisoners, so that Patrick
had a time in which to gaze at this Gu
rious prize. But, even as he gazed. a
heavy hand descended upon his shout
der, and a rough voice spoke in the
dialect of the seas (the tongue in which
all mariners spake then as they do to-
day-the hybrid language of harbor
and ocean highway
Beware the evil spell. 1t is be-
witched. This boys father is a priest
in his own country. He has doubtless
set his mark upon this piece of herb
age. Should one of US touch 1t, 1t VIII
turn into serpents, to rend and to de-
stroy u.s. Lay not thy hand uron 1t in
the name of Baal the sun-the master
of our lives
For these old Irish worshiped the sun,
and they were vastly superstitious, as,
indeed. are Gaelic people even to this
day, despite Christianity and civlliza-
ton.
..Thou'rt right avic," cried the cap
tain of the band: "'twere rash to touch
the Christian child's SPELL e
But he shall go forthwith before the
archdruid of Ulster, and the herb shall
go with him. Although it looks harm
less enough, FOUNDER bit of green
just like any other trefoil, such
as I have seen growing by hundreos
over seas, yet spell it may well be,
and 1 am in no mood to risk needing
with it,
He motioned to Patrick to keep his
hit of trefoil. and the trembling lad
hastily placed this relic of his lost home
within the folds of his tunic. Then the
ships having been beached, and guard
posted over them, the whole party
turned their faces inland towards
Tough Neagh, where King Maeicno'
monarch of Antrim, held ms prlfnltlVe
court.
At high noon on the following day,
two of the sea rovers reused MIN from
his rude bed in the Gaelic monarch S
bavn or stable-yard. He had been, 1t
seemed. separated from his fellows, Tor
when he came into the presence or the
king. he could see none of the other
captives in the throng. Maelcho, ruler
of western Ulster, sat upon throne OF
oak-a dark-eyed, yellow-halred man
of mighty stature, but with lurking
kindliness in his face, cheered the
youthful captive not niue. Arouna t
the throne were the druids, ana cnle1
among them all stood forth the arch
Druid w-browed and evil-eyed, re-
nuted one to be feared throughout
northern Ireland. But the king, Mael-
cho smiled upon Patrick, and the boy
feared not.
ct has been told unto u.s." said the
arch-druid in thunderouS tones, that
this stranger child is wizard or the
Christians over seas-that he Dearetn
smell of might within his tunic. There
fore. we. the Druids of the kingdom of
Ulster bid him produce this Wanted
talisman: but we warn him that there
is no SPELL of whatsoever power, that
we cannot overcome and conquer by
invocation of Baal the. supreme"
Patrick, staring widely beneath his
swart eyelashes, understood no word of
this speech. until the kindly king, nod
ding to one of the sea rovers, had the
speech of the archdruid translated for
his benefit into the mutual language of
the seas.
Then Patrick. plucking up courage
and drawing from his bosom the lit
tie clump of mold, with its sprig of
trefoil. spake earnestly unto the king
This is no spell. my lord.
Only, as the sea rovers swooped down
upon our fields, to bear me away into
slavery / begged of my captor-the
tall, dark warrior yonder-leave to
pluck this plant from the sod as a
memory of my native land"
The swarthy sailor indicated ac-
sailorwise, in a few words, |
that the boy had spoken the truth.
But the archdruid, and the lieutenant
of the sea rovers, who were not 10 be
COMPOUNDED. eagerly conferred to-
gether, and the archdruid spoke. My |
lord, the king" he said, this lad lieth