The Blue Mountainspage 6 / 9
At last he fell into so great despair that he thought he would put an end to his own life, and to do this he laid hold of the sword that she had given him by the hands of the fair-haired boy. But on drawing it from its sheath he noticed that there was some writing on one side of the blade. He looked at this, and read there: "You will find me in the Blue Mountains." This made him take heard again, and he gave up on the idea of killing himself, thinking that he would go on in hope of meeting someone who could tell him where the Blue Mountains were.
After he had gone a long way, without thinking where he was going, he saw at last a light far away and made straight for it. On reaching it he found it came from a little house. As soon as the man inside heard the noise of the horse's feet he came out to see who was there. Seeing a stranger on horseback, he asked what brought him there and where he was going. "I have lived here," said he, "for three hundred years, and all that time I have not seen a single person but yourself." "I have been going about for the last three years," said the Irishman, "to see if I could find anyone who can tell me where the Blue Mountains are."
"Come in," said the old man, "and stay with me all night. I have a book that tells the history of the world. I will go through it tonight, and if there is such a place as the Blue Mountains in it we shall find it out."
The Irishman stayed there all night, and as soon as morning came rose to go. The old man said he had not gone to sleep all night for going through the book, but there was not a word about the Blue Mountains in it. "But I'll tell you what," he said: "if there is such a place on earth at all, I have a brother who lives nine hundred miles from here, and he is sure to know where they are if anyone in this world does."
The Irishman answered that he could never go those nine hundred miles, for his horse was giving out already. "That doesn't matter," said the old man. "I can do better than that. I have only to blow my whistle, and you will be at my brother's house by nightfall." So he blew his whistle, and the Irishman did not know where on earth he was until he found himself at the other old man's door, who also told him that it was three hundred years since he had seen anyone and asked him where he was going.