Read Online The Legend of the Corrib King by Tom McCaughren - Free Book Online Page B

at the house and wondering about her.
    â€˜Of course I did … Well, I suppose you could say I did. Or I nearly did anyway.’
    â€˜How do you mean?’ asked Cowlick.
    â€˜John Joe Murphy’s cow had ringworm. It had it really bad, and he asked me to help him take her up to Biddy’s for a cure.’
    â€˜And did she cure it?’ asked Rachel.
    â€˜Of course she did.’
    â€˜How?’ asked Róisín.
    â€˜I’m not sure. She mumbled a few things around it and gave John Joe ointment for it, and that was all.’
    Tapser was still looking down at her house and her animals and couldn’t resist remarking, ‘They don’t look like enchanted water-horses to me.’
    Jamesie ignored him and said, ‘If you leave Prince here it might be best.’
    â€˜Okay, I’ll tie him to the caravan.’ Tapser ruffled the collie’s head and added, ‘You won’t mind, will you, boy?’
    Just why they all crept over to Biddy’s place instead of walking straight up to it, none of them quite knew. Maybe it was because they wanted to see what sort of situation they were getting themselves into before knocking on the door.
    A wisp of blue turf smoke drifted up from the chimney, so they knew Biddy was at home. Her hens were busy scratching in the clay. The netting-wire gate of the hen-run was open and out strutted a large black rooster. On seeing them it lowered its head and arched its wings.
    â€˜Shoo,’ said Jamesie. He waved his hands, and the rooster took to the air with a loud squawk, flapped over the fence and dropped down behind the hen shed.
    â€˜What a strange hen,’ whispered Rachel.
    â€˜That isn’t a hen,’ Cowlick told her. ‘It’s a cock.’
    The others giggled and followed Jamesie into the hen pen to see where the rooster had gone. At the corner of the shed they stopped abruptly, for instead of the rooster they came upon a crow. It was sitting on the wire fence, and when it saw them it cawed harshly at them with its big beak. Startled, they turned to run, only to find their way barred by Biddy of the Lake!
    Enchanted or not, Biddy’s horses and donkeys galloped up to the cottage to see what all the commotion was about. The geese gathered around too and hissed and honked, and the hens scattered in confusion.
    â€˜Foxglove,’ Jamesie managed to blurt. ‘We came to ask about the foxglove.’
    Biddy was a portly woman, round-faced and with long flaxen hair quite unsuited to her age or her small round figure. Her dress was short and black and bulged here and there. Whatever they expected her to say, she didn’t. Instead she just giggled a toothless type of giggle and walked back into the cottage.
    Following her in, they found her sitting at the open fire, and Rachel said, ‘It’s very important, really it is, Miss Biddy.’
    â€˜Don’t call me Biddy,’ she replied irritably. ‘My name’s Winifred.’ She poked the fire, sending a shower of sparks swirling up the chimney, then folded her arms and looked at them.
    â€˜I’m sorry,’ said Rachel, anxious to make amends. ‘I didn’t mean any offence.’
    â€˜Hmmm … I suppose not.’ She looked at Jamesie. ‘I suppose that’s your doing?’
    â€˜Who, me? I don’t know what you mean.’
    â€˜You were here before, with John Joe Murphy’s cow.’
    â€˜That’s right,’ said Jamesie. ‘You gave him a cure for the ringworm. It worked too.’
    â€˜And why wouldn’t it work? Sure it’s more than ringworm I’ve cured in my day.’ She pointed to a dresser standing at the wall opposite the fire. They could see in the half light that its shelves were crammed full of bottles of all shapes, sizes and colours. ‘There are more cures there than ye’ll ever get from any doctor or read in any book.’
    She certainly had enough of them, they