Heroes of the dawn . , with silver hair flowing over hisshoulders; at his head was a silken banner,with a golden sun rising above the horizon,and on either side of him a hound rested. The man looked at them ; he thought theymust be warriors who had died long ages ago,but the colour still remained in their cheeks,and the red in their lips, as though they onlyslept. He walked a few paces into the cave,and stumbled over a long, carved woodeninstrument half-buried in the sand. He raisedit, and standing it on one end, discovered itto be a trumpet or horn of great his lips to the m
Heroes of the dawn . , with silver hair flowing over hisshoulders; at his head was a silken banner,with a golden sun rising above the horizon,and on either side of him a hound rested. The man looked at them ; he thought theymust be warriors who had died long ages ago,but the colour still remained in their cheeks,and the red in their lips, as though they onlyslept. He walked a few paces into the cave,and stumbled over a long, carved woodeninstrument half-buried in the sand. He raisedit, and standing it on one end, discovered itto be a trumpet or horn of great his lips to the mouth-piece he breathedinto it, and a musical humming note filled thechamber. At the sound the hounds raisedtheir heads and bayed, and a clash of swordsand shields rose as the warriors sat upright,and from the lips of the silver-haired warriorin the centre came the words : Is the timeyet come ? But the man turned and fled from the cavein fear. He knew then that these ancientwarriors were Fionn and his heroes, who wait. LYING ON THE SANDY GROUND WAS A MULTITUDE OF ARMED ANDGIGANTIC MEN THE SLUMBER OF FIONN 251 there, wrapped in an age-long slumber, forthe coming of the day when the war-musicof the Dord-Fian, the great trumpet of theFiantia, will echo through the cave. Whenthat day comes they will ask again the question, Is the time yet come ? and it will no longerremain unanswered, for they will hear, Thetime is come ; and with sword and shield inhand they will arise and go forth to do battlefor Ireland once again. THE END NOTE These stories are founded on legends mainlyderived from Silva Gadelica and the Transactionsof the Ossianic Society. For some details and oneor two legends I am indebted to Mr. StandishOGradys Critical and Philosophical History.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookidcu3192, booksubjectlegends
