From afar the giant beheld the blaze of the White Sword of Light , and his heart rejoiced ; and he took the blue falcon and put it in a basket , and gave it to Ian Direach , who bore it swiftly away to the place where the princess , and the bay colt , and the real Sword of Light were awaiting him . So well content was the giant to possess the sword he had coveted for many a year , that he began at once to whirl it through the air , and to cut and slash with it . For a little while Gille Mairtean let the giant play with him in this manner ; then he turned in the giant 's hand , and cut through the Five Necks , so that the Five Heads rolled on the ground . Afterwards he went back to Ian Direach and said to him : ` Saddle the colt with the golden saddle , and bridle her with the silver bridle , and sling the basket with the falcon over your shoulders , and hold the White Sword of Light with its back against your nose . Then mount the colt , and let the princess mount behind you , and ride thus to your father 's palace . But see that the back of the sword is ever against your nose , else when your stepmother beholds you , she will change you into a dry faggot . If , however , you do as I bid you , she will become herself a bundle of sticks . ' Ian Direach hearkened to the words of Gille Mairtean , and his stepmother fell as a bundle of sticks before him ; and he set fire to her , and was free from her spells for ever . After that he married the princess , who was the best wife in all the islands of the West . Henceforth he was safe from harm , for had he not the bay colt who could leave one wind behind her and catch the other wind , and the blue falcon to bring him game to eat , and the White Sword of Light to pierce through his foes ? And Ian Direach knew that all this he owed to Gille Mairtean the fox , and he made a compact with him that he might choose any beast out of his herds , whenever hunger seized him , and that henceforth no arrow should be let fly at him or at any of his race . But Gille Mairtean the fox would take no reward for the help he had given to Ian Direach , only his friendship . Thus all things prospered with Ian Direach till he died . The Ugly Duckling -LSB- From Tales of the West Highlands . -RSB- It was summer in the land of Denmark , and though for most of the year the country looks flat and ugly , it was beautiful now . The wheat was yellow , the oats were green , the hay was dry and delicious to roll in , and from the old ruined house which nobody lived in , down to the edge of the canal , was a forest of great burdocks , so tall that a whole family of children might have dwelt in them and never have been found out . It was under these burdocks that a duck had built herself a warm nest , and was not sitting all day on six pretty eggs . Five of them were white , but the sixth , which was larger than the others , was of an ugly grey colour . The duck was always puzzled about that egg , and how it came to be so different from the rest . Other birds might have thought that when the duck went down in the morning and evening to the water to stretch her legs in a good swim , some lazy mother might have been on the watch , and have popped her egg into the nest .
But ducks are not clever at all , and are not quick XXXXX counting , so this duck did not worry herself about the matter , but just took care that the big egg should be as warm as the rest .
If against at behind for in over than through while