The door stood open and he entered , and the old man gave him welcome , and the golden-haired maiden likewise . As happened before , he was offered by the old man to herd his cows ; and , as she had done to his brothers , the maiden counselled him to leave such work alone . But , instead of answering rudely , like both Ardan and Ruais , he thanked her , with courtesy , though he had no mind to heed her ; and he listened to the warnings and words of his new master . Next day he set forth at dawn with the dun cows in front of him , and followed patiently wherever they might lead him . On the way he saw the gold cock and silver hen , which ran even closer to him than they had done to his brothers . Sorely tempted , he longed to give them chase ; but , remembering in time that he had been bidden to look neither to the right nor to the left , with a mighty effort he turned his eyes away . Then the gold and silver staffs seemed to spring from the earth before him , but this time also he overcame ; and though the fruit from the magic tree almost touched his mouth , he brushed it aside and went steadily on . That day the cows wandered father than ever they had done before , and never stopped till they had reached a moor where the heather was burning . The fire was fierce , but the cows took no heed , and walked steadily through it , Covan the Brown-haired following them . Next they plunged into a foaming river , and Covan plunged in after them , though the water came high above his waist . On the other side of the river lay a wide plain , and here the cows lay down , while Covan looked about him . Near him was a house built of yellow stone , and from it came sweet songs , and Covan listened , and his heart grew light within him . While he was thus waiting there ran up to him a youth , scarcely able to speak so swiftly had he sped ; and he cried aloud : ` Hasten , hasten , Covan the Brown-haired , for your cows are in the corn , and you must drive them out ! ' ` Nay , ' said Covan smiling , ` it had been easier for you to have driven them out than to come here to tell me . ' And he went on listening to the music . Very soon the same youth returned and cried with panting breath : ` Out upon you , Covan son of Gorla , that you stand there agape . For our dogs are chasing your cows , and you must drive them off ! ' ` Nay , then , ' answered Covan as before , ` it had been easier for you to call off your dogs than to come here to tell me . ' And he stayed where he was till the music ceased . Then he turned to look for the cows , and found them all lying in the place where he had left them ; but when they saw Covan they rose up and walked homewards , taking a different path to that they had trod in the morning .
This time they passed over a plain so bare that a pin could not have lain there unnoticed , yet Covan beheld XXXXX surprise a foal and its mother feeding there , both as fat as if they had pastured on the richest grass .
As Near Next from of than through till with within