THE MAN WHO NEVER KNEW FEAR

 There was once a lady, and she had two sons whose names were Louras (Lawrence) and Carrol. From the day that Lawrence was born nothing ever made him afraid, but Carrol would never go outside the door from the time the darkness of the night began.

 

It was the custom at that time when a person died for people to watch the dead person's grave in turn, one[124] after another; for there used to be destroyers going about stealing the corpses¹.

 

When the mother of Carrol and Lawrence died, Carrol said to Lawrence—

 

'You say that nothing ever made you afraid yet, but I'll make a bet with you that you haven't courage to watch your mother's tomb to-night.'

 

'I'll make a bet with you that I have,' said Lawrence.

 

When the darkness of the night was coming, Lawrence put on his sword and went to the burying-ground. He sat down on a tombstone near his mother's grave till it was far in the night and sleep was coming upon him. Then he saw a big black thing coming to him, and when it came near him he saw that it was a head without a body that was in it. He drew the sword to give it a blow if it should come any nearer, but it didn't come. Lawrence remained looking at it until the light[125] of the day was coming, then the head-without-body went, and Lawrence came home.

 

Carrol asked him, did he see anything in the graveyard².

 

'I did,' said Lawrence, 'and my mother's body would be gone, but that I was guarding it.'

 

'Was it dead or alive, the person you saw?' said Carrol.

 

'I don't know was it dead or alive,' said Lawrence; 'there was nothing in it but a head without a body.'

 

'Weren't you afraid?' says Carrol.

 

'Indeed I wasn't,' said Lawrence; 'don't you know that nothing in the world ever put fear on me.'

 

'I'll bet again with you that you haven't the courage to watch to-night again,' says Carrol.

 

'I would make that bet with you,' said Lawrence, 'but that there is a night's sleep wanting to me. Go yourself to-night.'

 

'I wouldn't go to the graveyard[126] to-night if I were to get the riches of the world,' says Carrol.

 

'Unless you go your mother's body will be gone in the morning,' says Lawrence.

 

'If only you watch to-night and to-morrow night, I never will ask of you to do a turn of work as long as you will be alive,' said Carrol, 'but I think there is fear on you.'

 

'To show you that there's no fear on me,' said Lawrence, 'I will watch.'

 

He went to sleep, and when the evening came he rose up, put on his sword, and went to the graveyard. He sat on a tombstone near his mother's grave. About the middle of the night he heard a great sound coming. A big black thing came as far as the grave and began rooting up the clay. Lawrence drew back his sword, and with one blow he made two halves of the big black thing, and with the second blow he made two halves of each half, and he saw it no more.[127]

 

Lawrence went home in the morning, and Carrol asked him did he see anything.

 

'I did,' said Lawrence, 'and only that I was there my mother's body would be gone.'

 

'Is it the head-without-body that came again?' said Carrol.

 

'It was not, but a big black thing, and it was digging up my mother's grave until I made two halves of it.'

 

Lawrence slept that day, and when the evening came he rose up, put on his sword, and went to the churchyard. He sat down on a tombstone until it was the middle of the night. Then he saw a thing as white as snow and as hateful as sin; it had a man's head on it, and teeth as long as a flax-carder. Lawrence drew back the sword and was going to deal it a blow, when it said—

 

'Hold your hand; you have saved your mother's body, and there is not a man in Ireland as brave as you.[128] There is great riches waiting for you if you go looking for it.'

 

Lawrence went home, and Carrol asked him did he see anything.

 

'I did,' said Lawrence, 'and but that I was there my mother's body would be gone, but there's no fear of it now.'

 

In the morning, the day on the morrow, Lawrence said to Carrol—

 

'Give me my share of money, and I'll go on a journey, until I have a look round the country.'

 

Carrol gave him the money, and he went walking. He went on until he came to a large town. He went into the house of a baker³ to get bread. The baker began talking to him, and asked him how far he was going.

 

'I am going looking for something that will put fear on me,' said Lawrence.

 

'Have you much money?' said the baker.[129]

 

'I have a half-hundred pounds,' said Lawrence.

 

'I'll bet another half-hundred with you that there will be fear on you if you go to the place that I'll bid you,' says the baker.

 

'I'll take your bet,' said Lawrence, 'if only the place is not too far away from me.'

 

'It's not a mile from the place where you're standing,' said the baker; 'wait here till the night comes, and then go to the graveyard, and as a sign that you were in it, bring me the goblet⁴ that is upon the altar of the old church (cill) that is in the graveyard.'

 

When the baker made the bet he was certain that he would win, for there was a ghost in the churchyard, and nobody went into it for forty years before that whom he did not kill.

 

When the darkness of the night came, Lawrence put on his sword and went to the burying-ground. He[130] came to the door of the churchyard and struck it with his sword. The door opened, and there came out a great black ram⁵, and two horns on him as long as flails⁶. Lawrence gave him a blow, and he went out of sight, leaving him up to the two ankles in blood. Lawrence went into the old church, got the goblet, came back to the baker's house, gave him the goblet, and got the bet. Then the baker asked him did he see anything in the churchyard.

 

'I saw a big black ram with long horns on him,' said Lawrence, 'and I gave him a blow which drew as much blood out of him as would swim a boat; sure he must be dead by this time.'

 

In the morning, the day on the morrow, the baker and a lot of people went to the graveyard and they saw the blood of the black ram at the door. They went to the priest⁷ and told him that the black ram was[131] banished⁸ out of the churchyard. The priest did not believe them, because the churchyard was shut up forty years before that on account of the ghost that was in it, and neither priest nor friar could banish⁹ him. The priest came with them to the door of the churchyard, and when he saw the blood he took courage and sent for Lawrence, and heard the story from his own mouth. Then he sent for his blessing-materials, and desired the people to come in till he read mass for them. The priest went in, and Lawrence and the people after him, and he read mass without the big black ram coming as he used to do. The priest was greatly rejoiced¹⁰, and gave Lawrence another fifty pounds.

 

On the morning of the next day Lawrence went on his way. He travelled the whole day without seeing a house. About the hour of midnight he came to a great lonely valley, and he saw a large gathering¹¹ of people[132] looking at two men hurling¹². Lawrence stood looking at them, as there was a bright light from the moon. It was the good people that were in it, and it was not long until one of them struck a blow on the ball and sent it into Lawrence's breast. He put his hand in after the ball to draw it out, and what was there in it but the head of a man. When Lawrence got a hold of it, it began screeching¹³, and at last it asked Lawrence—

 

'Are you not afraid?'

 

'Indeed I am not,' said Lawrence, and no sooner was the word spoken than both head and people disappeared, and he was left in the glen alone by himself.

 

He journeyed until he came to another town, and when he ate and drank enough, he went out on the road, and was walking until he came to a great house on the side of the road. As the night was closing in, he went in to try if he could get lodging¹⁴.[133] There was a young man at the door who said to him—

 

'How far are you going, or what are you in search of?'

 

'I do not know how far I am going, but I am in search of something that will put fear on me,' said Lawrence.

 

'You have not far to go, then,' said the young man; 'if you stop in that big house on the other side of the road there will be fear put on you before morning, and I'll give you twenty pounds into the bargain.'

 

'I'll stop in it,' said Lawrence.

 

The young man went with him, opened the door, and brought him into a large room in the bottom of the house, and said to him, 'Put down fire for yourself and I'll send you plenty to eat and drink.' He put down a fire for himself, and there came a girl to him and brought him everything that he wanted.

 

He went on very well, until the hour of midnight came, and then he[134] heard a great sound over his head, and it was not long until a stallion and a bull¹⁵ came in and commenced¹⁶ to fight. Lawrence never put to them nor from them, and when they were tired fighting they went out. Lawrence went to sleep, and he never awoke until the young man came in in the morning, and he was surprised when he saw Lawrence alive. He asked him had he seen anything.

 

'I saw a stallion and a bull fighting hard for about two hours,' said Lawrence.

 

'And weren't you afraid?' said the young man.

 

'I was not,' says Lawrence.

 

'If you wait to-night again, I'll give you another twenty pounds,' says the young man.

 

'I'll wait, and welcome,' says Lawrence.

 

The second night, about ten o'clock, Lawrence was going to sleep, when two black rams¹⁷ came in and began fighting[135] hard. Lawrence neither put to them nor from them, and when twelve o'clock struck they went out. The young man came in the morning and asked him did he see anything last night.

 

'I saw two black rams fighting,' said Lawrence.

 

'Were you afraid at all?' said the young man.

 

'I was not,' said Lawrence.

 

'Wait to-night, and I'll give you another twenty pounds,' says the young man.

 

'All right,' says Lawrence.

 

The third night he was falling asleep, when there came in a gray old man and said to him—

 

'You are the best hero in Ireland; I died twenty years ago, and all that time I have been in search of a man like you. Come with me now till I show you your riches; I told you when you were watching your mother's grave that there was great riches waiting for you.'[136]

 

He took Lawrence to a chamber¹⁸ under ground, and showed him a large pot filled with gold, and said to him—

 

'You will have all that if you give twenty pounds to Mary Kerrigan the widow, and get her forgiveness for me for a wrong I did her. Then buy this house, marry my daughter, and you will be happy and rich as long as you live.'

 

The next morning the young man came to Lawrence and asked him did he see anything last night.

 

'I did,' said Lawrence, 'and it's certain that there will be a ghost always in it, but nothing in the world would frighten me; I'll buy the house and the land round it, if you like.'

 

'I'll ask no price for the house, but I won't part with the land under a thousand pounds, and I'm sure you haven't that much.'

 

'I have more than would buy all the land and all the herds¹⁹ you have,' said Lawrence.[137]

 

When the young man heard that Lawrence was so rich, he invited him to come to dinner. Lawrence went with him, and when the dead man's daughter saw him she fell in love with him.

 

Lawrence went to the house of Mary Kerrigan and gave her twenty pounds, and got her forgiveness for the dead man. Then he married the young man's sister and spent a happy life. He died as he lived, without there being fear on him.

1 corpses   

n.死尸，尸体( corpse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The living soldiers put corpses together and burned them. 活着的战士把尸体放在一起烧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Overhead, grayish-white clouds covered the sky, piling up heavily like decaying corpses. 天上罩满了灰白的薄云，同腐烂的尸体似的沉沉的盖在那里。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

2 graveyard   

n.坟场

参考例句：

• All the town was drifting toward the graveyard.全镇的人都象流水似地向那坟场涌过去。
• Living next to a graveyard would give me the creeps.居住在墓地旁边会使我毛骨悚然。

3 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

4 goblet   

n.高脚酒杯

参考例句：

• He poured some wine into the goblet.他向高脚酒杯里倒了一些葡萄酒。
• He swirled the brandy around in the huge goblet.他摇晃着高脚大玻璃杯使里面的白兰地酒旋动起来。

5 ram   

(random access memory)随机存取存储器

参考例句：

• 512k RAM is recommended and 640k RAM is preferred.推荐配置为512K内存，640K内存则更佳。

6 flails   

v.鞭打( flail的第三人称单数 )；用连枷脱粒；（臂或腿）无法控制地乱动；扫雷坦克

参考例句：

• The son silently took a flail and they began threshing with four flails. 儿子也开始悄悄乘枷脱粒四枷。 来自互联网

7 priest   

n.神父，牧师，司铎，司祭，领导者，神甫；vt.使成为神职人员

参考例句：

• He confessed to a priest that he had sinned.他向神父忏悔他犯了罪。
• The priest visited all the old people in the parish.牧师探望了教区里的所有老人。

8 banished   

v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was banished to Australia, where he died five years later. 他被流放到澳大利亚，五年后在那里去世。
• He was banished to an uninhabited island for a year. 他被放逐到一个无人居住的荒岛一年。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 banish   

vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除

参考例句：

• The doctor advised her to banish fear and anxiety.医生劝她消除恐惧和忧虑。
• He tried to banish gloom from his thought.他试图驱除心中的忧愁。

10 rejoiced   

（使）欣喜[高兴，快乐]( rejoice的过去式和过去分词 )； 非常高兴； 深感欣喜

参考例句：

• He rejoiced that all the work was after all finished in time. 他很高兴，全部的工作最终还是按时完成了。
• The news of victory rejoiced the heart of the whole nation. 胜利的喜悦使全国人民欢欣鼓舞。

11 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

12 hurling   

n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂

参考例句：

• The boat rocked wildly, hurling him into the water. 这艘船剧烈地晃动，把他甩到水中。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Fancy hurling away a good chance like that, the silly girl! 想想她竟然把这样一个好机会白白丢掉了，真是个傻姑娘！ 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 screeching   

v.发出尖叫声( screech的现在分词 )；发出粗而刺耳的声音；高叫

参考例句：

• Monkeys were screeching in the trees. 猴子在树上吱吱地叫着。
• the unedifying sight of the two party leaders screeching at each other 两党党魁狺狺对吠的讨厌情景

14 lodging   

n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍

参考例句：

• The bill is inclusive of the food and lodging. 账单包括吃、住费用。
• Where can you find lodging for the night? 你今晚在哪里借宿?

15 bull   

n.公牛，买进证券投机图利者，看涨的人

参考例句：

• It's only a hair off a bull's back to them.这对他们来说，不过九牛一毛。
• Many dogs closed around the bull.很多狗渐渐地把那只牛围了起来。

16 commenced   

开始( commence的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The little girl commenced to cry when she saw the snake. 这小女孩一看到蛇就开始哭了起来。
• She commenced her life as an actress in the 1930s. 从30年代她就开始舞台生涯。

17 rams   

n.公羊( ram的名词复数 )；(R-)白羊（星）座；夯；攻城槌v.夯实（土等）( ram的第三人称单数 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• A couple of rams are butting at each other. 两只羊正在用角互相抵触。 来自辞典例句
• More than anything the rams helped to break what should have been on interminable marriage. 那些牡羊比任何东西都更严重地加速了他们那本该天长地久的婚姻的破裂。 来自辞典例句

18 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

19 herds   

兽群( herd的名词复数 )； 牧群； 人群； 群众

参考例句：

• Regularly at daybreak they drive their herds to the pasture. 每天天一亮他们就把牲畜赶到草场上去。
• There we saw herds of cows grazing on the pasture. 我们在那里看到一群群的牛在草地上吃草。