Bee Flame-Flower 35

deeds of Morddec were evil, so that men
_ hated and feared him, shuddering at his
name,

In those days all the kindred of him who
did an evil deed were punished for his deed :
so that many a time had Evan and his kin-
dred been forced to pay great sums in cattle
and in money to the families of those whom
Morddec had injured.

But the man did evil to those of his own
kindred as well as to strangers; so that his
own kindred had driven him forth from
among them. Then Morddec had gone away
into the dark forest which is no-man’s-land,
to herd with the wolves and the evil spirits ;
and he hated all men, especially Evan his
cousin, and sought always to do them
injury.

It was said that this Morddec had the
power from his mother of changing to a
wolf, and of casting evil spells upon men;
those who had dared to pass the dark
forests had told of a great black wolf with
eyes that shone like burnished copper, and
how they had shivered as he passed in the