were going, or in what land they might find rest or aid. Weary and hopeless were they, sad and sighing when they had at last sight of another island. Many trees could be seen; and what pleased the wanderers greatly, they were full of fruit, with great golden apples hanging from every bough. And that the apples were good to eat they could soon discern. For beneath the trees lay short, red-colored animals, like to swine in shape, and at times they stood up and struck the trees with their hind legs, and greedily devoured the apples that fell. Strange were the ways of these beasts. From dawn to sunset they hid in caverns underground, but at sunset they came forth to feed, and as they did so many flocks of birds flew in from the sea and perched in the branches of the trees and fed on their fruit.
When Maelduin saw these things, "surely," thought he, "if the beasts and birds can feed so can we." So two of the crew were landed. But the ground was hot under their feet and it was not possible for them to remain long here. For the land was a fiery one, heated by the animals that dwell in the caverns underground. They could but gather hastily as many apples as possible and these they brought back to the boat, and the crew regaled themselves upon them. Great was the virtue of these apples, for whoso ate them lacked neither food nor drink. On the morrow they landed again, and after loading their boat with as many apples as they could pluck ere the soles of their feet were burned, they again set sail.
