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Corbanus, who was still a heathen, and a churl to boot, vacated the isle, and conveyed his people and their property to the opposite coast. There he met with St. 'Enda and his monks preparing to cross in their sknder corrachs, and seemingly ill provided with food and furniture. There were several sacks and casks of corn and meal on the shore belonging to Corbanus, and as the frail boats were putting off he said in a jesting fashion to the saint, "Here are some barrels and sacks of good corn which--I would gladly give to save you and these poor men with the shorn heads, from starvation, but your wretched boats could not bear their weight across." "Do not mind that," said the saint; "let the gift be from your heart--that is the main thing." "Surely! " said the other, "I make a free offer!" At the word, sacks and barrels, with much bustle, shot forward in an upward sloping direction over the boats and over the men in them, and in a direct line to the eastern landing-place of Arramnore, while the chief looked on with confusion and chagrin, and his people with anger in their hearts for the vain-glorious offer which was so unexpectedly taken. He and they would have made a voyage to Arran for the recovery of the goods, but they were shrewd enough to feel that they would have to do with beings of unknown and terrible power.
[a] So called from the number of monastic institutions that once distinguished it, and the many canonized saints that it produced.