{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_38041/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_38041","id":"gutenberg_38041","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/38041","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Epic literature, Irish -- Translations into English","Heroes -- Ireland -- Legends","Mythology, Celtic -- Ireland","Tales -- Ireland"],"text":"Produced by David Edwards, Rory OConor and the Online\nDistributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This\nfile was produced from images generously made available\nby The Internet Archive)\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n  OLD CELTIC ROMANCES\n\n\n\n\n  OLD\n  CELTIC ROMANCES\n\n  translated from the gaelic\n\n  BY\n\n  P.W. JOYCE, M.A., LL.D., T.C.D.\n  M.R.I.A.\n\n  _One of the Commissioners for the Publication of\n  the Ancient Laws of Ireland\n  President of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, Ireland_\n\n  Author of\n\n  \"A SOCIAL HISTORY OF ANCIENT IRELAND\"\n  \"THE STORY OF ANCIENT IRISH CIVILISATION\"\n  \"A SHORT HISTORY OF IRELAND\"\n  \"A CHILD'S HISTORY OF IRELAND\"\n  \"IRISH NAMES OF PLACES\"\n  \"ANCIENT IRISH MUSIC\"\n  AND OTHER WORKS RELATING TO IRELAND\n\n  \"I shall tell you a pretty tale\"\n  --Coriolanus.\n\n  DUBLIN\n  THE EDUCATIONAL CO.\n  OF IRELAND, LIMITED\n  89 TALBOT STREET\n\n  LONDON\n  LONGMANS, GREEN, AND\n  COMPANY\n  39 PATERNOSTER ROW\n\n  1920\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\n\nAmong the Celtic people of Ireland and the north-west of Scotland,\nstory-telling has always been a favourite amusement. In the olden time,\nthey had professional story-tellers, variously designated according to\nrank--ollaves, shanachies, fil\u00e8s, bards, etc.--whose duty it was to know\nby heart a number of old tales, poems, and historical pieces, and to\nrecite them at festive gatherings, for the entertainment of the chiefs\nand their guests. These story-tellers were always well received at the\nhouses of princes and chiefs, and treated with much consideration; and\non occasions when they acquitted themselves well, so as to draw down the\napplause of the audience, they were often rewarded with costly presents.\n\nTo meet the demand for this sort of entertainment, ingenious \"men of\nlearning,\" taking legends or historical events as themes, composed\nstories from time to time; of which those that struck the popular fancy\nwere caught up and remembered, and handed down from one generation of\nstory-tellers to another. In course of time, a body of romantic\nliterature grew up, consisting chiefly of prose tales, which were\nclassified, according to subject, into Battles, Voyages, Tragedies,\nMilitary Expeditions, Cattle-Raids, Courtships, Pursuits, Adventures,\nVisions, etc.[I.]\n\nSome of these tales were historical, _i.e._ founded on historical\nevents, and corresponded closely with what is now called the historical\nromance; while others were altogether fictitious--pure creations of the\nimagination. But it is to be observed that even in the fictitious tales,\nthe main characters are always historical, or such as were considered\nso. The old ollaves wove their fictions round Conor Mac Nessa and his\nRed Branch Knights, or Finn and his Fena, or Luga of the Long Arms and\nhis Dedannans, or Conn the Hundred-fighter, or Cormac Mac Art; like the\nWelsh legends of Arthur and his Round Table, or the Arabian romances of\nHaroun-al-Raschid and his Court.\n\nThe greater number of the tales were, as I have said, in prose. But some\nwere in poetry; and in many of the prose tales the leading characters\nare often made to express themselves in verse, or some striking incident\nof the story is repeated in a poetical form. Not unfrequently the\nfragments of verse introduced into a prose tale are quotations from an\nolder poetical version of the same tale; and hence it often happens that\nwhile the prose may be plain enough, the poetry is often archaic and\nobscure.\n\nAt some very early period in Ireland--how early we have now no means of\ndetermining with certainty--Celtic thought began to be committed to\nwriting; and as everything seems to have been written down that was\nconsidered worth preserving, manuscripts accumulated in course of time,\nwhich were kept either in monasteries, or in the houses of the\nhereditary professors of learning. But in the dark time of the Danish\nravages, and during the troubled centuries that followed the\nAnglo-Norman invasion, the manuscript collections were gradually\ndispersed, and a large proportion lost or destroyed. Yet we have\nremaining--rescued by good fortune from the general wreck--a great body\nof manuscript literature. Our two most important collections are those\nin Trinity College and in the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin; where we have\nmanuscripts of various ages, from the year 1100 down to the present\ncentury, on every conceivable subject--Annals, History, Biography,\nTheology, Romance, Legend, Science, etc. These manuscripts, which, it\nshould be remarked, are nearly all copies from older books, contain a\nvast collection of romantic literature: it may, indeed, be said that\nthere is scarcely one important event in our early history, or one\nimportant native personage or native legend, that has not been made the\nsubject of some fanciful story.\n\nThe volume I now offer to the notice of the public contains eleven\ntales, selected and translated from the manuscripts of Trinity College\nand of the Royal Irish Academy. Some have been already published, with\noriginal text and _literal_ translation, and are to be found in the\nTransactions of various literary societies, where, however, they are\ninaccessible to the general run of readers; and even if they were\naccessible, they are almost unreadable, the translations having been\nexecuted, not for literary, but for linguistic purposes. Others have\nnever been translated or given to the public in any shape or form till\nnow.\n\nOf the whole collection of eleven tales, therefore, it may be said that\nthey are quite new to the general mass of the reading public. And\nfurthermore, this is the first collection of the old Gaelic prose\nromances that has ever been published in fair English translation.\n\nScraps and fragments of some of these tales have been given to the world\nin popular publications, by writers who, not being able to read the\noriginals, took their information from printed books in the English\nlanguage. But I am forced to say that many of these specimens have been\npresented in a very unfavourable and unjust light--distorted to make\nthem look _funny_, and their characters debased to the mere modern\nconventional stage Irishman. There is none of this silly and odious\nvulgarity in the originals of these fine old tales, which are high and\ndignified in tone and feeling--quite as much so as the old romantic\ntales of Greece and Rome.[II.]\n\nA translation may either follow the very words, or reproduce the life\nand spirit, of the original; but no translation can do both. If you\nrender word for word, you lose the spirit; if you wish to give the\nspirit and manner, you must depart from the exact words, and frame your\nown phrases. I have chosen this latter course. My translation follows\nthe original closely enough in narrative and incident; but so far as\nmere phraseology is concerned, I have used the English language freely,\nnot allowing myself to be trammelled by too close an adherence to the\nvery words of the text. The originals are in general simple in style;\nand I have done my best to render them into simple, plain, homely\nEnglish. In short, I have tried to tell the stories as I conceive the\nold shanachies themselves would have told them, if they had used English\ninstead of Gaelic.\n\nIn the originals, the stories run on without break or subdivision;[III.]\nbut I have thought it better to divide the longer ones into chapters,\nwith appropriate headings.\n\nIn almost all cases I had at my command several copies of the same\nstory, some of them differing in phraseology and in minor points of\ndetail, though agreeing, in the main, in narrative and incident. I found\nthis a considerable advantage, as it gave me more freedom in the choice\nof expression.\n\nI have made full use of the literal translations of those tales that\nhave been already published in the Transactions of the Ossianic Society,\nin the _Atlantis_, in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, and in\nthe Journal of the Royal Historical and Arch\u00e6ological Association of\nIreland. But, in order to secure the advantage of various readings, I\ncompared, in every case, the published text with at least one copy of\nthe story, in the Royal Irish Academy, in Trinity College, or in my own\nprivate manuscript collection.\n\n\nThe ancient institution of professional story-telling held its ground\nboth in Ireland and in Scotland down to a very recent period; and it is\nquestionable if it be even yet quite extinct. Within my own memory,\nthis sort of entertainment was quite usual among the farming classes of\nthe south of Ireland. The family and workmen, and any neighbours that\nchose to drop in, would sit round the kitchen fire after the day's\nwork--or perhaps gather in a barn on a summer or autumn evening--to\nlisten to some local shanachie reciting one of his innumerable Gaelic\ntales. The story-teller never chose his own words--he always had the\nstory by heart, and recited the words from memory, often gliding into a\nsort of recitative in poetical passages, or when he came to some\nfavourite grandiose description abounding in high-sounding alliterative\nadjectives. And very interesting it was to mark the rapt attention of\nthe audience, and to hear their excited exclamations when the speaker\ncame to relate some mighty combat, some great exploit of the hero, or\nsome other striking incident. Three years ago, I met a man in Kilkee,\nwho had a great number of these stories by heart, and who actually\nrepeated for me, without the slightest hitch or hesitation, more than\nhalf--and if I had not stopped him would have given me the whole--of\n\"C\u00fairt an Mheadhon-Oidhche\" (\"The Midnight Court\"), a poem about six\ntimes as long as Gray's \"Elegy.\"\n\nI will now proceed to give a few particulars concerning these tales,\nincluding a short account of the manuscript or manuscripts from which\neach has been translated.\n\n\nTHE THREE TRAGIC STORIES OF ERIN.\n\nAmong the ancient Gaelic tales, three were known as \"the three most\nsorrowful (tales) of story-telling,\" or \"The Three Tragic Stories of\nErin;\" viz., \"The Fate of the Children of Usna,\" \"The Fate of the\nChildren of Lir,\" and \"The Fate of the Children of Turenn.\" I have not\nincluded the first in this volume, but a poetical version of it has been\nwritten and published by my brother.[IV.]\n\n\nTHE FATE OF THE CHILDREN OF LIR.\n\nTwo translations of this tale have been published: one literal, with the\nGaelic text, by Professor O'Curry, in the _Atlantis_ (Nos. vii. and\nviii.); and another, less literal, by Gerald Griffin, in his \"Tales of a\nJury-Room.\"\n\nThe oldest known copies of the tale are, one in the Catholic University,\nDublin, made by Andrew Mac Curtin, a well-known Gaelic scholar and\nscribe of the county Clare, who lived between 1680 and 1740; one in\nTrinity College, Dublin, made by Hugh O'Daly, in 1758; and one in the\nBritish Museum, made by Richard Tipper of Dublin, in 1718.[V.] There is\nalso a very good copy in the Royal Irish Academy (23. C. 26), of which I\nmade considerable use, written in or about 1782, by Peter O'Connell, a\ngood Gaelic scholar of the county Clare. From a comparison of several of\nthese versions, O'Curry made his copy of the text as published in the\n_Atlantis_.\n\nThere may be, and there probably are, older copies, in Trinity College,\nin the British Museum, or elsewhere, if we knew only where to find them.\nAnd this observation applies to several of the tales that follow, of\nwhich we have at hand only modern copies.\n\n\nTHE FATE OF THE CHILDREN OF TURENN.\n\nIn the Book of Lecan (folio 28), which was compiled by the Mac Firbises,\nabout A.D. 1416, is a short account, partly in prose and partly in\nverse, of the celebrated eric-fine imposed on the three sons of Turenn,\nby Luga of the Long Arms, for killing his father Kian; but this old book\ndoes not give the story of the quest for the fine. The full tale, text\nand literal translation, has been published by O'Curry in the\n_Atlantis_. There are several good copies in the Royal Irish Academy:\none in 23. G. 10, transcribed by Patrick Brown of the county Clare, in\n1805; another in 23. E. 16, written out by Michael Oge O'Longan, in\n1797; and a third (imperfect) in 23. M. 47, copied by Andrew Mac Curtin,\nin 1734.\n\nThere are references to these three sons of Turenn, and to the manner of\ntheir death, in two very old authorities, viz., Cormac's \"Glossary\"\n(about A.D. 900); and a poem by Flann of Monaster-boice (who died A.D.\n1056), a copy of which is in the Book of Leinster, written about A.D.\n1130.\n\nIn the older references to the sons of Turenn, they are called Brian,\nIuchar, Iucharba; but in some comparatively modern copies of the tale\nthe names are a little different--for instance, Peter O'Connell calls\nthem Uar, Iuchar, and Iucharba; and they vary still further in other\ncopies. I have taken advantage of this variety to give the names in a\nmore pronounceable form in my translation.\n\nIn the original, this tale is introduced by an anecdote of Nuada of the\nSilver Hand and the two great Dedannan leeches, Midac and Armedda (see\npage 92, _infra_), which has nothing whatever to do with the story, and\nwhich I have omitted.\n\n\nTHE OVERFLOWING OF LOUGH NEAGH.\n\n\"Leabhar na h-Uidhre,\" or \"The Book of the Dun Cow,\" from which this and\nthe two following tales are taken, is the oldest manuscript of\nmiscellaneous Gaelic literature we possess. It was transcribed from\nolder books by Maelmuire Mac Ceilechair, who died A.D. 1106; and it is\nnow deposited in the Royal Irish Academy, Dublin--or rather, I should\nsay, a large fragment of it, for the book has suffered much mutilation.\nThis venerable book may now be said to be in the hands of the public, as\nit has been lately reproduced in lithograph fac-simile, and published by\nthe Council of the Royal Irish Academy, at the Government expense.\n\nThe story of \"The Overflowing of Lough Neagh\" (called in the original\n\"The Destruction of Eocho Mac Mairedo\") has been published, with text\nand literal translation, by the late J. O'Beirne Crowe, in the Kilkenny\nArch\u00e6ological Journal volume for 1870-1.\n\nIn this story I have been obliged to make a few transpositions in the\nmere order of the incidents, for the narrative in the original is in\nsome places very ill arranged.\n\nIt is now nearly eight hundred years since this story was _transcribed_\nfrom some old authority into \"The Book of the Dun Cow;\" and it is\nsingular that the tradition of the formation of Lough Neagh, by the\noverflow of an enchanted well which was neglected by the woman in charge\nof it, still maintains a vivid existence among the peasantry. (See on\nthis subject the author's \"Origin and History of Irish Names of Places,\"\nSeries I. 4th edition, page 176.)\n\n\nCONNLA OF THE GOLDEN HAIR, AND THE FAIRY MAIDEN.\n\nThis tale (called in the original \"Echtra Condla Cain,\" \"The Adventures\nof Connla the Comely\") is taken from \"The Book of the Dun Cow.\" It has\nbeen published, with text and literal translation, by the late J.\nO'Beirne Crowe, in the Kilkenny Arch\u00e6ological Journal (volume 1874-5,\npage 128).\n\nThis is one of the many tales that illustrate the ancient and widespread\nsuperstition that fairies sometimes take away mortals to their palaces\nin the fairy forts and pleasant green hills;[19] of which the last story\nin this book--\"Oisin in Tirnanoge\"--is another example. This\nsuperstition prevailed in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands as far back\nas either history or tradition reaches; it flourished in full vigour\nwithin my own memory; and it is scarcely quite extinct--in Ireland at\nleast--at the present day.[VI.] In connection with the antiquity of this\nsuperstition, it must be borne in mind that the present story was\ntranscribed into \"The Book of the Dun Cow\" in or about the year 1100,\nfrom some older book; and that it relates to the time of Conn the\nHundred-fighter, king of Ireland, who reigned in the second century of\nthe Christian era.\n\n\nTHE VOYAGE OF MAILDUN.\n\nOf this tale (which is now given to the public for the first time) the\noldest copy is in \"The Book of the Dun Cow\" (about the year 1100); but\nit is imperfect at both beginning and end--a portion having been torn\naway when the book was mutilated at some former time. There is a perfect\ncopy in the Yellow Book of Lecan, in Trinity College, Dublin, and\nanother in the British Museum (MS. Harl. 5280).\n\nAfter I had made a rough translation of the greater part of this piece,\nI discovered a good literal translation in manuscript in the Royal Irish\nAcademy, made by the late J. O'Beirne Crowe, which was of great use to\nme, as it helped to explain some strange terms, and to clear up some\nobscure passages.\n\nThis voyage would appear from internal evidence to have been made in the\nbeginning of the eighth century (O'Curry says about the year 700); for I\nthink it likely that Maildun did actually go on a voyage, which was\nafterwards made the framework of the story. On my translation of this\ntale, Lord Tennyson founded his poem \"The Voyage of Maeldune.\"\n\nOf the _Imrama_ or voluntary sea expeditions (to which the present story\nbelongs) there are, according to O'Curry (Lect. MS. Mat. 289), only four\nremaining, all very ancient. Of these the best known is the \"Voyage of\nSt. Brendan,\" undertaken in the sixth century, which was at one time\ncelebrated all over Europe, and which has been lately made the theme of\na fine poem by Denis Florence McCarthy.\n\nAnother of these _Imrama_ is the \"Voyage of the Sons of O'Corra,\" which\nhas been described at some length by Professor O'Curry (Lect. MS. Mat.\n289). Of this I have a copy which I made from the MS. 23. M. 50, Royal\nIrish Academy (and which I afterwards carefully compared with another\ncopy lent me by my friend, Mr. W.M. Hennessy). I made a translation of\nthis story, intending to print it in the present volume; but as there is\na much older and better copy in the ancient \"Book of Fermoy,\" which I\nhad not time to consult in detail, I have thought it better to hold back\nfor the present the strange adventures of the sons of O'Corra. A\nbeautiful poetical translation of the whole tale has been made by Mr.\nT.D. Sullivan of Dublin, and published in his volume of Poems.\n\n\nTHE FAIRY PALACE OF THE QUICKEN TREES.\n\nThe \"Bruighean Caerthainn,\" or \"The Fairy Palace of the Quicken Trees,\"\nwhich is now translated for the first time, is one of the most popular\nof the Gaelic romances. I had three of the Royal Irish Academy MSS.\nbefore me when translating it--viz., 23. C. 30, transcribed in 1733, by\nthe Irish writer and lexicographer, Andrew Mac Curtin of the county\nClare; 24. B. 15, written in 1841; and 23. L. 24, copied in 1766, by\nDermot O'Mulqueen of the county Clare.\n\nThis is one of a type of stories very common in Gaelic romantic\nliterature:--One or more of the heroes are entrapped by some enchanter\nand held under a spell in a castle, or a cave, or a dungeon; till, after\na series of adventures, they are released by the bravery or mother-wit\nof some of their companions. \"The Chase of Slieve Fuad\" and \"The Chase\nof Slieve Cullinn\" are two other examples of this class of Gaelic tales.\n\n\nTHE PURSUIT OF THE GILLA DACKER AND HIS HORSE.\n\nThis is a humorous story of a trick--a very serious practical\njoke--played by Avarta, a Dedannan enchanter, on sixteen of the Fena,\nwhom he carried off to \"The Land of Promise;\" and of the adventures of\nFinn, Dermat O'Dyna, and the others, in their pursuit of Avarta (who had\ntaken the shape of the Gilla Dacker) to recover their companions. It may\nbe regarded as belonging to the same class as the last story.\n\nO'Curry described the opening of this tale in his Lectures (MS. Mat.\n316); and he was the first, so far as I know, to draw attention to it. I\nthink it strange that such a story should not have been noticed before\nby writers on Gaelic literature; for as a work of imagination, it seems\nto me a marvellous and very beautiful creation.\n\nThe battles fought by the king of Sorca, aided by Finn and his Fena,\nagainst the King of the World, are described at much length in the\noriginal; but I have cut them down to a very short compass; and I have\nomitted altogether a long episode towards the end, which travels away\nfrom the main story.\n\nThis tale has never been translated till now. I translated it chiefly\nfrom the Royal Irish Academy MS., 24. B. 28, a well-written manuscript,\nwhich was copied out by Edmond Terry, in 1728: but I kept another good\ncopy beside me for comparison, viz., that contained in the Royal Irish\nAcademy MS., 23. G. 21, written in 1795, by Michael Oge O'Longan of\nCork, father of Mr. Joseph O'Longan, now the Irish scribe in the Royal\nIrish Academy, and the transcriber in fac-simile of \"Leabhar na\nh-Uidhre,\" \"Leabhar Breac,\" and \"Leabhar Laighneach.\"\n\n\nTHE PURSUIT OF DERMAT AND GRANIA.\n\nThis tale is one of those mentioned in the list contained in the Book of\nLeinster, which was written about A.D. 1130 (see note, page iv.); but\nthough this proves the tale to be an ancient one, I have never come\nacross a copy older than the last century.\n\n\"The Pursuit of Dermat and Grania\" has been published, with text and a\nvery racy idiomatic literal translation, by Mr. Standish Hayes O'Grady,\nin the Transactions of the Ossianic Society for 1855, from a comparison\nof two manuscripts, one of 1780 and the other of 1842. In addition to\nMr. O'Grady's published text, I made use of another good copy (MS. Royal\nIrish Academy, 23. G. 21) written in 1795, by Michael Oge O'Longan,\nalready spoken of.\n\nI cannot help believing that this fine story originally ended with the\ndeath of Dermat; though in all the current versions (including Mr.\nO'Grady's printed text) there is an additional part recounting the\nfurther proceedings of Grania and her sons, after the death of the hero.\nBut this part is in every respect inferior to the rest--in language, in\nfeeling, and in play of imagination. It seems to me very clear that it\nwas patched on to the original story by some unskilful hand; and I have\naccordingly omitted it, and ended the story with the death of Dermat. I\nhave also omitted two short episodes--that of the _cnumh_ or reptile of\nCorca Divna, as a mere excrescence; and Finn's expedition to Scotland\nfor aid against Dermat. And, for the sake of clearness, I have slightly\nchanged the place of that part of the tale which recounts the origin of\nthe Fairy Quicken Tree of Dooros. There are one or two other trifling\nbut very necessary modifications, which need not be mentioned here.\n\n\nTHE CHASE OF SLIEVE CULLINN: THE CHASE OF SLIEVE FUAD: OISIN IN\nTIRNANOGE.\n\nIn the original Gaelic these are three poetical tales. All three have\nbeen printed, with Gaelic text and literal translation, in the\nTransactions of the Ossianic Society: the two first by the late John\nO'Daly, and \"Oisin in Tirnanoge\" by Professor O'Looney. There are many\ngood copies of these tales in the manuscripts of the Royal Irish\nAcademy; though of not one of them have I seen a copy older than the\nlast century.\n\n\"The Chase of Slieve Cullinn\" (commonly known as \"The Poem of the\nChase\") has been translated into English verse by Miss Brooke; and there\nis another metrical translation in the _Irish Penny Journal_ (page 93).\nAnd of \"Oisin in Tirnanoge,\" Mr. T.D. Sullivan has given a graceful\npoetical rendering in his volume of Poems, already mentioned.\n\n\nPREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION.\n\nIn this edition there is an additional tale, \"The Fate of the Sons of\nUsna,\" a notice of which will be found at page x, above.\n\nLYRE-NA-GRENA, LEINSTER ROAD, RATHMINES, 1907.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[I.] In the Book of Leinster, a manuscript now in Trinity College,\nDublin, which was transcribed about the year 1130, there is a very\ninteresting list of ancient historic tales--187 in all--classified in\nthe manner indicated above, which an ollave was obliged to master, so as\nto be able to repeat any one of them from memory, whenever his patron\nrequired him to do so. (See O'Curry, \"Lectures on the MS. Materials of\nIrish History,\" pages 243 and 584.)\n\n[II.] Macpherson never sinned in this way. He caught the true keynote;\nand his \"Poems of Ossian,\" however perverted in other respects, are\nalways dignified in thought and expression. Among other examples of the\ntrue interpretation of the spirit of these old romances, prose and\npoetry, I may mention Miss Brooke's \"Reliques of Irish Poetry,\"\npublished in the end of the last century; the Rev. Dr. Drummond's\n\"Ancient Irish Minstrelsy,\" published in 1852; Lady Ferguson's graceful\nand interesting book, \"The Story of the Irish before the Conquest\"\n(1868); and Mr. Standish O'Grady's ably written volume, the \"History of\nIreland\" (Vol. I., The Heroic Period 1878).\n\n[III.] With one partial exception. In \"The Book of the Dun Cow,\" \"The\nVoyage of Maildun\" is divided into parts or chapters, which are numbered\non the margin in Roman numerals, each chapter relating to one particular\nisland; but no spaces are left, and the chapters have no headings. In\nthis tale I have followed the old sub-division.\n\n[IV.] \"Deirdr\u00e8,\" by Robert D. Joyce, M.D., M.R.I.A. Boston: Roberts\nBrothers. Dublin: M.H. Gill and Son.\n\n[V.] O'Curry, _Atlantis_, Nos. vii. and viii., page 390.\n\n[VI.] See the ballad and air of \"The Fairy King's Courtship,\" in the\nauthor's \"Ancient Irish Music,\" page 1.\n\n\n\n\n  CONTENTS.\n\n\n  THE FATE OF THE CHILDREN OF LIR; OR, THE FOUR WHITE SWANS.\n\n\n  CHAPTER                                                       PAGE\n\n      I. Bove Derg chosen King of the Dedannans,                   1\n\n     II. The Children of Lir,                                      4\n\n    III. The Four Children of Lir are turned into Four White       6\n         Swans by their Stepmother,\n\n     IV. The Four White Swans on Lake Darvra,                     10\n\n      V. The Four White Swans on the Sea of Moyle,                18\n\n     VI. The Four White Swans on the Western Sea,                 26\n\n    VII. The Children of Lir regain their Human Shape and die,    32\n\n\n  THE FATE OF THE CHILDREN OF TURENN; OR, THE QUEST FOR THE ERIC-FINE.\n\n\n      I. The Lochlanns invade Erin,                               37\n\n     II. The Murder of Kian,                                      42\n\n    III. Defeat and Flight of the Lochlanns,                      47\n\n     IV. The Eric-Fine on the Sons of Turenn for the Slaying of   51\n         Kian,\n\n      V. The Sons of Turenn obtain Mannanan's Canoe, the          60\n         Wave-Sweeper,\n\n     VI. The Apples of the Garden of Hisberna,                    63\n\n    VII. The Gifted Skin of the Pig,                              67\n\n   VIII. The Blazing Spear of the King of Persia,                 71\n\n     IX. The Chariot and Steeds of the King of Sigar,             74\n\n      X. The Seven Pigs of the King of the Golden Pillars,        78\n\n     XI. The Hound-Whelp of the King of Iroda,                    81\n\n    XII. Return of the Sons of Turenn, with part of the           84\n         Eric-Fine,\n\n   XIII. The Cooking-Spit of the Women of Fincara,                87\n\n    XIV. The Three Shouts on Midkena's Hill,                      89\n\n     XV. Return and Death of the Sons of Turenn,                  91\n\n\n  THE OVERFLOWING OF LOUGH NEAGH, AND THE STORY OF LIBAN\n    THE MERMAID.                                                  97\n\n\n  CONNLA OF THE GOLDEN HAIR AND THE FAIRY MAIDEN.                106\n\n\n  THE VOYAGE OF MAILDUN.\n\n\n      I. Maildun's Childhood and Youth. He begins his Voyage in  112\n         Quest of the Plunderers who slew his Father,\n\n     II. The First Island. Tidings of the Plunderers,            117\n\n    III. The Island of the Monstrous Ants,                       119\n\n     IV. The Terraced Isle of Birds,                             120\n\n      V. A Monster,                                              121\n\n     VI. The Demon Horse-Race,                                   122\n\n    VII. The Palace of Solitude,                                 124\n\n   VIII. The Island of the Wonderful Apple Tree,                 125\n\n     IX. The Island of Bloodthirsty Quadrupeds,                  126\n\n      X. An Extraordinary Monster,                               127\n\n     XI. The Isle of Red-Hot Animals,                            129\n\n    XII. The Palace of the Little Cat,                           131\n\n   XIII. An Island that dyed Black and White,                    133\n\n    XIV. The Island of the Burning River,                        135\n\n     XV. The Miller of Hell,                                     136\n\n    XVI. The Isle of Weeping,                                    137\n\n   XVII. The Isle of the Four Precious Walls,                    139\n\n  XVIII. The Palace of the Crystal Bridge,                       139\n\n    XIX. The Isle of Speaking Birds,                             143\n\n     XX. The Aged Hermit and the Human Souls,                    143\n\n    XXI. The Island of the Big Blacksmiths,                      145\n\n   XXII. The Crystal Sea,                                        147\n\n  XXIII. A Lovely Country beneath the Waves,                     147\n\n   XXIV. An Island guarded by a Wall of Water,                   148\n\n    XXV. A Water-Arch in the Air,                                149\n\n   XXVI. The Silver Pillar of the Sea,                           150\n\n  XXVII. An Island standing on One Pillar,                       151\n\n XXVIII. The Island Queen detains them with her Magic            152\n         Thread-Clew,\n\n   XXIX. The Isle of Intoxicating Wine-Fruits,                   156\n\n    XXX. The Isle of the Mystic Lake,                            157\n\n   XXXI. The Isle of Laughing,                                   163\n\n  XXXII. The Isle of the Blest,                                  164\n\n XXXIII. The Hermit of the Sea-Rock,                             164\n\n  XXXIV. Signs of Home,                                          174\n\n   XXXV. Maildun meets his Enemy, and arrives Home,              175\n\n\n  THE FAIRY PALACE OF THE QUICKEN TREES.\n\n\n      I. Colga, King of Lochlann, invades Erin, and is slain,    177\n\n     II. Midac, the Son of Colga, meditates Revenge,             181\n\n    III. Finn is entrapped by Midac, and held by Enchantment in  189\n         the Palace of the Quicken Trees,\n\n     IV. Innsa, Finn's Foster Son, defends the Ford leading to   196\n         the Palace of the Quicken Trees,\n\n      V. Ficna, the Son of Finn, defends the Ford,               203\n\n     VI. Dermat O'Dyna slays the Three Kings of the Island of    213\n         the Torrent, breaks the Spell with their Blood, and\n         frees Finn,\n\n    VII. The Fight at the Ford with the Foreign Army,            219\n\n\n  THE PURSUIT OF THE GILLA DACKER AND HIS HORSE.\n\n\n      I. Arrival of the Gilla Dacker and his Horse,              223\n\n     II. Conan and Fifteen of the Fena are carried off by the    235\n         Gilla Dacker's Horse,\n\n    III. Pursuit,                                                239\n\n     IV. Dermat O'Dyna, in Quest of the Gilla Dacker,            245\n         encounters the Wizard-Champion at the Well,\n\n      V. Dermat O'Dyna in Tir-fa-tonn,                           253\n\n     VI. Finn, in Quest of Dermat, fights many Battles,          259\n\n    VII. Finn and Dermat meet,                                   265\n\n   VIII. Conan and his Companions found and rescued,             267\n\n\n  THE PURSUIT OF DERMAT AND GRANIA.\n\n\n      I. Finn, the Son of Cumal, seeks the Princess Grania to    274\n         Wife,\n\n     II. Dermat O'Dyna secretly espouses the Princess Grania,    277\n\n    III. Flight and Pursuit,                                     285\n\n     IV. The Fastness of the Seven Narrow Doors,                 289\n\n      V. The Three Sea-Champions and their Three Venomous        296\n         Hounds on the Track of Dermat and Grania,\n\n     VI. What Befell the Three Sea-Champions and their Three     305\n         Venomous Hounds,\n\n    VII. Sharvan, the Surly Giant, and the Fairy Quicken Tree    313\n         of Dooros,\n\n   VIII. The Attack of the Witch-Hag,                            330\n\n     IX. Peace and Rest at Last,                                 332\n\n      X. The Death of Dermat,                                    334\n\n\n  THE CHASE OF SLIEVE CULLINN,                                   351\n\n\n  THE CHASE OF SLIEVE FUAD,                                      362\n\n\n  OISIN IN TIRNANOGE; OR, THE LAST OF THE FENA,                  385\n\n\n  THE VOYAGE OF THE SONS OF O'CORRA,                             400\n\n\n  THE FATE OF THE SONS OF USNA,                                  427\n\n\n  NOTES,                                                         455\n\n\n  LIST OF PROPER NAMES,                                          471\n\n\n\n\nTHE FATE OF THE CHILDREN OF LIR;\nOR,\n_THE FOUR WHITE SWANS._\n\n    Silent, O Moyle, be the roar of thy water;\n      Break not, ye breezes, your chain of repose;\n    While murmuring mournfully, Lir's lonely daughter\n      Tells to the night-star her tale of woes.\n\n    MOORE.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nBOVE DERG CHOSEN KING OF THE DEDANNANS.\n\n\nAfter the battle of Tailltenn,[VII.] the Dedannans[1][VIII.] of the five\nprovinces of Erin assembled in one place of meeting, to consider on\ntheir state, and to choose a king. For their chiefs said it was better\nfor them to have one king over all, than to be divided, as they were,\nserving sundry lords and princes.\n\nNow of those who expected the sovereignty for themselves, the following\nchiefs were the noblest, namely:--Bove Derg,[IX.] son of the Dagda; his\nbrother Angus, of Bruga on the Boyne, who, however, had no earnest wish\nto become king, preferring to remain as he was; Ilbrec of Assaroe; Lir\nof Shee Finnaha; and Midir the Haughty of Bri-Leth.[1]\n\nThen the chief people went into council, all except the five above\nnamed; and the decision they came to was to elect Bove Derg, son of the\nDagda, king over the whole of the Dedannan race. When the election was\nmade known, none of those who were disappointed took the matter to heart\nexcept Lir of Shee Finnaha alone. And when Lir found that the chiefs had\nchosen Bove Derg, he was greatly offended, and straightway left the\nassembly in anger, without taking leave of any one, and without showing\nany mark of respect or obedience to the new king.\n\nWhen the chiefs heard this, they were wroth; and they said they would\nfollow him to Shee Finnaha,[X.] and slay him with spear and sword, and\nburn his house, because he did not yield obedience to the king they had\nelected in lawful council.\n\nBut Bove Derg would not permit them to do so. \"This man,\" he said, \"will\ndefend his territory, and many will be slain; and I am none the less\nyour king, although he has not submitted to me.\"\n\nMatters remained so for a long time. But at last a great misfortune\nhappened to Lir, for his wife died after an illness of three days. This\nweighed heavily on him, and his heart was weary with sorrow after her.\nHer death, moreover, was a great event at that time, and was much spoken\nof throughout Erin.\n\nWhen the tidings reached the mansion of Bove Derg, where the chief men\nof the Dedannans were then assembled, the king said--\n\n\"As Lir's wife is now dead, my friendship would be of service to him, if\nhe were willing to accept it. For I have in my house three maidens, the\nmost beautiful and the best instructed in all Erin, namely, Eve, Eva,\nand Alva, my own foster children, and daughters of Allil of Ara.\"[XI.]\n\nThe Dedannans agreed to this, and said that their king had spoken wisely\nand truly.\n\nMessengers were accordingly sent to Lir, and they were told to say to\nhim--\n\n\"If thou art willing to submit to the king, he will give thee for a wife\none of his three foster children; and thou shalt have his friendship for\never.\"\n\nIt was pleasing to Lir to make this alliance; and accordingly he set out\nnext day from Shee Finnaha with a company of fifty chariots; and they\nnever halted or turned aside till they reached the palace of Bove Derg,\non the shore of the Great Lake.[XII.] Their arrival gave much joy and\nhappiness to the king and his household; for although Lir did not submit\nat first to Bove Derg, he was a good man, and was greatly beloved by\nthe king himself and by all his subjects. So Lir and his followers got a\nkindly welcome; and they were supplied with everything necessary, and\nwere well attended to that night.\n\nNext day, the three daughters of Allil of Ara sat on the same couch with\nthe queen their foster mother; and the king said to Lir--\n\n\"Take thy choice of the three maidens, and whichever thou choosest, she\nshall be thy wife.\"\n\n\"They are all beautiful,\" said Lir, \"and I cannot tell which of them is\nbest; but I will take the eldest, for she must be the noblest of the\nthree.\"\n\nThen the king said, \"Eve is the eldest, and she shall be given to thee\nif it be thy wish.\"\n\nSo Lir chose Eve for his wife, and they were wedded that day.\n\nLir remained a fortnight in the king's palace, and then departed with\nhis wife to his own house, Shee Finnaha, where he celebrated his\nmarriage by a great royal wedding feast.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[VII.] Now Teltown, on the river Blackwater, between Kells and Navan, in\nMeath. (See note 1 at the end, for this battle.)\n\n[VIII.] The numbers refer to the notes at the end of the book.\n\n[IX.] At the end of the book will be found an alphabetical list of all\nthe names of persons and places mentioned through the volume, with their\nGaelic forms, and, in many cases, their meanings.\n\n[X.] Shee Finnaha, Lir's residence, is thought to have been situated\nnear the boundary of Armagh and Monaghan, not far from Newtown Hamilton.\n\n[XI.] Ara, the islands of Aran, in Galway Bay.\n\n[XII.] The Great Lake, _i.e._ Lough Derg, on the Shannon, above\nKillaloe.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nTHE CHILDREN OF LIR.\n\n\nIn course of time, Lir's wife bore him two children at a birth, a\ndaughter and a son, whose names were Finola and Aed. A second time she\nbrought forth twins, two sons, who were named Ficra and Conn: and she\ndied in giving them birth. This was a cause of great anguish to Lir; and\nhe would almost have died of grief, only that his mind was turned from\nhis sorrow by his great love for his four little children.\n\nWhen the news of Eve's death reached the mansion of Bove Derg, the king\nwas in deep grief, and the people of his household raised three great\ncries of lamentation for her. And when their mourning was ended, the\nking said--\n\n\"We grieve for our foster child, both on her own account, and for the\nsake of the good man to whom we gave her; for we are thankful for his\nalliance and his friendship. But our acquaintance shall not be ended,\nand our alliance shall not be broken; for I will give him her sister to\nwife, my second foster child, Eva.\"\n\nMessengers were sent to Lir to Shee Finnaha, to tell him of this; and he\nconsented. So after some time he came to the king's house to espouse\nher, and they were united; and he brought her home with him to his own\nhouse.\n\nThe four children grew up under Eva's care. She nursed them with great\ntenderness, and her love for them increased every day. They slept near\ntheir father; and he would often rise from his own bed at the dawn of\nmorning, and go to their beds, to talk with them and to fondle them.\n\nThe king, Bove Derg, loved them almost as well as did their father. He\nwent many times every year to Shee Finnaha to see them; and he used to\nbring them often to his palace, where he kept them as long as he could\non each occasion, and he always felt sad when he sent them home.\n\nAt this time, too, the Dedannans used to celebrate the Feast of Age[2]\nat the houses of their chiefs by turns; and whenever it happened that\nthe festival was held at Shee Finnaha, these children were the delight\nand joy of the Dedannans. For nowhere could four lovelier children be\nfound; so that those who saw them were always delighted with their\nbeauty and their gentleness, and could not help loving them with their\nwhole heart.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nTHE FOUR CHILDREN OF LIR ARE TURNED INTO FOUR WHITE SWANS BY THEIR\nSTEPMOTHER.\n\n\nNow when Eva saw that the children of Lir received such attention and\naffection from their father, and from all others that came to his house,\nshe fancied she was neglected on their account; and a poisonous dart of\njealousy entered her heart, which turned her love to hatred; and she\nbegan to have feelings of bitter enmity for her sister's children.\n\nHer jealousy so preyed on her that she feigned illness, and lay in bed\nfor nearly a year, filled with gall and brooding mischief; and at the\nend of that time she committed a foul and cruel deed of treachery on the\nchildren of Lir.\n\nOne day she ordered her horses to be yoked to her chariot, and she set\nout for the palace of Bove Derg, bringing the four children with her.\n\nFinola did not wish to go, for it was revealed to her darkly in a dream\nthat Eva was bent on some dreadful deed of fratricide;[XIII.] and she\nknew well that her stepmother intended to kill her and her brothers that\nday, or in some other way to bring ruin on them. But she was not able to\navoid the fate that awaited her.\n\nWhen they had gone some distance from Shee Finnaha on their way to the\npalace, Eva tried to persuade her attendants to kill the children. \"Kill\nthem, and you shall be rewarded with all the worldly wealth you may\ndesire; for their father loves me no longer, and has neglected and\nforsaken me on account of his great love for these children.\"\n\nBut they heard her with horror, and refused, saying, \"We will not kill\nthem. Fearful is the deed thou hast contemplated, O Eva; and evil will\nsurely befall thee for having even thought of killing them.\"\n\nThen she took the sword to slay them herself; but her woman's weakness\nprevented her, and she was not able to strike them.\n\nSo they set out once more, and fared on till they came to the shore of\nLake Darvra,[XIV.] where they alighted, and the horses were unyoked.\n\nShe led the children to the edge of the lake, and told them to go to\nbathe; and as soon as they had got into the clear water, she struck them\none by one with a druidical[3] fairy wand, and turned them into four\nbeautiful snow-white swans. And she addressed them in these words--\n\n    Out to your home, ye swans, on Darvra's wave;\n      With clamorous birds begin your life of gloom:\n    Your friends shall weep your fate, but none can save;\n      For I've pronounced the dreadful words of doom.\n\nAfter this, the four children of Lir turned their faces to their\nstepmother; and Finola spoke--\n\n\"Evil is the deed thou hast done, O Eva; thy friendship to us has been a\nfriendship of treachery; and thou hast ruined us without cause. But the\ndeed will be avenged; for the power of thy witchcraft is not greater\nthan the druidical power of our friends to punish thee; and the doom\nthat awaits thee shall be worse than ours.\"\n\n    Our stepmother loved us long ago;\n    Our stepmother now has wrought us woe:\n    With magical wand and fearful words,\n    She changed us to beautiful snow-white birds;\n    And we live on the waters for evermore,\n    By tempests driven from shore to shore.\n\nFinola again spoke and said, \"Tell us now how long we shall be in the\nshape of swans, so that we may know when our miseries shall come to an\nend.\"\n\n\"It would be better for you if you had not put that question,\" said Eva;\n\"but I shall declare the truth to you, as you have asked me. Three\nhundred years on smooth Lake Darvra; three hundred years on the Sea of\nMoyle, between Erin and Alban;[XV.] three hundred years at Irros Domnann\nand Inis Glora[XVI.] on the Western Sea. Until the union of Largnen, the\nprince from the north, with Decca, the princess from the south; until\nthe Taillkenn[XVII.] shall come to Erin, bringing the light of a pure\nfaith; and until ye hear the voice of the Christian bell. And neither by\nyour own power, nor by mine, nor by the power of your friends, can ye be\nfreed till the time comes.\"\n\nThen Eva repented what she had done; and she said, \"Since I cannot\nafford you any other relief, I will allow you to keep your own Gaelic\nspeech; and ye shall be able to sing sweet, plaintive, fairy music,\nwhich shall excel all the music of the world, and which shall lull to\nsleep all that listen to it. Moreover, ye shall retain your human\nreason; and ye shall not be in grief on account of being in the shape of\nswans.\"\n\nAnd she chanted this lay--\n\n    Depart from me, ye graceful swans;\n      The waters are now your home:\n    Your palace shall be the pearly cave,\n    Your couch the crest of the crystal wave,\n      And your mantle the milk-white foam!\n\n    Depart from me, ye snow-white swans\n      With your music and Gaelic speech:\n    The crystal Darvra, the wintry Moyle,\n    The billowy margin of Glora's isle;--\n      Three hundred years on each!\n\n    Victorious Lir, your hapless sire,\n      His lov'd ones in vain shall call;\n    His weary heart is a husk of gore,\n    His home is joyless for evermore,\n      And his anger on me shall fall!\n\n    Through circling ages of gloom and fear\n      Your anguish no tongue can tell;\n    Till Faith shall shed her heavenly rays,\n    Till ye hear the Taillkenn's anthem of praise,\n      And the voice of the Christian bell!\n\nThen ordering her steeds to be yoked to her chariot she departed\nwestwards, leaving the four white swans swimming on the lake.\n\n    Our father shall watch and weep in vain;\n    He never shall see us return again.\n    Four pretty children, happy at home;\n    Four white swans on the feathery foam;\n    And we live on the waters for evermore,\n    By tempests driven from shore to shore.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XIII.] The word \"fratricide\" is the nearest English equivalent to the\noriginal word, _fionghal_, which means the murder of a relative.\n\n[XIV.] Lake Darvra, now Lough Derravaragh, in Westmeath.\n\n[XV.] The sea between Erin and Alban (Ireland and Scotland) was\nanciently called the Sea of Moyle, from the Moyle, or Mull, of Cantire.\n\n[XVI.] Irros Domnann; Erris, in the county Mayo. Inis Glora; a small\nisland about five miles west from Belmullet, in the same county, still\nknown by the same name.\n\n[XVII.] Taillkenn, a name given by the druids to St. Patrick.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nTHE FOUR WHITE SWANS ON LAKE DARVRA.\n\n\nWhen Eva arrived at the house of Bove Derg, the chiefs bade her welcome;\nand the king asked her why she had not brought the Children of Lir to\nhim.\n\n\"Because,\" she replied, \"Lir no longer loves thee; and he does not wish\nto intrust his children to thee, lest thou shouldst harm them.\"\n\nThe king was greatly astonished and troubled at this, and he said, \"How\ncan that be? For I love those children better than I love my own.\"\n\nBut he thought in his own mind that Eva had played some treachery on\nthem. And he sent messengers with all speed northwards to Shee Finnaha,\nto inquire for the children, and to ask that they might be sent to him.\n\nWhen the messengers had told their errand, Lir was startled; and he\nasked, \"Have the children not reached the palace with Eva?\"\n\nThey answered, \"Eva arrived alone, and she told the king that you\nrefused to let the children come.\"\n\nA sad and sorrowful heart had Lir when he heard this; and he now felt\nsure that Eva had destroyed his four lovely children. So, early next\nmorning, his chariot was yoked for him, and he set out with his\nattendants for the king's palace; and they travelled with all speed till\nthey arrived at the shore of Lake Darvra.\n\nThe children of Lir saw the cavalcade approaching; and Finola spoke\nthese words--\n\n    I see a mystic warrior band\n    From yonder brow approach the strand;\n    I see them winding down the vale,\n      Their bending chariots slow advancing;\n    I see their shields and gilded mail,\n      Their spears and helmets brightly glancing.\n\n    Ah! well I know that proud array;\n    I know too well their thoughts to-day:\n    The Dannan host and royal Lir;\n      Four rosy children they are seeking:\n    Too soon, alas! they find us here,\n      Four snowy swans like children speaking!\n\n    Come, brothers dear, approach the coast,\n    To welcome Lir's mysterious host.\n    Oh, woful welcome! woful day,\n      That never brings a bright to-morrow!\n    Unhappy father, doomed for aye\n      To mourn our fate in hopeless sorrow!\n\nWhen Lir came to the shore, he heard the birds speaking, and, wondering\ngreatly, he asked them how it came to pass that they had human voices.\n\n\"Know, O Lir,\" said Finola, \"that we are thy four children, who have\nbeen changed into swans and ruined by the witchcraft of our stepmother,\nour own mother's sister, Eva, through her baleful jealousy.\"\n\nWhen Lir and his people heard this, they uttered three long mournful\ncries of grief and lamentation.\n\nAfter a time, their father asked them, \"Is it possible to restore you to\nyour own shapes?\"\n\n\"It is not possible,\" replied Finola; \"no man has the power to release\nus until Largnen from the north and Decca from the south are united.\nThree hundred years we shall be on Lake Darvra; three hundred years on\nthe sea-stream of Moyle; three hundred years on the Sea of Glora in the\nwest. And we shall not regain our human shape till the Taillkenn come\nwith his pure faith into Erin, and until we hear the voice of the\nChristian bell.\"\n\nAnd again the people raised three great cries of sorrow.\n\n\"As you have your speech and your reason,\" said Lir, \"come now to land,\nand ye shall live at home, conversing with me and my people.\"\n\n\"We are not permitted to leave the waters of the lake, and we cannot\nlive with our people any more. But the wicked Eva has allowed us to\nretain our human reason, and our own Gaelic speech; and we have also the\npower to chant plaintive, fairy music, so sweet that those who listen to\nus would never desire any other happiness. Remain with us to-night, and\nwe will chant our music for you.\"\n\nLir and his people remained on the shore of the lake; and the swans sang\ntheir slow, fairy music, which was so sweet and sad, that the people, as\nthey listened, fell into a calm, gentle sleep.\n\nAt the glimmer of dawn next morning, Lir arose, and he bade farewell to\nhis children for a while, to seek out Eva.\n\n    The time has come for me to part:--\n      No more, alas! my children dear,\n    Your rosy smiles shall glad my heart,\n      Or light the gloomy home of Lir.\n\n    Dark was the day when first I brought\n      This Eva in my home to dwell!\n    Hard was the woman's heart that wrought\n      This cruel and malignant spell!\n\n    I lay me down to rest in vain;\n      For, through the livelong, sleepless night,\n    My little lov'd ones, pictured plain,\n      Stand ever there before my sight.\n\n    Finola, once my pride and joy;\n      Dark Aed, adventurous and bold;\n    Bright Ficra, gentle, playful boy;\n      And little Conn, with curls of gold;--\n\n    Struck down on Darvra's reedy shore,\n      By wicked Eva's magic power:\n    Oh, children, children, never more\n      My heart shall know one peaceful hour!\n\nLir then departed, and travelled south-west till he arrived at the\nking's palace, where he was welcomed; and Bove Derg began to reproach\nhim, in presence of Eva, for not bringing the children.\n\n\"Alas!\" said Lir; \"it was not by me that the children were prevented\nfrom coming. But Eva, your own foster child, the sister of their mother,\nhas played treachery on them; and has changed them by her sorcery into\nfour white swans on Lake Darvra.\"\n\nThe king was confounded and grieved at this news; and when he looked at\nEva, he knew by her countenance that what Lir had told him was true; and\nhe began to upbraid her in a fierce and angry voice.\n\n\"The wicked deed thou hast committed,\" said he, \"will be worse for thee\nthan for the children of Lir; for their suffering shall come to an end,\nand they shall be happy at last.\"\n\nAgain he spoke to her more fiercely than before; and he asked her what\nshape of all others, on the earth, or above the earth, or beneath the\nearth, she most abhorred, and into which she most dreaded to be\ntransformed.\n\nAnd she, being forced to answer truly, said, \"A demon of the\nair.\"[XVIII.]\n\n\"That is the form you shall take,\" said Bove Derg; and as he spoke he\nstruck her with a druidical magic wand, and turned her into a demon of\nthe air. She opened her wings, and flew with a scream upwards and away\nthrough the clouds; and she is still a demon of the air, and she shall\nbe a demon of the air till the end of time.\n\nThen Bove Derg and the Dedannans assembled on the shore of the lake, and\nencamped there; for they wished to remain with the birds, and to listen\nto their music. The Milesian people[XIX.] came and formed an encampment\nthere in like manner; for historians say that no music that was ever\nheard in Erin could be compared with the singing of these swans.\n\nAnd so the swans passed their time. During the day they conversed with\nthe men of Erin, both Dedannans and Milesians, and discoursed lovingly\nwith their friends and fellow nurselings; and at night they chanted\ntheir slow, sweet, fairy music, the most delightful that was ever heard\nby men; so that all who listened to it, even those who were in grief, or\nsickness, or pain, forgot their sorrows and their sufferings, and fell\ninto a gentle, sweet sleep, from which they awoke bright and happy.\n\nSo they continued, the Dedannans and the Milesians, in their\nencampments, and the swans on the lake, for three hundred years.[XX.]\nAnd at the end of that time, Finola said to her brothers--\n\n\"Do you know, my dear brothers, that we have come to the end of our time\nhere; and that we have only this one night to spend on Lake Darvra?\"\n\nWhen the three sons of Lir heard this, they were in great distress and\nsorrow; for they were almost as happy on Lake Darvra, surrounded by\ntheir friends, and conversing with them day by day, as if they had been\nin their father's house in their own natural shapes; whereas they should\nnow live on the gloomy and tempestuous Sea of Moyle, far away from all\nhuman society.\n\nEarly next morning, they came to the margin of the lake, to speak to\ntheir Father and their friends for the last time, and to bid them\nfarewell; and Finola chanted this lay--\n\n    I.\n\n    Farewell, farewell, our father dear!\n      The last sad hour has come:\n    Farewell, Bove Derg! farewell to all,\n      Till the dreadful day of doom![XXI.]\n    We go from friends and scenes beloved,\n      To a home of grief and pain;\n          And that day of woe\n          Shall come and go,\n      Before we meet again!\n\n    II.\n\n    We live for ages on stormy Moyle,\n      In loneliness and fear;\n    The kindly words of loving friends\n      We never more shall hear.\n    Four joyous children long ago;\n      Four snow-white swans to-day;\n          And on Moyle's wild sea\n          Our robe shall be\n      The cold and briny spray.\n\n    III.\n\n    Far down on the misty stream of time,\n      When three hundred years are o'er,\n    Three hundred more in storm and cold,\n      By Glora's desolate shore;\n    Till Decca fair is Largnen's spouse;\n      Till north and south unite;\n          Till the hymns are sung,\n          And the bells are rung,\n      At the dawn of the pure faith's light.\n\n    IV.\n\n    Arise, my brothers, from Darvra's wave,\n      On the wings of the southern wind;\n    We leave our father and friends to-day\n      In measureless grief behind.\n    Ah! sad the parting, and sad our flight\n      To Moyle's tempestuous main;\n          For the day of woe\n          Shall come and go,\n      Before we meet again!\n\nThe four swans then spread their wings, and rose from the surface of the\nwater in sight of all their friends, till they reached a great height in\nthe air, then resting, and looking downwards for a moment, they flew\nstraight to the north, till they alighted on the Sea of Moyle between\nErin and Alban.\n\nThe men of Erin were grieved at their departure, and they made a law,\nand proclaimed it throughout the land, that no one should kill a swan in\nErin from that time forth.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XVIII.] demon of the air was held in great abhorrence by the ancient\nIrish.\n\n[XIX.] The Milesian people; the colony who conquered and succeeded the\nDedannans. (See note 1 at end.)\n\n[XX.] The Dedannans were regarded as gods, and were immortal or\nsemi-immortal. (See note 1 at the end.)\n\n[XXI.] It must be remembered that the children of Lir had some obscure\nforeknowledge of the coming of Christianity.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nTHE FOUR WHITE SWANS ON THE SEA OF MOYLE.\n\n\nAs to the children of Lir, miserable was their abode and evil their\nplight on the Sea of Moyle. Their hearts were wrung with sorrow for\ntheir father and their friends; and when they looked towards the steep,\nrocky, far-stretching coasts, and saw the great, dark wild sea around\nthem, they were overwhelmed with fear and despair. They began also to\nsuffer from cold and hunger, so that all the hardships they had endured\non Lake Darvra appeared as nothing compared with their suffering on the\nsea-current of Moyle.\n\nAnd so they lived, till one night a great tempest fell upon the sea.\nFinola, when she saw the sky filled with black, threatening clouds, thus\naddressed her brothers--\n\n\"Beloved brothers, we have made a bad preparation for this night; for it\nis certain that the coming storm will separate us; and now let us\nappoint a place of meeting, or it may happen that we shall never see\neach other again.\"\n\nAnd they answered, \"Dear sister, you speak truly and wisely; and let us\nfix on Carricknarone, for that is a rock that we are all very well\nacquainted with.\"\n\nAnd they appointed Carricknarone as their place of meeting.\n\nMidnight came, and with it came the beginning of the storm. A wild,\nrough wind swept over the dark sea, the lightnings flashed, and the\ngreat waves rose, and increased their violence and their thunder.\n\nThe swans were soon scattered over the waters, so that not one of them\nknew in what direction the others had been driven. During all that night\nthey were tossed about by the roaring winds and waves, and it was with\nmuch difficulty they preserved their lives.\n\nTowards morning the storm abated, and the sea became again calm and\nsmooth; and Finola swam to Carricknarone. But she found none of her\nbrothers there, neither could she see any trace of them when she looked\nall round from the summit of the rock over the wide face of the sea.\n\nThen she became terrified, for she thought she should never see them\nagain; and she began to lament them plaintively in these words--\n\n    The heart-breaking anguish and woe of this life\n          I am able no longer to bear:\n    My wings are benumbed with this pitiless frost;\n    My three little brothers are scattered and lost;\n          And I am left here to despair.\n\n    My three little brothers I never shall see\n           Till the dead shall arise from the tomb:\n    How I sheltered them oft with my wings and my breast,\n    And I soothed their sorrows and lulled them to rest,\n           As the night fell around us in gloom!\n\n    Ah, where are my brothers, and why have I lived,\n          This last worst affliction to know?\n    What now is there left but a life of despair?--\n    For alas! I am able no longer to bear\n          This heart-breaking anguish and woe.[XXII.]\n\nSoon after this she looked again over the sea, and she saw Conn coming\ntowards the rock, with his head drooping, and his feathers all drenched\nwith the salt spray; and she welcomed him with joyful heart.\n\nNot long after, Ficra appeared, but he was so faint with wet and cold\nand hardship, that he was scarce able to reach the place where Finola\nand Conn were standing; and when they spoke to him he could not speak\none word in return. So Finola placed the two under her wings, and she\nsaid--\n\n\"If Aed were here now, all would be happy with us.\"\n\nIn a little time they saw Aed coming towards them, with head erect and\nfeathers all dry and radiant and Finola gave him a joyful welcome. She\nthen placed him under the feathers of her breast, while Conn and Ficra\nremained under her wings; and she said to them--\n\n\"My dear brothers, though ye may think this night very bad, we shall\nhave many like it from this time forth.\"\n\nSo they continued for a long time on the Sea of Moyle, suffering\nhardships of every kind, till one winter night came upon them, of great\nwind and of snow and frost so severe, that nothing they ever before\nsuffered could be compared to the misery of that night. And Finola\nuttered these words--\n\n    Our life is a life of woe;\n      No shelter or rest we find:\n    How bitterly drives the snow;\n      How cold is this wintry wind!\n\n    From the icy spray of the sea,\n      From the wind of the bleak north east,\n    I shelter my brothers three,\n      Under my wings and breast.\n\n    Our stepmother sent us here,\n      And misery well we know:--\n    In cold and hunger and fear;\n      Our life is a life of woe!\n\nAnother year passed away on the Sea of Moyle; and one night in January,\na dreadful frost came down on the earth and sea, so that the waters were\nfrozen into a solid floor of ice all round them. The swans remained on\nCarricknarone all night, and their feet and their wings were frozen to\nthe icy surface, so that they had to strive hard to move from their\nplaces in the morning; and they left the skin of their feet, the quills\nof their wings, and the feathers of their breasts clinging to the rock.\n\n\"Sad is our condition this night, my beloved brothers,\" said Finola,\n\"for we are forbidden to leave the Sea of Moyle; and yet we cannot bear\nthe salt water, for when it enters our wounds, I fear we shall die of\npain.\"\n\nAnd she spoke this lay--\n\n    Our fate is mournful here to-day;\n      Our bodies bare and chill,\n    Drenched by the bitter, briny spray,\n      And torn on this rocky hill!\n\n    Cruel our stepmother's jealous heart\n      That banished us from home;\n    Transformed to swans by magic art,\n      To swim the ocean foam.\n\n    This bleak and snowy winter day,\n      Our bath is the ocean wide;\n    In thirsty summer's burning ray,\n      Our drink the briny tide.\n\n    And here 'mid rugged rocks we dwell,\n      In this tempestuous bay;\n    Four children bound by magic spell;--\n      Our fate is sad to-day!\n\nThey were, however, forced to swim out on the stream of Moyle, all\nwounded and torn as they were; for though the brine was sharp and\nbitter, they were not able to avoid it. They stayed as near the coast as\nthey could, till after a long time the feathers of their breasts and\nwings grew again, and their wounds were healed.\n\nAfter this they lived on for a great number of years, sometimes visiting\nthe shores of Erin, and sometimes the headlands of Alban. But they\nalways returned to the sea-stream of Moyle, for it was destined to be\ntheir home till the end of three hundred years.\n\nOne day they came to the mouth of the Bann, on the north coast of Erin,\nand looking inland, they saw a stately troop of horsemen approaching\ndirectly from the south-west. They were mounted on white steeds, and\nclad in bright-coloured garments, and as they wound towards the shore\ntheir arms glittered in the sun.\n\n\"Do ye know yonder cavalcade?\" said Finola to her brothers.\n\n\"We know them not,\" they replied; \"but it is likely they are a party of\nthe Milesians, or perchance a troop of our own people, the Dedannans.\"\n\nThey swam towards the shore, to find out who the strangers were; and the\ncavalcade on their part, when they saw the swans, knew them at once, and\nmoved towards them till they were within speaking distance.\n\nNow these were a party of the Dedannans; and the chiefs who commanded\nthem were the two sons of Bove Derg, the Dedannan king, namely, Aed the\nKeen-witted, and Fergus the Chess-player, with a third part of the Fairy\nHost.[XXIII.] They had been for a long time searching for the children\nof Lir along the northern shores of Erin, and now that they had found\nthem, they were joyful; and they and the swans greeted each other with\ntender expressions of friendship and love. The children of Lir inquired\nafter the Dedannans, and particularly after their father Lir, and Bove\nDerg, and all the rest of their friends and acquaintances.\n\n\"They are all well,\" replied the chiefs; \"and they and the Dedannans in\ngeneral are now gathered together in the house of your father, at Shee\nFinnaha, celebrating the Feast of Age,[2] pleasantly and agreeably.\nTheir happiness would indeed be complete, only that you are not with\nthem, and that they know not where you have been since you left Lake\nDarvra.\"\n\n\"Miserable has been our life since that day,\" said Finola; \"and no\ntongue can tell the suffering and sorrow we have endured on the Sea of\nMoyle.\"\n\nAnd she chanted these words--\n\n    Ah, happy is Lir's bright home to-day,\n    With mead and music and poet's lay:\n    But gloomy and cold his children's home,\n    For ever tossed on the briny foam.\n\n    Our wreath\u00e8d feathers are thin and light\n    When the wind blows keen through the wintry night:\n    Yet oft we were robed, long, long ago,\n    In purple mantles and furs of snow.\n\n    On Moyle's bleak current our food and wine\n    Are sandy sea-weed and bitter brine:\n    Yet oft we feasted in days of old,\n    And hazel-mead drank from cups of gold.\n\n    Our beds are rocks in the dripping caves;\n    Our lullaby song the roar of the waves:\n    But soft rich couches once we pressed,\n    And harpers lulled us each night to rest.\n\n    Lonely we swim on the billowy main,\n    Through frost and snow, through storm and rain:\n    Alas for the days when round us moved\n    The chiefs and princes and friends we loved!\n\n    My little twin brothers beneath my wings\n    Lie close when the north wind bitterly stings,\n    And Aed close nestles before my breast;\n    Thus side by side through the night we rest.\n\n    Our father's fond kisses, Bove Derg's embrace,\n    The light of Mannanan's[1] godlike face,\n    The love of Angus[1]--all, all are o'er;\n    And we live on the billows for evermore!\n\nAfter this they bade each other farewell, for it was not permitted to\nthe children of Lir to remain away from the stream of Moyle. As soon as\nthey had parted, the Fairy Cavalcade returned to Shee Finnaha, where\nthey related to the Dedannan chiefs all that had passed, and described\nthe condition of the children of Lir. And the chiefs answered--\n\n\"It is not in our power to help them; but we are glad that they are\nliving; and we know that in the end the enchantment will be broken, and\nthat they will be freed from their sufferings.\"\n\nAs to the children of Lir, they returned to their home on the Sea of\nMoyle, and there they remained till they had fulfilled their term of\nyears.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XXII.] Many of these old poems begin and end with the same line or\ncouplet.\n\n[XXIII.] Fairy host; _i.e._ the Dedannans. (See note 1 at the end of the\nbook.)\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nTHE FOUR WHITE SWANS ON THE WESTERN SEA.\n\n\nAnd when their three hundred years were ended, Finola said to her\nbrothers--\n\n\"It is time for us to leave this place, for our period here has come to\nan end.\"\n\n    The hour has come; the hour has come;\n      Three hundred years have passed:\n    We leave this bleak and gloomy home,\n      And we fly to the west at last!\n\n    We leave for ever the stream of Moyle;\n      On the clear, cold wind we go;\n    Three hundred years round Glora's isle,\n      Where wintry tempests blow!\n\n    No sheltered home, no place of rest,\n      From the tempest's angry blast:\n    Fly, brothers, fly, to the distant west,\n      For the hour has come at last!\n\nSo the swans left the Sea of Moyle, and flew westward, till they reached\nIrros Domnann and the sea round the isle of Glora. There they remained\nfor a long time, suffering much from storm and cold, and in nothing\nbetter off than they were on the Sea of Moyle.\n\nIt chanced that a young man named Ebric, of good family, the owner of a\ntract of land lying along the shore, observed the birds and heard their\nsinging. He took great delight in listening to their plaintive music,\nand he walked down to the shore almost every day, to see them and to\nconverse with them; so that he came to love them very much, and they\nalso loved him. This young man told his neighbours about the speaking\nswans, so that the matter became noised abroad; and it was he who\narranged the story, after hearing it from themselves, and related it as\nit is related here.\n\nAgain their hardships were renewed, and to describe what they suffered\non the great open Western Sea would be only to tell over again the story\nof their life on the Moyle. But one particular night came, of frost so\nhard that the whole face of the sea, from Irros Domnann to Achill, was\nfrozen into a thick floor of ice; and the snow was driven by a\nnorth-west wind. On that night it seemed to the three brothers that they\ncould not bear their sufferings any longer, and they began to utter loud\nand pitiful complaints. Finola tried to console them, but she was not\nable to do so, for they only lamented the more; and then she herself\nbegan to lament with the others.\n\nAfter a time, Finola spoke to them and said, \"My dear brothers, believe\nin the great and splendid God of truth, who made the earth with its\nfruits, and the sea with its wonders; put your trust in Him, and He will\nsend you help and comfort.\"\n\n\"We believe in Him,\" said they.\n\n\"And I also,\" said Finola, \"believe in God, who is perfect in\neverything, and who knows all things.\"\n\nAnd at the destined hour they all believed, and the Lord of heaven sent\nthem help and protection; so that neither cold nor tempest molested them\nfrom that time forth, as long as they abode on the Western Sea.\n\nSo they continued at the point of Irros Domnann, till they had fulfilled\ntheir appointed time there. And Finola addressed the sons of Lir--\n\n\"My dear brothers, the end of our time here has come; we shall now go to\nvisit our father and our people.\"\n\nAnd her brothers were glad when they heard this.\n\nThen they rose lightly from the face of the sea, and flew eastward with\njoyful hopes, till they reached Shee Finnaha. But when they alighted\nthey found the place deserted and solitary, its halls all ruined and\novergrown with rank grass and forests of nettles; no houses, no fire, no\nmark of human habitation.\n\nThen the four swans drew close together, and they uttered three loud\nmournful cries of sorrow.\n\nAnd Finola chanted this lay--\n\n    What meaneth this sad, this fearful change,\n        That withers my heart with woe?\n    The house of my father all joyless and lone,\n    Its halls and its gardens with weeds overgrown,--\n        A dreadful and strange overthrow!\n\n    No conquering heroes, no hounds for the chase,\n        No shields in array on its walls,\n    No bright silver goblets, no gay cavalcades,\n    No youthful assemblies or high-born maids,\n        To brighten its desolate halls!\n\n    An omen of sadness--the home of our youth\n        All ruined, deserted, and bare.\n    Alas for the chieftain, the gentle and brave;\n    His glories and sorrows are stilled in the grave,\n        And we left to live in despair!\n\n    From ocean to ocean, from age unto age,\n        We have lived to the fulness of time;\n    Through a life such as men never heard of we've passed,\n    In suffering and sorrow our doom has been cast,\n        By our stepmother's pitiless crime!\n\nThe children of Lir remained that night in the ruins of the palace--the\nhome of their forefathers, where they themselves had been nursed; and\nseveral times during the night they chanted their sad, sweet, fairy\nmusic.\n\nEarly next morning they left Shee Finnaha, and flew west to Inis Glora,\nwhere they alighted on a small lake. There they began to sing so sweetly\nthat all the birds of the district gathered in flocks round them on the\nlake, and on its shore, to listen to them; so that the little lake came\nto be called the Lake of the Bird-flocks.\n\nDuring the day the birds used to fly to distant points of the coast to\nfeed, now to Iniskea of the lonely crane,[XXIV.] now to Achill, and\nsometimes southwards to Donn's Sea Rocks,[XXV.] and to many other\nislands and headlands along the shore of the Western Sea, but they\nreturned to Inis Glora every night.\n\nThey lived in this manner till holy Patrick came to Erin with the pure\nfaith; and until Saint Kemoc came to Inis Glora.\n\nThe first night Kemoc came to the island, the children of Lir heard his\nbell at early matin time, ringing faintly in the distance. And they\ntrembled greatly, and started, and ran wildly about; for the sound of\nthe bell was strange and dreadful to them, and its tones filled them\nwith great fear. The three brothers were more affrighted than Finola, so\nthat she was left quite alone; but after a time they came to her, and\nshe asked them--\n\n\"Do you know, my brothers, what sound is this?\"\n\nAnd they answered, \"We have heard a faint, fearful voice, but we know\nnot what it is.\"\n\n\"This is the voice of the Christian bell,\" said Finola; \"and now the end\nof our suffering is near; for this bell is the signal that we shall soon\nbe freed from our spell, and released from our life of suffering; for\nGod has willed it.\"\n\nAnd she chanted this lay--\n\n    Listen, ye swans, to the voice of the bell,\n      The sweet bell we've dreamed of for many a year;\n    Its tones floating by on the night breezes, tell\n      That the end of our long life of sorrow is near!\n\n    Listen, ye swans, to the heavenly strain;\n      'Tis the anchoret tolling his soft matin bell:\n    He has come to release us from sorrow, from pain,\n      From the cold and tempestuous shores where we dwell!\n\n    Trust in the glorious Lord of the sky;\n      He will free us from Eva's druidical spell:\n    Be thankful and glad, for our freedom is nigh,\n      And listen with joy to the voice of the bell!\n\nThen her brothers became calm; and the four swans remained listening to\nthe music of the bell, till the cleric had finished his matins.\n\n\"Let us sing our music now,\" said Finola.\n\nAnd they chanted a low, sweet, plaintive strain of fairy music, to\npraise and thank the great high King of heaven and earth.\n\nKemoc heard the music from where he stood; and he listened with great\nastonishment. But after a time it was revealed to him that it was the\nchildren of Lir who sang that music; and he was glad, for it was to seek\nthem he had come.\n\nWhen morning dawned he came to the shore of the lake, and he saw the\nfour white swans swimming on the water. He spoke to them, and asked them\nwere they the children of Lir.\n\nThey replied, \"We are indeed the children of Lir, who were changed long\nago into swans by our wicked stepmother.\"\n\n\"I give God thanks that I have found you,\" said Kemoc; \"for it is on\nyour account I have come to this little island in preference to all the\nother islands of Erin. Come ye now to land, and trust in me; for it is\nin this place that you are destined to be freed from your enchantment.\"\n\nSo they, filled with joy on hearing the words of the cleric, came to the\nshore, and placed themselves under his care. He brought them to his own\nhouse, and, sending for a skilful workman, he caused him to make two\nbright, slender chains of silver; and he put a chain between Finola and\nAed, and the other chain he put between Ficra and Conn.\n\nSo they lived with him, listening to his instructions day by day, and\njoining in his devotions. They were the delight and joy of the cleric,\nand he loved them with his whole heart; and the swans were so happy that\nthe memory of all the misery they had suffered during their long life on\nthe waters caused them neither distress nor sorrow now.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XXIV.] Iniskea; a little rocky island near the coast of Erris, in Mayo.\n\"The lonely crane of Iniskea\" was one of the \"Wonders of Ireland.\"\nAccording to an ancient legend, which still lives among the peasantry of\nMayo, a crane--one lonely bird--has lived on the island since the\nbeginning of the world, and will live there till the day of judgment.\n\n[XXV.] Donn's Sea Rocks--called in the text _Teach-Dhuinn_, or Donn's\nHouse, which is also the present Irish name; a group of three rocks off\nKenmare Bay, where Donn, one of the Milesian brothers, was drowned.\nThese remarkable rocks are now called in English the \"Bull, Cow, and\nCalf.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nTHE CHILDREN OF LIR REGAIN THEIR HUMAN SHAPE AND DIE.\n\n\nThe king who ruled over Connaught at this time was Largnen, the son of\nColman; and his queen was Decca, the daughter of Finnin,[XXVI.] king of\nMunster,--the same king and queen whom Eva had spoken of in her prophecy\nlong ages before.\n\nNow word was brought to queen Decca regarding these wonderful speaking\nswans, and their whole history was related to her; so that even before\nshe saw them, she could not help loving them, and she was seized with a\nstrong desire to have them herself. So she went to the king, and\nbesought him that he would go to Kemoc and get her the swans. But\nLargnen said that he did not wish to ask them from Kemoc. Whereupon\nDecca grew indignant; and she declared that she would not sleep another\nnight in the palace till he had obtained the swans for her. So she left\nthe palace that very hour, and fled southwards towards her father's\nhome.\n\nLargnen, when he found she had gone, sent in haste after her, with word\nthat he would try to procure the swans; but the messengers did not\novertake her till she had reached Killaloe. However, she returned with\nthem to the palace; and as soon as she had arrived, the king sent to\nKemoc to request that he would send the birds to the queen; but Kemoc\nrefused to give them.\n\nLargnen became very angry at this; and he set out at once for the\ncleric's house. As soon as he had come, he asked the cleric whether it\nwas true that he had refused to give the swans to the queen. And when\nKemoc answered that it was quite true, the king, being very wroth, went\nup to where the swans stood, and seizing the two silver chains, one in\neach hand, he drew the birds from the altar, and turned towards the door\nof the church, intending to bring them by force to the queen; while\nKemoc followed him, much alarmed lest they should be injured.\n\nThe king had proceeded only a little way, when suddenly the white\nfeathery robes faded and disappeared; and the swans regained their human\nshape, Finola being transformed into an extremely old woman, and the\nthree sons into three feeble old men, white-haired and bony and\nwrinkled.\n\nWhen the king saw this, he started with affright, and instantly left the\nplace without speaking one word; while Kemoc reproached and denounced\nhim very bitterly.\n\nAs to the children of Lir, they turned towards Kemoc; and Finola spoke--\n\n\"Come, holy cleric, and baptise us without delay, for our death is near.\nYou will grieve after us, O Kemoc; but in truth you are not more\nsorrowful at parting from us than we are at parting from you. Make our\ngrave here and bury us together; and as I often sheltered my brothers\nwhen we were swans, so let us be placed in the grave--Conn standing near\nme at my right side, Ficra at my left, and Aed before my face.\"[XXVII.]\n\n    Come, holy priest, with book and prayer;\n      Baptise and shrive us here:\n    Haste, cleric, haste, for the hour has come,\n      And death at last is near!\n\n    Dig our grave--a deep, deep grave,\n      Near the church we loved so well;\n    This little church, where first we heard\n      The voice of the Christian bell.\n\n    As oft in life my brothers dear\n      Were sooth'd by me to rest--\n    Ficra and Conn beneath my wings,\n      And Aed before my breast;\n\n    So place the two on either hand--\n      Close, like the love that bound me;\n    Place Aed as close before my face,\n      And twine their arms around me.\n\n    Thus shall we rest for evermore,\n      My brothers dear and I:\n    Haste, cleric, haste, baptise and shrive,\n      For death at last is nigh!\n\nThen the children of Lir were baptised, and they died immediately. And\nwhen they died, Kemoc looked up; and lo, he saw a vision of four lovely\nchildren, with light, silvery wings, and faces all radiant with joy.\nThey gazed on him for a moment; but even as they gazed, they vanished\nupwards, and he saw them no more. And he was filled with gladness, for\nhe knew they had gone to heaven; but when he looked down on the four\nbodies lying before him, he became sad and wept.\n\nAnd Kemoc caused a wide grave to be dug near the little church; and the\nchildren of Lir were buried together, as Finola had directed--Conn at\nher right hand, Ficra at her left, and Aed standing before her face. And\nhe raised a grave-mound over them, placing a tombstone on it, with\ntheir names graved in Ogam;[XXVIII.] after which he uttered a lament for\nthem, and their funeral rites were performed.\n\n\nSo far we have related the sorrowful story of the Fate of the Children\nof Lir.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XXVI.] These are well-known historical personages, who flourished in\nthe seventh century.\n\n[XXVII.] Among the ancient Celtic nations, the dead were often buried\nstanding up in the grave. It was in this way Finola and her brothers\nwere buried.\n\n[XXVIII.] Ogam, a sort of writing, often used on sepulchral stones to\nmark the names of the persons buried.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FATE OF THE CHILDREN OF TURENN;\n\nOR,\n\n_THE QUEST FOR THE ERIC-FINE._\n\n             For the blood that we spilled,\n             For the hero we killed,\n    Toil and woe, toil and woe, till the doom is fulfilled!\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nTHE LOCHLANNS INVADE ERIN.\n\n\nWhen the Dedannans[1] held sway in Erin, a prosperous free-born king\nruled over them, whose name was Nuada of the Silver Hand.[4]\n\nIn the time of this king, the Fomorians,[5] from Lochlann,[6] in the\nnorth, oppressed the Dedannans, and forced them to pay heavy tributes;\nnamely, a tax on kneading-troughs, a tax on querns, and a tax on baking\nflags; and besides all this, an ounce of gold for each man of the\nDedannans. These tributes had to be paid every year at the Hill of\nUsna;[XXIX.] and if any one refused or neglected to pay his part, his\nnose was cut off by the Fomorian tyrants.\n\nAt this time a great fair-meeting was held by the king of Ireland, Nuada\nof the Silver Hand, on the Hill of Usna. Not long had the people been\nassembled, when they saw a stately band of warriors, all mounted on\nwhite steeds, coming towards them from the east; and at their head, high\nin command over all, rode a young champion, tall and comely, with a\ncountenance as bright and glorious as the setting sun.\n\nThis young warrior was Luga of the Long Arms.[7] He was accompanied by\nhis foster brothers, namely, the sons of Mannanan Mac Lir; and the troop\nhe led was the Fairy Host from the Land of Promise.[8]\n\nNow in this manner was he arrayed. He rode the steed of Mannanan Mac\nLir,[8] namely, Enbarr of the Flowing Mane: no warrior was ever killed\non the back of this steed, for she was as swift as the clear, cold wind\nof spring, and she travelled with equal ease on land and on sea. He wore\nMannanan's coat of mail: no one could be wounded through it, or above\nit, or below it. He had on his breast Mannanan's breast-plate, which no\nweapon could pierce. His helmet had two glittering precious stones set\nin front, and one behind; and whenever he took it off, his face shone\nlike the sun on a dry day in summer. Mannanan's sword, The Answerer,\nhung at his left side: no one ever recovered from its wound; and those\nwho were opposed to it in the battle-field were so terrified by looking\nat it, that their strength left them till they became weaker than a\nwoman in deadly sickness.\n\nThis troop came forward to where the king of Erin sat surrounded by the\nDedannans, and both parties exchanged friendly greetings.\n\nA short time after this they saw another company approaching, quite\nunlike the first, for they were grim and fierce and surly looking;\nnamely, the tax-gatherers of the Fomorians, to the number of nine nines,\nwho were coming to demand their yearly tribute from the men of Erin.\nWhen they reached the place where the king sat, the entire assembly--the\nking himself among the rest--rose up before them. For the whole Dedannan\nrace stood in great dread of these Fomorian tax-collectors; so much so\nthat no man dared even to chastise his own son without first seeking\ntheir consent.\n\nThen Luga of the Long Arms spoke to the king and said, \"Why have ye\nstood up before this hateful-looking company, when ye did not stand up\nfor us?\"\n\n\"We durst not do otherwise,\" replied the king; \"for if even an infant of\na month old remained seated before them, they would deem it cause enough\nfor killing us all.\"\n\nWhen Luga heard this he brooded in silence for a little while, and then\nhe said, \"Of a truth, I feel a great desire to kill all these men!\"\n\nThen he mused again, and after a time, said, \"I am strongly urged to\nkill these men!\"\n\n\"That deed would doubtless bring great evil on us,\" said the king, \"for\nthen the Fomorians would be sure to send an army to destroy us all.\"\n\nBut Luga, after another pause, started up, exclaiming, \"Long have ye\nbeen oppressed in this manner!\" and so saying, he attacked the\nFomorians, dealing red slaughter among them. Neither did he hold his\nhand till he had slain them all except nine. These he spared, because\nthey ran with all speed and sat nigh the king, that he might protect\nthem from Luga's wrath.\n\nThen Luga put his sword back into its scabbard, and said, \"I would slay\nyou also, only that I wish you to go and tell your king, and the\nforeigners in general, what you have seen.\"\n\nThese nine men accordingly returned to their own country, and they told\ntheir tale to the Fomorian people from beginning to end--how the\nstrange, noble-faced youth had slain all the tax-collectors except nine,\nwhom he spared that they might bring home the story.\n\nWhen they had ended speaking, the king, Balor[9] of the Mighty Blows and\nof the Evil Eye, asked the chiefs, \"Do ye know who this youth is?\"\n\nAnd when they answered, \"No,\" Kethlenda,[9] Balor's queen, said--\n\n\"I know well who the youth is: he is the Ildana,[XXX.] Luga of the Long\nArms, the son of your daughter and mine; and it has been long foretold\nthat when he should appear in Erin, our sway over the Dedannans should\ncome to an end.\"\n\nThen the chief people of the Fomorians held council; namely, Balor of\nthe Mighty Blows, and his twelve sons, and his queen Kethlenda of the\nCrooked Teeth; Ebb and Sencab, the grandsons of Neid; Sotal of the Large\nHeels; Luath the Long-bodied; Luath the Story-teller; Tinna the Mighty,\nof Triscadal; Loskenn of the Bare Knees; Lobas, the druid; besides the\nnine prophetic poets and philosophers of the Fomorians.\n\nAfter they had debated the matter for some time, Bres, the son of Balor,\narose and said, \"I will go to Erin with seven great battalions of the\nFomorian army, and I will give battle to the Ildana, and I will bring\nhis head to you to our palace of Berva.\"[6]\n\nThe Fomorian chiefs thought well of this proposal, and it was agreed to.\n\nSo the ships were got ready for Bres; abundant food and drink and war\nstores were put into them, their seams were calked with pitch, and they\nwere filled with sweet-smelling frankincense. Meantime the two Luaths,\nthat is to say, Luath the Story-teller and Luath of the Long Body, were\nsent all over Lochlann to summon the army. And when all the fighting men\nwere gathered together, they arrayed themselves in their battle-dresses,\nprepared their arms, and set out for Erin.\n\nBalor went with them to the harbour where they were to embark, and when\nthey were about to go on board, he said to them--\n\n\"Give battle to the Ildana, and cut off his head. And after ye have\novercome him and his people, put your cables round this island of Erin,\nwhich gives us so much trouble, and tie it at the sterns of your ships:\nthen sail home, bringing the island with you, and place it on the north\nside of Lochlann, whither none of the Dedannans will ever follow it.\"\n\nThen, having hoisted their many-coloured sails and loosed their\nmoorings, they sailed forth from the harbour into the great sea, and\nnever slackened speed or turned aside from their course till they\nreached the harbour of Eas-Dara.[XXXI.] And as soon as they landed, they\nsent forth an army through West Connaught, which wasted and spoiled the\nwhole province.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XXIX.] The Hill of Usna, in the parish of Conry, in Westmeath, one of\nthe royal residences of Ireland.\n\n[XXX.] Luga of the Long Arms is often called The Ildana, _i.e._ the Man\nof many sciences, to signify his various accomplishments.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nTHE MURDER OF KIAN.\n\n\nNow the king of Connaught at that time was Bove Derg, the son of the\nDagda,[XXXII.] a friend to Luga of the Long Arms. It chanced that Luga\nwas then at Tara,[XXXIII.] and news was brought to him that the\nFomorians had landed at Eas-Dara, and were spoiling and wasting the\nprovince. He immediately got ready his steed, Enbarr of the Flowing\nMane; and early in the morning, when the point of night met the day, he\nwent to the king and told him that the foreigners had landed, and that\nthey had wasted and plundered the province of Bove Derg.\n\n\"I shall give them battle,\" said Luga; \"and I wish to get from thee some\nhelp of men and arms.\"\n\n\"I will give no help,\" said the king; \"for I do not wish to avenge a\ndeed that has not been done against myself.\"\n\nWhen Luga heard this reply he was wroth, and departing straightway from\nTara, he rode westward. He had not travelled long when he saw at a\ndistance three warriors, fully armed, riding towards him. Now these were\nthree brothers, the sons of Canta; namely, Kian and Cu and Kethen; and\nKian was Luga's father. And they saluted each other, and conversed\ntogether for a time.\n\n\"Why art thou abroad so early?\" said they.\n\n\"Cause enough have I,\" replied Luga; \"for the Fomorians have landed in\nErin, and have wasted the province of Bove Derg, the son of the Dagda.\nIt is well indeed that I have met you, for I am about to give them\nbattle, and I wish now to know what aid I shall get from you.\"\n\n\"We will go into the battle with you,\" said they; \"and each of us will\nward off from you a hundred of the Fomorian warriors.\"\n\n\"That, indeed, is good help,\" said Luga; \"but, for the present, I wish\nyou to go to the several places throughout Erin where the Fairy\nHost[XXXIV.] are abiding, and summon them all to me.\"\n\nThe three brothers accordingly separated, Cu and Kethen going south,\nwhile Luga's father, Kian, turned his face northwards, and rode on till\nhe came to Moy Murthemna.[XXXV.] He had not been long travelling over\nthe plain when he saw three warriors, clad in armour and fully armed,\ncoming towards him. These were three Dedannan chiefs, the sons of\nTurenn, and their names were Brian, Ur, and Urcar. Now these three and\nthe three sons of Canta were at deadly feud with each other, on account\nof an old quarrel, and whenever they met there was sure to be a fight\nfor life or death.\n\nAs soon as Kian saw these three, he said, \"If my two brothers were now\nwith me, we should have a brave fight; but as they are not, and as I am\nonly one against three, it is better to avoid the combat.\" So saying, he\nlooked round, and seeing near him a herd of swine he struck himself with\na golden druidical[3] wand, and changed himself into a pig; and he\nquickly joined the herd.\n\nNo sooner had he done so than Brian, the eldest of the sons of Turenn,\nsaid to his brothers, \"Tell me, my brothers, do you know what has become\nof the warrior that we saw just now approaching us on the plain?\"\n\n\"We saw him,\" said they, \"but we know not whither he has gone.\"\n\n\"You deserve great blame,\" said he, \"that you are not more watchful\nwhile traversing the country during this time of war. Now I know what\nhas happened to this warrior; he has changed himself, by a druidical\nspell, into a pig; and he is now among yonder herd. And whoever he may\nbe, of this be sure--he is no friend of ours.\"\n\n\"This is an unlucky matter,\" said they; \"for as these pigs belong to one\nof the Dedannans, it would be wrong for us to kill them; and even if we\nshould do so, the enchanted pig might escape after all.\"\n\n\"But,\" answered Brian, \"I think I can manage to distinguish any\ndruidical beast from a natural one; and if you had attended well to your\nlearning, you would be able to do the same.\"\n\nSaying this, he struck his brothers one after the other with his golden\ndruidical wand, and turned them into two fleet, slender, sharp-nosed\nhounds. The moment he had done so they put their noses to the earth,\nand, yelping eagerly, set off towards the herd on the trail of their\nenemy. When they had come near, the druidical pig fell out from the\nherd, and made towards a thick grove that grew hard by; but Brian was\nthere before him, and drove his spear through his chest.\n\nThe pig screamed and said, \"You have done an ill deed to cast your spear\nat me, for you know well who I am.\"\n\n\"Your voice, methinks, is the voice of a man,\" said Brian; \"but I know\nnot who you are.\"\n\nAnd the pig answered, \"I am Kian, the son of Canta; and now I ask you to\ngive me quarter.\"\n\nUr and Urcar, who had regained their shape and come up, said, \"We will\ngive you quarter indeed, and we are sorry for what has happened to you.\"\n\nBut Brian, on the other hand, said, \"I swear by the gods of the air,\nthat if your life returned to you seven times, I would take it from you\nseven times.\"\n\n\"Then,\" said Kian, \"as you will not grant me quarter, allow me first to\nreturn to my own shape.\"\n\n\"That we will grant you,\" said Brian; \"for I often feel it easier to\nkill a man than to kill a pig.\"\n\nKian accordingly took his own shape; and then he said, \"You indeed, ye\nsons of Turenn, are now about to slay me; but even so, I have outwitted\nyou. For if you had slain me in the shape of a pig, you would have to\npay only the eric-fine[10] for a pig; whereas, now that I am in my own\nshape, you shall pay the full fine for a man. And there never yet was\nkilled, and there never shall be killed, a man for whom a greater fine\nshall be paid, than you will have to pay for me. The weapons with which\nI am slain shall tell the deed to my son; and he will exact the fine\nfrom you.\"\n\n\"You shall not be slain with the weapons of a warrior,\" said Brian; and\nso saying, he and his brothers laid aside their arms, and smote him\nfiercely and rudely with the round stones of the earth, till they had\nreduced his body to a disfigured mass; and in this manner they slew him.\n\nThey then buried him a man's height in the earth; but the earth, being\nangry at the fratricide,[XXXVI.] refused to receive the body, and cast\nit up on the surface. They buried him a second time, and again the body\nwas thrown up from beneath the clay. Six times the sons of Turenn buried\nthe body of Kian a man's height in the earth, and six times did the\nearth cast it up, refusing to receive it. But when they had buried him\nthe seventh time, the earth refused no longer, and the body remained in\nthe grave.\n\nThen the sons of Turenn prepared to go forward after Luga of the Long\nArms to the battle. But as they were leaving the grave, they thought\nthey heard a faint, muffled voice coming up from the ground beneath\ntheir feet--\n\n              The blood you have spilled,\n              The hero you've killed,\n    Shall follow your steps till your doom be fulfilled!\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XXXI.] Eas-Dara, now Ballysodare, in the county Sligo.\n\n[XXXII.] See page 1.\n\n[XXXIII.] Tara, in Meath, the chief seat of the kings of Ireland.\n\n[XXXIV.] Fairy Host, _i.e._ the Dedannans. (See notes 1 and 8 at end.)\n\n[XXXV.] Moy Murthemna, a plain in the county of Louth.\n\n[XXXVI.] Fratricide; Gaelic, _fionghal_, the murder of a relative. (See\nnote, page 7.) The sons of Turenn and the sons of Canta appear to have\nbeen related to each other (see the third stanza of the poem, page 94).\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nDEFEAT AND FLIGHT OF THE LOCHLANNS.\n\n\nNow as to Luga. After parting from his father, he journeyed westward\ntill he reached Ath-Luan,[XXXVII.] thence to Ros-Coman, and over\nMoy-Lurg to the Curlieu Hills, and to the mountain of Kesh-Corran, till\nhe reached the \"Great Plain of the Assembly,\" where the foreigners were\nencamped, with the spoils of Connaught around them.\n\nAs he drew nigh to the Fomorian encampment, Bres, the son of Balor,\narose and said--\n\n\"A wonderful thing has come to pass this day; for the sun, it seems to\nme, has risen in the west.\"\n\n\"It would be better that it were so,\" said the druids,[3] \"than that\nmatters should be as they are.\"\n\n\"What else can it be, then?\" asked Bres.\n\n\"The light you see,\" replied the druids, \"is the brightness of the face,\nand the flashing of the weapons of Luga of the Long Arms, our deadly\nenemy, he who slew our tax-gatherers, and who now approaches.\"\n\nThen Luga came up peacefully and saluted them.\n\n\"How does it come to pass that you salute us,\" said they, \"since you\nare, as we know well, our enemy?\"\n\n\"I have good cause for saluting you,\" answered Luga; \"for only one half\nof my blood is Dedannan; the other half comes from you; for I am the son\nof the daughter of Balor of the Mighty Blows, your king.[7] And now I\ncome in peace, to ask you to give back to the men of Connaught all the\nmilch cows you have taken from them.\"\n\n\"May ill luck follow thee,\" said one of the Fomorian leaders, in a voice\nloud and wrathful, \"until thou get one of them, either a milch cow or a\ndry cow!\"\n\nAnd the others spoke in a like strain.\n\nThen Luga put a druidical spell upon the plundered cattle; and he sent\nall the milch cows home, each to the door of her owner's house,\nthroughout all that part of Connaught that had been plundered. But the\ndry cows he left, so that the Fomorians might be cumbered, and that they\nmight not leave their encampment till the Fairy Host should arrive to\ngive them battle.\n\nLuga tarried three days and three nights near them, and at the end of\nthat time the Fairy Host arrived, and placed themselves under his\ncommand. They encamped near the Fomorians, and in a little time Bove\nDerg, son of the Dagda, joined them with twenty-nine hundred men.\n\nThen they made ready for the fight. The Ildana put on Mannanan's coat of\nmail and his breast-plate; he took also his helmet, which was called\nCannbarr, and it glittered in the sun with dazzling brightness; he slung\nhis broad, dark-blue shield from his shoulder at one side; his long,\nkeen-edged sword hung at his thigh; and lastly, he took his two long,\nheavy-handled spears, which had been tempered in the poisonous blood of\nadders. The other kings and chiefs of the men of Erin arrayed their men\nin battle ranks; hedges of glittering spears rose high above their\nheads; and their shields, placed edge to edge, formed a firm fence\naround them.\n\nThen at the signal they attacked the Fomorians, and the Fomorians, in no\ndegree dismayed, answered their onset. At first a cloud of whizzing\njavelins flew from rank to rank across the open space, and as the\nwarriors rushed together in closer conflict, their spears were shivered\nin their hands. Then they drew their gold-hilted swords, and fought foot\nto foot and shield to shield, so that a forest of bright flashes rose\nhigh above their helmets, from the clashing of their keen-tempered\nweapons.\n\nIn the midst of the fight, Luga looked round, and seeing at some\ndistance, Bres, surrounded by his Fomorian warriors, dealing havoc and\ndeath among the Dedannans, he rushed through the press of battle, and\nattacked first Bres's guards so fiercely that in a few moments twenty of\nthem fell beneath his blows.\n\nThen he struck at Bres himself, who, unable to withstand his furious\nonset, cried aloud--\n\n\"Why should we be enemies, since thou art of my kin? Let there be peace\nbetween us, for nothing can withstand thy blows. Let there be peace, and\nI will undertake to bring my Fomorians to assist thee at Moytura,[11]\nand I will promise never again to come to fight against thee.\"\n\nAnd Bres swore by the sun and the moon, by the sea and land, and by all\nthe elements,[XXXVIII.] to fulfil his engagement; and on these\nconditions Luga granted him his life.\n\nThen the Fomorians, seeing their chief overcome, dropped their arms, and\nsued for quarter. The Fomorian druids and men of learning next came to\nLuga to ask him to spare their lives; and Luga answered them--\n\n\"So far am I from wishing to slay you, that in truth, if you had taken\nthe whole Fomorian race under your protection, I would have spared\nthem.\"\n\nAnd after this, Bres, the son of Balor, returned to his own country with\nhis druids, and with those of his army who had escaped from the battle.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XXXVII.] _Ath-Luan_, now Athlone; _Ros-Coman_, now Roscommon;\n_Moy-Lurg_, a plain in the county Roscommon; Curlieu Hills, a range of\nhills near Boyle, in Roscommon; Kesh-Corran, a well-known mountain in\nSligo. The \"Great Plain of the Assembly\" must have been near\nBallysodare, in Sligo.\n\n[XXXVIII.] A usual form of oath among the ancient Irish. (See, for an\naccount of this oath, the author's \"Origin and History of Irish Names of\nPlaces,\" Series II. chap. XIV.)\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nTHE ERIC-FINE ON THE SONS OF TURENN FOR THE SLAYING OF KIAN.\n\n\nTowards the close of the day, when the battle was ended, Luga espied two\nof his near friends; and he asked them if they had seen his father,\nKian, in the fight. And when they answered, \"No,\" Luga said--\n\n\"My father is not alive; for if he lived he would surely have come to\nhelp me in the battle. And now I swear that neither food nor drink will\nI take till I have found out who has slain him, and the manner of his\ndeath.\"\n\nThen Luga set out with a small chosen band of the Fairy Host, and he\nhalted not till he reached the place where he had parted from his\nfather. And from that he travelled on to the plain of Murthemna, where\nKian had been forced to take the shape of a pig to avoid the sons of\nTurenn, and where they had slain him.\n\nWhen he had come near to the very spot, he walked some little way before\nhis companions, and the stones of the earth spoke beneath his feet, and\nsaid--\n\n\"Here thy father lies, O Luga. Grievous was Kian's strait when he was\nforced to take the shape of a pig on seeing the three sons of Turenn;\nand here they slew him in his own shape!\"\n\n              The blood that they spilled,\n              The hero they killed,\n    Shall darken their lives till their doom be fulfilled!\n\nLuga stood for a while silent, pondering on these words. But as his\ncompanions came up, he told them what had happened; and having pointed\nout the spot from which the voice came, he caused the ground to be dug\nup. There they found the body, and raised it to the surface; and when\nthey had examined it, they saw that it was covered all over with gory\nwounds and bruises.\n\nThen Luga spoke after a long silence, \"A cruel and merciless death has\nmy beloved father suffered at the hands of the sons of Turenn!\"\n\nHe kissed his father's face three times, and again spoke, grieving, \"Ill\nfare the day on which my father was slain! Woful is this deed to me, for\nmy eyes see not, my ears hear not, and my heart's pulse has ceased to\nbeat, for grief. Why, O ye gods whom I worship, why was I not present\nwhen this deed was done? Alas! an evil thing has happened, for the\nDedannans have slain their brother Dedannan. Ill shall they fare of this\nfratricide, for its consequences shall follow them, and long shall the\ncrime of brother against brother continue to be committed in Erin!\"\n\nAnd he spoke this speech--\n\n    A dreadful doom my father found\n      On that ill-omened even-tide;\n    And here I mourn beside the mound,\n      Where, whelmed by numbers, Kian died,--\n    This lonely mound of evil fame,\n    That long shall bear the hero's name!\n\n    Alas! an evil deed is done,\n      And long shall Erin rue the day:\n    There shall be strife 'twixt sire and son,\n      And brothers shall their brothers slay;\n    Vengeance shall smite the murderers too,\n    And vengeance all their race pursue!\n\n    The light has faded from mine eyes;\n      My youthful strength and power have fled\n    Weary my heart with ceaseless sighs;\n      Ambition, hope, and joy are dead;\n    And all the world is draped in gloom--\n    The shadow of my father's tomb!\n\nThen they placed the hero again in the grave, and they raised a tomb\nover him with his name graved in Ogam;[XXXIX.] after which his\nlamentation lays were sung, and his funeral games were performed.\n\nWhen these rites were ended, Luga said to his people, \"Go ye now to\nTara, where the king of Erin sits on his throne with the Dedannans\naround him; but do not make these things known till I myself have told\nthem.\"\n\nSo Luga's people went straightway to Tara, as he had bade them; but of\nthe murder of Kian they said naught. Luga himself arrived some time\nafter, and was received with great honour, being put to sit high over\nthe others, at the king's side; for the fame of his mighty deeds at the\nbattle of the Assembly Plain had been noised over the whole country, and\nhad come to the ears of the king.\n\nAfter he was seated, he looked round the hall, and saw the sons of\nTurenn in the assembly. Now these three sons of Turenn exceeded all the\nchampions in Tara, in comeliness of person, in swiftness of foot, and in\nfeats of arms; and, next to Luga himself, they were the best and bravest\nin the battles against the Fomorians; wherefore they were honoured by\nthe king beyond most others.\n\nLuga asked the king that the chain of silence[XL.] should be shaken; and\nwhen it was shaken, and when all were listening in silence, he stood up\nand spoke--\n\n\"I perceive, ye nobles of the Dedannan race, that you have given me your\nattention, and now I have a question to put to each man here present:\nWhat vengeance would you take of the man who should knowingly and of\ndesign kill your father?\"\n\nThey were all struck with amazement on hearing this, and the king of\nErin said--\n\n\"What does this mean? For that your father has not been killed, this we\nall know well!\"\n\n\"My father has indeed been killed,\" answered Luga; \"and I see now here\nin this hall those who slew him. And furthermore, I know the manner in\nwhich they put him to death, even as they know it themselves.\"\n\nThe sons of Turenn, hearing all this, said nothing; but the king spoke\naloud and said--\n\n\"If any man should wilfully slay my father, it is not in one hour or in\none day I would have him put to death; but I would lop off one of his\nmembers each day, till I saw him die in torment under my hands!\"\n\nAll the nobles said the same, and the sons of Turenn in like manner.\n\n\"The persons who slew my father are here present, and are joining with\nthe rest in this judgment,\" said Luga; \"and as the Dedannans are all now\nhere to witness, I claim that the three who have done this evil deed\nshall pay me a fitting eric-fine for my father. Should they refuse, I\nshall not indeed transgress the king's law nor violate his protection;\nbut of a certainty they shall not leave this hall of Micorta[XLI.] till\nthe matter is settled.\"\n\nAnd the king of Erin said, \"If I had killed your father, I should be\nwell content if you were willing to accept an eric-fine from me.\"\n\nNow the sons of Turenn spoke among themselves; and Ur and Urcar said,\n\"It is of us Luga speaks this speech. He has doubtless found out that we\nslew his father; and it is better that we now acknowledge the deed, for\nit will avail us naught to hide it.\"\n\nBrian, however, at first set his face against this, saying that he\nfeared Luga only wanted an acknowledgment from them in presence of the\nother Dedannans, and that afterwards he might not accept a fine. But the\nother two were earnest in pressing him, so that he consented, and then\nhe spoke to Luga--\n\n\"It is of us thou speakest all these things, Luga; for it has been said\nthat we three have been at enmity with the three sons of Canta. Now, as\nto the slaying of thy father Kian, let that matter rest; but we are\nwilling to pay an eric-fine for him, even as if we had killed him.\"\n\n\"I shall accept an eric-fine from you,\" said Luga, \"though ye indeed\nfear I shall not. I shall now name before this assembly the fine I ask,\nand if you think it too much, I shall take off a part of it.\n\n\"The first part of my eric-fine is three apples; the second part is the\nskin of a pig; the third is a spear; the fourth, two steeds and a\nchariot; the fifth, seven pigs; the sixth, a hound-whelp; the seventh, a\ncooking-spit; and the eighth, three shouts on a hill. That is my eric,\"\nsaid Luga; \"and if ye think it too much, say so now, that I may remit a\npart; but if not, then it will be well that ye set about paying it.\"\n\n\"So far,\" said Brian, \"we do not deem it too great. It seems, indeed, so\nsmall that we fear there is some hidden snare in what you ask, which may\nwork us mischief.\"\n\n\"I do not deem my eric too small,\" said Luga; \"and now I engage here,\nbefore the assembled Dedannans, that I will ask no more, and that I will\nseek no further vengeance for my father's death. But, as I have made\nmyself answerable to them for the faithful fulfilment of my promise, I\ndemand the same guarantee from you, that you also be faithful to me.\"\n\n\"Alas that you should doubt our plighted word!\" said the sons of Turenn.\n\"Are we not ourselves sufficient guarantee for the payment of an\neric-fine greater even than this?\"\n\n\"I do not deem your word sufficient guarantee,\" answered Luga; \"for\noften have we known great warriors like you to promise a fine before all\nthe people, and afterwards to go back of their promise.\"\n\nAnd the sons of Turenn consented, though unwillingly, for they grieved\nthat their word should be doubted. So they bound themselves on either\nside--Luga not to increase his claims; and the sons of Turenn, on their\npart, to pay him the full fine. And the king of Erin and Bove Derg, son\nof the Dagda, and the nobles of the Dedannans in general, were witnesses\nand sureties of this bond.\n\nThen Luga stood up and said, \"It is now time that I give you a full\nknowledge of this eric-fine.\n\n\"The three apples I ask are the apples of the Garden of\nHisberna,[XLII.] in the east of the world, and none others will I have.\nThere are no apples in the rest of the world like them, for their beauty\nand for the secret virtues they possess. Their colour is the colour of\nburnished gold; they have the taste of honey; and if a wounded warrior\nor a man in deadly sickness eat of them, he is cured immediately. And\nthey are never lessened by being eaten, being as large and perfect at\nthe end as at the beginning. Moreover any champion that possesses one of\nthem may perform with it whatsoever feat he pleases, by casting it from\nhis hand, and the apple will return to him of itself. And though you are\nthree brave warriors, ye sons of Turenn, methinks you will not find it\neasy to bring away these apples; for it has been long foretold that\nthree young champions from the Island of the West would come to take\nthem by force, so that the king has set guards to watch for your coming.\n\n\"The pig's skin I seek from you belongs to Tuis, the king of Greece.\nWhen the pig was alive, every stream of water through which she walked\nwas turned into wine for nine days, and all sick and wounded people that\ntouched her skin were at once cured, if only the breath of life\nremained. Now the king's druids told him that the virtue lay, not in the\npig herself, but in her skin; so the king had her killed and skinned,\nand he has her skin now. This, too, ye valiant champions, is a part of\nmy eric-fine which you will find it hard to get, either by force or by\nfriendship.\n\n\"The spear I demand from you is the venomed spear of Pezar, king of\nPersia. Its name is Slaughterer. In time of peace, its blazing, fiery\nhead is always kept in a great caldron of water, to prevent it from\nburning down the king's palace; and in time of war, the champion who\nbears it to the battle-field can perform any deed he pleases with it.\nAnd it will be no easy matter to get this spear from the king of Persia.\n\n\"The two steeds and the chariot belong to Dobar, king of Sigar.[XLIII.]\nThe chariot exceeds all the chariots in the world for beauty of shape\nand goodliness of workmanship. The two noble steeds have no equal for\nstrength and fleetness, and they travel with as much ease on sea as on\nland.\n\n\"The seven pigs I demand are the pigs of Asal, the king of the Golden\nPillars. Whoever eats a part of them shall not suffer from ill health or\ndisease; and even though they should be killed and eaten to-day, they\nwill be alive and well to-morrow.\n\n\"The hound-whelp belongs to the king of Iroda,[XLIV.] and his name is\nFailinis. He shines as brightly as the sun in a summer sky; and every\nwild beast of the forest that sees him falls down to the earth powerless\nbefore him.\n\n\"The cooking-spit belongs to the warlike women of the island of Fincara.\nThey are thrice fifty in number, and woe to the champion who approaches\ntheir house; for each of them is a match for three good warriors in\nsingle combat; and they never yet gave a cooking-spit to any one without\nbeing overcome in battle.\n\n\"The hill on which I require you to give three shouts is the Hill of\nMidkena, in the north of Lochlann.[6] Midkena and his sons are always\nguarding this hill, for they are under gesa[12] not to allow any one to\nshout on it. Moreover, it was they that instructed my father in\nchampionship and feats of arms, and they loved him very much; so that\neven if I should forgive you his death they would not. And, though you\nshould be able to procure all the rest of the eric-fine, you will not, I\nthink, succeed in this, for they will be sure to avenge on you my\nfather's death.\n\n\"And this, ye sons of Turenn, is the eric-fine I demand from you!\"\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XXXIX.] A kind of writing. (See note, page 36.)\n\n[XL.] Chain of silence; a chain, probably hung with little bells, which\nthe lord of a mansion shook when he wished to get silence and attention.\n\n[XLI.] Mic[=o]'rta; the name of the great banqueting hall of Tara, the\nruins of which are to be seen to this day.\n\n[XLII.] The Garden of the Hesperides.\n\n[XLIII.] Sigar, _i.e._ Sicily.\n\n[XLIV.] Iroda was the name given by the Irish to some country in the far\nnorth of Europe, probably Norway.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nTHE SONS OF TURENN OBTAIN MANNANAN'S CANOE, \"THE WAVE-SWEEPER.\"\n\n\nThe sons of Turenn were so astounded on hearing this eric-fine that they\nspoke not one word; but rising up, they left the meeting, and repaired\nto the house of their father Turenn.\n\nHe heard their story to the end, and then said, \"Your tidings are bad,\nmy sons, and I fear me you are doomed to meet your death in seeking what\nthe Ildana asks. But the doom is a just one, for it was an evil thing to\nkill Kian. Now as to this eric-fine: it cannot be obtained by any living\nman without the help of either Luga himself or of Mannanan Mac Lir;[8]\nbut if Luga wishes to aid you, ye shall be able to get it. Go ye now,\ntherefore, and ask him to lend you Mannanan's steed, Enbarr of the\nFlowing Mane. If he wishes you to get the full eric-fine, he will lend\nyou the steed; otherwise he will refuse, saying that she does not belong\nto him, and that he cannot lend what he himself has got on loan. Then,\nif ye obtain not the steed, ask him for the loan of Mannanan's canoe,\nthe Wave-sweeper, which would be better for you than the steed; and he\nwill lend you that, for he is forbidden to refuse a second request.\"\n\nSo the sons of Turenn returned to Luga, and having saluted him, they\nsaid--\n\n\"It is not in the power of any man to obtain this eric-fine without thy\nown aid, O Luga; we ask thee, therefore, to lend us Mannanan's steed,\nEnbarr of the Flowing Mane.\"\n\n\"That steed is not my own,\" said Luga; \"and I cannot lend that which I\nhave myself obtained on loan.\"\n\n\"If that be so,\" said Brian, \"then I pray thee lend us Mannanan's canoe,\nthe Wave-sweeper.\"\n\n\"I shall lend you that,\" replied Luga; \"it lies at Bruga of the\nBoyne;[XLV.] and ye have my consent to take it.\"\n\nSo they came again to their father, and this time Ethnea, their sister,\nwas with him; and they told them that Luga had given them the canoe.\n\n\"I have much fear,\" said Turenn, \"that it will avail you little against\nthe dangers of your quest. Nevertheless, Luga desires to obtain that\npart of the eric that will be useful to him at the battle of\nMoytura,[11] and so far he will help you. But in seeking that which is\nof no advantage to him, namely, the cooking-spit, and the three shouts\non Midkena's Hill, therein he will give you no aid, and he will be glad\nif ye perish in your attempts to obtain it.\"\n\nThey then set out for Bruga of the Boyne, accompanied by their sister\nEthnea, leaving Turenn lamenting after them. The canoe they found lying\nin the river; and Brian went into it and said--\n\n\"It seems to me that only one other person can sit here along with me;\"\nand he began to complain very bitterly of its smallness. He ceased,\nhowever, at the bidding of Ethnea, who told him that the canoe would\nturn out large enough when they came to try it, and that it was under\nstrict command not to let any one grumble at its smallness. And she went\non to say--\n\n\"Alas, my beloved brothers, it was an evil deed to slay the father of\nLuga of the Long Arms! and I fear you will suffer much woe and hardship\non account of it.\"\n\n    ETHNEA.\n\n    The deed was a dark one, a deed full of woe,\n      Your brother Dedannan to slay;\n    And hard and relentless the heart of your foe,\n    The bright-faced Ildana, that forced you to go,\n      This eric of vengeance to pay!\n\n    THE BROTHERS.\n\n    Oh, cease, sister Ethnea, cease thy sad wail;\n      Why yield to this terror and gloom?\n    Long, long shall the poets remember the tale,\n    For our courage and valour and swords shall prevail,\n      Or win us a glorious tomb!\n\n    ETHNEA.\n\n    Then search ye, my brothers, go search land and sea;\n      Go search ye the isles of the East.--\n    Alas, that the cruel Ildana's decree\n    Has banished my three gentle brothers from me,\n      On this fearful and perilous quest!\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XLV.] Bruga of the Boyne, the palace of Angus, the great Dedannan\nmagician, was situated on the north shore of the Boyne, not far from\nSlane. (See note 1 at end.)\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nTHE APPLES OF THE GARDEN OF HISBERNA.\n\n\nAfter this the three brothers entered the canoe, which they now found\nlarge enough to hold themselves and their arms, and whatsoever else they\nwished to bring; for this was one of its secret gifts. They then bade\ntheir sister farewell, and, leaving her weeping on the shore, they rowed\nswiftly till they had got beyond the beautiful shores and bright\nharbours of Erin, out on the open sea.\n\nThen the two younger brothers said, \"Now our quest begins: what course\nshall we take?\"\n\nBrian answered, \"As the apples are the first part of the fine, we shall\nseek them first.\"\n\nAnd then he spoke to the canoe, \"Thou canoe of Mannanan, thou Sweeper of\nthe waves, we ask thee and we command thee, that thou sail straightway\nto the Garden of Hisberna!\"\n\nThe canoe was not unmindful of the voice of its master, and obeyed the\ncommand without delay, according to its wont. It took the shortest way\nacross the deep sea-chasms, and, gliding over the green-sided waves more\nswiftly than the clear, cold wind of March, it stayed not in its course\ntill it reached the harbour near the land of Hisberna.\n\nBrian now spoke to his brothers, \"Be sure that this quest is a perilous\none, since we know that the best champions of the country, with the king\nat their head, are always guarding the apples. And now in what manner,\nthink you, is it best for us to approach the garden?\"\n\n\"It seems to us,\" answered his brothers, \"that we had better go straight\nand attack these champions, and either bring away the apples, or fall\nfighting for them. For we cannot escape the dangers that lie before us;\nand if we are doomed to fall in one of these adventures, it may,\nperchance, be better for us to die here than to prolong our hardships.\"\n\nBut Brian answered, \"Not so, my brothers; for it becomes a warrior to be\nprudent and wary as well as brave. We should now act so that the fame of\nour skill and valour may live after us, and that future men may not say,\n'These sons of Turenn did not deserve to be called brave champions, for\nthey were senseless and rash, and sought their own death by their\nfolly.' In the present case, then, what I counsel is this: Let us take\nthe shape of strong, swift hawks; and as we approach the garden, have ye\ncare of the light, sharp lances of the guards, which they will certainly\nhurl at us: avoid them actively and cunningly, and when the men have\nthrown all, let us swoop down and bring away an apple each.\"\n\nThey approved this counsel; and Brian, striking his two brothers and\nhimself with a druidical magic wand, all three were changed into three\nbeautiful hawks. Then, flying swiftly to the garden, they began to\ndescend in circles towards the tops of the trees; but the sharp-eyed\nguards perceived them, and with a great shout they threw showers of\nvenomous darts at them. The hawks, however, mindful of Brian's warning,\nwatched the spears with keen glances, and escaped them every one, until\nthe guards had thrown all their light weapons. Then, swooping suddenly\ndown on the trees, the two younger brothers carried off an apple each,\nand Brian two, one between his talons and the other in his beak; and the\nthree rose again into the air without wound or hurt of any kind. Then,\ndirecting their course westward, they flew over the wide sea with the\nspeed of an arrow.\n\nThe news spread quickly through the city, how three beautiful hawks had\ncarried off the apples; and the king and his people were in great wrath.\nNow the king had three daughters, very skilful in magic and cunning in\ncounsel; and they forthwith transformed themselves into three\nswift-winged, sharp-taloned griffins, and pursued the hawks over the\nsea. But the hawks, when they saw they were pursued, increased their\nspeed, and flew like the wind, and left their pursuers so far behind\nthat they appeared to the griffins like three specks on the sky. Then\nthe angry griffins let fly from their eyes, and from their open beaks,\nbright flashes of flame straight forward, which overtook and blinded the\nhawks, and scorched them, so that they could bear the heat no longer.\n\n\"Evil is our state now,\" said Ur and Urcar, \"for these sheets of flame\nare burning us, and we shall perish if we do not get relief.\"\n\n\"I will try whether I cannot relieve you,\" said Brian; and with that he\nstruck his brothers and himself with his golden druidical wand; and all\nthree were instantly turned into swans. The swans dropped down on the\nsea; and when the griffins saw the hawks no longer straight before them,\nthey gave up the chase. And the sons of Turenn went safely to their\ncanoe, bringing the apples with them.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nTHE GIFTED SKIN OF THE PIG.\n\n\nAfter resting a little while, they held council as to their next\njourney; and what they resolved on was to go to Greece, to seek the skin\nof the pig, and to bring it away, either by consent or by force. So they\nwent into the canoe, and Brian spoke--\n\n\"Thou canoe of Mannanan, thou Sweeper of the Waves, we ask thee and we\ncommand thee that thou sail with us straightway to Greece!\"\n\nAnd the canoe, obeying as before, glided swiftly and smoothly over the\nwaves, till the sons of Turenn landed near the palace of the king of\nGreece.\n\n\"In what shape, think you, should we go to this court?\" said Brian.\n\n\"We think it best,\" answered the others, \"to go in our own shapes; that\nis to say, as three bold champions.\"\n\n\"Not so,\" said Brian. \"It seems best to me that we should go in the\nguise of learned poets from Erin; for poets are held in much honour and\nrespect by the great nobles of Greece.\"\n\n\"It is, indeed, hard for us to do that,\" answered his brothers, \"for as\nto poems, we neither have any, nor do we know how to compose them.\"\n\nHowever, as Brian would have it so, they consented, though unwillingly;\nand, tying up their hair after the manner of poets, they knocked at the\ndoor of the palace. The door-keeper asked who was there.\n\n\"We are skilful poets from Erin,\" said Brian, \"and we have come to\nGreece with a poem for the king.\"\n\nThe door-keeper went and gave the message.\n\n\"Let them be brought in,\" said the king, \"for it is to seek a good and\nbountiful master whom they may serve faithfully that they have come so\nfar from Erin.\"\n\nThe sons of Turenn were accordingly led in to the banquet hall, where\nsat the king surrounded by his nobles; and, bowing low, they saluted\nhim; and he saluted them in return, and welcomed them. They sat at the\ntable among the company, and joined the feast at once, drinking and\nmaking merry like the others; and they thought they had never seen a\nbanquet hall so grand, or a household so numerous and mirthful.\n\nAt the proper time the king's poets arose, according to custom, to\nrecite their poems and their lays for the company. And when they had\ncome to an end, Brian, speaking low, said to his brothers--\n\n\"As we have come here as poets, it is meet that we should practise the\npoetic art like the others; therefore now arise, and recite a poem for\nthe king.\"\n\n\"We have no poems,\" they replied, \"and we do not wish to practise any\nart except the art we have learned and practised from our youth, namely,\nto fight like brave champions, and to take by valour and force of arms\nthat which we want, if we be stronger than our enemies, or to fall in\nbattle if they be the stronger.\"\n\n\"That is not a pleasant way of making poetry,\" said Brian; and with that\nhe arose and requested attention for his poem. And when they sat\nlistening, he said--\n\n    To praise thee, O Tuis, we've come to this land:\n    Like an oak among shrubs, over kings thou dost stand:\n    Thy bounty, great monarch, shall gladden the bard;\n    And the _Imnocta-fessa_ I claim as reward.\n\n    Two neighbours shall war, with an O to an O;\n    A bard unrequited--how dreadful a foe!\n    Thy bounty shall add to thy wealth and thy fame;\n    And the _Imnocta-fessa_ is all that I claim.\n\n\"Your poem would doubtless be thought a very good one,\" said the king,\n\"if we were able to judge of it; but it is unlike all other poems I have\never heard, for I do not in the least understand its sense.\"\n\n\"I will unfold its sense,\" said Brian.\n\n    To praise thee, O Tuis, we've come to this land:\n    Like an oak among shrubs, over kings thou dost stand:\n\n\"This means that as the oak excels all the other trees of the forest, so\ndost thou excel all the other kings of the world for greatness,\nnobility, and generosity.\n\n\"'_Imnocta-fessa._' _Imnocta_ means 'skin,' and _fessa_ 'a pig.' That is\nto say; thou hast, O king, the skin of a pig, which I desire to get from\nthee as a guerdon for my poetry.\n\n    Two neighbours shall war, with an O to an O;\n    A bard unrequited--how dreadful a foe!\n\n\"_O_ means 'an ear;' that is to say, thou and I shall be ear to ear\nfighting with each other for the skin, if thou give it not of thy own\nfree will.\n\n\"And that, O king, is the sense of my poem.\"\n\n\"Thy poem would have been a very good one,\" said the king, \"and I would\nhave given it due meed of praise if my pig's skin had not been mentioned\nin it. But it is a foolish request of thine, O ferdana,[XLVI.] to ask\nfor that skin; for, even though all the poets and men of science of\nErin, and all the nobles of the whole world were to demand it from me, I\nwould refuse it. Nevertheless, thou shalt not pass unrewarded, for I\nwill give thee thrice the full of the skin of red gold--one for thyself,\nand one for each of thy brothers.\"\n\n\"Thy ransom is a good one, O king,\" said Brian; \"but I am a near-hearted\nand suspicious man, and I pray thee let me see with my eyes thy servants\nmeasure the gold, lest they deal unfairly with me.\"\n\nThe king agreed to this; so his servants went with the three sons of\nTurenn to the treasure-room, and one of them drew forth the skin from\nits place, to measure the gold. As soon as Brian caught sight of it, he\nsprang suddenly towards the servant, and, dashing him to the ground with\nhis right hand, he snatched the skin with his left, and bound it hastily\nover his shoulders.\n\nThen the three drew their keen swords, and rushed into the banquet hall.\nThe king's nobles, seeing how matters stood, surrounded and attacked\nthem; but the sons of Turenn, nothing daunted by the number of their\nfoes, hewed down the foremost and scattered the rest, so that scarce one\nof the whole party escaped death or deadly wounds.\n\nThen at last Brian and the king met face to face, nor was either slow to\nanswer the challenge of the other. They fought as great champions fight,\nand it was long doubtful which should prevail; but the end of the combat\nwas, that the king of Greece fell by the overpowering valour of Brian,\nthe son of Turenn.\n\nAfter this victory, the three brothers rested in the palace till they\nhad regained their strength, and healed up their wounds by means of the\napples and the pig's skin; and at the end of three days and three nights\nthey found themselves able to undertake the next adventure.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XLVI.] Ferdana, a poet; literally, \"a man of verse.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nTHE BLAZING SPEAR OF THE KING OF PERSIA.\n\n\nSo, after holding council, they resolved to go to seek the spear of the\nking of Persia; and Brian reminded his brothers that now, as they had\nthe apples and the skin to aid them, it would be all the easier to get\nthe spear, as well as the rest of the fine.\n\nLeaving now the shores of Greece with all its blue streams, they went on\nboard the canoe, which, at Brian's command, flew across the wide seas;\nand soon they made land near the palace of Pezar, king of Persia. And\nseeing how they had fared so well in their last undertaking, they\nresolved to put on the guise of poets this time also.\n\nAnd so they put the poet's tie on their hair, and, passing through the\nouter gate, they knocked at the door of the palace. The door-keeper\nasked who they were, and from what country they had come.\n\n\"We are poets from Erin,\" answered Brian; \"and we have brought a poem\nfor the king.\"\n\nSo they were admitted and brought to the presence of the king, who\nseated them among the nobles of his household; and they joined in the\ndrinking and the feasting and the revelry.\n\nThe king's poets now arose, and chanted their songs for the king and his\nguests. And when the applause had ceased, Brian, speaking softly, said\nto his brothers--\n\n\"Arise, now, and chant a poem for the king.\"\n\nBut they answered, \"Ask us not to do that which we are unable to do; but\nif you wish us to exercise the art we have learned from our youth, we\nshall do so, namely, the art of fighting and overcoming our foes.\"\n\n\"That would be an unusual way of reciting poetry,\" said Brian; \"but I\nhave a poem for the king, and I shall now chant it for him.\"\n\nSo saying, he stood up; and when there was silence, he recited this\npoem--\n\n    In royal state may Pezar ever reign,\n    Like some vast yew tree, monarch of the plain;\n    May Pezar's mystic javelin, long and bright,\n    Bring slaughter to his foes in every fight!\n\n    When Pezar fights and shakes his dreadful spear,\n    Whole armies fly and heroes quake with fear:\n    What shielded foe, what champion can withstand,\n    The blazing spear in mighty Pezar's hand!\n\n\"Your poem is a good one,\" said the king; \"but one thing in it I do not\nunderstand, namely, why you make mention of my spear.\"\n\n\"Because,\" answered Brian, \"I wish to get that spear as a reward for my\npoem.\"\n\n\"That is a very foolish request,\" said the king, \"for no man ever\nescaped punishment who asked me for my spear. And as to your poetry, the\nhighest reward I could now bestow on you, and the greatest favour these\nnobles could obtain for you, is that I should spare your life.\"\n\nThereupon Brian and his brothers started up in great wrath and drew\ntheir swords, and the king and his chiefs drew their swords in like\nmanner; and they fought a deadly fight. But Brian at last, drawing forth\none of his apples, and taking sure aim, cast it at the king and struck\nhim on the forehead; so that Pezar fell, pierced through the brain.\n\nAfter this Brian fought on more fiercely than before, dealing\ndestruction everywhere around him; but when the chiefs saw that their\nking had fallen, they lost heart and fled through the doors, till at\nlength none remained in the banquet hall but the three sons of Turenn.\n\nThen they went to the room where the spear was kept; and they found it\nwith its head down deep in a great caldron of water, which hissed and\nbubbled round it. And Brian, seizing it boldly in his hand, drew it\nforth; after which the three brothers left the palace and went to their\ncanoe.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nTHE CHARIOT AND STEEDS OF THE KING OF SIGAR.\n\n\nResting now for some days from their toil, they resolved to seek the\nsteeds and chariot of the king of Sigar; for this was the next part of\nthe Ildana's eric-fine. So they commanded the canoe, and the canoe,\nobedient to their behest, glided swiftly and smoothly over the green\nwaves till they landed in Sigar. Brian bore the great, heavy, venomed\nspear in his hand; and the three brothers were of good heart, seeing how\nthey had succeeded in their last quest, and that they had now three\nparts of the fine.\n\n\"In what shape think you we should go to this court?\" said Brian.\n\n\"How should we go,\" answered the others, \"but in our own shapes, namely,\nas three hostile champions, who have come to get the chariot and\nsteeds, either by force or by good will?\"\n\n\"That is not what seems best to me,\" said Brian. \"My counsel is, that we\ngo as soldiers from Erin, willing to serve for pay; and should the king\ntake us into his service, it is likely we shall find out where the\nchariot and steeds are kept.\"\n\nHis brothers having agreed to this, the three set out for the palace.\n\nIt happened that the king was holding a fair-meeting on the broad, level\ngreen before the palace; and when the three warriors came near, the\npeople made way for them. They bowed low to the king; and he asked them\nwho they were, and from what part of the world they had come.\n\n\"We are valiant soldiers from Erin,\" they answered, \"seeking for service\nand pay among the great kings of the world.\"\n\n\"Do you wish to enter my service?\" asked the king: and they answered,\n\"Yes.\" So they made a covenant with each other--the king to place them\nin a post of honour and trust, and they to serve him faithfully, and to\nname their own reward. Whereupon the brothers entered the ranks of the\nking's body-guard.\n\nThey remained in the palace for a month and a fortnight, looking round\nand carefully noting everything; but they saw nothing of the chariot and\nsteeds. At the end of that time Brian said to his brothers--\n\n\"It fares ill with us here, my brothers; for we know nothing of the\nchariot and steeds at this hour, more than when we first came hither.\"\n\nThe others said this was quite true, and asked if he meant to do\nanything in the matter.\n\n\"This is what I think we should do,\" answered Brian. \"Let us put on our\ntravelling array, and take our arms of valour in our hands; and in this\nfashion let us go before the king, and tell him that unless he shows us\nthe chariot and steeds, we shall leave his service.\"\n\nThis they did without delay; and when they had come before the king, he\nasked them why they came to his presence so armed and in travelling\ngear.\n\n\"We will tell thee of that, O king,\" answered Brian. \"We are valiant\nsoldiers from Erin, and into whatsoever lands we have travelled, we have\nbeen trusted with the secret counsels of the kings who have taken us\ninto their service; and we have been made the guardians of their rarest\njewels and of all their gifted arms of victory. But as to thee, O king,\nthou hast not so treated us since we came hither; for thou hast a\nchariot and two steeds, which exceed all the chariots and steeds in the\nworld, and yet we have never seen them.\"\n\n\"A small thing it is that has caused you to prepare for departure,\" said\nthe king; \"and there is, moreover, no need that you should leave my\nservice; for I would have shown you those steeds the day you came, had I\nonly known that you wished it. But ye shall see them now; for I have\nnever had in my service soldiers from a distant land, in whom I and my\npeople have placed greater trust than we have placed in you.\"\n\nHe then sent for the steeds, and had them yoked to the chariot--those\nsteeds that were as fleet as the clear, cold wind of March, and which\ntravelled with equal speed on land and on sea.\n\nBrian, viewing them narrowly, said aloud, \"Hear me, O king of Sicily. We\nhave served thee faithfully up to this time; and now we wish to name our\nown pay, according to the covenant thou hast made with us. The guerdon\nwe demand is yonder chariot and steeds; these we mean to have, and we\nshall ask for nothing more.\"\n\nBut the king, in great wrath, said, \"Foolish and luckless men! Ye shall\ncertainly die because you have dared to ask for my steeds!\"\n\nAnd the king and his warriors drew their swords, and rushed towards the\nsons of Turenn to seize them.\n\nThey, on the other hand, were not taken unaware; and a sore fight began.\nAnd Brian, watching his opportunity, sprang with a sudden bound into the\nchariot, and, dashing the charioteer to the ground, he seized the reins\nin his left hand; then, raising the venomed spear of Pezar in his right,\nhe smote the king with its fiery point in the breast, so that he fell\ndead. And the three brothers dealt red slaughter among the king's\nguards, till those who were not slain scattered and fled in all\ndirections. So they fared in this undertaking.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nTHE SEVEN PIGS OF THE KING OF THE GOLDEN PILLARS.\n\n\nAfter resting till their wounds were healed, Ur and Urcar asked where\nthey should go next.\n\n\"We shall go,\" said Brian, \"to Asal, the king of the Golden Pillars, to\nask him for his seven pigs; for this is the next part of the Ildana's\neric-fine.\"\n\nSo they set out; and the canoe brought them straightway to the land of\nthe Golden Pillars, without delay and without mishap. As they drew nigh\nto the harbour, they saw the shore lined with men all armed. For the\nfame of the deeds of these great champions had begun to be noised\nthrough many lands; how they had been forced to leave Erin by the hard\nsentence of the Ildana; and how they were seeking and bearing away the\nmost precious and gifted jewels of the world to pay the fine. Wherefore\nthe king of the Golden Pillars had armed his people, and had sent them\nto guard the harbours.\n\nThe king himself came down to the beach to meet them. As soon as they\nhad come within speaking distance, he bade them stay their course; and\nthen he asked them, in an angry and chiding tone, if they were the three\nchampions from Erin, who had overcome and slain so many kings.\n\nBrian answered, \"Be not displeased with us, O king for in all this\nmatter we are not to blame. The Ildana has demanded a fine which we\nperforce must pay; for we have promised, and the Dedannans are our\nguarantee. If the kings to whom he sent us had given us peaceably the\nprecious things we demanded, we would gladly have departed in peace; but\nas they did not, we fought against them, unwillingly indeed and\noverthrew them; for no one has as yet been able to withstand us.\"\n\n\"Tell me now,\" said the king, \"what has brought you to my country?\"\n\n\"We have come for thy seven pigs,\" answered Brian; \"for they are a part\nof the fine.\"\n\n\"And in what manner do you think ye shall get them?\" asked the king.\n\nBrian answered, \"Thou hast heard, O king, how the Ildana has brought us\nto these straits, and we must pay him the fine, every jot, or else we\nshall die at the hands of our people. Thou, perchance, wilt have pity on\nour hardships, and give us these pigs in token of kindness and\nfriendship, and if so we shall be thankful; but if not, then we will\nfight for them, and either bring them away by force, after slaying thee\nand thy people or fall ourselves in the attempt.\"\n\nHearing this, the king and his people went into council; and after\ndebating the matter at full length, they thought it best to give the\npigs peaceably, seeing that no king, however powerful, had as yet been\nable to withstand the sons of Turenn.\n\nThe three champions wondered greatly when this was told to them; for in\nno other country had they been able to get any part of the fine without\nbattle and hardship, and without leaving much of their blood behind\nthem. So they were now very glad; and thanked Asal and his people.\n\nThe king then brought them to his palace, and gave them a kind welcome;\nand they were supplied with food and drink to their hearts' desire, and\nslept on soft, downy beds. So they rested after all their weary journeys\nand toils.\n\nWhen they arose next morning, they were brought to the king's presence,\nand the pigs were given to them; and Brian addressed the king in these\nwords--\n\n    The prizes we've brought to this land,\n      We have won them in conflict and blood;\n    But the gift we have sought at thy hand,\n      That gift thou hast freely bestowed.\n\n    The red spear rewarded our deeds,\n      When Pezar the mighty we slew;\n    And the fight for the chariot and steeds,\n      Ah, long shall the Sigarites rue!\n\n    Great Asal! in happier days,\n      When our deeds bring us glory and fame,\n    Green Erin shall echo thy praise,\n      And her poets shall honour thy name!\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nTHE HOUND-WHELP OF THE KING OF IRODA.\n\n\n\"Whither do you go next, ye sons of Turenn?\" asked Asal.\n\n\"We go,\" answered Brian, \"to Iroda, for Failinis, the king's\nhound-whelp.\"\n\n\"Then grant me this boon,\" said the king, \"namely, that ye let me go\nwith you to Iroda. For my daughter is the king's wife; and I will try to\nprevail on him that he give you the hound-whelp freely and without\nbattle.\"\n\nThis they agreed to. But the king wished that they should go in his own\nship; so it was got ready, and they went on board with all their wealth;\nand it is not told how they fared till they reached the borders of\nIroda. The shores were covered with fierce, armed men, who were there by\norders of the king to guard the harbour; and these men shouted at the\ncrew, warning them to come no farther; for they knew the sons of Turenn,\nand well they knew what they came for.\n\nAsal then requested the three champions to remain where they were for a\ntime, while he went on shore to talk with his son-in-law. Accordingly he\nlanded, and went to the king, who, after he had welcomed him, asked what\nhad brought the sons of Turenn to his country.\n\n\"They have come for your hound-whelp,\" answered Asal.\n\nAnd the king of Iroda said, \"It was an evil counsel you followed, when\nyou came with these men to my shores; for to no three champions in the\nworld have the gods given such strength or such good luck as that they\ncan get my hound-whelp, either by force or by my own free will.\"\n\n\"It will be unwise to refuse them,\" replied Asal. \"They have overpowered\nand slain many great kings; for they have gifted arms that no warrior,\nhowever powerful, can withstand; and behold, I have come hither to tell\nyou what manner of men these are, that you might be advised by me, and\ngive them your hound-whelp in peace.\"\n\nSo he pressed him earnestly; but his words were only thrown away on the\nking of Iroda, who spoke scornfully of the sons of Turenn, and refused\nAsal's request with wrathful words.\n\nAsal, much troubled at this, went and told the sons of Turenn how\nmatters stood. And they, having without delay put on their battle-dress,\nand taken their arms in their hands, challenged the king of Iroda and\nhis people. Then began a very fierce and bloody battle; for though\nnothing could stand before the sons of Turenn, yet the warriors of Iroda\nwere many and very brave. So they fought till the two younger brothers\nbecame separated from Brian, and he was quite surrounded. But as he\nwielded the dreadful spear of Pezar, with its blazing, fiery point, his\nenemies fell back dismayed, and the ranks were broken before him, so\nthat those who crossed his path stood in a gap of danger.\n\nAt length he espied the king of Iroda, where he fought hedged round by\nspears; and he rushed through the thick of the battle straight towards\nhim, striking down spears and swords and men as he went. And now these\ntwo valiant warriors fought hand to hand a stout and watchful and fierce\nbattle--for the others fell back by the king's command; and it was long\nbefore any advantage was gained on either side. But though to those who\nlooked on, Brian seemed the more wrathful of the two, yet he held back\nhis hand, so as not to slay his foe; and this it was, indeed, that\nprolonged the combat, for he sought to tire out the king. At length,\nwatching his opportunity, Brian closed suddenly, and, seizing the king\nin his strong arms, he lifted him clean off the ground, and bore him to\nwhere Asal stood. Then, setting him down, he said--\n\n\"Behold thy son-in-law; it would have been easier to kill him three\ntimes over than to bring him to thee once!\"\n\nWhen the people saw their king a prisoner, they ceased fighting; and the\nend of all was that peace was made, and the hound-whelp was given over\nto the sons of Turenn. Then they took their leave, and left the shores\nof Iroda in friendship with the king and with Asal his father-in-law.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nRETURN OF THE SONS OF TURENN, WITH PART OF THE ERIC-FINE.\n\n\nNow we shall speak of Luga of the Long Arms. It was revealed to him that\nthe sons of Turenn had obtained all those parts of the fine which he\nwanted for the battle of Moytura;[11] but that they had not yet got the\ncooking-spit, or given the three shouts on Midkena's Hill. So he sent\nafter them a druidical spell, which, falling on them soon after they had\nleft Iroda, caused them to forget the remaining part of the fine, and\nfilled them with a longing desire to return to their native home.\nAccordingly they went on board their canoe, bringing with them every\npart of the fine they had gotten already; and the canoe glided swiftly\nover the waves to Erin.\n\nAt this time Luga was with the king at a fair-meeting on the plain\nbefore Tara; and it was made known to him secretly that the sons of\nTurenn had landed at Bruga of the Boyne. He left the assembly anon,\ntelling no one; and he went direct to Caher-Crofinn[XLVII.] at Tara,\nand, closing the gates and doors after him, he put on his battle array,\nnamely, the smooth Greek armour of Mannanan Mac Lir, and the enchanted\nmantle of the daughter of Flidas.\n\nSoon after, the sons of Turenn were seen approaching; and as they came\nforward, the multitude flocked out to meet them, gazing with wonder at\nthe many marvellous things they had brought. When the three champions\nhad come to the royal tent, they were joyfully welcomed by the king and\nby the Dedannans in general; and then the king spoke kindly to them, and\nasked if they had brought the eric-fine.\n\n\"We have obtained it after much hardship and danger,\" they replied; \"and\nnow we wish to know where Luga is, that we may hand it over to him.\"\n\nThe king told them that Luga was at the assembly; but when they sent to\nsearch for him, he was nowhere to be found.\n\n\"I can tell where he is,\" said Brian. \"It has been made known to him\nthat we have arrived in Erin, bringing with us gifted arms that none can\nwithstand; and he has gone to one of the strongholds of Tara, to avoid\nus, fearing we might use these venomed weapons against himself.\"\n\nMessengers were then sent to Luga to tell him that the sons of Turenn\nhad arrived, and to ask him to come forth to the meeting, that they\nmight give him the fine.\n\nBut he answered, \"I will not come to the meeting yet; but go ye back,\nand tell the sons of Turenn to give the fine to the king for me.\"\n\nThe messengers returned with this answer; and the sons of Turenn gave to\nthe king for Luga all the wonderful things they had brought, keeping,\nhowever their own arms; after which the whole company went into the\npalace.\n\nWhen Luga was told how matters stood, he came to where the king and all\nthe others were; and the king gave him the fine. Then Luga, looking\nnarrowly at everything that had been given up to him, said--\n\n\"Here, indeed, is an eric enough to pay for any one that ever yet was\nslain, or that shall be slain to the end of time. But yet there is one\nkind of fine that must be paid to the last farthing, namely, an\neric-fine; for of this it is not lawful to hold back even the smallest\npart. And moreover, O king, thou and the Dedannans whom I see here\npresent, are guarantees for the full payment of my eric-fine. Now I see\nhere the three apples, and the skin of the pig, and the fiery-headed\nspear, and the chariot and steeds, and the seven pigs, and the\nhound-whelp; but where, ye sons of Turenn, is the cooking-spit of the\nwomen of Fincara? And I have not heard that ye have given the three\nshouts on Midkena's Hill.\"\n\nOn hearing this, the sons of Turenn fell into a faintness like the\nfaintness before death. And when they had recovered they answered not\none word, but left the assembly and went to their father's house. To him\nand their sister Ethnea they told all that had befallen them; and how\nthey should set out on another quest, as they had forgotten part of the\neric-fine through the spells of Luga.\n\nAt this Turenn was overwhelmed with grief; and Ethnea wept in great\nfear and sorrow. And so they passed that night. Next day, they went down\nto the shore, and their father and sister went with them to their ship,\nand bade them farewell.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XLVII.] Caher-Crofinn, otherwise called Rath-ree, the principal\nfortress at Tara, the remains of which are still to be seen.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nTHE COOKING-SPIT OF THE WOMEN OF FINCARA.\n\n\nThen they went on board their ship--for they had Mannanan's canoe no\nlonger--and they sailed forth on the green billowy sea to search for the\nIsland of Fincara. For a whole quarter of a year they wandered hither\nand thither over the wide ocean, landing on many shores and inquiring of\nall they met; yet they were not able to get the least tidings of the\nisland.\n\nAt last, they came across one very old man, who told them that he had\nheard of the Island of Fincara in the days of his youth; and that it lay\nnot on the surface, but down deep in the waters, for it was sunk beneath\nthe waves by a spell in times long past.[13]\n\nThen Brian put on his water-dress, with his helmet of transparent\ncrystal on his head, and, telling his brothers to await his return, he\nleaped over the side of the ship, and sank at once out of sight. He\nwalked about for a fortnight down in the green salt sea, seeking for\nthe Island of Fincara; and at last he found it.\n\nThere were many houses on the island; but one he saw larger and grander\nthan the rest. To this he straightway bent his steps, and found it open.\nOn entering, he saw in one large room a great number of beautiful\nladies, busily employed at all sorts of embroidery and needlework; and\nin their midst was a long, bright cooking-spit lying on a table.\n\nWithout speaking a word, he walked straight to the table, and, seizing\nthe spit in one hand, he turned round and walked towards the door. The\nwomen neither spoke nor moved, but each had her eyes fixed on him from\nthe moment he entered, admiring his manly form, his beauty, and his\nfearlessness; but when they saw him about to walk off with the spit,\nthey all burst out laughing; and one, who seemed chief among them,\nsaid--\n\n\"Thou hast attempted a bold deed, O son of Turenn! Know that there are\nthrice fifty warlike women here, and that the weakest among us would be\nable of herself to prevent thee taking this cooking-spit, even if thy\ntwo brothers were here to help thee. But thou art a brave and courageous\nchampion, else thou wouldst not have attempted, unaided, to take it by\nforce, knowing the danger. And for thy boldness and valour, and for the\ncomeliness of thy person, we will let thee take this one, for we have\nmany others besides.\"\n\nSo Brian, after thanking them, brought away the spit joyfully, and\nsought his ship.\n\nUr and Urcar waited for Brian in the same spot the whole time, and when\nhe came not, they began to fear that he would return no more. With these\nthoughts they were at last about to leave the place, when they saw the\nglitter of his crystal helmet down deep in the water, and immediately\nafter he came to the surface with the cooking-spit in his hand. They\nbrought him on board, and now all felt very joyful and courageous of\nheart.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nTHE THREE SHOUTS ON MIDKENA'S HILL.\n\n\nThe three brothers next sailed away towards the north of Lochlann, and\nnever abated speed till they moored their vessel near the Hill of\nMidkena, which rose smooth and green over the sea-shore. When Midkena\nsaw them approaching, he knew them at once, and, coming towards them\narmed for battle, he addressed them aloud--\n\n\"You it was that slew Kian, my friend and pupil; and now come forth and\nfight, for you shall not leave these shores till you answer for his\ndeath.\"\n\nBrian, in no degree daunted by the fierce look and threatening speech of\nMidkena, sprang ashore, and the two heroes attacked each other with\ngreat fury. When the three sons of Midkena heard the clash of arms,\nthey came forth, and, seeing how matters stood, they rushed down to aid\ntheir father; but just as they arrived at the shore, Midkena fell dead,\ncloven through helmet and head by the heavy sword of Brian.\n\nAnd now a fight began, three on each side; and if men were afar off,\neven in the land of Hisberna, in the east of the world, they would\nwillingly come the whole way to see this battle, so fierce and haughty\nwere the minds of those mighty champions, so skilful and active were\nthey in the use of their weapons, so numerous and heavy were their\nblows, and so long did they continue to fight without either party\ngiving way. The three sons of Turenn were at last dreadfully\nwounded--wounded almost to death. But neither fear nor weakness did this\ncause them, for their valour and their fury arose all the more for their\nwounds, and with one mighty onset they drove their spears through the\nbodies of their foes; and the sons of Midkena fell before them into the\nlong sleep of death.\n\nBut now that the fight was ended, and the battle-fury of the victors had\npassed off--now it was that they began to feel the effects of their\nwounds. They threw themselves full length on the blood-stained sward,\nand long they remained without moving or speaking a word, as if they\nwere dead; and a heavy curtain of darkness fell over their eyes.\n\nAt last Brian, raising his head, spoke to his brothers to know if they\nlived, and when they answered him feebly, he said--\n\n\"My dear brothers, let us now arise and give the three shouts on the\nhill while there is time, for I feel the signs of death.\"\n\nBut they were not able to rise.\n\nThen Brian, gathering all his remaining strength, stood up and lifted\none with each hand, while his own blood flowed plentifully; and then\nthey raised three feeble shouts on Midkena's Hill.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nRETURN AND DEATH OF THE SONS OF TURENN.\n\n\nMaking no further delay, he led them to their ship, and they set sail\nfor Erin. While they were yet far off, Brian, gazing over the sea\ntowards the west, suddenly cried out--\n\n\"Lo, I see Ben Edar[XLVIII.] yonder, rising over the waters; and I see\nalso Dun Turenn farther towards the north.\"\n\nAnd Ur answered from where he reclined with Urcar on the deck, \"If we\ncould but get one sight of Ben Edar methinks we should regain our health\nand strength; and as thou lovest us, and as thou lovest thy own renown,\nmy brother, come and raise our heads and rest them on thy breast, that\nwe may see Erin once more. After that, we shall welcome either life or\ndeath.\"\n\n    UR.\n\n    O brother, torch of valour, strong of hand,\n      Come, place our weary heads upon thy breast;\n    And let us look upon our native land,\n      Before we sink to everlasting rest!\n\n    BRIAN.\n\n    Belov\u00e8d sons of Turenn, woe is me!\n      My wounds are deep, my day of strength is past;\n    Yet not for this I grieve, but that I see\n      Your lives, my noble brothers, ebbing fast!\n\n    UR.\n\n    Would we could give our lives to purchase thine;\n      Ah, gladly would we die to ease thy pain!\n    For art thou not the pride of Turenn's line,\n      The noblest champion of green Erin's plain?\n\n    BRIAN.\n\n    That mighty Dannan healer, Dianket;[XLIX.]\n      Or Midac, who excelled his sire in skill;\n    The maiden-leech, Armedda, mightier yet,\n      Who knew the herbs to cure, the herbs to kill:\n\n    Oh, were they here; or had we now at hand\n      Those gifted apples from the distant East;\n    Then might we hope to reach our native land,\n      And live again in joy and peace and rest!\n\n    UR.\n\n    Brother, methinks could we but see once more\n      Ben Edar's slopes, or Bregia's[L.] dewy plain,\n    Tailltenn,[LI.] or Bruga's[LII.] mystic mansion hoar,\n      Our blood would course in health and strength again.\n\n    Or let us once behold our father's home,\n      Or winding Liffey down by Ahaclee,[LIII.]\n    Old Frevan's hill,[LIV.] or Tara's[LV.] regal dome;\n      Then welcome death or life, whiche'er may be!\n\nSo Brian raised their heads and rested them on his breast, and they\ngazed on the rocky cliffs and green slopes of Ben Edar while the ship\nwafted slowly towards land.\n\nSoon after this they landed on the north side of Ben Edar, from which\nthey made their way slowly to Dun Turenn. And when they had reached the\ngreen in front of the house, Brian cried out--\n\n\"Father, dear father, come forth to thy children!\"\n\nTurenn came forth and saw his sons all wounded and pale and feeble.\n\nAnd Brian said, \"Go, beloved father--go quick to Tara, and quickly\nreturn. Bring this cooking-spit to Luga, and tell him that we have given\nthe three shouts on Midkena's Hill. Say that we have now paid the full\neric-fine, and bring back from him the apples of the Garden of Hisberna,\nto heal our wounds, else we die.\"\n\n    BRIAN.\n\n    Father, our wounds are deadly; nought can save\n      Thy children's lives but Luga's friendly hand:\n    Go, seek him, father--fare thee fast--and crave\n      The healing apples from Hisberna's land!\n\n    TURENN.\n\n    In vain, my sons, ye seek to fly your doom;\n      The stern Ildana's mind too well I know:\n    Alas! far liefer would he see your tomb,\n      Than all the treasures all this world could show!\n\n    BRIAN.\n\n    But he is just; and though his sire we slew,\n      Have we not paid full eric for the deed?\n    The great Ildana is our kinsman too,\n      And will relent in this our time of need.\n\n    Then go, my father, thou art swift and strong;\n      Speed like the wind--why linger here to mourn?\n    Go straight to Luga's home, nor tarry long;\n      Or, father, we shall die ere thou return!\n\nTurenn set out and travelled like the wind till he reached Tara, where\nhe found Luga.\n\nHe gave him the cooking-spit, and said, \"Behold, my three sons have now\npaid thee the full eric-fine, for they have given the three shouts on\nMidkena's Hill. But they are wounded even unto death; and now give me,\nI pray thee, the apples from the Garden of Hisberna, to cure them, else\nthey die.\"\n\nBut Luga refused, and turned away from Turenn.\n\nTurenn hastened back to his sons with a sorrowful heart, and told them\nthat he had failed to get the apples.\n\nThen Brian said, \"Take me with thee to Tara. I will see him, and\nperchance he may have pity on us, and give us the apples.\"\n\nAnd it was done so. But when Brian begged for the apples, Luga said--\n\n\"I will not give them to thee. If thou shouldst offer me the full of the\nwhole earth of gold, I would not give them to thee. Thou and thy\nbrothers committed a wicked and pitiless deed when you slew my father.\nFor that deed you must suffer, and with nothing short of your death\nshall I be content.\"\n\n            For the blood that you spilled,\n            For the hero you killed--\n    The deed is avenged, and your doom is fulfilled!\n\nBrian turned away and went back to his brothers, and, lying down between\nthem, his life departed; and his brothers died at the same moment.\n\nThen their father and their sister stood hand in hand over their bodies,\nlamenting. And Turenn spoke this lay--\n\n    Oh, pulseless is my heart this woful hour,\n      My strength is gone, my joy for ever fled;\n    Three noble champions, Erin's pride and power,\n      My three fair youths, my children, cold and dead!\n\n    Mild Ur, the fair-haired; Urcar, straight and tall;\n      The kings of Banba[LVI.] worthy both to be;\n    And Brian, bravest, noblest, best of all,\n      Who conquered many lands beyond the sea:\n\n    Lo, I am Turenn, your unhappy sire,\n      Mourning with feeble voice above your grave;\n    No life, no wealth, no honours I desire;\n      A place beside my sons is all I crave!\n\nAfter this Turenn and Ethnea fell on the bodies of the three young\nheroes and died.\n\nAnd they were all buried in one grave.\n\n\nThis is the story of the Fate of the Children of Turenn.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XLVIII.] Ben Edar, now Howth Hill, near Dublin. Dun Turenn, the\nfortress of their father Turenn.\n\n[XLIX.] Dianket, the great Dedannan physician. His son Midac and his\ndaughter Armedda were still more skilful than their father. (See note 1\nat the end.)\n\n[L.] Bregia, the plain lying between the Liffey and the Boyne.\n\n[LI.] Tailltenn, now Teltown, on the Blackwater, about midway between\nNavan and Kells, in Meath. Here annual meetings were held from the most\nancient times, on the first of August, and for some days before and\nafter, at which games were celebrated, like the Olympic games of Greece.\n\n[LII.] Bruga on the Boyne, where Angus or Mac Indoc, the great Dedannan\nenchanter, had his \"mystic mansion hoar.\" (See note 1 at the end.)\n\n[LIII.] Ahaclee, the old name of Dublin.\n\n[LIV.] Frevan, now the hill of Frewen, rising over Lough Owei, near\nMullingar, where the ancient Irish kings had one of their palaces.\n\n[LV.] Tara, in Meath, the chief seat of the Irish kings.\n\n[LVI.] Banba, one of the ancient names of Ireland.\n\n\n\n\nTHE\n\nOVERFLOWING OF LOUGH NEAGH,\n\nAND THE\n\nSTORY OF LIBAN THE MERMAID.\n\n\nIn the days of old a good king ruled over Muman,[LVII.] whose name was\nMarid Mac Carido. He had two sons, Ecca and Rib. Ecca was restless and\nunruly, and in many ways displeased the king; and he told his brother\nRib that he had made up his mind to leave his home, and win lands for\nhimself in some far off part of the country. Rib tried hard to dissuade\nhim; but though this delayed his departure for a while, he was none the\nless bent on going.\n\nAt last Ecca, being wrought upon by his stepmother Ebliu (from whom\nSlieve Eblinne[LVIII.] was afterwards named), did a grievous wrong to\nhis father, and fled from Muman with all his people; and his brother Rib\nand his stepmother Ebliu went with him. Ten hundred men they were in\nall, besides women and children; and they turned their faces towards\nthe north.\n\nAfter they had travelled for some time, their druids[3] told them that\nit was not fated for them to settle in the same place; and accordingly,\nwhen they had come to the Pass of the two Pillar Stones, they parted.\n\nRib and his people turned to the west, and they journeyed till they came\nto the plain of Arbthenn. And there the water of a fountain burst forth\nover the land, and drowned them all; and a great lake was formed, which\nto this day is called the Lake of Rib.[LIX.]\n\nEcca continued his journey northwards; and he and his people fared\nslowly on till they came near to Bruga[LX.] of the Boyne, the palace of\nMac Indoc, where they were fain to rest. No sooner had they halted, than\na tall man came forth from the palace, namely, Angus Mac Indoc of the\nBruga, son of the Dagda, and commanded them to leave the place without\ndelay. But they, being spent with the toil of travel, heeded not his\nwords, and, pitching their tents, they rested on the plain before the\npalace. Whereupon Angus, being wroth that his commands were unheeded,\nkilled all their horses that night.\n\nNext day, he came forth again, and he said to them, \"Your horses I slew\nlast night; and now, unless ye depart from this place, I will slay your\npeople to-night.\"\n\nAnd Ecca said to him, \"Much evil hast thou done to us already, for thou\nhast killed all our horses. And now we cannot go, even though we desire\nit, for without horses we cannot travel.\"\n\nThen Angus brought to them a very large horse in full harness, and they\nput all their goods on him. And when they were about to go, he said to\nthem--\n\n\"Beware that ye keep this great steed walking continually; not even a\nmoment's rest shall ye give him, otherwise he will certainly be the\ncause of your death.\"[14]\n\nAfter this they set out again, on a Sunday in the mid-month of autumn,\nand travelled on till they reached the Plain of the Grey Copse,[LXI.]\nwhere they intended to abide. They gathered then round the great steed\nto take their luggage off him, and each was busy seeing after his own\nproperty, so that they forgot to keep the horse moving. And the moment\nhe stood still, a magic well sprang up beneath his feet.[14]\n\nNow Ecca, when he saw the well spring up, was troubled, remembering\nAngus's warning. And he caused a house to be built round it, and near it\nhe built his palace, for the better security. And he chose a woman to\ntake care of the well, charging her strictly to keep the door locked,\nexcept when the people of the palace came for water.\n\nAfter that the King of Ulad,[LXII.] that is to say, Muridach, the son\nof Fiaca Findamnas (who was grandson of Conal Carna of the Red\nBranch[15]) came against Ecca to drive him forth from Ulad. But Ecca\nmade a stout fight, so that he won the lordship of half of Ulad from\nMuridach. And after that his people settled down on the Plain of the\nGrey Copse.\n\nNow Ecca had two daughters, Ariu and Liban, of whom Ariu was the wife of\nCurnan the Simpleton. And Curnan went about among the people,\nforetelling that a lake would flow over them from the well, and urging\nthem earnestly to make ready their boats.\n\n    Come forth, come forth, ye valiant men; build boats, and build ye fast!\n    I see the water surging out, a torrent deep and vast;\n    I see our chief and all his host o'erwhelmed beneath the wave;\n    And Ariu, too, my best beloved, alas! I cannot save.\n            But Liban east and west shall swim\n            Long ages on the ocean's rim,\n            By mystic shores and islets dim,\n                And down in the deep sea cave!\n\nAnd he ceased not to warn all he met, repeating this verse continually;\nbut the people gave no heed to the words of the Simpleton.\n\nNow the woman who had charge of the well, on a certain occasion forgot\nto close the door, so that the spell was free to work evil. And\nimmediately the water burst forth over the plain, and formed a great\nlake, namely the Lake of the Copse. And Ecca and all his family and all\nhis folk were drowned, save only his daughter Liban, and Conang, and\nCurnan the Simpleton. And they buried Ariu, and raised a mound over her,\nwhich is called from her Carn-Arenn.\n\nOf Conang nothing more is told. But as to Curnan, he died of grief after\nhis wife Ariu; and he was buried in a mound, which is called Carn-Curnan\nto this day in memory of him.\n\nAnd thus the great Lake of the Copse was formed, which is now called\nLough Necca,[LXIII.] in memory of Ecca, the son of Marid. And it was the\noverflow of this lake which, more than all other causes, scattered the\nUltonians over Erin.\n\nNow as to Liban. She also was swept away like the others; but she was\nnot drowned. She lived for a whole year with her lap-dog, in her chamber\nbeneath the lake, and God protected her from the water. At the end of\nthe year she was weary; and when she saw the speckled salmon swimming\nand playing all round her, she prayed and said--\n\n\"O my Lord, I wish I were a salmon, that I might swim with the others\nthrough the clear green sea!\"\n\nAnd at the words she took the shape of a salmon, except her face and\nbreast, which did not change. And her lap-dog was changed to an otter,\nand attended her afterwards whithersoever she went, as long as she lived\nin the sea.\n\nAnd so she remained swimming about from sea to sea for three hundred\nyears; that is to say, from the time of Ecca, the son of Marid, to the\ntime of Comgall of Bangor.[16]\n\nNow on one occasion, Comgall sent Beoc, the son of Indli, from Bangor\nto Rome, to talk with Gregory[LXIV.] concerning some matters of order\nand rule. And when Beoc's curragh[17] was sailing over the sea, he and\nhis crew heard sweet singing in the waters beneath them, as it were the\nchanting of angels.\n\nAnd Beoc, having listened for a while, looked down into the water, and\nasked what the chant was for, and who it was that sang.\n\nAnd Liban answered, \"I am Liban, the daughter of Ecca, son of Marid; and\nit is I who sang the chant thou hast heard.\"\n\n\"Why art thou here?\" asked Beoc.\n\nAnd she replied, \"Lo, I have lived for three hundred years beneath the\nsea; and I have come hither to fix a day and a place of meeting with\nthee. I shall now go westward; and I beseech thee, for the sake of the\nholy men of Dalaradia,[LXV.] to come to Inver Ollarba[LXVI.] to meet me,\non this same day at the end of a year. Say also to Comgall and to the\nother holy men of Bangor, all that I say to thee. Come with thy boats\nand thy fishing-nets, and thou shalt take me from the waters in which I\nhave lived.\"\n\n\"I shall not grant thee the boon thou askest,\" said Beoc, \"unless thou\ngive me a reward.\"\n\n\"What reward dost thou seek?\" asked Liban.\n\n\"That thou be buried in one grave with me in my own monastery,\"\nanswered Beoc.\n\n\"That shall be granted to thee,\" said Liban.\n\nBeoc then went on his way to Rome. And when he had returned, he related\nto Comgall and to the other saints of the monastery at Bangor, the story\nof the mermaid. And now the end of the year was nigh.\n\nThen they made ready their nets, and on the day appointed they went in\ntheir boats to Inver Ollarba, a goodly company of the saints of Erin.\nAnd Liban was caught in the net of Fergus of Miluc:[LXVII.] and her head\nand shoulders were those of a maiden, but she had the body of a fish.\n\nNow the boat in which she was brought to land was kept half full of sea\nwater, in which she remained swimming about. And many came to see her;\nand all were filled with wonder when they saw her strange shape and\nheard her story.\n\nAmong the rest came the chief of the tribe of Hua-Conang, wearing a\npurple cloak; and she kept gazing at him earnestly. The young chief,\nseeing this, said to her--\n\n\"Dost thou wish to have this cloak? If so, I will give it to thee\nwillingly.\"\n\nBut she answered, \"Not so: I desire not thy cloak. But it brings to my\nmind my father Ecca; for on the day he was drowned, he wore a cloak of\npurple like thine. But may good luck be on thee for thy gentleness, and\non him who shall come after thee in thy place; and in every assembly\nwhere thy successor sits, may he be known to all without inquiry.\"\n\nAfter that there came up a large-bodied, dark-visaged, fierce hero, and\nkilled her lap-dog. Whereupon she was grieved; and she told him that the\nheroism of himself and his tribe should be stained by the baseness of\ntheir minds, and that they should not be able to defend themselves\nagainst injuries till they should do penance, by fasting, for her sake.\n\nThen the warrior repented what he had done, and humbled himself before\nher.\n\nAnd now there arose a contention about her, as to whom she should\nbelong. Comgall said she was his, forasmuch as she was caught in his\nterritory. But Fergus urged that she belonged to him by right, as it was\nin his net she was taken. And Beoc said he had the best right of all to\nher, on account of the promise she had made to him.\n\nAnd as no one could settle the dispute, these three saints fasted and\nprayed that God would give a judgment between them, to show who should\nown Liban.\n\nAnd an angel said to one of the company, \"Two wild oxen will come hither\nto-morrow from Carn-Arenn, that is to say, from the grave-mound of\nLiban's sister, Ariu. Yoke a chariot to them, and place the mermaid in\nit; and into whatsoever territory they shall bring her, she shall remain\nwith the owner thereof.\"\n\nThe oxen came on the morrow, as the angel had foretold. And when they\nwere yoked, and when Liban was placed in the chariot, they brought her\nstraightway to Beoc's church, namely to Tec-Da-Beoc.\n\nThen the saints gave her a choice--either to die immediately after\nbaptism, and go to heaven; or to live on earth as long as she had lived\nin the sea, and then to go to heaven after these long ages. And the\nchoice she took was to die immediately. Whereupon Comgall baptised her;\nand he gave her the name of Murgen, that is, \"Sea-born,\" or Murgelt,\nthat is \"Mermaid.\"\n\nAnd she is counted among the holy virgins, and held in honour and\nreverence, as God ordained for her in heaven; and wonders and miracles\nare performed through her means at Tec-Da-Beoc.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[LVII.] Muman, _i.e._ Munster.\n\n[LVIII.] Slieve Eblinne, now Slieve Eelim or Slieve Phelim, in\nTipperary, sometimes called the Twelve Hills of Evlinn. \"Eblinne\" is the\ngenitive of \"Ebliu.\"\n\n[LIX.] Now Lough Ree, on the Shannon.\n\n[LX.] See note, page 62; see also note 1 at the end of the book.\n\n[LXI.] The Plain of the Grey Copse, according to the legend, was the\nname of the plain now covered by Lough Neagh.\n\n[LXII.] Ulad, _i.e._ Ulster.\n\n[LXIII.] Lough Necca, now Lough Neagh.\n\n[LXIV.] Gregory, _i.e._ Pope Gregory.\n\n[LXV.] Dalaradia, the old name of a territory which included the\nsouthern half of the county Antrim and a part of Down.\n\n[LXVI.] Inver Ollarba, _i.e._ the _inver_, or mouth of the river\nOllarba, which was the ancient name of the Larne Water, in Antrim.\n\n[LXVII.] Miluc, or Meelick, the name of an ancient ecclesiastical\nestablishment in the county Antrim. See \"Ecclesiastical Antiquities of\nDown, Connor, and Dromore\" (page 3), by the Rev. William Reeves, M.B.,\nM.R.I.A.\n\n\n\n\nCONNLA OF THE GOLDEN HAIR, AND THE FAIRY MAIDEN.\n\n\nConnla of the Golden Hair was the son of Conn the Hundred-fighter.[18]\nOne day as he stood with his father on the royal Hill of Usna,[LXVIII.]\nhe saw a lady a little way off, very beautiful, and dressed in strange\nattire. She approached the spot where he stood; and when she was near,\nhe spoke to her, and asked who she was, and from what place she had\ncome.\n\nThe lady replied, \"I have come from the Land of the Living[19]--a land\nwhere there is neither death nor old age, nor any breach of law. The\ninhabitants of earth call us Aes-shee,[19] for we have our dwellings\nwithin large, pleasant, green hills. We pass our time very pleasantly in\nfeasting and harmless amusements, never growing old; and we have no\nquarrels or contentions.\"\n\nThe king and his company marvelled very much; for though they heard this\nconversation, no one saw the lady except Connla alone.\n\n\"Who is this thou art talking to, my son?\" said the king.\n\nAnd anon she answered for the youth, \"Connla is speaking with a lovely,\nnoble-born young lady, who will never die, and who will never grow old.\nI love Connla of the Golden Hair, and I have come to bring him with me\nto Moy-mell,[19] the plain of never-ending pleasure. On the day that he\ncomes with me he shall be made king; and he shall reign for ever in\nFairyland, without weeping and without sorrow. Come with me, O gentle\nConnla of the ruddy cheek, the fair, freckled neck, and the golden hair!\nCome with me, beloved Connla, and thou shalt retain the comeliness and\ndignity of thy form, free from the wrinkles of old age, till the awful\nday of judgment!\"\n\n    Thy flowing golden hair, thy comely face,\n    Thy tall majestic form of peerless grace,\n    That show thee sprung from Conn's exalted race.\n\nKing Conn the Hundred-fighter, being much troubled, called then on his\ndruid,[3] Coran, to put forth his power against the witchery of the\nbanshee[19]--\n\n\"O Coran of the mystic arts and of the mighty incantations, here is a\ncontest such as I have never been engaged in since I was made king at\nTara--a contest with an invisible lady, who is beguiling my son to\nFairyland by her baleful charms. Her cunning is beyond my skill, and I\nam not able to withstand her power; and if thou, Coran, help not, my son\nwill be taken away from me by the wiles and witchery of a woman from the\nfairy hills.\"\n\nCoran, the druid, then came forward, and began to chant against the\nvoice of the lady. And his power was greater than hers for that time, so\nthat she was forced to retire.\n\nAs she was going away she threw an apple to Connla, who straightway lost\nsight of her; and the king and his people no longer heard her voice.\n\nThe king and the prince returned with their company to the palace; and\nConnla remained for a whole month without tasting food or drink, except\nthe apple. And though he ate of it each day, it was never lessened, but\nwas as whole and perfect in the end as at the beginning. Moreover, when\nthey offered him aught else to eat or drink, he refused it; for while he\nhad his apple he did not deem any other food worthy to be tasted. And he\nbegan to be very moody and sorrowful, thinking of the lovely fairy\nmaiden.\n\nAt the end of the month, as Connla stood by his father's side among the\nnobles, on the Plain of Arcomin, he saw the same lady approaching him\nfrom the west. And when she had come near, she addressed him in this\nmanner--\n\n\"A glorious seat, indeed, has Connla among wretched, short-lived\nmortals, awaiting the dreadful stroke of death! But now, the\never-youthful people of Moy-mell, who never feel old age, and who fear\nnot death, seeing thee day by day among thy friends, in the assemblies\nof thy Fatherland, love thee with a strange love; and they will make\nthee king over them if thou wilt come with me.\"\n\nWhen the king heard the words of the lady, he commanded his people to\ncall the druid again to him, saying--\n\n\"Bring my druid, Coran, to me; for I see that the fairy lady has this\nday regained the power of her voice.\"\n\nAt this the lady said, \"Valiant Conn, fighter of a hundred, the faith of\nthe druids has come to little honour among the upright, mighty,\nnumberless people of this land. When the righteous law shall be\nrestored, it will seal up the lips of the false, black demon; and his\ndruids shall no longer have power to work their guileful spells.\"\n\nNow the king observed, and marvelled greatly, that whenever the lady was\npresent, his son never spoke one word to any one, nay, even though they\naddressed him many times. And when the lady had ceased to speak, the\nking said--\n\n\"Connla, my son, has thy mind been moved by the words of the lady?\"\n\nConnla spoke then, and replied, \"Father, I am very unhappy; for though I\nlove my people beyond all, yet I am filled with sadness on account of\nthis lady!\"\n\nWhen Connla had said this, the maiden again addressed him, and chanted\nthese words in a very sweet voice--\n\n\nTHE CHANT OF THE FAIRY MAIDEN TO CONNLA OF THE GOLDEN HAIR.\n\n    I.\n\n    A land of youth, a land of rest,\n      A land from sorrow free;\n    It lies far off in the golden west,\n      On the verge of the azure sea.\n    A swift canoe of crystal bright,\n      That never met mortal view--\n    We shall reach the land ere fall of night,\n      In that strong and swift canoe:\n        We shall reach the strand\n        Of that sunny land,\n      From druids and demons free;\n        The land of rest,\n        In the golden west,\n      On the verge of the azure sea!\n\n    II.\n\n    A pleasant land of winding vales, bright streams, and verdurous plains,\n    Where summer all the live-long year, in changeless splendour reigns;\n    A peaceful land of calm delight, of everlasting bloom;\n    Old age and death we never know, no sickness, care, or gloom;\n                      The land of youth,\n                      Of love and truth,\n                    From pain and sorrow free;\n                      The land of rest,\n                      In the golden west,\n                    On the verge of the azure sea!\n\n    III.\n\n    There are strange delights for mortal men in that island of the west;\n    The sun comes down each evening in its lovely vales to rest;\n                    And though far and dim\n                    On the ocean's rim\n                    It seems to mortal view,\n                      We shall reach its halls\n                      Ere the evening falls,\n                    In my strong and swift canoe;\n                     And ever more\n                     That verdant shore\n                   Our happy home shall be;\n                    The land of rest,\n                    In the golden west,\n                  On the verge of the azure sea!\n\n    IV.\n\n    It will guard thee, gentle Connla of the flowing golden hair,\n    It will guard thee from the druids, from the demons of the air;\n    My crystal boat will guard thee, till we reach that western shore,\n    Where thou and I in joy and love shall live for evermore:\n                    From the druid's incantation,\n                      From his black and deadly snare,\n                    From the withering imprecation\n                      Of the demon of the air,\n    It will guard thee, gentle Connla of the flowing golden hair:\n    My crystal boat will guard thee, till we reach that silver strand\n    Where thou shalt reign in endless joy, the king of the Fairy-land!\n    [LXIX.]\n\nWhen the maiden had ended her chant, Connla suddenly walked away from\nhis father's side, and sprang into the curragh, the gleaming,\nstraight-gliding, strong, crystal canoe. The king and his people saw\nthem afar off and dimly, moving away over the bright sea towards the\nsunset. They gazed sadly after them, till they lost sight of the canoe\nover the utmost verge; and no one can tell whither they went, for Connla\nwas never again seen in his native land.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[LXVIII.] Hill of Usna. (See note, page 37.)\n\n[LXIX.] This is an expansion, rather than a translation, of the\noriginal, which is very short, and in some places very obscure.\n\n\n\n\nTHE VOYAGE OF MAILDUN.\n\nAN ACCOUNT OF THE ADVENTURES OF MAILDUN AND HIS CREW, AND OF THE\nWONDERFUL THINGS THEY SAW DURING THEIR VOYAGE OF THREE YEARS AND SEVEN\nMONTHS, IN THEIR CURRAGH,[17] ON THE WESTERN SEA.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nMAILDUN'S CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH. HE BEGINS HIS VOYAGE IN QUEST OF THE\nPLUNDERERS WHO SLEW HIS FATHER.\n\n\nThere was once an illustrious man of the tribe of Owenaght[LXX.] of\nNinus, Allil Ocar Aga by name, a goodly hero, and lord of his own tribe\nand territory. One time, when he was in his house unguarded, a fleet of\nplunderers landed on the coast, and spoiled his territory. The chief\nfled for refuge to the church of Dooclone; but the spoilers followed him\nthither, slew him, and burned the church over his head.\n\nNot long after Allil's death, a son was born to him. The child's mother\ngave him the name of Maildun; and, wishing to conceal his birth, she\nbrought him to the queen of that country, who was her dear friend. The\nqueen took him to her, and gave out that he was her own child, and he\nwas brought up with the king's sons, slept in the same cradle with them,\nand was fed from the same breast and from the same cup. He was a very\nlovely child; and the people who saw him thought it doubtful if there\nwas any other child living at the time equally beautiful.\n\nAs he grew up to be a young man, the noble qualities of his mind\ngradually unfolded themselves. He was high-spirited and generous, and he\nloved all sorts of manly exercises. In ball-playing, in running and\nleaping, in throwing the stone, in chess-playing, in rowing, and in\nhorse-racing, he surpassed all the youths that came to the king's\npalace, and won the palm in every contest.\n\nOne day, when the young men were at their games, a certain youth among\nthem grew envious of Maildun; and he said, in an angry and haughty tone\nof voice--\n\n\"It is a cause of much shame to us that we have to yield in every game,\nwhether of skill or of strength, whether on land or on water, to an\nobscure youth, of whom no one can tell who is his father or his mother,\nor what race or tribe he belongs to.\"\n\nOn hearing this, Maildun ceased at once from play; for until that moment\nhe believed that he was the son of the king of the Owenaght, and of the\nqueen who had nursed him. And going anon to the queen, he told her what\nhad happened; and he said to her--\n\n\"If I am not thy son, I will neither eat nor drink till thou tell me who\nmy father and mother are.\"\n\nShe tried to soothe him, and said, \"Why do you worry yourself searching\nafter this matter? Give no heed to the words of this envious youth. Am I\nnot a mother to you? And in all this country, is there any mother who\nloves her son better than I love you?\"\n\nHe answered, \"All this is quite true; yet I pray thee let me know who my\nparents are.\"\n\nThe queen then, seeing that he would not be put off, brought him to his\nmother, and put him into her hands. And when he had spoken with her, he\nasked her to tell him who his father was.\n\n\"You are bent on a foolish quest, my child,\" she said; \"for even if you\nknew all about your father, the knowledge would bring neither advantage\nnor happiness to you; for he died before you were born.\"\n\n\"Even so,\" he replied, \"I wish to know who he was.\"\n\nSo his mother told him the truth, saying, \"Your father was Allil Ocar\nAga, of the tribe of Owenaght of Ninus.\"\n\nMaildun then set out for his father's territory; and his three foster\nbrothers, namely, the king's three sons, who were noble and handsome\nyouths like himself, went with him. When the people of his tribe found\nout that the strange youth was the son of their chief, whom the\nplunderers had slain years before, and when they were told that the\nthree others were the king's sons, they gave them all a joyful welcome,\nfeasting them, and showing them much honour; so that Maildun was made\nquite happy, and soon forgot all the abasement and trouble he had\nundergone.\n\nSome time after this, it happened that a number of young people were in\nthe churchyard of Dooclone--the same church in which Maildun's father\nhad been slain--exercising themselves in casting a hand-stone. The game\nwas to throw the stone clear over the charred roof of the church that\nhad been burned; and Maildun was there contending among the others. A\nfoul-tongued fellow named Brickna, a servant of the people who owned the\nchurch, was standing by; and he said to Maildun--\n\n\"It would better become you to avenge the man who was burned to death\nhere, than to be amusing yourself casting a stone over his bare, burnt\nbones.\"\n\n\"Who was he?\" inquired Maildun.\n\n\"Allil Ocar Aga, your father,\" replied the other.\n\n\"Who slew him?\" asked Maildun.\n\n\"Plunderers from a fleet slew him and burned him in this church,\"\nreplied Brickna; \"and the same plunderers are still sailing in the same\nfleet.\"\n\nMaildun was disturbed and sad after hearing this. He dropped the stone\nthat he held in his hand, folded his cloak round him, and buckled on his\nshield. And he left the company, and began to inquire of all he met, the\nroad to the plunderers' ships. For a long time he could get no tidings\nof them; but at last some persons, who knew where the fleet lay, told\nhim that it was a long way off, and that there was no reaching it except\nby sea.\n\nNow Maildun was resolved to find out these plunderers, and to avenge on\nthem the death of his father. So he went without delay into\nCorcomroe,[LXXI.] to the druid[3] Nuca, to seek his advice about\nbuilding a curragh, and to ask also for a charm to protect him, both\nwhile building it, and while sailing on the sea afterwards.\n\nThe druid gave him full instructions. He told him the day he should\nbegin to build his curragh, and the exact day on which he was to set out\non his voyage; and he was very particular about the number of the crew,\nwhich, he said, was to be sixty chosen men, neither more nor less.\n\nSo Maildun built a large triple-hide curragh,[17] following the druid's\ndirections in every particular, chose his crew of sixty, among whom were\nhis two friends, Germane and Diuran Lekerd; and on the day appointed put\nout to sea.\n\nWhen he had got only a very little way from the land, he saw his three\nfoster brothers running down to the shore, signalling and calling out to\nhim to return and take them on board; for they said they wished to go\nwith him.\n\n\"We shall not turn back,\" said Maildun; \"and you cannot come with us;\nfor we have already got our exact number.\"\n\n\"We will swim after you in the sea till we are drowned, if you do not\nreturn for us,\" replied they; and so saying, the three plunged in and\nswam after the curragh.\n\nWhen Maildun saw this, he turned his vessel towards them, and took them\non board rather than let them be drowned.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[LXX.] There were several tribes named Owenaght in the south of Ireland.\nThis particular tribe were called, as in the text, the Owenaght of\nNinus, and also, according to an interlined gloss in the \"Book of the\nDun Cow,\" the Owenaght of the Aras, _i.e._ of the Aran Islands. Their\nterritory was situated in the north-west of the county Clare, opposite\nthe Islands of Aran.\n\n[LXXI.] Corcomroe, an ancient territory, now a barony in the north-west\nof the county Clare. (For the meaning and history of this name, see the\nauthor's \"Origin and History of Irish Names of Places,\" Series I. Part\ni. Chapter ii.)\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nTHE FIRST ISLAND. TIDINGS OF THE PLUNDERERS.\n\n\nThey sailed that day and night, as well as the whole of next day, till\ndarkness came on again; and at midnight they saw two small bare islands,\nwith two great houses on them near the shore. When they drew near, they\nheard the sounds of merriment and laughter, and the shouts of revellers\nintermingled with the loud voices of warriors boasting of their deeds.\nAnd listening to catch the conversation, they heard one warrior say to\nanother--\n\n\"Stand off from me, for I am a better warrior than thou; it was I who\nslew Allil Ocar Aga, and burned Dooclone over his head; and no one has\never dared to avenge it on me. Thou hast never done a great deed like\nthat!\"\n\n\"Now surely,\" said Germane and Diuran to Maildun, \"Heaven has guided our\nship to this place! Here is an easy victory. Let us now sack this house,\nsince God has revealed our enemies to us, and delivered them into our\nhands!\"\n\nWhile they were yet speaking, the wind arose, and a great tempest\nsuddenly broke on them. And they were driven violently before the storm,\nall that night and a part of next day, into the great and boundless\nocean; so that they saw neither the islands they had left nor any other\nland; and they knew not whither they were going.\n\nThen Maildun said, \"Take down your sail and put by your oars, and let\nthe curragh drift before the wind in whatsoever direction it pleases God\nto lead us;\" which was done.\n\nHe then turned to his foster brothers, and said to them, \"This evil has\nbefallen us because we took you into the curragh, thereby violating the\ndruid's directions; for he forbade me to go to sea with more than sixty\nmen for my crew, and we had that number before you joined us. Of a\nsurety more evil will come of it.\"\n\nHis foster brothers answered nothing to this, but remained silent.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nTHE ISLAND OF THE MONSTROUS ANTS.\n\n\nFor three days and three nights they saw no land. On the morning of the\nfourth day, while it was yet dark, they heard a sound to the north-east;\nand Germane said--\n\n\"This is the voice of the waves breaking on the shore.\"\n\nAs soon as it was light they saw land and made towards it. While they\nwere casting lots to know who should go and explore the country, they\nsaw great flocks of ants coming down to the beach, each of them as large\nas a foal. The people judged by their numbers, and by their eager and\nhungry look, that they were bent on eating both ship and crew; so they\nturned their vessel round and sailed quickly away.\n\n    Their multitudes countless, prodigious their size;\n      Were never such ants seen or heard of before.\n    They struggled and tumbled and plunged for the prize,\n    And fiercely the famine-fire blazed from their eyes,\n      As they ground with their teeth the red sand of the shore!\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nTHE TERRACED ISLE OF BIRDS.\n\n\nAgain for three days and three nights they saw no land. But on the\nmorning of the fourth day they heard the murmur of the waves on the\nbeach; and as the day dawned, they saw a large high island, with\nterraces all round it, rising one behind another. On the terraces grew\nrows of tall trees, on which were perched great numbers of large,\nbright-coloured birds.\n\nWhen the crew were about to hold council as to who should visit the\nisland and see whether the birds were tame, Maildun himself offered to\ngo. So he went with a few companions; and they viewed the island warily,\nbut found nothing to hurt or alarm them; after which they caught great\nnumbers of the birds and brought them to their ship.\n\n    A shield-shaped island, with terraces crowned,\n    And great trees circling round and round:\n    From the summit down to the wave-washed rocks,\n    There are bright-coloured birds in myriad flocks--\n    Their plumes are radiant; but hunger is keen;\n              So the birds are killed,\n              Till the curragh is filled,\n    And the sailors embark on the ocean green!\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nA MONSTER.\n\n\nThey sailed from this, and on the fourth day discovered a large, sandy\nisland, on which, when they came near, they saw a huge, fearful animal\nstanding on the beach, and looking at them very attentively. He was\nsomewhat like a horse in shape; but his legs were like the legs of a\ndog; and he had great, sharp claws of a blue colour.\n\nMaildun, having viewed this monster for some time, liked not his look;\nand, telling his companions to watch him closely, for that he seemed\nbent on mischief, he bade the oarsmen row very slowly towards land.\n\nThe monster seemed much delighted when the ship drew nigh the shore, and\ngambolled and pranced about with joy on the beach, before the eyes of\nthe voyagers; for he intended to eat the whole of them the moment they\nlanded.\n\n\"He seems not at all sorry to see us coming,\" said Maildun; \"but we must\navoid him and put back from the shore.\"\n\nThis was done. And when the animal observed them drawing off, he ran\ndown in a great rage to the very water's edge, and digging up large,\nround pebbles with his sharp claws, he began to fling them at the\nvessel; but the crew soon got beyond his reach, and sailed into the open\nsea.\n\n    A horrible monster, with blazing eyes,\n    In shape like a horse and tremendous in size,\n        Awaiting the curragh, they saw;\n            With big bony jaws\n            And murderous claws,\n        That filled them with terror and awe:\n            How gleeful he dances,\n            And bellows and prances,\n        As near to the island they draw;\n            Expecting a feast--\n            The bloodthirsty beast--\n        With his teeth like edge of a saw:\n            Then he ran to the shore,\n            With a deafening roar,\n        Intending to swallow them raw:\n            But the crew, with a shout,\n            Put their vessel about,\n        And escaped from his ravenous maw![LXXII.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nTHE DEMON HORSE-RACE.\n\n\nAfter sailing a long distance, they came in view of a broad, flat\nisland. It fell to the lot of Germane to go and examine it, and he did\nnot think the task a pleasant one. Then his friend Diuran said to him--\n\n\"I will go with you this time; and when next it falls to my lot to visit\nan island, you shall come with me.\" So both went together.\n\nThey found the island very large; and some distance from the shore they\ncame to a broad green race-course, in which they saw immense\nhoof-marks, the size of a ship's sail, or of a large dining-table. They\nfound nut-shells, as large as helmets, scattered about; and although\nthey could see no one, they observed all the marks and tokens that\npeople of huge size were lately employed there at sundry kinds of work.\n\nSeeing these strange signs, they became alarmed, and went and called\ntheir companions from the boat to view them. But the others, when they\nhad seen them, were also struck with fear, and all quickly retired from\nthe place and went on board their curragh.\n\nWhen they had got a little way from the land, they saw dimly, as it were\nthrough a mist, a vast multitude of people on the sea, of gigantic size\nand demoniac look, rushing along the crests of the waves with great\noutcry. As soon as this shadowy host had landed, they went to the green,\nwhere they arranged a horse-race.\n\nThe horses were swifter than the wind; and as they pressed forward in\nthe race, the multitudes raised a mighty shout like thunder, which\nreached the crew as if it were beside them. Maildun and his men, as they\nsat in their curragh, heard the strokes of the whips and the cries of\nthe riders; and though the race was far off, they could distinguish the\neager words of the spectators:--\"Observe the grey horse!\" \"See that\nchestnut horse!\" \"Watch the horse with the white spots!\" \"My horse leaps\nbetter than yours!\"\n\nAfter seeing and hearing these things, the crew sailed away from the\nisland as quickly as they were able, into the open ocean, for they felt\nquite sure that the multitude they saw was a gathering of demons.\n\n   A spacious isle of meadowy plains, with a broad and sandy shore:\n   Two bold and trusty spies are sent, its wonders to explore.\n   Mysterious signs, strange, awful sights, now meet the wanderers'\n   eyes:\n   Vast hoof-marks, and the traces dire of men of monstrous size:\n   And lo! on the sea, in countless hosts, their shadowy forms expand;\n   They pass the affrighted sailors by, and like demons they rush to\n   land;\n   They mount their steeds, and the race is run, in the midst of\n   hell's uproar:\n   Then the wanderers quickly raise their sails, and leave the\n   accurs\u00e8d shore.\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[LXXII.] See note, page 128.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nTHE PALACE OF SOLITUDE.\n\n\nThey suffered much from hunger and thirst this time, for they sailed a\nwhole week without making land; but at the end of that time they came in\nsight of a high island, with a large and very splendid house on the\nbeach near the water's edge. There were two doors--one turned inland,\nand the other facing the sea; and the door that looked towards the sea\nwas closed with a great flat stone. In this stone was an opening,\nthrough which the waves, as they beat against the door every day, threw\nnumbers of salmon into the house.\n\nThe voyagers landed, and went through the whole house without meeting\nany one. But they saw in one large room an ornamented couch, intended\nfor the head of the house, and in each of the other rooms was a larger\none for three members of the family: and there was a cup of crystal on a\nlittle table before each couch. They found abundance of food and ale,\nand they ate and drank till they were satisfied, thanking God for having\nrelieved them from hunger and thirst.\n\n    Aloft, high towering o'er the ocean's foam,\n    The spacious mansion rears its glittering dome.\n    Each day the billows, through the marble door,\n    Shoot living salmon floundering on the floor.\n    Couches that lure the sailors to recline,\n    Abundant food, brown ale, and sparkling wine;\n    Tables and chairs in order duly placed,\n    With crystal cups and golden goblets graced.\n    But not a living soul the wanderers found;\n    'Twas silence all and solitude profound.\n    They eat and drink, give thanks, then hoist their sail,\n    And skim the deep once more, obedient to the gale.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nTHE ISLAND OF THE WONDERFUL APPLE TREE.\n\n\nAfter leaving this, they suffered again from hunger, till they came to\nan island with a high hill round it on every side. A single apple tree\ngrew in the middle, very tall and slender, and all its branches were in\nlike manner exceedingly slender, and of wonderful length, so that they\ngrew over the hill and down to the sea.\n\nWhen the ship came near the island, Maildun caught one of the branches\nin his hand. For three days and three nights the ship coasted the\nisland, and during all this time he held the branch, letting it slide\nthrough his hand, till on the third day he found a cluster of seven\napples on the very end. Each of these apples supplied the travellers\nwith food and drink for forty days and forty nights.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nTHE ISLAND OF BLOODTHIRSTY QUADRUPEDS.\n\n\nA beautiful island next came in view, in which they saw, at a distance,\nmultitudes of large animals shaped like horses. The voyagers, as they\ndrew near, viewed them attentively, and soon observed that one of them\nopened his mouth and bit a great piece out of the side of the animal\nthat stood next him, bringing away skin and flesh. Immediately after,\nanother did the same to the nearest of his fellows. And, in short, the\nvoyagers saw that all the animals in the island kept worrying and\ntearing each other from time to time in this manner; so that the ground\nwas covered far and wide with the blood that streamed from their sides.\n\n    In needless strife they oft contend,\n      A cruel, mutual-mangling brood;\n    Their flesh with gory tusks they rend,\n      And crimson all the isle with blood.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nAN EXTRAORDINARY MONSTER.\n\n\nThe next island had a wall all round it. When they came near the shore,\nan animal of vast size, with a thick, rough skin, started up inside the\nwall, and ran round the island with the swiftness of the wind. When he\nhad ended his race, he went to a high point, and standing on a large,\nflat stone, began to exercise himself according to his daily custom, in\nthe following manner. He kept turning himself completely round and round\nin his skin, the bones and flesh moving, while the skin remained at\nrest.\n\nWhen he was tired of this exercise, he rested a little; and he then\nbegan turning his skin continually round his body, down at one side and\nup at the other like a mill-wheel; but the bones and flesh did not move.\n\nAfter spending some time at this sort of work, he started and ran round\nthe island as at first, as if to refresh himself. He then went back to\nthe same spot, and this time, while the skin that covered the lower part\nof his body remained without motion, he whirled the skin of the upper\npart round and round like the movement of a flat-lying millstone. And it\nwas in this manner that he spent most of his time on the island.\n\nMaildun and his people, after they had seen these strange doings,\nthought it better not to venture nearer. So they put out to sea in great\nhaste. The monster, observing them about to fly, ran down to the beach\nto seize the ship; but finding that they had got out of his reach, he\nbegan to fling round stones at them with great force and an excellent\naim. One of them struck Maildun's shield and went quite through it,\nlodging in the keel of the curragh; after which the voyagers got beyond\nhis range and sailed away.\n\n    In a wall-circled isle a big monster they found,\n      With a hide like an elephant, leathery and bare;\n    He threw up his heels with a wonderful bound,\n      And ran round the isle with the speed of a hare.\n\n    But a feat more astounding has yet to be told:\n      He turned round and round in his leathery skin;\n    His bones and his flesh and his sinews he rolled--\n      He was resting outside while he twisted within!\n\n    Then, changing his practice with marvellous skill,\n      His carcase stood rigid and round went his hide;\n    It whirled round his bones like the wheel of a mill--\n      He was resting within while he twisted outside!\n\n    Next, standing quite near on a green little hill,\n      After galloping round in the very same track,\n    While the skin of his belly stood perfectly still,\n      Like a millstone he twisted the skin of his back!\n\n    But Maildun and his men put to sea in their boat,\n      For they saw his two eyes looking over the wall;\n    And they knew by the way that he opened his throat,\n      He intended to swallow them, curragh and all![LXXIII.]\n\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[LXXIII.] The verse in the original is quite serious; but I could not\nresist the temptation to give it a humorous turn. The same observation\napplies to the verse at page 122.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XI.\n\nTHE ISLE OF RED-HOT ANIMALS.\n\n\nNot daring to land on this island, they turned away hurriedly, much\ndisheartened, not knowing whither to turn or where to find a\nresting-place. They sailed for a long time, suffering much from hunger\nand thirst, and praying fervently to be relieved from their distress. At\nlast, when they were beginning to sink into a state of despondency,\nbeing quite worn out with toil and hardship of every kind, they sighted\nland.\n\nIt was a large and beautiful island, with innumerable fruit trees\nscattered over its surface, bearing abundance of gold-coloured apples.\nUnder the trees they saw herds of short, stout animals, of a bright red\ncolour, shaped somewhat like pigs; but coming nearer, and looking more\nclosely, they perceived with astonishment that the animals were all\nfiery, and that their bright colour was caused by the red flames which\npenetrated and lighted up their bodies.\n\nThe voyagers now observed several of them approach one of the trees in a\nbody, and striking the trunk all together with their hind legs, they\nshook down some of the apples and ate them. In this manner the animals\nemployed themselves every day, from early morning till the setting of\nthe sun when they retired into deep caves, and were seen no more till\nnext morning.\n\nNumerous flocks of birds were swimming on the sea, all round the island.\nFrom morning till noon, they continued to swim away from the land,\nfarther and farther out to sea; but at noon they turned round, and from\nthat to sunset they swam back towards the shore. A little after sunset,\nwhen the animals had retired to their caves, the birds flocked in on the\nisland, and spread themselves over it, plucking the apples from the\ntrees and eating them.\n\nMaildun proposed that they should land on the island, and gather some of\nthe fruit, saying that it was not harder or more dangerous for them than\nfor the birds; so two of the men were sent beforehand to examine the\nplace. They found the ground hot under their feet, for the fiery\nanimals, as they lay at rest, heated the earth all around and above\ntheir caves; but the two scouts persevered notwithstanding, and brought\naway some of the apples.\n\nWhen morning dawned, the birds left the island and swam out to sea; and\nthe fiery animals, coming forth from their caves, went among the trees\nas usual, and ate the apples till evening. The crew remained in their\ncurragh all day; and as soon as the animals had gone into their caves\nfor the night, and the birds had taken their place, Maildun landed with\nall his men. And they plucked the apples till morning, and brought them\non board, till they had gathered as much as they could stow into their\nvessel.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XII.\n\nTHE PALACE OF THE LITTLE CAT.\n\n\nAfter rowing for a long time, their store of apples failed them, and\nthey had nothing to eat or drink; so that they suffered sorely under a\nhot sun, and their mouths and nostrils were filled with the briny smell\nof the sea. At last they came in sight of land--a little island with a\nlarge palace on it. Around the palace was a wall, white all over,\nwithout stain or flaw, as if it had been built of burnt lime, or carved\nout of one unbroken rock of chalk; and where it looked towards the sea\nit was so lofty that it seemed almost to reach the clouds.\n\nThe gate of this outer wall was open, and a number of fine houses, all\nsnowy white, were ranged round on the inside, enclosing a level court in\nthe middle, on which all the houses opened. Maildun and his people\nentered the largest of them, and walked through several rooms without\nmeeting with any one. But on reaching the principal apartment, they saw\nin it a small cat, playing among a number of low, square, marble\npillars, which stood ranged in a row; and his play was, leaping\ncontinually from the top of one pillar to the top of another. When the\nmen entered the room, the cat looked at them for a moment, but returned\nto his play anon, and took no further notice of them.\n\nLooking now to the room itself, they saw three rows of precious jewels\nranged round the wall from one door-jamb to the other. The first was a\nrow of brooches of gold and silver, with their pins fixed in the wall,\nand their heads outwards; the second, a row of torques of gold and\nsilver; and the third, a row of great swords, with hilts of gold and\nsilver.\n\nRound the room were arranged a number of couches, all pure white and\nrichly ornamented. Abundant food of various kinds was spread on tables,\namong which they observed a boiled ox and a roast hog; and there were\nmany large drinking-horns, full of good, intoxicating ale.\n\n\"Is it for us that this food has been prepared?\" said Maildun to the\ncat.\n\nThe cat, on hearing the question, ceased from playing, and looked at\nhim; but he recommenced his play immediately. Whereupon Maildun told his\npeople that the dinner was meant for them; and they all sat down, and\nate and drank till they were satisfied, after which they rested and\nslept on the couches.\n\nWhen they awoke, they poured what was left of the ale into one vessel;\nand they gathered the remnants of the food to bring them away. As they\nwere about to go, Maildun's eldest foster brother asked him--\n\n\"Shall I bring one of those large torques away with me?\"\n\n\"By no means,\" said Maildun; \"it is well that we have got food and\nrest. Bring nothing away, for it is certain that this house is not left\nwithout some one to guard it.\"\n\nThe young man, however, disregarding Maildun's advice, took down one of\nthe torques and brought it away. But the cat followed him, and overtook\nhim in the middle of the court, and, springing on him like a blazing,\nfiery arrow, he went through his body, and reduced it in a moment to a\nheap of ashes. He then returned to the room, and, leaping up on one of\nthe pillars, sat upon it.\n\nMaildun turned back, bringing the torque with him, and, approaching the\ncat, spoke some soothing words; after which he put the torque back to\nthe place from which it had been taken. Having done this, he collected\nthe ashes of his foster brother, and, bringing them to the shore, cast\nthem into the sea. They all then went on board the curragh, and\ncontinued their voyage, grieving for their lost companion, but thanking\nGod for His many mercies to them.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIII.\n\nAN ISLAND THAT DYED BLACK AND WHITE.\n\n\nOn the morning of the third day, they came to another island, which was\ndivided into two parts by a wall of brass running across the middle.\nThey saw two great flocks of sheep, one on each side of the wall; and\nall those at one side were black, while those at the other side were\nwhite.\n\nA very large man was employed in dividing and arranging the sheep; and\nhe often took up a sheep and threw it with much ease over the wall from\none side to the other. When he threw over a white sheep among the black\nones, it became black immediately; and in like manner, when he threw a\nblack sheep over, it was instantly changed to white.\n\nThe travellers were very much alarmed on witnessing these doings and\nMaildun said--\n\n\"It is very well that we know so far. Let us now throw something on\nshore, to see whether it also will change colour; if it does, we shall\navoid the island.\"\n\nSo they took a branch with black-coloured bark and threw it towards the\nwhite sheep, and no sooner did it touch the ground than it became white.\nThey then threw a white-coloured branch on the side of the black sheep,\nand in a moment it turned black.\n\n\"It is very lucky for us,\" said Maildun, \"that we did not land on the\nisland, for doubtless our colour would have changed like the colour of\nthe branches.\"\n\nSo they put about with much fear, and sailed away.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIV.\n\nTHE ISLAND OF THE BURNING RIVER.\n\n\nOn the third day, they came in view of a large, broad island, on which\nthey saw a herd of gracefully shaped swine; and they killed one small\nporkling for food. Towards the centre rose a high mountain, which they\nresolved to ascend, in order to view the island; and Germane and Diuran\nLekerd were chosen for this task.\n\nWhen they had advanced some distance towards the mountain, they came to\na broad, shallow river; and sitting down on the bank to rest, Germane\ndipped the point of his lance into the water, which instantly burned off\nthe top, as if the lance had been thrust into a furnace. So they went no\nfarther.\n\nOn the opposite side of the river, they saw a herd of animals like great\nhornless oxen, all lying down; and a man of gigantic size near them: and\nGermane began to strike his spear against his shield, in order to rouse\nthe cattle.\n\n\"Why are you frightening the poor young calves in that manner?\" demanded\nthe big shepherd, in a tremendous voice.\n\nGermane, astonished to find that such large animals were nothing more\nthan calves, instead of answering the question, asked the big man where\nthe mothers of those calves were.\n\n\"They are on the side of yonder mountain,\" he replied.\n\nGermane and Diuran waited to hear no more; but, returning to their\ncompanions, told them all they had seen and heard; after which the crew\nembarked and left the island.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XV.\n\nTHE MILLER OF HELL.\n\n\nThe next island they came to, which was not far off from the last, had a\nlarge mill on it; and near the door stood the miller, a huge-bodied,\nstrong, burly man. They saw numberless crowds of men and horses laden\nwith corn, coming towards the mill; and when their corn was ground they\nwent away towards the west. Great herds of all kinds of cattle covered\nthe plain as far as the eye could reach, and among them many wagons\nladen with every kind of wealth that is produced on the ridge of the\nworld. All these the miller put into the mouth of his mill to be ground;\nand all, as they came forth, went westwards.\n\nMaildun and his people now spoke to the miller, and asked him the name\nof the mill, and the meaning of all they had seen on the island. And he,\nturning quickly towards them, replied in few words--\n\n\"This mill is called the Mill of Inver-tre-Kenand, and I am the miller\nof hell. All the corn and all the riches of the world that men are\ndissatisfied with, or which they complain of in any way, are sent here\nto be ground; and also every precious article, and every kind of wealth,\nwhich men try to conceal from God. All these I grind in the Mill of\nInver-tre-Kenand, and send them afterwards away to the west.\"\n\nHe spoke no more, but turned round and busied himself again with his\nmill. And the voyagers, with much wonder and awe in their hearts, went\nto their curragh and sailed away.[LXXIV.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVI.\n\nTHE ISLE OF WEEPING.\n\n\nAfter leaving this, they had not been long sailing when they discovered\nanother large island, with a great multitude of people on it. They were\nall black, both skin and clothes, with black head-dresses also; and they\nkept walking about, sighing and weeping and wringing their hands,\nwithout the least pause or rest.\n\nIt fell to the lot of Maildun's second foster brother to go and examine\nthe island. And when he went among the people, he also grew sorrowful,\nand fell to weeping and wringing his hands, with the others. Two of the\ncrew were sent to bring him back; but they were unable to find him among\nthe mourners; and, what was worse, in a little time they joined the\ncrowd, and began to weep and lament like all the rest.\n\nMaildun then chose four men to go and bring back the others by force,\nand he put arms in their hands, and gave them these directions--\n\n\"When you land on the island, fold your mantles round your faces, so as\nto cover your mouths and noses, that you may not breathe the air of the\ncountry; and look neither to the right nor to the left, neither at the\nearth nor at the sky, but fix your eyes on your own men till you have\nlaid hands on them.\"\n\nThey did exactly as they were told, and having come up with their two\ncompanions, namely, those who had been sent after Maildun's foster\nbrother, they seized them and brought them back by force. But the other\nthey could not find. When these two were asked what they had seen on the\nisland, and why they began to weep, their only reply was--\n\n\"We cannot tell; we only know that we did what we saw the others doing.\"\n\nAnd after this the voyagers sailed away from the island, leaving\nMaildun's second foster brother behind.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[LXXIV.] The incident of the big miller occurs in the Voyage of the Sons\nof O'Corra, as well as in the Voyage of Maildun. The two accounts are\nsomewhat different; and I have combined both here.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVII.\n\nTHE ISLE OF THE FOUR PRECIOUS WALLS.\n\n\nThe next was a high island, divided into four parts by four walls\nmeeting in the centre. The first was a wall of gold; the second, a wall\nof silver; the third, a wall of copper; and the fourth, a wall of\ncrystal. In the first of the four divisions were kings; in the second,\nqueens; in the third, youths; and in the fourth, young maidens.\n\nWhen the voyagers landed, one of the maidens came to meet them, and\nleading them forward to a house, gave them food. This food, which she\ndealt out to them from a small vessel, looked like cheese, and whatever\ntaste pleased each person best, that was the taste he found on it. And\nafter they had eaten till they were satisfied, they slept in a sweet\nsleep, as if gently intoxicated, for three days and three nights. When\nthey awoke on the third day, they found themselves in their curragh on\nthe open sea; and there was no appearance in any direction either of the\nmaiden or of the island.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XVIII.\n\nTHE PALACE OF THE CRYSTAL BRIDGE.\n\n\nThey came now to a small island, with a palace on it, having a copper\nchain in front, hung all over with a number of little silver bells.\nStraight before the door there was a fountain, spanned by a bridge of\ncrystal, which led to the palace. They walked towards the bridge,\nmeaning to cross it, but every time they stepped on it they fell\nbackwards flat on the ground.\n\nAfter some time, they saw a very beautiful young woman coming out of the\npalace, with a pail in her hand; and she lifted a crystal slab from the\nbridge, and, having filled her vessel from the fountain, she went back\ninto the palace.\n\n\"This woman has been sent to keep house for Maildun,\" said Germane.\n\n\"Maildun indeed!\" said she, as she shut the door after her.\n\nAfter this they began to shake the copper chain, and the tinkling of the\nsilver bells was so soft and melodious that the voyagers gradually fell\ninto a gentle, tranquil sleep, and slept so till next morning. When they\nawoke, they saw the same young woman coming forth from the palace, with\nthe pail in her hand; and she lifted the crystal slab as before, filled\nher vessel, and returned into the palace.\n\n\"This woman has certainly been sent to keep house for Maildun,\" said\nGermane.\n\n\"Wonderful are the powers of Maildun!\" said she, as she shut the door of\nthe court behind her.\n\nThey stayed in this place for three days and three nights, and each\nmorning the maiden came forth in the same manner, and filled her pail.\nOn the fourth day, she came towards them, splendidly and beautifully\ndressed, with her bright yellow hair bound by a circlet of gold, and\nwearing silver-work shoes on her small, white feet. She had a white\nmantle over her shoulders, which was fastened in front by a silver\nbrooch studded with gold; and under all, next her soft, snow-white skin,\nwas a garment of fine white silk.\n\n\"My love to you, Maildun, and to your companions,\" she said; and she\nmentioned them all, one after another, calling each by his own proper\nname. \"My love to you,\" said she. \"We knew well that you were coming to\nour island, for your arrival has long been foretold to us.\"\n\nThen she led them to a large house standing by the sea, and she caused\nthe curragh to be drawn high up on the beach. They found in the house a\nnumber of couches, one of which was intended for Maildun alone, and each\nof the others for three of his people. The woman then gave them, from\none vessel, food which was like cheese; first of all ministering to\nMaildun, and then giving a triple share to every three of his\ncompanions; and whatever taste each man wished for, that was the taste\nhe found on it. She then lifted the crystal slab at the bridge, filled\nher pail, and dealt out drink to them; and she knew exactly how much to\ngive, both of food and of drink, so that each had enough and no more.\n\n\"This woman would make a fit wife for Maildun,\" said his people. But\nwhile they spoke, she went from them with her pail in her hand.\n\nWhen she was gone, Maildun's companions said to him, \"Shall we ask this\nmaiden to become thy wife?\"\n\nHe answered, \"What advantage will it be to you to ask her?\"\n\nShe came next morning, and they said to her, \"Why dost thou not stay\nhere with us? Wilt thou make friendship with Maildun; and wilt thou take\nhim for thy husband?\"\n\nShe replied that she and all those that lived on the island were\nforbidden to marry with the sons of men; and she told them that she\ncould not disobey, as she knew not what sin or transgression was.\n\nShe then went from them to her house; and on the next morning, when she\nreturned, and after she had ministered to them as usual, till they were\nsatisfied with food and drink, and were become cheerful, they spoke the\nsame words to her.\n\n\"To-morrow,\" she replied, \"you will get an answer to your question;\" and\nso saying, she walked towards her house, and they went to sleep on their\ncouches.\n\nWhen they awoke next morning, they found themselves lying in their\ncurragh on the sea, beside a great high rock; and when they looked\nabout, they saw neither the woman, nor the palace of the crystal bridge,\nnor any trace of the island where they had been sojourning.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XIX.\n\nTHE ISLE OF SPEAKING BIRDS.\n\n\nOne night, soon after leaving this, they heard in the distance, towards\nthe north-east, a confused murmur of voices, as if from a great number\nof persons singing psalms. They followed the direction of the sound, in\norder to learn from what it proceeded; and at noon the next day, they\ncame in view of an island, very hilly and lofty. It was full of birds,\nsome black, some brown, and some speckled, who were all shouting and\nspeaking with human voices; and it was from them that the great clamour\ncame.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XX.\n\nTHE AGED HERMIT, AND THE HUMAN SOULS.\n\n\nAt a little distance from this they found another small island, with\nmany trees on it, some standing singly, and some in clusters, on which\nwere perched great numbers of birds. They also saw an aged man on the\nisland, who was covered thickly all over with long, white hair, and wore\nno other dress. And when they landed, they spoke to him, and asked him\nwho he was and what race he belonged to.\n\n\"I am one of the men of Erin,\" he replied. \"On a certain day, a long,\nlong time ago, I embarked in a small curragh, and put out to sea on a\npilgrimage; but I had got only a little way from shore, when my curragh\nbecame very unsteady, as if it were about to overturn. So I returned to\nland, and, in order to steady my boat, I placed under my feet at the\nbottom, a number of green surface sods, cut from one of the grassy\nfields of my own country, and began my voyage anew. Under the guidance\nof God, I arrived at this spot; and He fixed the sods in the sea for me,\nso that they formed a little island. At first I had barely room to\nstand; but every year, from that time to the present, the Lord has added\none foot to the length and breadth of my island, till in the long lapse\nof ages it has grown to its present size. And on one day in each year,\nHe has caused a single tree to spring up, till the island has become\ncovered with trees. Moreover, I am so old that my body, as you see, has\nbecome covered with long, white hair, so that I need no other dress.\n\n\"And the birds that ye see on the trees,\" he continued, \"these are the\nsouls of my children, and of all my descendants, both men and women, who\nare sent to this little island to abide with me according as they die in\nErin. God has caused a well of ale to spring up for us on the island:\nand every morning the angels bring me half a cake, a slice of fish, and\na cup of ale from the well; and in the evening the same allowance of\nfood and ale is dealt out to each man and woman of my people. And it is\nin this manner that we live, and shall continue to live till the end of\nthe world; for we are all awaiting here the day of judgment.\"\n\nMaildun and his companions were treated hospitably on the island by the\nold pilgrim for three days and three nights; and when they were taking\nleave of him, he told them that they should all reach their own country\nexcept one man.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXI.\n\nTHE ISLAND OF THE BIG BLACKSMITHS.\n\n\nWhen they had been for a long time tossed about on the waters, they saw\nland in the distance. On approaching the shore, they heard the roaring\nof a great bellows, and the thundering sound of smiths' hammers striking\na large glowing mass of iron on an anvil; and every blow seemed to\nMaildun as loud as if a dozen men had brought down their sledges all\ntogether.\n\nWhen they had come a little nearer, they heard the big voices of the\nsmiths in eager talk.\n\n\"Are they near?\" asked one.\n\n\"Hush! silence!\" says another.\n\n\"Who are they that you say are coming?\" inquired a third.\n\n\"Little fellows, that are rowing towards our shore in a pigmy boat,\"\nsays the first.\n\nWhen Maildun heard this, he hastily addressed the crew--\n\n\"Put back at once, but do not turn the curragh: reverse the sweep of\nyour oars, and let her move stern forward, so that those giants may not\nperceive that we are flying!\"\n\nThe crew at once obey, and the boat begins to move away from the shore,\nstern forward, as he had commanded.\n\nThe first smith again spoke. \"Are they near enough to the shore?\" said\nhe to the man who was watching.\n\n\"They seem to be at rest,\" answered the other; \"for I cannot perceive\nthat they are coming closer, and they have not turned their little boat\nto go back.\"\n\nIn a short time the first smith asks again, \"What are they doing now?\"\n\n\"I think,\" said the watcher, \"they are flying; for it seems to me that\nthey are now farther off than they were a while ago.\"\n\nAt this the first smith rushed out of the forge--a huge, burly\ngiant--holding, in the tongs which he grasped in his right hand, a vast\nmass of iron sparkling and glowing from the furnace; and, running down\nto the shore with long, heavy strides, he flung the red-hot mass with\nall his might after the curragh. It fell a little short, and plunged\ndown just near the prow, causing the whole sea to hiss and boil and\nheave up around the boat. But they plied their oars, so that they\nquickly got beyond his reach, and sailed out into the open ocean.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXII.\n\nTHE CRYSTAL SEA.\n\n\nAfter a time, they came to a sea like green crystal. It was so calm and\ntransparent that they could see the sand at the bottom quite clearly,\nsparkling in the sunlight. And in this sea they saw neither monsters,\nnor ugly animals, nor rough rocks; nothing but the clear water and the\nsunshine and the bright sand. For a whole day they sailed over it,\nadmiring its splendour and beauty.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIII.\n\nA LOVELY COUNTRY BENEATH THE WAVES.\n\n\nAfter leaving this they entered on another sea, which seemed like a\nclear, thin cloud; and it was so transparent, and appeared so light,\nthat they thought at first it would not bear up the weight of the\ncurragh.\n\nLooking down, they could see, beneath the clear water, a beautiful\ncountry, with many mansions surrounded by groves and woods. In one place\nwas a single tree; and, standing on its branches, they saw an animal\nfierce and terrible to look upon.\n\nRound about the tree was a great herd of oxen grazing, and a man stood\nnear to guard them, armed with shield and spear and sword; but when he\nlooked up and saw the animal on the tree, he turned anon and fled with\nthe utmost speed. Then the monster stretched forth his neck, and,\ndarting his head downward, plunged his fangs into the back of the\nlargest ox of the whole herd, lifted him off the ground into the tree,\nand swallowed him down in the twinkling of an eye; whereupon the whole\nherd took to flight.\n\nWhen Maildun and his people saw this, they were seized with great\nterror; for they feared they should not be able to cross the sea over\nthe monster, on account of the extreme mist-like thinness of the water;\nbut after much difficulty and danger they got across it safely.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIV.\n\nAN ISLAND GUARDED BY A WALL OF WATER.\n\n\nWhen they came to the next island, they observed with astonishment that\nthe sea rose up over it on every side, steep and high, standing, as it\nwere, like a wall all round it. When the people of the island saw the\nvoyagers, they rushed hither and thither, shouting, \"There they are,\nsurely! There they come again for another spoil!\"\n\nThen Maildun's people saw great numbers of men and women, all shouting\nand driving vast herds of horses, cows, and sheep. A woman began to pelt\nthe crew from below with large nuts; she flung them so that they\nalighted on the waves round the boat, where they remained floating; and\nthe crew gathered great quantities of them and kept them for eating.\n\nWhen they turned to go away, the shouting ceased: and they heard one man\ncalling aloud, \"Where are they now?\" and another answering him, \"They\nare gone away!\"\n\nFrom what Maildun saw and heard at this island, it is likely that it had\nbeen foretold to the people that their country should some day be\nspoiled by certain marauders; and that they thought Maildun and his men\nwere the enemies they expected.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXV.\n\nA WATER-ARCH IN THE AIR.\n\n\nOn the next island they saw a very wonderful thing, namely, a great\nstream of water which, gushing up out of the strand, rose into the air\nin the form of a rainbow, till it crossed the whole island and came down\non the strand at the other side. They walked under it without getting\nwet; and they hooked down from it many large salmon. Great quantities of\nsalmon of a very great size fell also out of the water over their heads\ndown on the ground; so that the whole island smelled of fish, and it\nbecame troublesome to gather them on account of their abundance.\n\nFrom the evening of Sunday till the evening of Monday, the stream never\nceased to flow, and never changed its place, but remained spanning the\nisland like a solid arch of water. Then the voyagers gathered the\nlargest of the salmon, till they had as much as the curragh would hold;\nafter which they sailed out into the great sea.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVI.\n\nTHE SILVER PILLAR OF THE SEA.\n\n\nThe next thing they found after this was an immense silver pillar\nstanding in the sea. It had eight sides, each of which was the width of\nan oar-stroke of the curragh, so that its whole circumference was eight\noar-strokes. It rose out of the sea without any land or earth about it,\nnothing but the boundless ocean; and they could not see its base deep\ndown in the water, neither were they able to see the top on account of\nits vast height.\n\nA silver net hung from the top down to the very water, extending far out\nat one side of the pillar; and the meshes were so large that the curragh\nin full sail went through one of them. When they were passing through\nit, Diuran struck the mesh with the edge of his spear, and with the blow\ncut a large piece off it.\n\n\"Do not destroy the net,\" said Maildun; \"for what we see is the work of\ngreat men.\"\n\n\"What I have done,\" answered Diuran, \"is for the honour of my God, and\nin order that the story of our adventures may be more readily believed;\nand I shall lay this silver as an offering on the altar of Armagh, if I\never reach Erin.\"\n\nThat piece of silver weighed two ounces and a half, as it was reckoned\nafterwards by the people of the church of Armagh.\n\nAfter this they heard some one speaking on the top of the pillar, in a\nloud, clear, glad voice; but they knew neither what he said, nor in what\nlanguage he spoke.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVII.\n\nAN ISLAND STANDING ON ONE PILLAR.\n\n\nThe island they saw after this was named Encos;[LXXV.] and it was so\ncalled because it was supported by a single pillar in the middle. They\nrowed all round it, seeking how they might get into it; but could find\nno landing-place. At the foot of the pillar, however, down deep in the\nwater, they saw a door securely closed and locked, and they judged that\nthis was the way into the island. They called aloud, to find out if any\npersons were living there; but they got no reply. So they left it, and\nput out to sea once more.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[LXXV.] Encos means \"one foot.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXVIII.\n\nTHE ISLAND QUEEN DETAINS THEM WITH HER MAGIC THREAD-CLEW.\n\nThe next island they reached was very large. On one side rose a lofty,\nsmooth, heath-clad mountain, and all the rest of the island was a grassy\nplain. Near the sea-shore stood a great high palace, adorned with\ncarvings and precious stones, and strongly fortified with a high rampart\nall round. After landing, they went towards the palace, and sat to rest\non the bench before the gateway leading through the outer rampart; and,\nlooking in through the open door, they saw a number of beautiful young\nmaidens in the court.\n\nAfter they had sat for some time, a rider appeared at a distance, coming\nswiftly towards the palace; and on a near approach, the travellers\nperceived that it was a lady, young and beautiful and richly dressed.\nShe wore a blue, rustling silk head-dress; a silver-fringed purple cloak\nhung from her shoulders; her gloves were embroidered with gold thread;\nand her feet were laced becomingly in close-fitting scarlet sandals. One\nof the maidens came out and held her horse, while she dismounted and\nentered the palace; and soon after she had gone in, another of the\nmaidens came towards Maildun and his companions and said--\n\n\"You are welcome to this island. Come into the palace; the queen has\nsent me to invite you, and is waiting to receive you.\"\n\nThey followed the maiden into the palace; and the queen bade them\nwelcome, and received them kindly. Then, leading them into a large hall\nin which a plentiful dinner was laid out, she bade them sit down and\neat. A dish of choice food and a crystal goblet of wine were placed\nbefore Maildun; while a single dish and a single drinking-bowl, with a\ntriple quantity of meat and drink, were laid before each three of his\ncompanions. And having eaten and drunk till they were satisfied, they\nwent to sleep on soft couches till morning.\n\nNext day, the queen addressed Maildun and his companions--\n\n\"Stay now in this country, and do not go a-wandering any longer over the\nwide ocean from island to island. Old age or sickness shall never come\nupon you; but you shall be always as young as you are at present, and\nyou shall live for ever a life of ease and pleasure.\"\n\n\"Tell us,\" said Maildun, \"how you pass your life here.\"\n\n\"That is no hard matter,\" answered the queen. \"The good king who\nformerly ruled over this island was my husband, and these fair young\nmaidens that you see are our children. He died after a long reign, and\nas he left no son, I now reign, the sole ruler of the island. And every\nday I go to the Great Plain, to administer justice and to decide causes\namong my people.\"\n\n\"Wilt thou go from us to-day?\" asked Maildun.\n\n\"I must needs go even now,\" she replied, \"to give judgments among the\npeople; but as to you, you will all stay in this house till I return in\nthe evening, and you need not trouble yourselves with any labour or\ncare.\"\n\nThey remained in that island during the three months of winter. And\nthese three months appeared to Maildun's companions as long as three\nyears, for they began to have an earnest desire to return to their\nnative land. At the end of that time, one of them said to Maildun--\n\n\"We have been a long time here; why do we not return to our own\ncountry?\"\n\n\"What you say is neither good nor sensible,\" answered Maildun, \"for we\nshall not find in our own country anything better than we have here.\"\n\nBut this did not satisfy his companions, and they began to murmur\nloudly. \"It is quite clear,\" said they, \"that Maildun loves the queen of\nthis island; and as this is so, let him stay here; but as for us, we\nwill return to our own country.\"\n\nMaildun, however, would not consent to remain after them, and he told\nthem that he would go away with them.\n\nNow, on a certain day, not long after this conversation, as soon as the\nqueen had gone to the Great Plain to administer justice, according to\nher daily custom, they got their curragh ready and put out to sea. They\nhad not gone very far from land when the queen came riding towards the\nshore; and, seeing how matters stood, she went into the palace and soon\nreturned with a ball of thread in her hand.\n\nWalking down to the water's edge, she flung the ball after the curragh,\nbut held the end of the thread in her hand. Maildun caught the ball as\nit was passing, and it clung to his hand; and the queen, gently pulling\nthe thread towards her, drew back the curragh to the very spot from\nwhich they had started in the little harbour. And when they had landed,\nshe made them promise that if ever this happened again, some one should\nalways stand up in the boat and catch the ball.\n\nThe voyagers abode on the island, much against their will, for nine\nmonths longer. For every time they attempted to escape, the queen\nbrought them back by means of the clew, as she had done at first,\nMaildun always catching the ball.\n\nAt the end of the nine months, the men held council, and this is what\nthey said--\n\n\"We know now that Maildun does not wish to leave the island; for he\nloves this queen very much, and he catches the ball whenever we try to\nescape, in order that we may be brought back to the palace.\"\n\nMaildun replied, \"Let some one else attend to the ball next time, and\nlet us try whether it will cling to his hand.\"\n\nThey agreed to this, and, watching their opportunity, they again put off\ntowards the open sea. The queen arrived, as usual, before they had gone\nvery far and flung the ball after them as before. Another man of the\ncrew caught it, and it clung as firmly to his hand as to Maildun's; and\nthe queen began to draw the curragh towards the shore. But Diuran,\ndrawing his sword, cut off the man's hand, which fell with the ball into\nthe sea; and the men gladly plying their oars, the curragh resumed her\noutward voyage.\n\nWhen the queen saw this, she began to weep and lament, wringing her\nhands and tearing her hair with grief; and her maidens also began to\nweep and cry aloud and clap their hands, so that the whole palace was\nfull of grief and lamentation. But none the less did the men bend to\ntheir oars, and the curragh sailed away; and it was in this manner that\nthe voyagers made their escape from the island.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXIX.\n\nTHE ISLE OF INTOXICATING WINE-FRUITS.\n\n\nThey were now a long time tossed about on the great billows, when at\nlength they came in view of an island with many trees on it. These trees\nwere somewhat like hazels, and they were laden with a kind of fruit\nwhich the voyagers had not seen before, extremely large, and not very\ndifferent in appearance from apples, except that they had a rough,\nberry-like rind.\n\nAfter the crew had plucked all the fruit off one small tree, they cast\nlots who should try them, and the lot fell on Maildun. So he took some\nof them, and, squeezing the juice into a vessel, drank it. It threw him\ninto a sleep of intoxication so deep that he seemed to be in a trance\nrather than in a natural slumber, without breath or motion, and with the\nred foam on his lips. And from that hour till the same hour next day, no\none could tell whether he was living or dead.\n\nWhen he awoke next day, he bade his people to gather as much of the\nfruit as they could bring away with them; for the world, as he told\nthem, never produced anything of such surpassing goodness. They pressed\nout the juice of the fruit till they had filled all their vessels; and\nso powerful was it to produce intoxication and sleep, that, before\ndrinking it, they had to mix a large quantity of water with it to\nmoderate its strength.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXX.\n\nTHE ISLE OF THE MYSTIC LAKE.\n\n\nThe island they came to next was larger than most of those they had\nseen. On one side grew a wood of yew trees and great oaks; and on the\nother side was a grassy plain, with one small lake in the midst. A\nnoble-looking house stood on the near part of the plain, with a small\nchurch not far off; and numerous flocks of sheep browsed over the whole\nisland.\n\nThe travellers went to the church, and found in it a hermit, with\nsnow-white beard and hair, and all the other marks of great old age.\nMaildun asked who he was, and whence he had come.\n\nHe replied, \"I am one of the fifteen people, who, following the example\nof our master, Brendan of Birra,[20] sailed on a pilgrimage out into the\ngreat ocean. After many wanderings, we settled on this island, where we\nlived for a long time; but my companions died one after another, and of\nall who came hither, I alone am left.\"\n\nThe old pilgrim then showed them Brendan's satchel,[21] which he and his\ncompanions had brought with them on their pilgrimage; and Maildun kissed\nit, and all bowed down in veneration before it. And he told them that as\nlong as they remained there, they might eat of the sheep and of the\nother food of the island; but to waste nothing.\n\nOne day, as they were seated on a hill, gazing out over the sea, they\nsaw what they took to be a black cloud coming towards them from the\nsouth-west. They continued to view it very closely as it came nearer and\nnearer; and at last they perceived with amazement that it was an immense\nbird, for they saw quite plainly the slow, heavy flapping of his wings.\nWhen he reached the island, he alighted on a little hillock over the\nlake; and they felt no small alarm, for they thought, on account of his\nvast size, that if he saw them, he might seize them in his talons, and\ncarry them off over the sea. So they hid themselves under trees and in\nthe crannies of rocks; but they never lost sight of the bird, for they\nwere bent on watching his movements.\n\nHe appeared very old, and he held in one claw a branch of a tree, which\nhe had brought with him over the sea, larger and heavier than the\nlargest full-grown oak. It was covered with fresh, green leaves, and was\nheavily laden with clusters of fruit, red and rich-looking like grapes,\nbut much larger.\n\nHe remained resting for a time on the hill, being much wearied after his\nflight, and at last he began to eat the fruit off the branch. After\nwatching him for some time longer, Maildun ventured warily towards the\nhillock, to see whether he was inclined to mischief; but the bird showed\nno disposition to harm him. This emboldened the others, and they all\nfollowed their chief.\n\nThe whole crew now marched in a body round the bird, headed by Maildun,\nwith their shields raised; and as he still made no stir, one of the men,\nby Maildun's directions, went straight in front of him, and brought away\nsome of the fruit from the branch which he still held in his talons. But\nthe bird went on plucking and eating his fruit, and never took the least\nnotice.\n\nOn the evening of that same day, as the men sat looking over the sea to\nthe south-west, where the great bird first appeared to them, they saw\nin the distance two others, quite as large, coming slowly towards them\nfrom the very same point. On they came, flying at a vast height, nearer\nand nearer, till at last they swooped down and alighted on the hillock\nin front of the first bird, one on each side.\n\nAlthough they were plainly much younger than the other, they seemed very\ntired, and took a long rest. Then, shaking their wings, they began\npicking the old bird all over, body, wings, and head, plucking out the\nold feathers and the decayed quill points, and smoothing down his\nplumage with their great beaks. After this had gone on for some time,\nthe three began plucking the fruit off the branch, and they ate till\nthey were satisfied.\n\nNext morning, the two birds began at the very same work, picking and\narranging the feathers of the old bird as before; and at midday they\nceased, and began again to eat the fruit, throwing the stones and what\nthey did not eat of the pulp, into the lake, till the water became red\nlike wine. After this the old bird plunged into the lake and remained in\nit, washing himself, till evening, when he again flew up on the hillock,\nbut perched on a different part of it, to avoid touching and defiling\nhimself with the old feathers and the other traces of age and decay,\nwhich the younger birds had removed from him.\n\nOn the morning of the third day, the two younger birds set about\narranging his feathers for the third time; and on this occasion they\napplied themselves to their task in a manner much more careful and\nparticular than before, smoothing the plumes with the nicest touches,\nand arranging them in beautiful lines and glossy tufts and ridges. And\nso they continued without the least pause till midday, when they ceased.\nThen, after resting for a little while, they opened their great wings,\nrose into the air, and flew away swiftly towards the south-west, till\nthe men lost sight of them in the distance.\n\nMeantime the old bird, after the others had left, continued to smooth\nand plume his feathers till evening; then, shaking his wings, he rose\nup, and flew three times round the island, as if to try his strength.\nAnd now the men observed that he had lost all the appearances of old\nage: his feathers were thick and glossy, his head was erect and his eye\nbright, and he flew with quite as much power and swiftness as the\nothers. Alighting for the last time on the hillock, after resting a\nlittle, he rose again, and turning his flight after the other two, to\nthe point from which he had come, he was soon lost to view, and the\nvoyagers saw no more of him.\n\nIt now appeared very clear to Maildun and his companions that this bird\nhad undergone a renewal of youth from old age, according to the word of\nthe prophet, which says, \"Thy youth shall be renewed as the eagle.\"\nDiuran, seeing this great wonder, said to his companions--\n\n\"Let us also bathe in the lake, and we shall obtain a renewal of youth\nlike the bird.\"\n\nBut they said, \"Not so, for the bird has left the poison of his old age\nand decay in the water.\"\n\nDiuran, however, would have his own way; and he told them he was\nresolved to try the virtue of the water, and that they might follow his\nexample or not, whichever they pleased. So he plunged in and swam about\nfor some time, after which he took a little of the water and mixed it in\nhis mouth; and in the end he swallowed a small quantity. He then came\nout perfectly sound and whole; and he remained so ever after, for as\nlong as he lived he never lost a tooth or had a grey hair, and he\nsuffered not from disease or bodily weakness of any kind. But none of\nthe others ventured in.\n\nThe voyagers, having remained long enough on this island, stored in\ntheir curragh a large quantity of the flesh of the sheep; and after\nbidding farewell to the ancient cleric, they sought the ocean once more.\n\n    Now once again, when winds and tide combine,\n    The flying curragh cleaves the crested brine.\n    Far to the west an island rose to view,\n    With verdant plains, clear streams, and mountains blue.\n    An aged hermit, bred in Erin's land,\n    Welcomed and blessed the chieftain and his band;\n    Brought food and drink, and bade them rest awhile,\n    And view the wonders of that lovely isle.\n      Lo, from the sea, three birds of monstrous size,\n    With vast wings slowly moving, cleave the skies;\n    And as they nearer drew, the sailors saw\n    One held a fruit branch firmly in his claw.\n    Down by the dear, mysterious lake they light,\n    Eat from the branch, and rest them from their flight.\n\n      The aged bird, with plumes decayed and thin,\n    Paused on the brink awhile, then, plunging in,\n    He bath'd and smooth'd his feathers o'er and o'er,\n    Shook his great wings and rested on the shore.\n      Now while the other two his plumes arrange,\n    Through all his frame appears a wondrous change:\n    His eyes grow bright, his head erect and bold,\n    His glossy plumage shines like burnished gold;\n    Free from old age, his glorious form expands;\n    In radiant youth and beauty proud he stands!\n      Such was the gift that lake of wonder gave;\n    Such was the virtue of its mystic wave.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXI.\n\nTHE ISLE OF LAUGHING.\n\n\nThey next came to an island with a great plain extending over its whole\nsurface. They saw a vast multitude of people on it, engaged in sundry\nyouthful games, and all continually laughing. The voyagers cast lots who\nshould go to examine the island; and the lot fell upon Maildun's third\nfoster brother.\n\nThe moment he landed he went among the others and joined in their\npastimes and in their laughter, as if he had been among them all his\nlife. His companions waited for him a very long time, but were afraid to\nventure to land after him; and at last, as there seemed no chance of his\nreturning, they left him and sailed away.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXII.\n\nTHE ISLE OF THE BLEST.\n\n\nThey came now to a small island with a high rampart of fire all round\nit; and that rampart revolved continually round the island. There was\none large open door in the rampart; and whenever the door, in its\ninvolution, came in front of them, they could see almost the whole\nisland through it, and all that was therein.\n\nAnd this is what they saw: A great number of people, beautiful and\nglorious-looking, wearing rich garments adorned and radiant all over,\nfeasting joyously, and drinking from embossed vessels of red gold which\nthey held in their hands. The voyagers heard also their cheerful,\nfestive songs; and they marvelled greatly, and their hearts were full of\ngladness at all the happiness they saw and heard. But they did not\nventure to land.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXIII.\n\nTHE HERMIT OF THE SEA-ROCK.\n\n\nA little time after leaving this, they saw something a long way off\ntowards the south, which at first they took to be a large white bird\nfloating on the sea, and rising and falling with the waves; but on\nturning their curragh towards it for a nearer view, they found that it\nwas a man. He was very old, so old that he was covered all over with\nlong, white hair, which grew from his body; and he was standing on a\nbroad, bare rock, and kept continually throwing himself on his knees,\nand never ceased praying.\n\nWhen they saw that he was a holy man, they asked and received his\nblessing; after which they began to converse with him; and they inquired\nwho he was, and how he had come to that rock. Then the old man gave them\nthe following account:--\n\n\"I was born and bred in the island of Tory.[LXXVI.] When I grew up to be\na man, I was cook to the brotherhood of the monastery; and a wicked cook\nI was; for every day I sold part of the food intrusted to me, and\nsecretly bought many choice and rare things with the money. Worse even\nthan this I did; I made secret passages underground into the church and\ninto the houses belonging to it, and I stole from time to time great\nquantities of golden vestments, book-covers adorned with brass and gold,\nand other holy and precious things.\n\n\"I soon became very rich, and had my rooms filled with costly couches,\nwith clothes of every colour, both linen and woollen, with brazen\npitchers and caldrons, and with brooches and armlets of gold. Nothing\nwas wanting in my house, of furniture and ornament, that a person in a\nhigh rank of life might be expected to have; and I became very proud and\noverbearing.\n\n\"One day, I was sent to dig a grave for the body of a rustic that had\nbeen brought from the mainland to be buried on the island. I went and\nfixed on a spot in the little graveyard; but as soon as I had set to\nwork, I heard a voice speaking down deep in the earth beneath my feet--\n\n\"'Do not dig this grave!'\n\n\"I paused for a moment, startled; but, recovering myself, I gave no\nfurther heed to the mysterious words, and again I began to dig. The\nmoment I did so, I heard the same voice, even more plainly than before--\n\n\"'Do not dig this grave! I am a devout and holy person, and my body is\nlean and light; do not put the heavy, pampered body of that sinner down\nupon me!'\n\n\"But I answered, in the excess of my pride and obstinacy, 'I will\ncertainly dig this grave; and I will bury this body down on you!'\n\n\"'If you put that body down on me, the flesh will fall off your bones,\nand you will die, and be sent to the infernal pit at the end of three\ndays; and, moreover, the body will not remain where you put it.'\n\n\"'What will you give me,' I asked, 'if I do not bury the corpse on you?'\n\n\"'Everlasting life in heaven,' replied the voice.\n\n\"'How do you know this; and how am I to be sure of it?' I inquired.\n\n\"And the voice answered me, 'The grave you are digging is clay. Observe\nnow whether it will remain so, and then you will know the truth of what\nI tell you. And you will see that what I say will come to pass, and that\nyou cannot bury that man on me, even if you should try to do so.'\n\n\"These words were scarce ended, when the grave was turned into a mass of\nwhite sand before my face. And when I saw this, I brought the body away,\nand buried it elsewhere.\n\n\"It happened, some time after, that I got a new curragh made, with the\nhides painted red all over; and I went to sea in it. As I sailed by the\nshores and islands, I was so pleased with the view of the land and sea\nfrom my curragh that I resolved to live altogether in it for some time;\nand I brought on board all my treasures--silver cups, gold bracelets,\nand ornamented drinking-horns, and everything else, from the largest to\nthe smallest article.\n\n\"I enjoyed myself for a time, while the air was clear and the sea calm\nand smooth. But one day, the winds suddenly arose and a storm burst upon\nme, which carried me out to sea, so that I quite lost sight of land, and\nI knew not in what direction the curragh was drifting. After a time, the\nwind abated to a gentle gale, the sea became smooth, and the curragh\nsailed on as before, with a quiet, pleasant movement.\n\n\"But suddenly, though the breeze continued to blow, I thought I could\nperceive that the curragh ceased moving, and, standing up to find out\nthe cause, I saw with great surprise an old man not far off, sitting on\nthe crest of a wave.\n\n\"He spoke to me; and, as soon as I heard his voice, I knew it at once,\nbut I could not at the moment call to mind where I had heard it before.\nAnd I became greatly troubled, and began to tremble, I knew not why.\n\n\"'Whither art thou going?' he asked.\n\n\"'I know not,' I replied; 'but this I know, I am pleased with the\nsmooth, gentle motion of my curragh over the waves.'\n\n\"'You would not be pleased,' replied the old man, 'if you could see the\ntroops that are at this moment around you.'\n\n\"'What troops do you speak of?' I asked. And he answered--\n\n\"'All the space round about you, as far as your view reaches over the\nsea, and upwards to the clouds, is one great towering mass of demons, on\naccount of your avarice, your thefts, your pride, and your other crimes\nand vices.'\n\n\"He then asked, 'Do you know why your curragh has stopped?'\n\n\"I answered, 'No;' and he said, 'It has been stopped by me; and it will\nnever move from that spot till you promise me to do what I shall ask of\nyou.'\n\n\"I replied that perhaps it was not in my power to grant his demand.\n\n\"'It is in your power,' he answered; 'and if you refuse me, the torments\nof hell shall be your doom.'\n\n\"He then came close to the curragh, and, laying his hands on me, he\nmade me swear to do what he demanded.\n\n\"'What I ask is this,' said he; 'that you throw into the sea this moment\nall the ill-gotten treasures you have in the curragh.'\n\n\"This grieved me very much, and I replied, 'It is a pity that all these\ncostly things should be lost.'\n\n\"To which he answered, 'They will not go to loss; a person will be sent\nto take charge of them. Now do as I say.'\n\n\"So, greatly against my wishes, I threw all the beautiful precious\narticles overboard, keeping only a small wooden cup to drink from.\n\n\"'You will now continue your voyage,' he said; 'and the first solid\nground your curragh reaches, there you are to stay.'\n\n\"He then gave me seven cakes and a cup of watery whey as food for my\nvoyage; after which the curragh moved on, and I soon lost sight of him.\nAnd now I all at once recollected that the old man's voice was the same\nas the voice that I had heard come from the ground, when I was about to\ndig the grave for the body of the rustic. I was so astonished and\ntroubled at this discovery, and so disturbed at the loss of all my\nwealth, that I threw aside my oars, and gave myself up altogether to the\nwinds and currents, not caring whither I went; and for a long time I was\ntossed about on the waves, I knew not in what direction.\n\n\"At last it seemed to me that my curragh ceased to move; but I was not\nsure about it, for I could see no sign of land. Mindful, however, of\nwhat the old man had told me, that I was to stay wherever my curragh\nstopped, I looked round more carefully; and at last I saw, very near me,\na small rock level with the surface, over which the waves were gently\nlaughing and tumbling. I stepped on to the rock; and the moment I did\nso, the waves seemed to spring back, and the rock rose high over the\nlevel of the water; while the curragh drifted by and quickly\ndisappeared, so that I never saw it after. This rock has been my abode\nfrom that time to the present day.\n\n\"For the first seven years, I lived on the seven cakes and the cup of\nwhey given me by the man who had sent me to the rock. At the end of that\ntime the cakes were all gone; and for three days I fasted, with nothing\nbut the whey to wet my mouth. Late in the evening of the third day, an\notter brought me a salmon out of the sea; but though I suffered much\nfrom hunger, I could not bring myself to eat the fish raw, and it was\nwashed back again into the waves.\n\n\"I remained without food for three days longer; and in the afternoon of\nthe third day, the otter returned with the salmon. And I saw another\notter bring firewood; and when he had piled it up on the rock, he blew\nit with his breath till it took fire and lighted up. And then I broiled\nthe salmon and ate till I had satisfied my hunger.\n\n\"The otter continued to bring me a salmon every day, and in this manner\nI lived for seven years longer. The rock also grew larger and larger\ndaily, till it became the size you now see it. At the end of seven\nyears, the otter ceased to bring me my salmon, and I fasted for three\ndays. But at the end of the third day, I was sent half a cake of fine\nwheaten flour and a slice of fish; and on the same day my cup of watery\nwhey fell into the sea, and a cup of the same size, filled with good\nale, was placed on the rock for me.\n\n\"And so I have lived, praying and doing penance for my sins to this\nhour. Each day my drinking-vessel is filled with ale, and I am sent half\na wheat-flour cake and a slice of fish; and neither rain nor wind, nor\nheat, nor cold, is allowed to molest me on this rock.\"\n\nThis was the end of the old man's history. In the evening of that day,\neach man of the crew received the same quantity of food that was sent to\nthe old hermit himself, namely, half a cake and a slice of fish; and\nthey found in the vessel as much good ale as served them all.\n\nThe next morning he said to them, \"You shall all reach your own country\nin safety. And you, Maildun, you shall find in an island on your way,\nthe very man that slew your father; but you are neither to kill him nor\ntake revenge on him in any way. As God has delivered you from the many\ndangers you have passed through, though you were very guilty, and well\ndeserved death at His hands; so you forgive your enemy the crime he\ncommitted against you.\"\n\nAfter this they took leave of the old man and sailed away.\n\n\nTHE OLD HERMIT'S STORY.\n\n    The storms may roar and the seas may rage,\n      But here, on this bare, brown rock,\n    I pray and repent and I tell my beads,\n      Secure from the hurricane's shock.\n\n    For the good, kind God, in pity to me,\n      Holds out His protecting hand;\n    And cold nor heat nor storm nor sleet,\n      Can molest me where I stand.\n\n    I robbed the churches and wronged the poor,\n      And grew richer day by day;\n    But now on this bare, brown ocean rock,\n      A heavy penance I pay.\n\n    A bloated sinner died unshrived,\n      And they brought his corse to me--\n    \"Go, dig the grave and bury the dead,\n      And pray for the soul set free.\"\n\n    I dug the grave, but my hands were stayed\n      By a solemn and fearful sound,\n    For the feeble tones of a dead man's voice\n      Came up from the hollow ground!\n\n_The dead monk speaks up from the grave_--\n\n    Place not that pampered corse on mine,\n      For my bones are weak and thin;\n    I cannot bear the heavy weight\n      Of a body defiled by sin.\n\n    I was a meek and holy man;\n      I fasted and watched and prayed;\n    A sinner's corse would defile the clay\n      Where my wasted body is laid.\n\n_The old hermit continues his story_--\n\n    The voice then ceased, and I heard no more\n      Its hollow, beseeching tone;\n    Then I closed the grave, and left the old monk\n      To rest in his coffin alone.\n\n    My curragh sailed on the western main,\n      And I saw, as I viewed the sea,\n    A withered old man upon a wave;\n      And he fixed his eyes on me.\n\n    He spoke, and his voice my heart's blood froze,\n      And I shook with horror and fear:\n    'Twas the very voice of the dead old monk\n      That sounded in mine ear!\n\n_The dead monk speaks again_--\n\n    Far from my grave the sinner's corse\n      In unhallowed clay lies deep;\n    And now in my coffin, undefiled,\n      For ever in peace I sleep.\n\n    Go, live and pray on the bare, brown rock,\n      Far out in the stormy sea;\n    A heavy penance for heavy crimes,\n      And heaven at last for thee!\n\n_The old hermit ends his story_--\n\n    And here I live from age to age;\n      I pray and repent and fast;\n    An otter brings me food each day,\n      And I hope for heaven at last.\n\n    The tempests roar and the billows rage,\n      But God holds forth His hand,\n    And cold nor heat nor storm nor sleet,\n      Can harm me where I stand.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[LXXVI.] Tory Island, off the coast of Donegal, where there was a\nmonastery dedicated to St. Columkille.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXIV.\n\nSIGNS OF HOME.\n\n\nSoon after they saw a beautiful verdant island, with herds of oxen,\ncows, and sheep browsing all over its hills and valleys; but no houses\nnor inhabitants were to be seen. And they rested for some time on this\nisland, and ate the flesh of the cows and sheep.\n\nOne day, while they were standing on a hill, a large falcon flew by; and\ntwo of the crew, who happened to look closely at him, cried out, in the\nhearing of Maildun--\n\n\"See that falcon! he is surely like the falcons of Erin!\"\n\n\"Watch him closely,\" cried Maildun; \"and observe exactly in what\ndirection he is flying!\"\n\nAnd they saw that he flew to the south-east, without turning or\nwavering.\n\nThey went on board at once; and, having unmoored, they sailed to the\nsouth-east after the falcon. After rowing the whole day, they sighted\nland in the dusk of the evening, which seemed to them like the land of\nErin.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER XXXV.\n\nMAILDUN MEETS HIS ENEMY, AND ARRIVES HOME.\n\n\nOn a near approach, they found it was a small island; and now they\nrecognised it as the very same island they had seen in the beginning of\ntheir voyage, in which they had heard the man in the great house boast\nthat he had slain Maildun's father, and from which the storm had driven\nthem out into the great ocean.\n\nThey turned the prow of their vessel to the shore, landed, and went\ntowards the house. It happened that at this very time the people of the\nhouse were seated at their evening meal; and Maildun and his companions,\nas they stood outside, heard a part of their conversation.\n\nSaid one to another, \"It would not be well for us if we were now to see\nMaildun.\"\n\n\"As to Maildun,\" answered another, \"it is very well known that he was\ndrowned long ago in the great ocean.\"\n\n\"Do not be sure,\" observed a third; \"perchance he is the very man that\nmay waken you up some morning from your sleep.\"\n\n\"Supposing he came now,\" asks another, \"what should we do?\"\n\nThe head of the house now spoke in reply to the last question; and\nMaildun at once knew his voice--\n\n\"I can easily answer that,\" said he. \"Maildun has been for a long time\nsuffering great afflictions and hardships; and if he were to come now,\nthough we were enemies once, I should certainly give him a welcome and a\nkind reception.\"\n\nWhen Maildun heard this he knocked at the door, and the door-keeper\nasked who was there; to which Maildun made answer--\n\n\"It is I, Maildun, returned safely from all my wanderings.\"\n\nThe chief of the house then ordered the door to be opened; and he went\nto meet Maildun, and brought himself and his companions into the house.\nThey were joyfully welcomed by the whole household; new garments were\ngiven to them; and they feasted and rested, till they forgot their\nweariness and their hardships.\n\nThey related all the wonders God had revealed to them in the course of\ntheir voyage, according to the word of the sage who says, \"It will be a\nsource of pleasure to remember these things at a future time.\"\n\nAfter they had remained here for some days, Maildun returned to his own\ncountry. And Diuran Lekerd took the five half-ounces of silver he had\ncut down from the great net at the Silver Pillar, and laid it, according\nto his promise, on the high altar of Armagh.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FAIRY PALACE OF THE QUICKEN TREES.[LXXVII.]\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nCOLGA, KING OF LOCHLANN, INVADES ERIN, AND IS SLAIN.\n\n\nOnce upon a time, a noble, warlike king ruled over Lochlann,[6] whose\nname was Colga of the Hard Weapons. On a certain occasion, this king\nheld a meeting of his chief people, on the broad, green plain before his\npalace of Berva.[6] And when they were all gathered together, he spoke\nto them in a loud, clear voice, from where he sat high on his throne;\nand he asked them whether they found any fault with the manner in which\nhe ruled them, and whether they knew of anything deserving of blame in\nhim as their sovereign lord and king. They replied, as if with the voice\nof one man, that they found no fault of any kind.\n\nThen the king spoke again and said, \"You see not as I see. Do you not\nknow that I am called King of the Four Tribes of Lochlann, and of the\nIslands of the Sea? And yet there is one island which acknowledges not\nmy rule.\"\n\nAnd when they had asked which of the islands he meant, he said--\n\n\"That island is Erin of the green hills. My forefathers, indeed, held\nsway over it, and many of our brave warriors died there in fight. There\nfell the great king, Balor of the Mighty Blows;[9] his son Bres[9] also;\nand his queen, Kethlenda of the Crooked Teeth;[9] there, too, fell Irann\nand Slana, sisters of the king; and many others that I do not name. But\nthough our hosts at last subdued the land and laid it under tribute, yet\nthey held it not long; for the men of Erin arose and expelled our army,\nregaining their ancient freedom.\n\n\"And now it is my desire that we once more sail to Erin with a fleet and\nan army, to bring it under my power, and take, either by consent or by\nforce, the tributes that are due to me by right. And we shall thereafter\nhold the island in subjection till the end of the world.\"\n\nThe chiefs approved the counsel of the king, and the meeting broke up.\n\nThen the king made proclamation, and sent his swift scouts and couriers\nall over the land, to muster his fighting men, till he had assembled a\nmighty army in one place.\n\nAnd when they had made ready their curve-sided, white-sailed ships, and\ntheir strong, swift-gliding boats, the army embarked. And they raised\ntheir sails and plied their oars; and they cleft the billowy, briny sea;\nand the clear, cold winds whistled through their sails; and they made\nneither stop nor stay, till they landed on the shore of the province of\nUlad.[LXXVIII.]\n\nThe King of Ireland at that time was Cormac Mac Art,[22] the grandson of\nConn the Hundred-fighter.[18] And when Cormac heard that a great fleet\nhad come to Erin, and landed an army of foreigners, he straightway sent\ntidings of the invasion to Allen[LXXIX.] of the green hill-slopes, where\nlived Finn,[23] and the noble Fena[23] of the Gaels.\n\nWhen the king's messengers had told their tale, Finn despatched his\ntrusty, swift-footed couriers to every part of Erin where he knew the\nFena dwelt; and he bade them to say that all should meet him at a\ncertain place, near that part of the coast where the Lochlann army lay\nencamped. And he himself led the Fena of Leinster northwards to join the\nmuster.\n\nThey attacked the foreigners, and the foreigners were not slow to meet\ntheir onset; and the Fena were sore pressed in that battle, so that at\none time the Lochlanns were like to prevail.\n\nOscar, the son of Oisin,[23] when he saw his friends falling all round\nhim, was grieved to the heart; and he rested for a space to gather his\nwrath and his strength. Then, renewing the fight, he rushed with fury\ntowards the standard of Colga, the Lochlann king, dealing havoc and\nslaughter among those foreigners that stood in his track. The king saw\nOscar approach, and met him; and they fought a deadly battle\nhand-to-hand. Soon their shields were rent, their hard helmets were\ndinted with sword-blows, their armour was pierced in many places, and\ntheir flesh was torn with deep wounds. And the end of the fight was,\nthat the king of the foreigners was slain by Oscar, the son of Oisin.\n\nWhen the Lochlanns saw their king fall, they lost heart, and the battle\nwent against them. But they fought on nevertheless, till evening, when\ntheir army entirely gave way, and fled from the field. And of all the\nnobles and princes and mighty chiefs who sailed to Erin on that\nexpedition, not one was left alive, except the youngest son of the king,\nwhose name was Midac. Him Finn spared on account of his youth; with\nintent to bring him up in his own household.\n\nAfter the Fena had rested for a time, and buried their dead, they turned\ntheir faces southward, and marched slowly towards Allen, bringing their\nsick and wounded companions. And Finn placed Midac among the household\nof Allen, treating him honourably, and giving him servants and tutors.\nMoreover, he enlisted him in the Fena, and gave him a high post as\nbefitted a prince.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[LXXVII.] The quicken tree, or quickbeam, or mountain ash, or roan-tree;\nGaelic, _caerthainn_. Many mystic virtues were anciently attributed to\nthis tree.\n\n[LXXVIII.] Ulad, _i.e._ Ulster.\n\n[LXXIX.] The Hill of Allen, in the county Kildare, where Finn had his\npalace. (See note 23 at the end.)\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nMIDAC, THE SON OF COLGA, MEDITATES REVENGE.\n\n\nAfter this things went on as before, while Midac grew up towards\nmanhood, and hunted and feasted with the Fena, and fought with them when\nthey fought. But he never lost an opportunity of making himself\nacquainted with all their haunts and hunting-grounds, their palaces and\nfortresses, and in particular with their manner of carrying on war.\n\nIt happened one day that Finn and some of his leading chiefs were in\ncouncil, considering sundry matters, especially the state and condition\nof the Fena; and each chief was commanded by Finn to speak, and give his\nopinion or advice on anything that he deemed weighty enough to be\ndebated by the meeting.\n\nAnd after many had spoken, Conan Mail, the son of Morna, stood up and\nsaid--\n\n\"It seems to me, O king, that you and I and the Fena in general are now\nin great danger. For you have in your house, and mixing with your\npeople, a young man who has good cause of enmity towards you; that is to\nsay, Midac, the son of the king of Lochlann. For was it not by you that\nhis father and brothers and many of his friends were slain? Now I notice\nthat this young prince is silent and distant, and talks little to those\naround him. Moreover, I see that day after day he takes much pains to\nknow all matters relating to the Fena; and as he has friends in\nLochlann, mighty men with armies and ships, I fear me the day may come\nwhen this prince will use his knowledge to our destruction.\"\n\nThe king said that all this was quite true, and he asked Conan to give\nhis opinion as to what should be done.\n\n\"What I advise in the matter is this,\" said Conan, \"that Midac be not\nallowed to abide any longer in the palace of Allen. But as it is meet\nthat he should be treated in a manner becoming a prince, let him be\ngiven a tract of land for himself in some other part of Erin, with a\nhome and a household of his own. Then shall we be freed from his\npresence, and he can no longer listen to our counsels, and learn all our\nsecrets and all our plans.\"\n\nThis speech seemed to Finn and the other chiefs reasonable and prudent,\nand they agreed to follow the advice of Conan Mail.\n\nAccordingly Finn sent for the prince, and said to him--\n\n\"Thou knowest, Midac, that thou hast been brought up from boyhood in my\nhousehold, and that thou hast been dealt with in every way as becomes a\nprince. Now thou art a man, and standest in no further need of\ninstruction, for thou hast learned everything needful for a prince and\nfor a champion of the Fena; and it is not meet that thou shouldst abide\nlonger in the house of another. Choose, therefore, the two cantreds\nthat please thee best in all Erin, and they shall be given to thee and\nto thy descendants for ever as a patrimony. There thou shalt build\nhouses and a homestead for thyself, and I will help thee with men and\nwith cattle and with all things else necessary.\"\n\nMidac listened in silence; and when the king had done speaking, he\nreplied in a cold and distant manner and in few words, that the proposal\nwas reasonable and proper, and pleased him well. And thereupon he chose\nthe rich cantred of Kenri on the Shannon, and the cantred of the Islands\nlying next to it on the north, at the other side of the river.[LXXX.]\n\nNow Midac had good reasons for choosing these two territories beyond all\nothers in Erin. For the river opens out between them like a great sea,\nin which are many islands and sheltered harbours, where ships might\nanchor in safety; and he hoped to bring a fleet and an army into Erin\nsome day, to avenge on Finn and the Fena the defeats they had inflicted\non his countrymen, and above all, the death of his father and brothers.\nAnd being bent on treachery, he could not have chosen in all Erin a\nterritory better suited for carrying out his secret designs.\n\nSo these two cantreds were bestowed on Midac. Finn gave him also much\ncattle and wealth of all kinds; so that when his houses were built, and\nwhen he was settled in his new territory, with his servants and his\ncattle and his wealth all round him, there was no brugaid[LXXXI.] in\nErin richer or more prosperous than he.\n\nFor fourteen years Midac lived in his new home, growing richer every\nyear. But the Fena knew nothing of his way of life, for he kept himself\napart, and none of his old acquaintances visited him. And though he was\nenrolled in the ranks of the Fena, he never, during all that time,\ninvited one of them to his house, or offered them food or drink or\nentertainment of any kind.\n\nOne day, Finn and the Fena went to hunt in the district of Fermorc,[C]\nand over the plains of Hy Conall Gavra.[LXXXII.] And when all was\narranged and the chase about to begin, Finn himself, and a few of his\ncompanions, went to the top of the hill of Knockfierna[LXXXIII.] to see\nthe sport; while the main body of the Fena scattered themselves over the\nplain with their dogs and attendants, to start the deer and the wild\nboars and all the other game of the forest.\n\nThen Finn's people pitched their tents, and made soft couches of rushes\nand heather, and dug cooking-places[24]; for they intended the hill to\nbe the resting-place of all who chose to rest, till the chase was\nended.\n\nAfter Finn and his companions had sat for some time on the hill, they\nsaw a tall warrior coming towards them, armed in full battle array. He\nwore a splendid coat of mail of Lochlann workmanship, and over it a\nmantle of fine satin dyed in divers colours. A broad shield hung on his\nleft shoulder, and his helmet glittered in the morning sun like polished\nsilver. At his left side hung a long sword, with golden hilt and\nenamelled sheath; and he held in his right hand his two long, polished,\ndeath-dealing spears. His figure and gait were wonderfully majestic, and\nas he came near, he saluted the king in stately and courteous words.\n\nFinn returned the salutation, and spoke with him for a while; and at\nlength he asked him whence he had come, and if he had brought any\ntidings.\n\n\"As to the place I came from,\" he answered, \"that need not be spoken of;\nand for news, I have nothing to tell except that I am a\nferdana,[LXXXIV.] and that I have come to thee, O king of the Fena, with\na poem.\"\n\n\"Methinks, indeed,\" replied Finn, \"that conflict and battle are the\npoetry you profess; for never have I seen a hero more noble in mien and\nfeature.\"\n\n\"I am a ferdana nevertheless,\" answered the stranger; \"and if thou dost\nnot forbid me, I will prove it by reciting a poem I have brought for\nthee.\"\n\n\"A mountain-top is not the place for poetry,\" said Finn; \"and moreover,\nthere is now no opportunity either for reciting or listening. For I and\nthese few companions of mine have come to sit here that we may view the\nchase, and listen to the eager shouts of the men, and the sweet cry of\nthe hounds.\n\n\"But if you are, as you say,\" continued Finn, \"a ferdana, remain here\nwith us till the chase is ended; and then you shall come with me to one\nof our palaces, where I shall listen to your poem, and bestow on you\nsuch gifts as are meet for a poet of your rank.\"\n\nBut the strange champion answered, \"It is not my wish to go to your\npalace; and I now put you under gesa,[12] which true heroes do not\nsuffer, that you listen to my poem, and that you find out and explain\nits meaning.\"\n\n\"Well then,\" said Finn, \"let there be no further delay; repeat your\npoem.\"\n\nSo the hero recited the following verse:--\n\n    I saw a house by a river's shore,\n    Famed through Erin in days of yore,\n    Radiant with sparkling gems all o'er,\n    Its lord deep skilled in magical lore;\n    No conqueror ever defiled its floor;\n    No spoiler can rive its golden store;\n    Fire cannot burn its battlements hoar;\n    Safe it stands when the torrents pour;\n    Feasting and joy for evermore,\n    To all who enter its open door!\n        Now if thou hast learned a champion's lore,\n        Tell me the name of that mansion hoar,\n        With roof of crystal and marble floor--\n        The mansion I saw by the river's shore.\n\n\"I can explain that poem,\" said Finn. \"The mansion you saw is Bruga of\nthe Boyne,[LXXXV.] the fairy palace of Angus, the Dedannan prince, son\nof the Dagda, which is open to all who wish to partake of its feasts and\nits enjoyments. It cannot be burned by fire, or drowned by water, or\nspoiled by robbers, on account of the great power of its lord and\nmaster; for there is not now, and there never was, and there never shall\nbe, in Erin, a man more skilled in magic arts than Angus of the Bruga.\"\n\n\"That is the sense of my poem,\" said the stranger; \"and now listen to\nthis other, and explain it to me if thou canst\"--\n\n    I saw to the south a bright-faced queen,\n    With couch of crystal and robe of green;\n    A numerous offspring, sprightly and small,\n    Plain through her skin you can see them all;\n    Slowly she moves, and yet her speed\n    Exceeds the pace of the swiftest steed!\n        Now tell me the name of that wondrous queen,\n        With her couch of crystal and robe of green.[LXXXVI.]\n\n\"I understand the sense of that poem also,\" said Finn. \"The queen you\nsaw is the river Boyne, which flows by the south side of the palace of\nBruga. Her couch of crystal is the sandy bed of the river; and her robe\nof green the grassy plain of Bregia,[LXXXVII.] through which it flows.\nHer children, which you can see through her skin, are the speckled\nsalmon, the lively, pretty trout, and all the other fish that swim in\nthe clear water of the river. The river flows slowly indeed; but its\nwaters traverse the whole world in seven years, which is more than the\nswiftest steed can do.\"\n\n\"These are my poems,\" said the champion; \"and thou hast truly explained\ntheir meaning.\"\n\n\"And now,\" said Finn, \"as I have listened to thy poetry and explained\nit, tell us, I pray thee, who thou art and whence thou hast come; for I\nmarvel much that so noble a champion should live in any of the five\nprovinces of Erin without being known to me and my companions.\"\n\nThen Conan Mail spoke. \"Thou art, O king, the wisest and most far-seeing\nof the Fena, and thou hast unravelled and explained the hard poetical\npuzzles of this champion. Yet, on the present occasion, thou knowest not\na friend from a foe; for this man is Midac, whom thou didst bring up\nwith much honour in thine own house, and afterwards made rich, but who\nis now thy bitter enemy, and the enemy of all the Fena. Here he has\nlived for fourteen years, without fellowship or communication with his\nformer companions. And though he is enrolled in the order of the Fena,\nhe has never, during all that time, invited thee to a banquet, or come\nto see any of his old friends, or given food or entertainment to any of\nthe Fena, either master or man.\"\n\nMidac answered, \"If Finn and the Fena have not feasted with me, that is\nnone of my fault; for my house has never been without a banquet fit for\neither king or chief; but you never came to partake of it. I did not,\nindeed, send you an invitation; but that you should not have waited for,\nseeing that I was one of the Fena, and that I was brought up in your own\nhousehold. Howbeit, let that pass. I have now a feast ready, in all\nrespects worthy of a king; and I put you under gesa that you and the\nchiefs that are here with you, come this night to partake of it. I have\ntwo palaces, and in each there is a banquet. One is the Palace of the\nIsland, which stands on the sea; and the other is the Palace of the\nQuicken Trees, which is a little way off from this hill; and it is to\nthis that I wish you to come.\"\n\nFinn consented; and Midac, after he had pointed out the way to the\nPalace of the Quicken Trees, left them, saying he would go before, that\nhe might have things in readiness when they should arrive.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[LXXX.] The cantreds of Kenri and Islands are now two baronies: the\nformer the barony of Kenry, in Limerick, a little below the city; the\nlatter the barony of Islands, in Clare, on the opposite side of the\nShannon, including the mouth of the river Fergus, with its numerous\n_islands_, from which the barony has its name.\n\n[LXXXI.] Brugaid, a sort of local officer, who was allowed a tract of\nland free, on condition that he maintained a large establishment as a\nhouse of public hospitality. Many of the brugaids were very rich.\n\n[LXXXII.] Fermorc and Hy Conall Gavra are now the baronies of Upper and\nLower Connello, in the county Limerick.\n\n[LXXXIII.] Knockfierna, a conspicuous hill, celebrated for its fairy\nlore, near Croom, in the county Limerick; very near Kenri, Midac's\nterritory.\n\n[LXXXIV.] Ferdana, a poet.\n\n[LXXXV.] Bruga of the Boyne. (See note, page 62.)\n\n[LXXXVI.] The poets were much given to proposing poetical puzzles of\nthis kind; and it was considered a mark of superior education, and of\ngreat acuteness in a champion to be able to explain them. (For another\nexample, see the enigmatical verse about the skin of the pig, in the\nstory of \"The Children of Turenn,\" page 69.)\n\n[LXXXVII.] Bregia or Magh Breagh, the ancient name of the plain\nextending from the Liffey northwards to the borders of the county Louth.\n(For this name, see the author's \"Irish Names of Places,\" Series II.\nPart IV. chap. II.)\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nFINN IS ENTRAPPED BY MIDAC, AND HELD BY ENCHANTMENT IN THE PALACE OF THE\nQUICKEN TREES.\n\n\nFinn now held council with his companions, and they agreed that the\nking's son, Oisin, and five other chiefs, with their followers, should\ntarry on the hill till the hunting party returned, while Finn went to\nthe palace with the rest.\n\nAnd it was arranged that Finn should send back word immediately to the\nparty on the hill, how he fared; and that Oisin and the others were to\nfollow him to the palace when the hunting party had returned.\n\nThose that remained with Oisin were Dermat O'Dyna; Fatha Conan, the son\nof the son of Conn; Kylta Mac Ronan; Ficna, the son of Finn; and Innsa,\nthe son of Swena Selga.\n\nAnd of those who went with Finn to the Palace of the Quicken Trees, the\nchief were Gaul Mac Morna; Dathkeen the Strong-limbed; Mac Luga of the\nRed Hand; Glas Mac Encarda from Beara; the two sons of Aed the Lesser,\nson of Finn; Racad and Dalgus, the two kings of Leinster; Angus Mac\nBresal Bola; and the two leaders of the Connaught Fena, namely,\nMac-na-Corra and Corr the Swift-footed.\n\nAs Finn and his party came nigh to the palace, they were amazed at its\nsize and splendour; and they wondered greatly that they had never seen\nit before. It stood on a level green, which was surrounded by a light\nplantation of quicken trees, all covered with clusters of scarlet\nberries. At one side of the little plain, very near the palace, was a\nbroad river, with a rocky bank at the near side, and a steep pathway\nleading down to a ford.\n\nBut what surprised them most was that all was lonely and silent--not a\nliving soul could they see in any direction; and Finn, fearing some\nfoul play, would have turned back, only that he bethought him of his\ngesa and his promise. The great door was wide open, and Conan went in\nbefore the others; and after viewing the banqueting hall, he came out\nquite enraptured with what he had seen. He praised the beauty and\nperfect arrangement of everything, and told his companions that no other\nking or chief in all Erin had a banqueting hall to match the hall of\nMidac, the son of Colga. They all now entered, but they found no\none--neither host nor guests nor attendants.\n\nAs they gazed around, they thought they had never seen a banquet hall so\nsplendid. A great fire burned brightly in the middle, without any smoke,\nand sent forth a sweet perfume, which filled the whole room with\nfragrance, and cheered and delighted the heroes. Couches were placed all\nround, with rich coverlets and rugs, and soft, glossy furs. The curved\nwalls were of wood,[LXXXVIII.] close-jointed and polished like ivory;\nand each board was painted differently from those above and below; so\nthat the sides of the room, from floor to roof, were all radiant with a\nwonderful variety of colours.\n\nStill seeing no one, they seated themselves on the couches and rugs.\nPresently a door opened, and Midac walked into the room. He stood for a\nfew moments before the heroes, and looked at them one after another,\nbut never spoke one word; then, turning round, he went out and shut the\ngreat door behind him.\n\nFinn and his friends were much surprised at this; however, they said\nnothing, but remained resting as they were for some time, expecting\nMidac's return. Still no one came, and at length Finn spoke--\n\n\"We have been invited here, my friends, to a banquet; and it seems to me\nvery strange that we should be left so long without attendance, and\nwithout either food or drink. Perhaps, indeed, Midac's attendants have\nmade some mistake, and that the feast intended for this palace has been\nprepared in the Palace of the Island. But I wonder greatly that such a\nthing should have happened.\"\n\n\"I see something more wonderful than that,\" said Gaul Mac Morna; \"for\nlo, the fire, which was clear and smokeless when we first saw it, and\nwhich smelled more sweetly than the flowers of the plain, now fills the\nhall with a foul stench, and sends up a great cloud of black, sooty\nsmoke!\"\n\n\"I see something more wonderful than that,\" said Glas Mac Encarda; \"for\nthe boards in the walls of this banquet hall, which were smooth and\nclose-jointed and glorious all over with bright colours when we came,\nare now nothing but rough planks, clumsily fastened together with tough\nquicken tree withes, and as rude and unshapen as if they had been hacked\nand hewed with a blunt axe!\"\n\n\"I see something more wonderful than that,\" said Foilan, the son of Aed\nthe Lesser; \"for this palace, which had seven great doors when we came\nin, all wide open, and looking pleasantly towards the sunshine, has now\nonly one small, narrow door, close fastened, and facing straight to the\nnorth!\"\n\n\"I see something more wonderful than that,\" said Conan Mail; \"for the\nrich rugs and furs and the soft couches, which were under us when we sat\nhere first, are all gone, not as much as a fragment or a thread\nremaining; and we are now sitting on the bare, damp earth, which feels\nas cold as the snow of one night!\"[LXXXIX.]\n\nThen Finn again spoke. \"You know, my friends, that I never tarry in a\nhouse having only one door. Let one of you then, arise, and break open\nthat narrow door, so that we may go forth from this foul, smoky den!\"\n\n\"That shall be done,\" cried Conan; and, so saying, he seized his long\nspear, and, planting it on the floor, point downwards, he attempted to\nspring to his feet. But he found that he was not able to move, and\nturning to his companions, he cried out with a groan of anguish--\n\n\"Alas, my friends! I see now something more wonderful than all; for I am\nfirmly fixed by some druidical spell to the cold clay floor of the\nPalace of the Quicken Trees!\"\n\nAnd immediately all the others found themselves, in like manner, fixed\nwhere they sat. And they were silent for a time, being quite confounded\nand overwhelmed with fear and anguish.\n\nAt length Gaul spoke, and said, \"It seems clear, O king, that Midac has\nplanned this treachery, and that danger lies before us. I wish, then,\nthat you would place your thumb under your tooth of knowledge,[25] and\nlet us know the truth; so that we may at once consider as to the best\nmeans of escaping from this strait.\"\n\nWhereupon Finn placed his thumb under his tooth of knowledge, and mused\nfor a little while. Then suddenly withdrawing his thumb, he sank back in\nhis seat and groaned aloud.\n\n\"May it be the will of the gods,\" said Gaul, \"that it is the pain of thy\nthumb that has caused thee to utter that groan!\"\n\n\"Alas! not so,\" replied Finn. \"I grieve that my death is near, and the\ndeath of these dear companions! For fourteen years has Midac, the son of\nthe king of Lochlann, been plotting against us; and now at last he has\ncaught us in this treacherous snare, from which I can see no escape.\n\n\"For in the Palace of the Island there is, at this moment, an army of\nforeigners, whom Midac has brought hither for our destruction. Chief\nover all is Sinsar of the Battles, from Greece, the Monarch of the\nWorld, who has under his command sixteen warlike princes, with many\nothers of lesser note. Next to Sinsar is his son, Borba the Haughty,\nwho commands also a number of fierce and hardy knights.\n\n\"There are, besides, the three kings of the Island of the Torrent,\nlarge-bodied and bloodthirsty, like three furious dragons, who have\nnever yet yielded to an enemy on the field of battle. It is these who,\nby their sorcery, have fixed us here; for this cold clay that we sit on\nis part of the soil of the enchanted Island of the Torrent, which they\nbrought hither, and placed here with foul spells. Moreover, the\nenchantment that binds us to this floor can never be broken unless the\nblood of these kings be sprinkled on the clay. And very soon some of\nSinsar's warriors will come over from the Palace of the Island, to slay\nus all, while we are fixed here helpless, and unable to raise a hand in\nour own defence.\"\n\nFull of alarm and anguish were the heroes when they heard these tidings.\nAnd some began to shed bitter tears in silence, and some lamented aloud.\nBut Finn again spoke and said--\n\n\"It becomes us not, my friends, being heroes, to weep and wail like\nwomen, even though we are in danger of death; for tears and lamentations\nwill avail us nothing. Let us rather sound the Dord-Fian,[XC.] sweetly\nand plaintively, according to our wont, that it may be a comfort to us\nbefore we die.\"\n\nSo they ceased weeping, and, joining all together, they sounded the\nDord-Fian in a slow, sad strain.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[LXXXVIII.] The houses of the ancient Irish were circular, and generally\nmade of wood.\n\n[LXXXIX.] \"As cold as the snow of one night;\" \"As white as the snow of\none night,\" are usual comparisons in Gaelic. The first night's snow\nseems particularly cold and white when you see it in the morning on\naccount of the contrast with the green fields of the day before.\n\n[XC.] Dord-Fian, or Dord-Fiansa, a sort of musical war-cry, usually\nperformed by several persons in chorus.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nINNSA, FINN'S FOSTER SON, DEFENDS THE FORD LEADING TO THE PALACE OF THE\nQUICKEN TREES.\n\n\nNow let us speak of Oisin, and the party who tarried with him on the\nhill of Knockfierna. When he found that his father Finn had not sent\nback a messenger as he had promised, though the night was now drawing\nnigh, he began to fear that something was wrong; and he said to his\ncompanions--\n\n\"I marvel much that we have got no news from the king, how he and his\ncompanions have fared in the Palace of the Quicken Trees. It is clear to\nme that he would have fulfilled his promise to send us word, if he had\nnot been hindered by some unforeseen difficulty. Now, therefore, I wish\nto know who will go to the palace and bring me back tidings.\"\n\nFicna, the son of Finn, stood forth and offered to go; and Finn's foster\nson, Innsa, the son of Swena Selga, said he would go with him.\n\nThey both set out at once, and as they travelled with speed, they soon\nreached the plain on which stood the Palace of the Quicken Trees; and\nnow the night was darkening around them. As they came near to the\npalace, they marvelled to hear the loud, slow strains of the Dord-Fian;\nand Innsa exclaimed joyfully--\n\n\"Things go well with our friends, seeing that they are amusing\nthemselves with the Dord-Fian!\"\n\nBut Ficna, who guessed more truly how things really stood, replied--\n\n\"It is my opinion, friend, that matters are not so pleasant with them as\nyou think; for it is only in time of trouble or danger that Finn is wont\nto have the Dord-Fian sounded in a manner so slow and sad.\"\n\nWhile they talked in this wise, it chanced that the Dord-Fian ceased for\na little space; and Finn hearing the low hum of conversation outside,\nasked was that the voice of Ficna. And when Ficna answered, \"Yes,\" Finn\nsaid to him--\n\n\"Come not nearer, my son; for this place teems with dangerous spells. We\nhave been decoyed hither by Midac, and we are all held here by the foul\nsorcery of the three kings of the Island of the Torrent.\"\n\nAnd thereupon Finn told him the whole story of the treachery that had\nbeen wrought on them, from beginning to end; and he told him also that\nnothing could free them but the blood of those three kings sprinkled on\nthe clay.\n\nThen he asked who the second man was whom he had heard conversing with\nFicna; and when he was told that it was Innsa, the son of Swena Selga,\nhe addressed Ficna earnestly--\n\n\"Fly, my son, from this fatal place! Fly, and save my foster child from\nthe treacherous swords of the foreigners; for they are already on their\nway hither!\"\n\nBut Innsa quickly answered, \"That I will never do. It would, indeed, be\nan ungrateful return to a kind foster father, to leave thee now in\ndeadly strait, and seek my own safety.\"\n\nAnd Ficna spoke in a like strain.\n\nThen Finn said, \"Be it so, my sons; but a sore trial awaits you. Those\nwho come hither from the Palace of the Island must needs pass the ford\nunder the shadow of these walls. Now this ford is rugged and hard to be\ncrossed; and one good man, standing in the steep, narrow entrance at the\nhither side, might dispute the passage for a time against many. Go now,\nand defend this ford; and haply some help may come in time.\"\n\nSo both went to the ford. And when they had viewed it carefully, Ficna,\nseeing that one man might defend it for a short time almost as well as\ntwo, said to Innsa--\n\n\"Stay thou here to guard the ford for a little time, while I go to the\nPalace of the Island to see how the foreigners might be attacked. Haply,\ntoo, I may meet with the party coming hither, and decoy them on some\nother track.\"\n\nAnd Innsa consented; and Ficna set out straightway for the Palace of the\nIsland.\n\n\nNow as to the Palace of the Island. When Midac returned in the morning,\nand told how Finn and his people were held safe in the Palace of the\nQuicken Trees, the foreigners were in great joy. And they feasted and\ndrank and were merry till evening; when an Irla[XCI.] of the King of the\nWorld spoke in secret to his brother, and said--\n\n\"I will go now to the Palace of the Quicken Trees, and I will bring\nhither the head of Finn the son of Cumal; and I shall gain thereby much\nrenown, and shall be honoured by the King of the World.\"\n\nSo he went, bringing with him a goodly number of his own knights; and\nnothing is told of what befell them till they arrived at the brink of\nthe ford under the Palace of the Quicken Trees. Looking across through\nthe darkness, the Irla thought he saw a warrior standing at the other\nbrink; and he called aloud to ask who was there, and whether he belonged\nto the noble or the ignoble races of the world.\n\nAnd when Innsa answered that he belonged to the household of Finn, the\nson of Cumal, the Irla said--\n\n\"Lo, we are going to the Palace of the Quicken Trees, to bring Finn's\nhead to the King of the World; and thou shalt come with us and lead us\nto the door.\"\n\n\"That, indeed,\" replied Innsa, \"would be a strange way for a champion to\nact who has been sent hither by Finn to guard this ford. I will not\nallow any foe to pass--of that be sure; and I warn you that you come not\nto my side of the ford!\"\n\nAt this the Irla said to his knights, \"Force the ford: then shall we see\nif yonder hero can fight as well as he threatens.\"\n\nAnd at the word, they rushed through the water, as many as could find\nroom. But only one or two at a time could attack; and the young champion\nstruck them down right and left as fast as they came up, till the ford\nbecame encumbered with their bodies.\n\nAnd when the conflict had lasted for a long time, and when they found\nthat they could not dislodge him, the few that remained retired across\nthe ford; and Innsa was fain to rest after his long combat.\n\nBut the Irla, seeing so many of his knights slain, was mad with wrath;\nand, snatching up his sword and shield, he attacked Innsa; and they\nfought a long and bloody fight.\n\nNow the Irla was fresh and strong, while Innsa was weary and sore\nwounded; and at length the young hero fell in the ford, and the Irla\nbeheaded him, and, exulting in his victory, brought the head away.\n\nFinn and his companions, as they sat in miserable plight in the Palace\nof the Quicken Trees, heard the clash of arms at the ford, and the\nshouts and groans of warriors; and after a time all was still again; and\nthey knew not how the fight had ended.\n\nAnd now the Irla, thinking over the matter, deemed it unsafe to go to\nthe Palace of the Quicken Trees without a larger body of knights; so he\nreturned towards the Palace of the Island, intending to bring Innsa's\nhead to the King of the World. When he had come within a little distance\nof the palace, he met Ficna, who was then on his way back to the ford;\nand seeing that he was coming from the Palace of the Island, he deemed\nthat he was one of the knights of the King of the World.\n\nFicna spoke to him, and asked whither he had come.\n\n\"I come,\" replied the Irla, \"from the ford of the Palace of the Quicken\nTrees. There, indeed, on our way to the palace, to slay Finn the son of\nCumal, we were met by a young champion, who defended the ford and slew\nmy knights. But he fell at length beneath my sword; and, lo, I have\nbrought his head for a triumph to the King of the World!\"\n\nFicna took the head tenderly, and kissed the cheek thrice, and said,\nsorrowing--\n\n\"Alas, dear youth! only this morning I saw the light of valour in those\ndim eyes, and the bloom of youth on that faded cheek!\"\n\nThen turning wrathfully to the Irla, he asked--\n\n\"Knowest thou to whom thou hast given the young warrior's head?\"\n\nAnd the Irla replied, \"Hast thou not come from the Palace of the Island,\nand dost thou not belong to the host of the King of the World?\"\n\n\"I am not one of his knights,\" answered Ficna; \"and neither shalt thou\nbe, after this hour!\"\n\nWhereupon they drew their swords, and fought where they stood; and the\nforeign Irla fell by the avenging sword of Ficna, the son of Finn. Ficna\nbeheaded him and returned to the ford, bringing the head, and also the\nhead of Innsa. And when he had come to the ford, he made a grave of\ngreen sods on the bank, in which he laid the body and the head of\nInnsa, sometimes grieving for the youth, and sometimes rejoicing that\nhis death had been avenged.\n\nThen he went on to the Palace of the Quicken Trees, bringing the Irla's\nhead; and when he had come nigh the door, he called aloud to Finn, who,\nimpatient and full of anxious thoughts, asked--\n\n\"Tell us, Ficna, who fought the battle at the ford, and how it has\nended.\"\n\n\"Thine own foster son, Innsa, defended the ford against many foes, whose\nbodies now encumber the stream.\"\n\n\"And how is it now with my foster son?\" asked Finn.\n\n\"He died where he fought,\" replied Ficna; \"for at the end, when he was\nweary and sore wounded, the foreign Irla attacked him, and slew him.\"\n\n\"And thou, my son, didst thou stand by and see my nursling slain?\"\n\n\"Truly I did not,\" answered Ficna. \"Would that I had been there, and I\nwould have defended and saved him! And even now he is well avenged; for\nI met the Irla soon after, and lo, I have brought thee his head.\nMoreover, I buried thy nursling tenderly in a grave of green sods by the\nford.\"\n\nAnd Finn wept and said, \"Victory and blessings be with thee, my son!\nNever were children better than mine. Before I saw them, few were my\npossessions and small my consideration in Erin; but since they have\ngrown up around me, I have been great and prosperous, till I fell by\ntreachery into this evil plight. And now, Ficna, return and guard the\nford, and peradventure our friends may send help in time.\"\n\nSo Ficna went and sat on the brink of the ford.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XCI.] Irla, _i.e._ an earl, a chief.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nFICNA, THE SON OF FINN, DEFENDS THE FORD.\n\n\nNow at the Palace of the Island, another Irla, whose name was Kironn,\nbrother to him who had been slain by Ficna, spoke to some of his own\nfollowers--\n\n\"It is long since my brother left for the Palace of the Quicken Trees; I\nfear me that he and his people have fared ill in their quest. And now I\nwill go to seek for them.\"\n\nAnd he went, bringing a company of knights well armed; and when they had\ncome to the ford, they saw Ficna at the far side. Kironn called out and\nasked who he was, and asked also who had made such a slaughter in the\nford.\n\nFicna answered, \"I am one of the household champions of Finn the son of\nCumal, and he has sent me here to guard this ford. As to the slaughter\nof yonder knights, your question stirs my mind to wrath, and I warn you,\nif you come to this side of the ford, you will get a reply, not in\nwords, but in deeds.\"\n\nThen Kironn and his men rushed through the water, blind with rage, and\nstruck wildly at Ficna. But the young hero watchfully parried their\nstrokes and thrusts; and one after another they fell beneath his blows,\ntill only a single man was left, who ran back with all speed to the\nPalace of the Island to tell the tale. And Ficna sat down on the brink,\ncovered all over with wounds, and weary from the toil of battle.\n\nWhen these tidings were brought to the palace, Midac was very wroth, and\nhe said, \"These men should not have gone to force the ford without my\nknowledge; for they were far too few in number, and neither were they\nbold and hardy enough to meet Finn's valiant champions. I know these\nFena well, and it is not to me a matter of surprise that the Irla and\nhis people fell by them.\n\n\"But I will now go with a choice party of my own brave men; and I will\ncross the ford despite their guards, and slay Finn and all his\ncompanions in the Palace of the Quicken Trees.\n\n\"Moreover, there is one man among them, namely, Conan Mail,[23] who of\nall the men of Erin has the largest appetite, and is fondest of choice\neating and drinking. To him will I bring savoury food and delicious\ndrink, not, indeed, to delight him with eating and drinking, but that I\nmay torment him with the sight and smell of what he cannot taste.\"\n\nSo, having got the food, he set out with a chosen band; and when he had\narrived at the ford, he saw a warrior at the far side. He asked who he\nwas, and finding that it was Ficna, he spoke guilefully to him.\n\n\"Dear art thou to me, Ficna, dearer even than all the rest of Finn's\nhousehold; for during the time I lived among the Fena, you never used me\nill, or lifted a hand to either man or dog belonging to me.\"\n\nBut Ficna spurned his smooth words, and replied, \"While you lived among\nthe Fena, there was not a man among them that had less to do with you\nthan I. But this I know, that you were treated kindly by all, especially\nby my father Finn, and you have repaid him by ingratitude and\ntreachery.\"\n\nWhen Midac heard this speech he was filled with wrath, and no longer\nhiding his evil mind, he ordered Ficna with threats to leave the ford.\nBut Ficna laughed with scorn, and replied--\n\n\"The task is easy, friend Midac, to dislodge a single champion; and\nsurely it is a small matter to you whether I stand in this narrow pass\nor abandon my post. Come forward, then, you and your knights; but here I\nwill remain to receive you. I only regret you did not come sooner, while\nmy blood was hot, and before my wounds grew stiff, when you would have\ngot a better welcome!\"\n\nThen Midac ordered forward his knights, and they ran eagerly across the\nford. But Ficna overthrew them with a mighty onset, like a hawk among a\nflight of small birds, or like a wolf among a flock of sheep. When Midac\nsaw this, he buckled on his shield and took his sword. Then, treading\nwarily over the rough rocks, and over the dead bodies of his knights,\nhe confronted Ficna, and they attacked each other with deadly hate and\nfury.\n\n\nWe shall now speak of those who remained on Knockfierna. When Oisin\nfound that the two heroes did not return as soon as he expected, he thus\naddressed his companions--\n\n\"It seems to me a long time, my friends, since Ficna and Innsa went to\nthe Palace of the Quicken Trees; methinks if they have sped successfully\nthey should have long since come back with tidings of Finn and the\nothers.\"\n\nAnd one of his companions answered, \"It is plain that they have gone to\npartake of the feast, and it fares so well with them that they are in no\nhaste to leave the palace.\"\n\nBut Dermat O'Dyna of the Bright Face spoke and said, \"It may be as you\nsay, friend, but I should like to know the truth of the matter. And now\nI will go and find out why they tarry, for my mind misgives me that some\nevil thing has happened.\"\n\nAnd Fatha Conan said he would go with him.\n\nSo the two heroes set out for the Palace of the Quicken Trees; and when\nthey were yet a good way off from the ford they heard the clash of arms.\nThey paused for a moment, breathless, to listen, and then Dermat\nexclaimed--\n\n\"It is the sound of single combat, the combat of mighty heroes; it is\nFicna fighting with the foreigners, for I know his war-shout. I hear\nthe clash of swords and the groans of warriors; I hear the shrieks of\nthe ravens over the fairy-mansions, and the howls of the wild men of the\nglens! Hasten, Fatha, hasten, for Ficna is in sore strait, and his shout\nis a shout for help!\"\n\nAnd so they ran like the wind till they reached the hill-brow over the\nriver; and, looking across in the dim moonlight, they saw the whole ford\nheaped with the bodies of the slain, and the two heroes fighting to the\ndeath at the far side. And at the first glance they observed that Ficna,\nbeing sore wounded, was yielding and sheltering behind his shield, and\nscarce able to ward off the blows of Midac.\n\nThen Fatha cried out, \"Fly, Dermat, fly! Save our dear companion! Save\nthe king's son from death.\"\n\nAnd Dermat, pausing for a moment, said, as if communing with himself--\n\n\"This is surely an evil plight: for if I run to the other side, the\nforeigner, being the more enraged for seeing me, will strike with\ngreater fury, and I may not overtake the prince alive; and if I cast my\nspear, I may strike the wrong man!\"\n\nBut Fatha, overhearing him, said, \"Fear not, Dermat, for you never yet\nthrew an erring cast of a spear!\"\n\nThen Dermat, putting his finger in the silken loop of his spear, threw a\ndeadly cast with unerring aim, and struck Midac, so that the iron\nspear-head went right through his body, and the length of a warrior's\nhand beyond.\n\n\"Woe to the man,\" exclaimed Midac--\"woe to him whom that spear reaches:\nfor it is the spear of Dermat O'Dyna!\"\n\nAnd now his wrath increased, and he struck at Ficna more fiercely than\nbefore.\n\nDermat shouted to him to hold his hand and not slay the king's son; and\nas he spoke he rushed down the slope and across the ford, to save the\nyoung hero. But Midac, still pressing on with unabated strength and\nfury, replied--\n\n\"Had you wished to save the prince's life, you should have spared mine:\nnow that I have been wounded to death by your spear, Finn shall never\nsee his son alive!\"\n\nEven as he spoke, he raised his sword for a mighty blow; and just as\nDermat, shouting earnestly, was closing on them, he struck the prince\nlifeless to the earth, but fell down himself immediately after.\n\nDermat came up on the instant, and looked sadly at his friend lying\ndead. Then, addressing Midac, he said--\n\n\"If I had found thee dead, I would have passed thee untouched; but now\nthat I have overtaken thee alive, I must needs behead thee, for thy head\nwill be to Finn a worthy eric[10] for his son.\"\n\nAnd so saying, he struck off Midac's head with one sweep of his heavy\nsword.\n\nDermat now repaired to the Palace of the Quicken Trees, leaving Fatha to\nwatch the ford till his return. And when he had come near, he called\naloud and struck the door with his heavy spear, for his wrath had not\nyet left him; but the door yielded not.\n\nFinn knew the voice, and called out impatiently, \"Do not try to enter\nhere, Dermat, for this place is full of foul spells. But tell us first,\nI pray thee, who fought that long and bitter fight; for we heard the\nclash of arms and the shouts of warriors, but we know nothing more.\"\n\n\"Thy noble son, Ficna,\" returned Dermat, \"fought single-handed against\nthe foreigners.\"\n\n\"And how fares it with my son after that battle?\"\n\n\"He is dead,\" answered Dermat; \"first sore wounded by many foes whom he\nslaughtered, and afterwards slain by Midac, the son of Colga. But thy\nson is avenged; for though I came to the ford indeed too late to save\nhim, I have slain Midac, and here I have brought thee his head as an\neric.\"\n\nAnd for a long time Dermat heard no more.\n\nAt last Finn spoke again and said--\n\n\"Victory and blessings be with you, Dermat, for often before did you\nrelieve the Fena from sore straits. But never have we been in such\nplight as this. For here we sit spell-bound, and only one thing can\nrelease us, the blood of the three fierce kings of the Island of the\nTorrent sprinkled on this clay. Meantime, unless the ford be well\ndefended, the foreigners will come and slay us. In you, Dermat, we\ntrust, and unless you aid us well and faithfully now, we shall of a\ncertainty perish. Guard the ford till the rising of the sun, for then I\nknow the Fena will come to aid you.\"\n\n\"I and Fatha will of a certainty keep the enemy at bay,\" replied Dermat;\nand he bade them farewell for a time, and was about to return to the\nford: but Conan Mail, with a groan, said--\n\n\"Miserable was the hour when I came to this palace, and cold and\ncomfortless is the clay on which I sit--the clay of the Island of the\nTorrent. But worst of all to be without food and drink so long. And\nwhile I sit here, tormented with hunger and thirst, there is great\nplenty of ale and wine and of rich, savoury food yonder in the Palace of\nthe Island. I am not able to bear this any longer; and now, Dermat, I\nbeseech you to bring me from the palace as much food as I can eat and a\ndrinking-horn of wine.\"\n\n\"Cursed be the tongue that spoke these selfish words!\" said Dermat. \"A\nhost of foreigners are now seeking to compass your death, with only\nFatha and myself to defend you. Surely this is work enough for two good\nmen! And now it seems I must abandon my post, and undertake a task of\nmuch danger, to get food for the gluttonous Conan Mail!\"\n\n\"Alas, Dermat-na-man!\"[23] replied Conan, \"if it were a lovely maiden,\nwith bright eyes and golden hair, who made this little request, quickly\nand eagerly you would fly to please her, little recking of danger or\ntrouble. But now you refuse me, and the reason is not hard to see. For\nyou formerly crossed me four times in my courtships; and now it likes\nyou well to see me die of hunger in this dungeon!\"\n\n\"Well, then,\" said Dermat, \"cease your upbraiding, and I will try to\nbring you food; for it is better to face danger than to suffer the\nrevilings of your foul tongue.\"\n\nSo saying, he went back to the ford to Fatha, where he stood watching;\nand after he had told him how matters stood, he said to him--\n\n\"I must needs go to the Palace of the Island, to get food for Conan\nMail; and you shall guard the ford till I return.\"\n\nBut Fatha told him that there was food and drink enough at the other\nside of the ford, which Midac had brought from the palace, and urged him\nto bring a good meal of this to Conan.\n\n\"Not so,\" said Dermat. \"He would taunt me with bringing him food taken\nfrom the hands of dead men; and though one may recover from his blow, it\nis not so easy to recover from the venom of his tongue.\"[XCII.]\n\nSo he left Fatha at the ford, and repaired to the Palace of the Island.\n\nAs he drew nigh, he heard the noise of feasting and revelry, and the\nloud talk and laughter of men deep in drink. Walking tiptoe, he peered\nwarily through the open door, and saw the chiefs and the knights sitting\nat the tables; with Sinsar of the Battles and his son Borba high seated\nover all. He saw also many attendants serving them with food and drink,\neach holding in his hand a large ornamented drinking-horn, filled with\nwine.\n\nDermat entered the outer door softly, and stood in a dark part of the\npassage near the door, silent and stern, with sword drawn, watching his\nopportunity. And after a time one of the attendants, unsuspecting,\npassed close to him; when Dermat, with a swift, sure blow, struck off\nhis head. And he snatched the drinking-horn from the man's hand before\nhe fell, so that not a drop of the wine was spilled.\n\nThen, laying the drinking-horn aside for a moment, he walked straight\ninto the hall, and taking up one of the dishes near where the king sat,\nhe went out through the open door, bringing with him both dish and\ndrinking-horn. And amidst the great crowd, and the drinking, and the\nnoise, no one took the least notice of him, so that he got off without\nhindrance or harm of any kind.\n\nWhen he reached the ford, he found Fatha lying fast asleep on the bank.\nHe wondered very much that he could sleep in the midst of such a\nslaughter; but knowing that the young warrior was worn out with watching\nand toil, he left him lying asleep, and went to the Palace of the\nQuicken Trees with the food for Conan.\n\nWhen he had come to the door, he called aloud to Conan and said--\n\n\"I have here a goodly meal of choice food: how am I to give it to thee?\"\n\nConan said, \"Throw it towards me through yonder little opening.\"\n\nDermat did so; and as fast as he threw the food, Conan caught it in his\nlarge hands, and ate it up ravenously. And when it was all gone, Dermat\nsaid--\n\n\"I have here a large drinking-horn of good wine: how am I to give it to\nthee?\"\n\nConan answered, \"There is a place behind the palace where, from a rock,\nyou may reach the lower parapet with a light, airy bound. Come from that\nstraight over me, and break a hole in the roof with your spear, through\nwhich you can pour the wine down to me.\"\n\nDermat did so; and as he poured down the wine, Conan, with upturned\nface, opened his great mouth and caught it, and swallowed it every drop.\n\nAfter this Dermat came down and returned to the ford, where he found\nFatha still asleep; and he sat beside him, but did not awaken him.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XCII.] A satirical allusion to Conan's well-known cowardice.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nDERMAT O'DYNA SLAYS THE THREE KINGS OF THE ISLAND OF THE TORRENT, BREAKS\nTHE SPELL WITH THEIR BLOOD, AND FREES FINN.\n\n\nTidings were brought to the Palace of the Island that Midac and all whom\nhe led were slain at the ford; and the three kings of the Island of the\nTorrent said--\n\n\"The young king of Lochlann did wrong to make this attempt without\nasking our counsel; and had we known of the thing we would have hindered\nhim. For to us belongs the right to behead Finn and his companions,\nsince it is the spell-venom of the clay which we brought from the Island\nof the Torrent that holds them bound in the Palace of the Quicken Trees.\nAnd now, indeed, we will go and slay them all.\"\n\nSo they set out with a strong party, and soon reached the ford. Looking\nacross in the dim light, they saw Dermat, and called aloud to ask who he\nwas.\n\n\"I am Dermat O'Dyna,\" he replied, \"one of Finn's champions. He has sent\nme to guard this ford, and whoever you are, I warn you not to cross!\"\n\nThen they sought to beguile Dermat, and to win him over by smooth words;\nand they replied--\n\n\"It is a pleasure to us to meet you, Dermat; for we are old friends of\nyours. We are the three kings of the Island of the Torrent, your\nfellow-pupils in valour and all heroic feats. For you and we lived with\nthe same tutors from the beginning; and you never learned a feat of arms\nthat we did not learn in like manner. Leave the ford, then, that we may\npass on to the Palace of the Quicken Trees.\"\n\nBut Dermat answered in few words, \"Finn and his companions are under my\nprotection till morning; and I will defend the ford as long as I am\nalive!\"\n\nAnd he stood up straight and tall like a pillar, and scowled across the\nford.\n\nA number of the foreigners now rushed towards Dermat, and raging in a\nconfused crowd, assailed him. But the strong hero met them as a rock\nmeets the waves, and slew them with ease as they came within the range\nof his sword. Yet still they pressed on, others succeeding those that\nfell; and in the midst of the rage of battle, Fatha started up from his\nsleep, awakened by the crashing of weapons and the riving of shields.\n\nHe gazed for a moment, bewildered, at the combatants, and, seeing how\nmatters stood, he was wroth with Dermat for not awakening him; so that\nhe ran at him fiercely with drawn sword. But Dermat stepped aside, and,\nbeing angry, thus addressed him--\n\n\"Slake thy vengeance on our foes for the present: for me, the swords of\nthe foreigners are enough, methinks, without thine to aid them!\"\n\nThen Fatha turned and attacked the foe, and his onset was even more\ndeadly than that of Dermat; so that they fell before him to the right\nand left on the ford.\n\nAnd now at last the three kings, seeing so many of their men falling,\nadvanced slowly towards Dermat; and Dermat, unterrified, stood in his\nplace to meet them. And their weapons clashed and tore through their\nshields, and the fight was long and furious; till at last the\nchampion-pride and the battle-fury of Dermat arose, so that the three\ndragon-like kings fell slain one by one before him, on that ford of red\nslaughter.\n\nAnd now, though smarting with wounds, and breathless, and weary, Dermat\nand Fatha remembered Finn and the Fena; and Dermat called to mind what\nFinn had told him as to how the spell was to be broken. So he struck off\nthe heads of the three kings, and, followed by Fatha, he ran with them,\nall gory as they were, to the Palace of the Quicken Trees.\n\nAs they drew nigh to the door, Finn, knowing their voices and their\nfootsteps, called aloud anxiously to ask how it fared with the\ncombatants at the ford; \"For,\" said he, \"the crashing and the din of\nthat battle exceeded all we have yet heard, and we know not how it has\nended.\"\n\nDermat answered, \"King of the Fena, Fatha and I have slain the three\nkings of the Island of the Torrent; and lo, here we have their heads all\nbloody; but how am I to bring them to thee?\"\n\n\"Victory and blessings be with you, Dermat; you and Fatha have fought a\nvaliant fight, worthy of the Fena of Erin! Now sprinkle the door with\nthe blood.\"\n\nDermat did so, and in a moment the door flew wide open with a crash. And\ninside they saw the heroes in sore plight, all pale and faint, seated on\nthe cold clay round the wall. Dermat and Fatha, holding the gory heads\nby the hair, sprinkled the earth under each with the blood, beginning\nwith Finn, and freed them one by one; and the heroes, as they found the\nspell broken, sprang to their feet with exulting cries. And they thanked\nthe gods for having relieved them from that perilous strait, and they\nand the two heroes joyfully embraced each other.\n\nBut danger still threatened, and they now took counsel what they should\ndo; and Finn, addressing Dermat and Fatha, said--\n\n\"The venom of these foul spells has withered our strength, so that we\nare not able to fight; but at sunrise they will lose their power, and we\nshall be strong again. It is necessary, therefore, that you still guard\nthe ford, and at the rising of the sun we shall relieve you.\"\n\nSo the two heroes went to the ford, and Fatha returned with food and\ndrink for Finn and the others.\n\n\nAfter the last battle at the ford, a few who had escaped brought back\ntidings to the King of the World and his people, that the three kings of\nthe Island of the Torrent had fallen by the hands of Dermat and Fatha.\nBut they knew not that Finn and the others had been released.\n\nThen arose the king's son, Borba the Haughty, who, next to the king\nhimself, was mightiest in battle of all the foreign host. And he said--\n\n\"Feeble warriors were they who tried to cross this ford. I will go now\nand avenge the death of our people on these Fena, and I will bring\nhither the head of Finn the son of Cumal, and place it at my father's\nfeet.\"\n\nSo he marched forth without delay, with a large body of chosen warriors,\ntill he reached the edge of the ford. And although Dermat and Fatha\nnever trembled before a foe, yet when they saw the dark mass drawing\nnigh, and heard the heavy tread and clank of arms, they dreaded that\nthey might be dislodged and overpowered by repeated attacks, leaving\nFinn and the rest helpless and unprotected. And each in his heart longed\nfor the dawn of morning.\n\nNo parley was held this time, but the foreigners came straight across\nthe ford--as many abreast as could find footing. And as they drew near,\nDermat spoke to Fatha--\n\n\"Fight warily, my friend: ward the blows of the foremost, and be not too\neager to slay, but rather look to thy own safety. It behoves us to nurse\nour strength and prolong the fight, for the day is dawning, and sunrise\nis not far off!\"\n\nThe foreigners came on, many abreast; but their numbers availed them\nnaught, for the pass was narrow; and the two heroes, one taking the\nadvancing party to the right, and the other to the left, sometimes\nparried and sometimes slew, but never yielded an inch from where they\nstood.\n\nAnd now at last the sun rose up over the broad plain of Kenri; and\nsuddenly the withering spell went forth from the bones and sinews of the\nheroes who sat at the Palace of the Quicken Trees, listening with\nanxious hearts to the clash of battle at the ford. Joyfully they started\nto their feet, and, snatching up their arms, hastened down to the ford\nwith Finn at their head; but one they sent, the swiftest among them, to\nKnockfierna, to take the news to Oisin.\n\nDermat and Fatha, fighting eagerly, heeded not that the sun had risen,\nthough it was now indeed glittering before their eyes on the helmets and\narms of their foes. But as they fought, there rose a great shout behind\nthem; and Finn and Gaul and the rest ran down the slope to attack the\nforeigners.\n\nThe foreigners, not in the least dismayed, answered the attack; and the\nfight went on, till Gaul Mac Morna and Borba the Haughty met face to\nface in the middle of the ford, and they fought a hard and deadly\ncombat. The battle-fury of Gaul at length arose, so that nothing could\nstand before him, and, with one mighty blow, he cleft the head from the\nbody of Borba.\n\nAnd now the foreigners began to yield: but they still continued to\nfight, till a swift messenger sped to the Palace of the Island, and told\nthe great king, Sinsar of the Battles, that his son was dead, slain by\nGaul; and that his army was sore pressed by the Fena, with Finn at their\nhead.\n\nWhen the people heard these tidings, they raised a long and sorrowful\ncry of lamentation for the king's son; but the king himself, though\nsorrow filled his heart, showed it not. And he arose and summoned his\nwhole host; and, having arranged them in their battalions and in their\ncompanies under their princes and chiefs, he marched towards the\nbattle-field, desiring vengeance on the Fena more than the glory of\nvictory.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nTHE FIGHT AT THE FORD, WITH THE FOREIGN ARMY.\n\n\nAll the Fena who had gone to the chase from Knockfierna had returned,\nand were now with Oisin, the son of Finn. And the messenger came slowly\nup the hill-side, and told them, though with much difficulty, for he\nwas weary and breathless, the whole story from beginning to end, of\nFinn's enchantment, and of the battles at the ford, and how their\ncompanions at that moment stood much in need of aid against the\nforeigners.\n\nInstantly the whole body marched straight towards the Palace of the\nQuicken Trees, and arrived on the hill-brow over the ford, just as the\nKing of the World and his army were approaching from the opposite\ndirection.\n\nAnd now the fight at the ford ceased for a time, while the two armies\nwere put in battle array; and on neither side was there any cowardice or\nany desire to avoid the combat.\n\nThe Fena were divided into four battalions. The active, bright-eyed\nClann Baskin marched in front of the first battalion; the fierce,\nchampion-like Clann Morna led the second; the strong, sanguinary\nMic-an-Smoil brought up the third; and the fourth was led forward by the\nfearless, venomous Clann O'Navnan.\n\nAnd they marched forward, with their silken banners, each banner-staff\nin the hand of a tall, trusty hero; their helmets glittering with\nprecious gems; their broad, beautiful shields on their left shoulders;\nwith their long, straight, deadly lances in their hands; and their\nheavy, keen-edged swords hanging at the left side of each. Onward they\nmarched; and woe to those who crossed the path of that host of active,\nhigh-minded champions, who never turned their backs on an enemy in\nbattle!\n\nAnd now at last the fight began with showers of light, venomous\nmissiles; and many a hero fell even before the combatants met face to\nface. Then they drew their long, broad-bladed swords, and the ranks\nclosed and mingled in deadly strife. It would be vain to attempt a\ndescription of that battle, for it was hard to distinguish friend from\nfoe. Many a high-souled hero fell wounded and helpless, and neither sigh\nnor groan of pain escaped them; but they died, encouraging their friends\nto vengeance with voice and gesture. And the first thought of each\nchampion was to take the life of his foe rather than to save his own.\n\nThe great king Finn himself moved tall and stately from battalion to\nbattalion, now fighting in the foremost ranks, and now encouraging his\nfriends and companions, his mighty voice rising clear over the clash of\narms and the shouts of the combatants. And wherever he moved, there the\ncourage of the Fena rose high, and their valour and their daring\nincreased, so that the ranks of their foes fell back thinned and\nscattered before them.\n\nOscar, resting for a moment from the toil of battle, looked round, and\nespied the standard of the King of the World, where he stood guarded by\nhis best warriors, to protect him from the danger of being surrounded\nand outnumbered by his foes; and the young hero's wrath was kindled when\nhe observed that the Fena were falling back dismayed wherever that\nstandard was borne.\n\nRushing through the opposing ranks like a lion maddened by dogs, he\napproached the king; and the king laughed a grim laugh of joy when he\nsaw him, and ordered his guards back; for he was glad in his heart,\nexpecting to revenge his son's death by slaying with his own hand Finn's\ngrandson, who was most loved of all the youthful champions of the Fena.\nThen these two great heroes fought a deadly battle; and many a warrior\nstayed his hand to witness this combat. It seemed as if both should\nfall; for each inflicted on the other many wounds. The king's rage knew\nno bounds at being so long withstood, for at first sight he despised\nOscar for his youth and beauty; and he made an onset that caused Oscar's\nfriends, as they looked on, to tremble; for during this attack the young\nhero defended himself, and no more. But now, having yielded for a time,\nhe called to mind the actions and the fame of his forefathers, and\nattacked the king in turn, and, with a blow that no shield or buckler\ncould withstand, he swept the head from the king's body.\n\nThen a great shout went up from the Fena, and the foreigners instantly\ngave way; and they were pursued and slaughtered on every side. A few\nthrew away their arms and escaped to the shore, where, hastily unmooring\ntheir ships, they sailed swiftly away to their own country, with tidings\nof the death of their king and the slaughter of their army.\n\n\n\n\nTHE PURSUIT OF THE GILLA DACKER AND HIS HORSE.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nARRIVAL OF THE GILLA DACKER AND HIS HORSE.\n\n\nOne day in the beginning of summer, Finn, the son of Cumal, the son of\nTrenmore O'Baskin,[23] feasted the chief people of Erin at Allen[23] of\nthe broad hill-slopes. And when the feast was over, the Fena reminded\nhim that it was time to begin the chase through the plains and the glens\nand the wildernesses of Erin.\n\nFor this was the manner in which the Fena were wont to spend their time.\nThey divided the year into two parts. During the first half, namely,\nfrom Beltane to Samin,[XCIII.] they hunted each day with their dogs; and\nduring the second half, namely, from Samin to Beltane, they lived in the\nmansions and the betas[XCIV.] of Erin; so that there was not a chief or\na great lord or a keeper of a house of hospitality in the whole country\nthat had not nine of the Fena quartered on him during the winter half of\nthe year.\n\nFinn and his chiefs now held council as to which of the provinces of\nErin they should begin with; and they chose Munster for the first chase.\n\nNext day they set out, both dogs and men; and they travelled through\nOffaly,[XCV.] and by one side of Fera-call, and to Brosna of Slieve\nBloma, and by the Twelve Mountains of Evlinn, till they came to\nCollkilla, which is now called Knockainy.\n\nThe chase was then set in order, and they scattered themselves over the\nbroad plains of Munster. They began at Ardpatrick,[XCVI.] and they\nhunted over Kenn-Avrat of Slieve-Keen, and over Coill-na-drua, which is\nnow called the district of Fermoy; over the fruitful lands of Lehan, and\nover the confines of Fermorc, which is now called Hy Conall Gavra. Then\nsouth to the patrimony of Curoi Mac Dara, and by the shores of Loch\nLein; afterwards along the blue-streamy Suir, by Caher-Dun-Isca, over\nthe great plain of Femin, and across the speckled summit of\nSlieve-na-man-finn; all over East Munster and West Munster, as far as\nBalla-Gavran on the one side, and on the other across the Shannon to\nCratloe, near Limerick of the blue waters.\n\nIn short, there was not a plain or a valley, a wood or a brake, a\nmountain or a wilderness, in the two provinces of Munster, that they did\nnot hunt over on that occasion.\n\nNow it chanced at one time during the chase, while they were hunting\nover the plain of Cliach,[XCVII.] that Finn went to rest on the hill of\nCollkilla, which is now called Knockainy; and he had his hunting-tents\npitched on a level spot near the summit. Some of his chief heroes\ntarried with him; namely, his son Oisin; the valiant Oscar, the son of\nOisin; Gaul Mac Morna of the Mighty Deeds; Finn's shield-bearer,\nSkeabrac; Kylta Mac Ronan; Dermat O'Dyna of the Bright Face; Ligan\nLumina the Swift-footed; Conan Mail of the Foul Tongue; and Finn Ban Mac\nBresal.\n\nWhen the king and his companions had taken their places on the hill, the\nFena unleashed their gracefully shaped, sweet-voiced hounds through the\nwoods and sloping glens. And it was sweet music to Finn's ear, the cry\nof the long-snouted dogs, as they routed the deer from their covers, and\nthe badgers from their dens; the pleasant, emulating shouts of the\nyouths; the whistling and signalling of the huntsmen; and the\nencouraging cheers of the mighty heroes, as they spread themselves\nthrough the glens and woods, and over the broad, green plain of Cliach.\n\nThen did Finn ask who of all his companions would go to the highest\npoint of the hill directly over them, to keep watch and ward, and to\nreport how the chase went on. For, he said, the Dedannans[1] were ever\non the watch to work the Fena mischief by their druidical spells, and\nmore so during the chase than at other times.\n\nFinn Ban Mac Bresal stood forward and offered to go: and, grasping his\nbroad spears, he went to the top, and sat viewing the plain to the four\npoints of the sky. And the king and his companions brought forth the\nchess-board and chess-men,[26] and sat them down to a game.\n\nFinn Ban Mac Bresal had been watching only a little time, when he saw on\nthe plain to the east, a Fomor[XCVIII.] of vast size coming towards the\nhill, leading a horse. As he came nearer, Finn Ban observed that he was\nthe ugliest-looking giant his eyes ever lighted on. He had a large,\nthick body, bloated and swollen out to a great size; clumsy, crooked\nlegs; and broad, flat feet, turned inwards. His hands and arms and\nshoulders were bony and thick and very strong-looking; his neck was long\nand thin; and while his head was poked forward, his face was turned up,\nas he stared straight at Finn Mac Bresal. He had thick lips, and long,\ncrooked teeth; and his face was covered all over with bushy hair.\n\nHe was fully armed; but all his weapons were rusty and soiled and\nslovenly looking. A broad shield of a dirty, sooty colour, rough and\nbattered, hung over his back; he had a long, heavy, straight sword at\nhis left hip; and he held in his left hand two thick-handled,\nbroad-headed spears, old and rusty, and seeming as if they had not been\nhandled for years. In his right hand he held an iron club, which he\ndragged after him, with its end on the ground; and, as it trailed along,\nit tore up a track as deep as the furrow a farmer ploughs with a team of\noxen.\n\nThe horse he led was even larger in proportion than the giant himself,\nand quite as ugly. His great carcase was covered all over with tangled,\nscraggy hair, of a sooty black; you could count his ribs, and all the\npoints of his big bones through his hide; his legs were crooked and\nknotty; his neck was twisted; and as for his jaws, they were so long and\nheavy that they made his head look twice too large for his body.\n\nThe giant held him by a thick halter, and seemed to be dragging him\nforward by main force, the animal was so lazy and so hard to move. Every\nnow and then, when the beast tried to stand still, the giant would give\nhim a blow on the ribs with his big iron club, which sounded as loud as\nthe thundering of a great billow against the rough-headed rocks of the\ncoast. When he gave him a pull forward by the halter, the wonder was\nthat he did not drag the animal's head away from his body; and, on the\nother hand, the horse often gave the halter such a tremendous tug\nbackwards that it was equally wonderful how the arm of the giant was not\ntorn away from his shoulder.\n\nNow it was not an easy matter to frighten Finn Ban Mac Bresal; but when\nhe saw the giant and his horse coming straight towards him in that wise,\nhe was seized with such fear and horror that he sprang from his seat,\nand, snatching up his arms, he ran down the hill-slope with his utmost\nspeed towards the king and his companions, whom he found sitting round\nthe chess-board, deep in their game.\n\nThey started up when they saw Finn Ban looking so scared; and, turning\ntheir eyes towards where he pointed, they saw the big man and his horse\ncoming up the hill. They stood gazing at him in silent wonder, waiting\ntill he should arrive; but although he was no great way off when they\nfirst caught sight of him, it was a long time before he reached the spot\nwhere they stood, so slow was the movement of himself and his horse.\n\nWhen at last he had come up, he bowed his head, and bended his knee, and\nsaluted the king with great respect.\n\nFinn addressed him; and after having given him leave to speak, he asked\nhim who he was, and what was his name; from which of the three chief\ndivisions of the world he had come, and whether he belonged to one of\nthe noble or ignoble races; also what was his profession or craft, and\nwhy he had no servant to attend to his horse--if, indeed, such an ugly\nold spectre of an animal could be called a horse at all.\n\nThe big man made answer and said, \"King of the Fena, I will answer\neverything you ask me, as far as lies in my power. Whether I come of a\nnoble or of an ignoble race, that, indeed, I cannot tell, for I know not\nwho my father and mother were. As to where I came from, I am a Fomor of\nLochlann[6] in the north; but I have no particular dwelling-place, for\nI am continually travelling about from one country to another, serving\nthe great lords and nobles of the world, and receiving wages for my\nservice.\n\n\"In the course of my wanderings I have often heard of you, O king, and\nof your greatness and splendour and royal bounty; and I have come now to\nvisit you, and to ask you to take me into your service for one year; and\nat the end of that time I shall fix my own wages, according to my\ncustom.\n\n\"You ask me also why I have no servant for this great horse of mine. The\nreason of that is this: at every meal I eat, my master must give me as\nmuch food and drink as would be enough for a hundred men; and whosoever\nthe lord or chief may be that takes me into his service, it is quite\nenough for him to have to provide for me, without having also to feed my\nservant.\n\n\"Moreover, I am so very heavy and lazy that I should never be able to\nkeep up with a company on march if I had to walk; and this is my reason\nfor keeping a horse at all.\n\n\"My name is the Gilla Dacker,[XCIX.] and it is not without good reason\nthat I am so called. For there never was a lazier or worse servant than\nI am, or one that grumbles more at doing a day's work for his master.\nAnd I am the hardest person in the whole world to deal with; for, no\nmatter how good or noble I may think my master, or how kindly he may\ntreat me, it is hard words and foul reproaches I am likely to give him\nfor thanks in the end.\n\n\"This, O Finn, is the account I have to give of myself, and these are my\nanswers to your questions.\"\n\n\"Well,\" answered Finn, \"according to your own account, you are not a\nvery pleasant fellow to have anything to do with; and of a truth there\nis not much to praise in your appearance. But things may not be so bad\nas you say; and, anyhow, as I have never yet refused any man service and\nwages, I will not now refuse you.\"\n\nWhereupon Finn and the Gilla Dacker made covenants, and the Gilla Dacker\nwas taken into service for a year.\n\nThen the big man turned to Conan Mail, and asked him whether the\nfoot-service or the horse-service had the better pay among the Fena; and\nConan answered that the horsemen had twice as much pay as the footmen.\n\n\"If that be so,\" replied the Gilla Dacker, \"I will join the\nhorse-service, as I have a fine steed of my own; and indeed, if I had\nknown this before, I would certainly have come hither on horseback,\ninstead of walking.\n\n\"And now, as to this same horse of mine, I find I must attend to him\nmyself, as I see no one here worthy of putting a hand near him. So I\nwill lead him to the nearest stud, as I am wont to do, and let him graze\namong your horses. I value him greatly, however, and it would grieve me\nvery much if any harm were to befall him; so,\" continued he, turning to\nthe king, \"I put him under your protection, O king, and under the\nprotection of all the Fena that are here present.\"\n\nAt this speech the Fena all burst out laughing, to see the Gilla Dacker\nshowing such concern for his miserable, worthless old skeleton of a\nhorse.\n\nHowbeit, the big man, giving not the least heed to their merriment, took\nthe halter off the horse's head, and turned him loose among the horses\nof the Fena.\n\nBut now, this same wretched-looking old animal, instead of beginning to\ngraze, as every one thought he would, ran in among the horses of the\nFena, and began straightway to work all sorts of mischief. He cocked his\nlong, hard, switchy tail straight out like a rod, and, throwing up his\nhind legs, he kicked about on this side and on that, maiming and\ndisabling several of the horses. Sometimes he went tearing through the\nthickest of the herd, butting at them with his hard, bony forehead; and\nhe opened out his lips with a vicious grin, and tore all he could lay\nhold on, with his sharp, crooked teeth, so that none were safe that came\nin his way either before or behind. And the end of it was, that not an\nanimal of the whole herd escaped, without having a leg broken, or an eye\nknocked out, or his ribs fractured, or his ear bitten off, or the side\nof his face torn open, or without being in some other way cut or maimed\nbeyond cure.\n\nAt last he left them, and was making straight across to a small field\nwhere Conan Mail's horses were grazing by themselves, intending to play\nthe same tricks among them. But Conan, seeing this, shouted in great\nalarm to the Gilla Dacker, to bring away his horse, and not let him work\nany more mischief; and threatening, if he did not do so at once, to go\nhimself and knock the brains out of the vicious old brute on the spot.\n\nBut the Gilla Dacker took the matter quite cool; and he told Conan that\nhe saw no way of preventing his horse from joining the others, except\nsome one put the halter on him and held him, which would, of course, he\nsaid, prevent the poor animal from grazing, and would leave him with a\nhungry belly at the end of the day.\n\nHe said, moreover, that as he had no horse-boy, and must needs do\neverything for himself, he thought it quite time enough to look after\nhis horse when he had to make ready for a journey. \"But,\" said he to\nConan, \"there is the halter; and if you are in any fear for your own\nanimals, you may go yourself and bring him away from the field.\"\n\nConan was in a mighty rage when he heard this; and as he saw the big\nhorse just about to cross the fence, he snatched up the halter, and\nrunning forward, with long strides, he threw it over the animal's head\nand thought to lead him back. But in a moment the horse stood stock\nstill, and his body and legs became as stiff as if they were made of\nwood; and though Conan pulled and tugged with might and main, he was not\nable to stir him an inch from his place.\n\nHe gave up pulling at last, when he found it was no use; but he still\nkept on holding the halter, while the big horse never made the least\nstir, but stood as if he had been turned into stone; the Gilla Dacker\nall the time looking on quite unconcernedly, and the others laughing at\nConan's perplexity. But no one offered to relieve him.\n\nAt last Fergus Finnvel, the poet, spoke to Conan, and said, \"I never\nwould have believed, Conan Mail, that you could be brought to do\nhorse-service for any knight or noble in the whole world; but now,\nindeed, I see that you have made yourself a horse-boy to an ugly foreign\ngiant, so hateful-looking and low-born that not a man of the Fena would\nhave anything to say to him. As you have, however, to mind this old\nhorse in order to save your own, would it not be better for you to mount\nhim, and revenge yourself for all the trouble he is giving you, by\nriding him across the country, over the hill-tops, and down into the\ndeep glens and valleys, and through stones and bogs and all sorts of\nrough places, till you have broken the heart in his big, ugly body?\"\n\nConan, stung by the cutting words of the poet, and by the jeers of his\ncompanions, jumped upon the horse's back, and began to beat him mightily\nwith his heels, and with his two big, heavy fists, to make him go; but\nthe horse seemed not to take the least notice and never stirred.\n\n\"I know the reason he does not go,\" said Fergus Finnvel; \"he has been\naccustomed to carry a horseman far heavier than you, that is to say,\nthe Gilla Dacker; and he will not move till he has the same weight on\nhis back.\"\n\nAt this Conan Mail called out to his companions, and asked which of them\nwould mount with him, and help to avenge the damage done to their\nhorses.\n\n\"I will go,\" said Coil Croda the Battle Victor, son of Criffan; and up\nhe went. But the horse never moved.\n\nDara Donn Mac Morna next offered to go, and mounted behind the others;\nand after him Angus Mac Art Mac Morna. And the end of it was, that\nfourteen men of the Clann Baskin and Clann Morna[23] got up along with\nConan; and all began to thrash the horse together, with might and main.\nBut they were none the better of it, for he remained standing stiff and\nimmovable as before. They found, moreover, that their seat was not at\nall an easy one--the animal's back was so sharp and bony.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[XCIII.] Beltane, the first of May; Samin, the first of November.\n\n[XCIV.] Beta, a public house of hospitality.\n\n[XCV.] Offaly, now the name of two baronies in the county Kildare.\n\nFera-call, or Fircal, an ancient territory in the present King's County.\n\nBrosna, a small river rising in the Slieve Bloma, or Slieve Bloom\nmountains, which flows by Birr, and falls into the Shannon near\nBanagher; usually called the Little Brosna, to distinguish it from the\nGreat Brosna, which flows through King's County into the Shannon.\n\nThe Twelve Mountains of Evlinn. (See note, page 97.)\n\nKnockainy, a small hill much celebrated in fairy lore, in the county\nLimerick, giving name to the village of Knockainy at its base. It\nappears from the text that it was more anciently called Collkilla, or\nhazel-wood.\n\n[XCVI.] Ardpatrick, a beautiful green hill, with a remarkable church\nruin and graveyard on its summit, two miles from Kilfinane, county\nLimerick.\n\nKenn-Avrat was the ancient name of Seefin mountain, rising over the\nvillage of Glenosheen, two miles from Ardpatrick. Slieve-Keen, the old\nname of the hill of Carrigeennamroanty, near Seefin.\n\nFermoy, a well-known town and barony in the county Cork. It appears from\nthe text that the district was anciently known by the name of\nCoill-na-drua, or the wood of the druids.\n\nLehan, the ancient name of the district round Castlelyons, in the county\nCork.\n\nFermorc, now the baronies of Connello, in Limerick. (See note, page\n184.)\n\nCuroi Mac Dara, a celebrated chief who flourished in the time of the Red\nBranch Knights of Ulster, viz., in the first century of the Christian\nera. Curoi had his residence on a mountain near Tralee, still called\nCaherconree (the fortress of Curoi), and his \"patrimony\" was South\nMunster. The remains of Curoi's great stone fortress are still to be\nseen on Caherconree.\n\nLoch Lein, the Lakes of Killarney.\n\nCaher-Dun-Isca, now the town of Caher, on the Suir, in Tipperary.\n\nFemin was the name of the great plain lying to the south and west of the\nmountain of Slievenaman, or Slieve-na-man-finn, near Clonmel, in\nTipperary.\n\nBalla-Gavran, or the pass of Gavran, an ancient road, which ran by\nGavran (now Gowran), in the county Kilkenny.\n\nCratloe, a well-known district on the Clare side of the Shannon, near\nLimerick.\n\n[XCVII.] Cliach, the old name of the plain lying round Knockainy.\n\n[XCVIII.] Fomor, a gigantic warrior, a giant; its primitive meaning is\n\"a sea-robber,\" commonly called a Fomorian. (See note 5 at the end.)\n\n[XCIX.] Gilla Dacker means \"a slothful fellow\"--a fellow hard to move,\nhard to manage, hard to have anything to do with.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nCONAN AND FIFTEEN OF THE FENA ARE CARRIED OFF BY THE GILLA DACKER'S\nHORSE.\n\n\nWhen the Gilla Dacker saw the Fena beating his horse at such a rate, he\nseemed very angry, and addressed the king in these words--\n\n\"King of the Fena, I now see plainly that all the fine accounts I heard\nabout you and the Fena are false, and I will not stay in your\nservice--no, not another hour. You can see for yourself the ill usage\nthese men are giving my horse without cause; and I leave you to judge\nwhether any one could put up with it--any one who had the least regard\nfor his horse. The time is, indeed, short since I entered your service,\nbut I now think it a great deal too long; so pay me my wages, and let me\ngo my ways.\"\n\nBut Finn said, \"I do not wish you to go; stay on till the end of your\nyear, and then I will pay you all I promised you.\"\n\n\"I swear,\" answered the Gilla Dacker, \"that if this were the very last\nday of my year, I would not wait till morning for my wages, after this\ninsult. So, wages or no wages, I will now seek another master; but from\nthis time forth I shall know what to think of Finn Mac Cumal and his\nFena!\"\n\nWith that the Gilla Dacker stood up as straight as a pillar, and,\nturning his face towards the south-west, he walked slowly away.\n\nWhen the horse saw his master leaving the hill, he stirred himself at\nonce and walked quietly after him, bringing the fifteen men away on his\nback. And when the Fena saw this they raised a loud shout of laughter,\nmocking them.\n\nThe Gilla Dacker, after he had walked some little way, looked back, and\nseeing that his horse was following, he stood for a moment to tuck up\nhis skirts. Then, all at once changing his pace, he set out with long,\nactive strides; and if you know what the speed of a swallow is, flying\nacross a mountain-side, or the dry, fairy wind of a March day sweeping\nover the plains, then you can understand the swiftness of the Gilla\nDacker, as he ran down the hill-side towards the south-west.\n\nNeither was the horse behindhand in the race; for, though he carried a\nheavy load, he galloped like the wind after his master, plunging and\nbounding forward with as much freedom as if he had nothing at all on his\nback.\n\nThe men now tried to throw themselves off; but this, indeed, they were\nnot able to do, for the good reason that they found themselves fastened\nfirmly, hands and feet and all, to the horse's back.\n\nAnd now Conan, looking round, raised his big voice, and shouted to Finn\nand the Fena, asking them were they content to let their friends be\ncarried off in that manner by such a horrible, foul-looking old spectre\nof a horse.\n\nFinn and the others, hearing this, seized their arms and started off in\npursuit. Now the way the Gilla Dacker and his horse took was first\nthrough Fermorc,[C.] which is at the present day called Hy Conall Gavra;\nnext over the wide, heathy summit of Slieve Lougher; from that to Corca\nDivna; and they ran along by Slieve Mish, till they reached Cloghan\nKincat, near the deep green sea.\n\nDuring all this time Finn and his people kept them in view, but were not\nable to overtake them; and Ligan Lumina, one of the swiftest of the\nFena, kept ahead of the others.\n\nThe horse now passed by Cloghan Kincat without in the least abating his\nspeed; and when he had arrived on the beach, even at the very water's\nedge, Ligan overtook him, and caught him by the tail with his two hands,\nintending to hold him till the rest of the Fena came up. He gave a\nmighty pull back; but the horse, not in the least checked by this, made\nno more ado but plunged forward through the waves, dragging Ligan after\nhim hanging at his tail. And Ligan now found that he could neither help\nhis friends nor free himself, for his two hands clung fast to the tail\nof the horse.\n\nAnd so the great horse continued his course without stop or stay,\nbringing the sixteen Fena with him through the sea. Now this is how they\nfared in the sea, while the horse was rushing swiftly farther and\nfarther to the west: they had always a dry, firm strand under them, for\nthe waters retired before the horse while behind them was a wild, raging\nsea, which followed close after, and seemed ready every moment to topple\nover their heads. But, though the billows were tumbling and roaring all\nround, neither horse nor riders were wetted by as much as a drop of\nbrine or a dash of spray.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[C.] Fermorc, now the baronies of Connello, in Limerick. Slieve Lougher,\na celebrated mountain near Castle Island, in Kerry. Corca Divna, now the\nbarony of Corkaguiny, the long peninsula lying west of Tralee, and\ncontaining the town of Dingle, and the mountain range of Slieve Mish.\nCloghan Kincat, now called Cloghan, a small village on the northern\ncoast of the peninsula.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nPURSUIT.\n\n\nNow as to Finn and the others. They stood on the bank over the beach,\nwatching the horse and men till they lost sight of them in the sea afar\noff; and then they sat them down, weary after their long chase, and full\nof sadness for the loss of their companions.\n\nAfter a long silence, Finn spoke and asked the chiefs what they thought\nbest to be done. But they replied that he was far beyond them all in\nknowledge and wisdom; and they told him they would follow whatsoever\ncounsel he and Fergus Finnvel, the poet, gave them. Then Finn told\nFergus to speak his mind; and Fergus said--\n\n\"My counsel is that we go straightway to Ben Edar,[CI.] where we shall\nfind a ship ready to sail. For our forefathers, when they wrested the\nland from the gifted, bright-complexioned Dedannans, bound them by\ncovenant to maintain this ship for ever, fitted with all things needful\nfor a voyage, even to the smallest article, as one of the privileges of\nBen Edar; so that if at any time one of the noble sons of Gael\nGlas[CII.] wished to sail to distant lands from Erin, he should have a\nship lying at hand in the harbour ready to begin his voyage.\"\n\nThey agreed to this counsel, and turned their steps without delay\nnorthwards towards Ben Edar. They had not gone far when they met two\nnoble-looking youths, fully armed, and wearing over their armour\nbeautiful mantles of scarlet silk, fastened by brooches of gold. The\nstrangers saluted the king with much respect; and the king saluted them\nin return. Then, having given them leave to converse, he asked them who\nthey were, whither they had come, and who the prince or chief was that\nthey served. And the elder answered--\n\n\"My name is Feradach, and my brother's name is Foltlebar; and we are the\ntwo sons of the king of Innia. Each of us professes an art; and it has\nlong been a point of dispute between us, which art is the better, my\nbrother's or mine. Hearing that there is not in the world a wiser or\nmore far-seeing man than thou art, O king, we have come to ask thee to\ntake us into thy service among thy household troops for a year, and at\nthe end of that time to give judgment between us in this matter.\"\n\nFinn asked them what were the two arts they professed.\n\n\"My art,\" answered Feradach, \"is this: If at any time a company of\nwarriors need a ship, give me only my joiner's axe and my\ncrann-tavall,[CIII.] and I am able to provide a ship for them without\ndelay. The only thing I ask them to do is this--to cover their heads\nclose, and keep them covered, while I give the crann-tavall three blows\nof my axe. Then I tell them to uncover their heads; and lo, there lies\nthe ship in harbour, ready to sail!\"\n\nThen Foltlebar spoke and said, \"This, O king, is the art I profess: On\nland I can track the wild duck over nine ridges and nine glens, and\nfollow her without being once thrown out, till I drop upon her in her\nnest. And I can follow up a track on sea quite as well as on land, if I\nhave a good ship and crew.\"\n\nFinn replied, \"You are the very men I want; and I now take you both into\nmy service. At this moment I need a good ship and a skilful pilot more\nthan any two things in the whole world. And though our own track-men,\nnamely, the Clann Navin, are good, yet we now need some one still more\nskilful, to follow the Gilla Dacker through unknown seas.\"\n\nThen the two brothers asked Finn what strait he was in at that moment,\nand why he wanted a ship and pilot so much. Whereupon Finn told them the\nwhole story of the Gilla Dacker's doings from beginning to end. \"And we\nare now,\" said he, \"on our way to Ben Edar, to seek a ship, that we may\nfollow this giant and his horse, and rescue our companions.\"\n\nThen Feradach said, \"I will get you a ship--a ship that will sail as\nswiftly as a swallow can fly!\"\n\nAnd Foltlebar said, \"I will guide your ship in the track of the Gilla\nDacker till ye lay hands on him, in whatsoever quarter of the world he\nmay have hidden himself!\"\n\nAnd so they turned back to Cloghan Kincat. And when they had come to the\nbeach, Feradach told them to cover their heads; and they did so. Then he\nstruck three blows of his axe on the crann-tavall; after which he bade\nthem look. And lo, they saw a ship, fully fitted out with oars and\nsails, and with all things needed for a long voyage, riding before them\nin the harbour!\n\nThen Kylta Mac Ronan went to the top of a high hill; and, turning his\nface inland, he uttered three mighty shouts, which were taken up by the\npeople of the next valley, and after them by those of the next valley\nbeyond. And so the signal spread, till a shout of alarm was heard in\nevery plain and hill-side, glen and valley, wood and wilderness, in the\ntwo provinces of Munster. And when the Fena heard these shouts, they\nceased anon from their sports and pastimes; for they knew their king was\nin danger or strait of some kind. And they formed themselves into ranks\nand troops and battalions, and began their march; and it is not told how\nthey fared till they reached Cloghan Kincat.\n\nFinn told them the whole story of the Gilla Dacker and his horse, and\nhow he had carried away Conan and fifteen others to some far-off island\nin the Western Ocean. He also showed them the ship, and told them that\nhe himself and a chosen band of the Fena were about to sail westward in\nquest of their friends.\n\nAnd Oisin asked him how many of the chief men of the Fena he wished to\ntake with him.\n\nFinn replied, \"I foresee that this will be a perilous quest; and I think\nall the chiefs here present few enough to bring with me.\"\n\n\"Say not so, O king,\" said Oisin; \"too many have gone already, and some\nmust be left behind to guard the country, and to keep order. If fifteen\ngood men go with you, and that you find the others, the whole party will\nbe a match for any foe you are like to meet in these western lands.\"\n\nAnd Oscar and Gaul Mac Morna spoke in like manner.\n\nTo this Finn agreed. Then he picked out fifteen men, the bravest and\nbest, the most dexterous at the sword, and the swiftest of foot among\nthe Fena.\n\nThe question then arose, who should lead the Fena in the king's absence;\nand what they agreed on was that Oisin should remain behind and take\ncommand, as he was the eldest and bravest and wisest of the king's sons.\n\nOf those who were chosen to go with Finn, the chief men were Dermat\nO'Dyna; Gaul Mac Morna; Oscar, the son of Oisin; Aed Beg, the son of\nFinn; Fergus Finnvel, the poet; the three sons of Encarda; and Feradach\nand Foltlebar, the two sons of the king of Innia.\n\nSo the king and his party took leave of Oisin and the rest. And sad,\nindeed, were they on both sides; for no one knew how far the king might\nhave to sail among unknown seas and islands, or how long he should be\naway from Erin, or the spells and dangers he and his men might encounter\nin this pursuit.\n\nThen they went on board, and launched their ship on the cold, bright\nsea; and Foltlebar was their pilot and steersman. And they set their\nsail and plied their slender oars, and the ship moved swiftly westward\ntill they lost sight of the shores of Erin; and they saw nothing all\nround them but a wide girdle of sea. After some days' sailing, a great\nstorm came from the west, and the black waves rose up against them, so\nthat they had much ado to keep their vessel from sinking. But through\nall the roaring of the tempest, through the rain and blinding spray,\nFoltlebar never stirred from the helm or changed his course, but still\nkept close on the track of the Gilla Dacker.\n\nAt length the storm abated, and the sea grew calm. And when the darkness\nhad cleared away, they saw to the west, a little way off, a vast rocky\ncliff towering over their heads to such a height, that its head seemed\nhidden among the clouds. It rose up sheer from the very water, and\nlooked at that distance as smooth as glass, so that at first sight there\nseemed no way to reach the top.\n\nFoltlebar, after examining to the four points of the sky, found the\ntrack of the Gilla Dacker as far as the cliff, but no farther. And he\naccordingly told the heroes that he thought it was on the top of that\nrock the giant lived; and that, anyhow, the horse must have made his way\nup the face of the cliff with their companions.\n\nWhen the heroes heard this they were greatly cast down and puzzled what\nto do; for they saw no way of reaching the top of the rock; and they\nfeared they should have to give up the quest and return without their\ncompanions. And they sat down and looked up at the cliff, with sorrow\nand vexation in their hearts.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CI.] Ben Edar, now Howth Hill, near Dublin.\n\n[CII.] Gael Glas, the traditional ancestor of the Gaels.\n\n[CIII.] Crann-tav'all, a sort of sling for projecting stones, made of an\nelastic piece of wood, and strung somewhat like a cross-bow.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nDERMAT O'DYNA, IN QUEST OF THE GILLA DACKER, ENCOUNTERS THE\nWIZARD-CHAMPION AT THE WELL.\n\n\nWhen now they had been silent for a time, Fergus Finnvel, the poet,\narose and said--\n\n\"My friends, we have here amongst us one who has been fostered and\ntaught from the child to the man, by Mannanan Mac Lir[8] in Fairyland,\nand by Angus,[1] the wisest of the Dedannans, at Bruga of the Boyne. He\nhas been carefully trained by both in everything a warrior should learn,\nand in much druidical lore besides; so that he is skilled beyond us all\nin manly arts and champion-feats. But now it seems that all his arts and\naccomplishments go for nought, seeing that he is unable to make use of\nthem just at the time that we stand most in need of them. On the top of\nthat rock, doubtless, the Gilla Dacker lives, and there he holds Conan\nand the others in bondage; and surely this hero, who now sits idly with\nus here in our ship, should be able to climb up the face of that cliff,\nand bring us back tidings of our dear friends and companions.\"\n\nWhen Dermat O'Dyna heard this speech, his cheek grew red with shame, and\nhe made this reply--\n\n\"It is of me you have spoken these words, Fergus. Your reproaches are\njust; and though the task is hard, I will attempt to follow the track of\nthe Gilla Dacker, and find out some tidings of our friends.\"\n\nSo saying, Dermat arose, and girded on his armour, and put on his\nglittering helmet. He hung his sword at his left hip; and he took his\ntwo long, deadly spears, one in each hand, namely, the Crann-boi and the\nGa-derg;[CIV.] and the battle-fury of a warrior descended on him, so\nthat he looked a dreadful foe to meet in single combat.\n\nThen, leaning on the handles of his spears, after the manner of skilful\nchampions, he leaped with a light, airy bound on the nearest shelf of\nrock. And using his spears and his hands, he climbed from ledge to\nledge, while his companions watched him anxiously from below; till,\nafter much toil, he measured the soles of his two feet on the green sod\nat the top of the rock. And when, recovering breath, he turned round and\nlooked at his companions in the ship far below, he started back with\namazement and dread at the dizzy height.\n\nHe now looked inland, and saw a beautiful country spread out before\nhim:--a lovely, flowery plain straight in front, bordered with pleasant\nhills, and shaded with groves of many kinds of trees. It was enough to\nbanish all care and sadness from one's heart to view this country, and\nto listen to the warbling of the birds, the humming of the bees among\nthe flowers, the rustling of the wind through the trees, and the\npleasant voices of the streams and waterfalls.\n\nMaking no delay, Dermat set out to walk across the plain. He had not\nbeen long walking when he saw, right before him, a great tree laden with\nfruit, overtopping all the other trees of the plain. It was surrounded\nat a little distance by a circle of pillar-stones; and one stone, taller\nthan the others, stood in the centre near the tree. Beside this\npillar-stone was a spring well, with a large, round pool as clear as\ncrystal; and the water bubbled up in the centre, and flowed away towards\nthe middle of the plain in a slender stream.\n\nDermat was glad when he saw the well; for he was hot and thirsty after\nclimbing up the cliff. He stooped down to take a drink; but before his\nlips touched the water, he heard the heavy tread of a body of warriors,\nand the loud clank of arms, as if a whole host were coming straight down\non him. He sprang to his feet and looked round; but the noise ceased in\nan instant, and he could see nothing.\n\nAfter a little while he stooped again to drink; and again, before he had\nwet his lips, he heard the very same sounds, nearer and louder than\nbefore. A second time he leaped to his feet; and still he saw no one.\nHe knew not what to think of this; and as he stood wondering and\nperplexed, he happened to cast his eyes on the tall pillar-stone that\nstood on the brink of the well; and he saw on its top a large, beautiful\ndrinking-horn, chased with gold and enamelled with precious stones.\n\n\"Now surely,\" said Dermat, \"I have been doing wrong; it is, no doubt,\none of the virtues of this well that it will not let any one drink of\nits waters except from the drinking-horn.\"\n\nSo he took down the horn, dipped it into the well, and drank without\nhindrance, till he had slaked his thirst.\n\nScarcely had he taken the horn from his lips, when he saw a tall\nwizard-champion[CV.] coming towards him from the east, clad in a\ncomplete suit of mail, and fully armed with shield and helmet, sword and\nspear. A beautiful scarlet mantle hung over his armour, fastened at his\nthroat by a golden brooch; and a broad circlet of sparkling gold was\nbended in front across his forehead, to confine his yellow hair, and\nkeep it from being blown about by the wind.\n\nAs he came nearer, he increased his pace, moving with great strides;\nand Dermat now observed that he looked very wrathful. He offered no\ngreeting, and showed not the least courtesy; but addressed Dermat in a\nrough, angry voice--\n\n\"Surely, Dermat O'Dyna, Erin of the green plains should be wide enough\nfor you; and it contains abundance of clear, sweet water in its crystal\nsprings and green bordered streams, from which you might have drunk your\nfill. But you have come into my island without my leave, and you have\ntaken my drinking-horn, and have drunk from my well; and this spot you\nshall never leave till you have given me satisfaction for the insult.\"\n\nSo spoke the wizard-champion, and instantly advanced on Dermat with fury\nin his eyes. But Dermat was not the man to be terrified by any hero or\nwizard-champion alive. He met the foe half-way; and now, foot to foot,\nand knee to knee, and face to face, they began a fight, watchful and\nwary at first, but soon hot and vengeful, till their shields and helmets\ncould scarce withstand their strong thrusts and blows. Like two enraged\nlions fighting to the death, or two strong serpents intertwined in\ndeadly strife, or two great opposing billows thundering against each\nother on the ocean border; such was the strength and fury and\ndetermination of the combat of these two heroes.\n\nAnd so they fought through the long day, till evening came, and it began\nto be dusk; when suddenly the wizard-champion sprang outside the range\nof Dermat's sword, and leaping up with a great bound, he alighted in the\nvery centre of the well. Down he went through it, and disappeared in a\nmoment before Dermat's eyes, as if the well had swallowed him up. Dermat\nstood on the brink, leaning on his spear, amazed and perplexed, looking\nafter him in the water; but whether the hero had meant to drown himself,\nor that he had played some wizard trick, Dermat knew not.\n\nHe sat down to rest, full of vexation that the wizard-champion should\nhave got off so easily. And what chafed him still more was that the Fena\nknew nought of what had happened, and that when he returned, he could\ntell them nothing of the strange hero; neither had he the least token or\ntrophy to show them after his long fight.\n\nThen he began to think what was best to be done; and he made up his mind\nto stay near the well all night, with the hope of finding out something\nfurther about the wizard-champion on the morrow.\n\nHe walked towards the nearest point of a great forest that stretched\nfrom the mountain down to the plain on his left; and as he came near, a\nherd of speckled deer ran by among the trees. He put his finger into the\nsilken loop of his spear, and, throwing it with an unerring cast,\nbrought down the nearest of the herd.\n\nThen, having lighted a fire under a tree, he skinned the deer and fixed\nit on long hazel spits to roast, having first, however, gone to the\nwell, and brought away the drinking-horn full of water. And he sat\nbeside the roasting deer to turn it and tend the fire, waiting\nimpatiently for his meal; for he was hungry and tired after the toil of\nthe day.\n\nWhen the deer was cooked, he ate till he was satisfied, and drank the\nclear water of the well from the drinking-horn; after which he lay down\nunder the shade of the tree, beside the fire, and slept a sound sleep\ntill morning.\n\nNight passed away and the sun rose, bringing morning with its abundant\nlight. Dermat started up, refreshed after his long sleep, and, repairing\nto the forest, he slew another deer, and fixed it on hazel spits to\nroast at the fire as before. For Dermat had this custom, that he would\nnever eat of any food left from a former meal.\n\nAnd after he had eaten of the deer's flesh and drunk from the horn, he\nwent towards the well. But though his visit was early, he found the\nwizard-champion there before him, standing beside the pillar-stone,\nfully armed as before, and looking now more wrathful than ever. Dermat\nwas much surprised; but before he had time to speak the wizard-champion\naddressed him--\n\n\"Dermat O'Dyna, you have now put the cap on all your evil deeds. It was\nnot enough that you took my drinking-horn and drank from my well: you\nhave done much worse than this, for you have hunted on my grounds, and\nhave killed some of my speckled deer. Surely there are many\nhunting-grounds in Erin of the green plains, with plenty of deer in\nthem; and you need not have come hither to commit these robberies on me.\nBut now for a certainty you shall not go from this spot till I have\ntaken revenge for all these misdeeds.\"\n\nAnd again the two champions attacked each other, and fought during the\nlong day, from morning till evening. And when the dusk began to fall,\nthe wizard-champion leaped into the well, and disappeared down through\nit, even as he had done the day before.\n\nThe selfsame thing happened on the third day. And each day, morning and\nevening, Dermat killed a deer, and ate of its flesh, and drank of the\nwater of the well from the drinking-horn.\n\nOn the fourth morning, Dermat found the wizard-champion standing as\nusual by the pillar-stone near the well. And as each morning he looked\nmore angry than on the morning before, so now he scowled in a way that\nwould have terrified any one but Dermat O'Dyna.\n\nAnd they fought during the day till the dusk of evening. But now Dermat\nwatched his foe narrowly; and when he saw him about to spring into the\nwell, he closed on him and threw his arms round him. The wizard-champion\nstruggled to free himself, moving all the time nearer and nearer to the\nbrink; but Dermat held on, till at last both fell into the well. Down\nthey went, clinging to each other, Dermat and the wizard-champion; down,\ndown, deeper and deeper they went; and Dermat tried to look round, but\nnothing could he see save darkness and dim shadows. At length there was\na glimmer of light; then the bright day burst suddenly upon them; and\npresently they came to the solid ground, gently and without the least\nshock.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CIV.] See note, page 302.\n\n[CV.] The original word, which I have translated \"wizard-champion,\" is\n_gruagach_. This word literally means \"hairy,\" \"a hairy fellow;\" and it\nis often used in the sense of \"giant.\" But in these romantic tales it is\ncommonly used to signify a champion who has always something of the\nsupernatural about him, yet not to such a degree as to shield him\ncompletely from the valour of a great mortal hero like Dermat O'Dyna.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nDERMAT O'DYNA IN TIR-FA-TONN.[CVI.]\n\n\nAt the very moment they reached the ground, the wizard-champion, with a\nsudden effort, tore himself away from Dermat's grasp and ran forward\nwith great speed. Dermat leaped to his feet; and he was so amazed at\nwhat he saw around him that he stood stock still and let the\nwizard-champion escape: a lovely country, with many green-sided hills\nand fair valleys between, woods of red yew trees, and plains laughing\nall over with flowers of every hue.\n\nRight before him, not far off, lay a city of great tall houses with\nglittering roofs; and on the side nearest to him was a royal palace,\nlarger and grander than the rest. On the level green in front of the\npalace were a number of knights, all armed, and amusing themselves with\nvarious warlike exercises of sword and shield and spear.\n\nStraight towards this assembly the wizard-champion ran; which, when\nDermat saw, he set off in pursuit, hoping to overtake him. But the\nwizard-champion had too long a start, and when he reached the exercise\ngreen, the knights opened to the right and left, leaving a broad way\nthrough which he rushed. He never halted or looked behind till he had\ngot inside the palace gate; and the moment he had passed in, the knights\nclosed their ranks, and stood facing Dermat with threatening looks and\ngestures.\n\nNothing daunted, Dermat held on his pace towards them; and now those of\nthe front rank started forward with spears and swords, intending to\ncrush him at once, and hew his body to mincemeat. But it was not terror\nnor weakness nor a desire of flight that this produced in Dermat, for\nhis battle-fury was on him; and he rushed through them and under them\nand over them, as a hawk rushes among a flight of sparrows, or like a\nwhale through a shoal of little fishes, or like a raging wolf among a\nflock of sheep, or like a vast billow among a fleet of small vessels, or\nlike a great brown torrent rushing down the steep side of a mountain,\nthat sweeps everything headlong before it. So did Dermat cleave a wide\nlaneway through the hosts, till, from a solid band of warriors, he\nturned them into a scattered crowd, flying in all directions. And those\nthat did not fall by his hand, ran hither and thither, some to hide\nthemselves in the thick forests and remote, wooded glens of the\nsurrounding country; while others rushed in through the outer gate of\nthe palace, and shut themselves up in the strongest part of the\nfortress, neither did they deem themselves safe till they had shot home\nevery bolt, and securely fastened every strong iron lock.\n\nAt last not a living soul remained on the green, and Dermat sat down,\nweary after his battle-toil, and smarting all over with wounds. He was\ngrieved and downcast also, for he knew not where he was, and he saw no\nchance that he should be able either to find any tidings of the friends\nhe was in search of, or to return to his companions in the ship.\n\nAt length, being quite overcome with weariness, he fell into a deep\nsleep. After sleeping for some time, he was awakened by a smart blow. He\nstarted up, and saw a young man standing over him, tall, and of a\ncommanding appearance, with long, golden hair, and a manly, open\ncountenance. Now this young man had come to Dermat, and finding him\nasleep in such a dangerous place, he struck him with the flat of his\nsword to awaken him. In an instant Dermat sprang to his feet and seized\nhis arms; but the youth addressed him in a friendly voice, and said--\n\n\"Dermat O'Dyna, put up your arms; I am no enemy, and I have come, not to\nharm, but to serve you. This, indeed, is a strange place for you to fall\nasleep, before the very door of the castle, and within sight of your\nenemies. Come now with me, and I will give you a better place to sleep\nin, where you will also get a welcome and kindly entertainment.\"\n\nThis speech pleased Dermat very much; and he thanked the young man and\nwent with him. After walking for some time, they came to a large\nsplendid house, and passing through the outer gate they entered the\nbanqueting hall. There they found a noble company of twelve score and\nten knights, and almost as many beautiful ladies, with their long hair\nfalling on their shoulders, shining like the golden flower of the\nmarsh-flag, and gentle and modest in their looks and conversation. They\nwore mantles of scarlet satin, and each mantle was fastened in front by\na brooch of burnished gold.\n\nThe company sat at tables round the walls of the banquet hall, some\nfeasting, some playing chess, and some listening to the music of harps.\nWhen the two heroes entered, all the knights and ladies rose and\nreceived them with much respect, and they welcomed Dermat and invited\nhim to join their entertainment. But the young prince--for he was in\ntruth a prince--pointing to Dermat's clothes and arms, all soiled and\nstained, told them that he had endured much toil that day, and that he\nwanted rest and refreshment.\n\nHe then brought Dermat away, and ordered the attendants to prepare a\nbath in a great caldron. He put soothing balsams and healing herbs into\nit with his own hands, and when Dermat had bathed he was immediately\nhealed of his wounds, and he came forth refreshed and cheerful. The\nprince then directed that his clothes should be put aside, and had him\nclad in rich garments like the others.\n\nDermat now joined the company, and ate and drank, for he had taken\nneither food nor drink since he had made his meal on the deer early that\nmorning near the well; after which he talked and was cheerful with the\nothers. Then rose up the harpers, and the professors of divers arts and\nsciences, and one after another they played their sweet music, and\nrecited their poems and their tales of the heroes of the olden time. And\nwhen they had ended, the knights gave them gifts of gold and silver and\njewels. At last the company broke up, and Dermat was shown to a bed\nrichly ornamented, and soft with the red feathers of wild fowl, and soon\nhe fell into a sound sleep after his long day's adventures.\n\nNow Dermat marvelled much at all he saw and heard; and he knew not what\nplace he was in, or who the people were, that had treated him with such\nkindness. So next morning, when the company had again assembled, he\nstood up, and addressed the prince with gentle words and modest\ndemeanour; and this is what he said--\n\n\"I am much surprised, O prince, at what I have seen, and at all that has\nbefallen me in this land. Though I am here a stranger, thou hast shown\nme much kindness, and these noble knights and ladies have permitted me\nto join their sports, and have treated me with much gentleness and\nconsideration. I wish to know, then, who thou art, O prince, and what\ncountry this is, of which I have never before heard, and who is the king\nthereof. Tell me also, I pray thee, the name of the champion who fought\nwith me for four days at the well, till at last he escaped from me at\nthe palace.\"\n\nThe prince replied, \"I will tell you all, Dermat, as you have asked,\nconcealing nothing. This country is Tir-fa-tonn; the champion who fought\nwith you is called the Knight of the Fountain, and that very champion is\nking of this land. I am the brother of the king, and my name is the\nKnight of Valour. Good reason indeed have I to be kind to you, Dermat\nO'Dyna, for though you do not remember me, I spent a year and a day in\nthe household of Finn the son of Cumal.\n\n\"A part of this kingdom belongs by right to me. But the king and his son\nhave seized on my patrimony, and have banished me from the palace,\nforcing me to live here in exile with a few of my faithful followers.\n\n\"It is my intention, however, to make war on the king for my part of the\nkingdom; and right glad I am that you have come hither, for I would\nrather have you on my side than all the other Fena put together, for\nyour nobleness of mind and your valour in battle.\n\n\"I have here in my household seven score and ten heroes, all champions\nof great deeds; and if you consent to aid me, these shall be placed\nunder your command. By day you shall fight against the king of\nTir-fa-tonn and his son, and by night you shall feast and rest and sleep\nwith me in this palace. If you enter into friendship with me and fight\non my side, well I know that I shall win back my right without delay.\"\n\nDermat agreed to this. So he and the Knight of Valour made a covenant;\nand, placing hand in hand, they pledged themselves to observe faithfully\nthe conditions of the league of friendship.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CVI.] Tir-fa-tonn, literally \"the country beneath the wave.\" (See note\n13 at the end.)\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nFINN, IN QUEST OF DERMAT, FIGHTS MANY BATTLES.\n\n\nAs to Finn Mac Cumal and those that remained behind with him in the\nship, I will now relate what befell them.\n\nIt was now many days since Dermat had left them, and they marvelled much\nthat he did not return with tidings of the Gilla Dacker. At length, when\nthey began to be alarmed, the two sons of the king of Innia offered to\ngo in search of him; but Finn said no, for that they should all go\ntogether.\n\nSo Feradach and Foltlebar took all the cables and ropes they could find\nin the ship, and tied them end to end in hard, sure knots, till they had\na rope long enough to reach from the top of the rock to the bottom. Then\nthey clambered up the steep face of the cliff, bringing with them the\nend of the rope; and one by one they drew up Finn and the rest. And when\nthey looked round, they were as much surprised and delighted as Dermat\nwas at the look of the country.\n\nFoltlebar now made a search, and soon found the track of Dermat; and the\nwhole party set out to walk across the plain, Foltlebar leading the way.\nHaving travelled some distance, they saw the great fruit tree afar off;\nand, turning to the left, they found a place where a fire had been\nlighted, and near it the remains of several meals of deer's flesh. By\nthis they knew that it was here Dermat had slept, for all were well\naware of his custom not to eat of what was left from a meal.\n\nThey then went towards the tree, and there they found the traces of\ndeadly combat--the ground all trampled and ploughed up, and a broken\nspear handle lying at the brink of the well. While they stood pondering\non these things, with anxious hearts, they saw a horseman at a distance,\nspeeding towards them across the plain. In a little while he came up and\nreined in.\n\nHe was a young man of majestic mien, fair and noble of countenance; and\nhe rode a beautiful chestnut steed, with a bridle of twisted gold, and a\nsaddle of surpassing splendour, ornamented all over with gold and\njewels.\n\nHe alighted and saluted Finn and the Fena, and told them they were\nwelcome to his country, for that he was king; and he put his hand on\nFinn's neck and kissed his cheek three times. Then he invited them to go\nwith him, saying that the Plain of the Fountain was a comfortless\nresting-place after a long journey.\n\nFinn's heart was glad at this, for he and his companions were weary;\nand they set out to walk across the plain with the young king. Having\nwalked a good distance, they came in sight of a noble palace, with tall\ntowers and carved front. As they came near, they were met by a company\nof knights on the level green in front, who welcomed them with gentle\nwords. And so they passed into the palace. A bath was prepared, and they\nbathed and were refreshed after their toils. Then they sat down to\nsupper; and while they ate and drank, the harpers played for them, and\nthe poets told their tales and sang their songs.\n\nThey slept that night in the palace; and next day they mingled with the\nknights on the green, and took part in their games and pastimes. In the\nevening they sat down to a feast. The people of the palace were ranged\nat tables according to rank and inheritance, every man in his proper\nplace.\n\nThen the feast went on; and abundance of the newest food and of the\noldest drink was served out; and they ate of the savoury food, and drank\nof the sparkling wines and of the strong ales, till they became merry\nand gently intoxicated. And Finn could not call to mind that he ever saw\nan entertainment in the house of either king or chief better ordered. In\nthis manner they were feasted and entertained for three days and three\nnights.\n\nAt the end of that time a meeting was held by the king on the palace\ngreen. And Finn stood up and said--\n\n\"Tell me, I pray thee, thy name and the name of this country, which I\nhave never seen before, or even heard of.\"\n\n\"This country,\" replied the king, \"is called Sorca, of which I am king;\nand although you know us not, we know you well, for the fame of your\ndeeds has reached even to this land. But now I wish to know why you have\ncome hither; also the reason why you have brought so few companions, and\nwhere the rest have tarried.\"\n\nThen Finn told him the whole story from beginning to end; how the Gilla\nDacker and his great horse had carried off sixteen of their chief men;\n\"And,\" added Finn, \"I and these fifteen companions of mine are now in\nquest of them.\"\n\nThe king replied, \"This is a dangerous undertaking; and you and your\nfifteen men, valiant even as you are, are too few to venture into\nunknown lands, where you may meet with many enemies. Now my knights are\nbrave and generous, and they love battle and adventure. Wherefore I will\nplace a band of them under your command, who will follow you\nwhithersoever you go, and who will not be behindhand even with the Fena\nin facing hardship and danger.\"\n\nFinn stood up to thank the king; but before he had time to speak, they\nsaw a messenger speeding towards them across the plain from the\nnorth-west, breathless, and begrimed all over with mud and dust. When he\nhad come in presence of the company, he bowed low to the king, and,\nstanding up, waited impatient for leave to speak.\n\nThe king asked him what news he had brought and he replied--\n\n\"Bad and direful news I have for thee, O king. A foreign fleet has come\nto our shores, which seems to cover all the sea, even as far as the eye\ncan reach; and until the stars of heaven are counted, and the sands of\nthe sea, and the leaves of the woods, the hosts that are landing from\ntheir black ships shall not be numbered. Even already they have let\nloose their plunderers over the country, who are burning and spoiling\nthe farmsteads and the great mansions; and many noble heroes and keepers\nof houses of hospitality, and many people of the common sort, have been\nslain by them. Some say that it is the King of the World and his host,\nwho, after conquering every country he has yet visited, has come now to\nravage this land with fire and sword and spear, and bring it under his\npower; but I know not if this be true. And this, O king, is the news I\nbring thee.\"\n\nWhen the messenger had ended, the king spoke nought, though his\ncountenance, indeed, showed trouble; but he looked earnestly at Finn.\nFinn understood this to mean that the king sought his help; and, with\nclear voice, he spoke--\n\n\"Thou hast been generous to me and my people in our day of need, O king\nof Sorca; and now thou shalt not find the Fena lacking in grateful\nmemory of thy kindness. We will, for a time, give up the pursuit of the\nGilla Dacker, and we will place ourselves under thy command, and help\nthee against these marauders. Neither do I fear the outcome of this\nwar; for many a time have we met these foreigners on the shores of Erin\nand elsewhere, and they have always yielded to us in the battle-field.\"\n\nThe king of Sorca was glad of heart when he heard these words; and he\nsent his swift scouts all over the country to gather his fighting men.\nAnd when all had come together, he arranged them in fighting order, and\nmarched towards the shore where the foreigners were spoiling the land.\nAnd they met the plundering parties, and drove them with great slaughter\nback to their ships, retaking all the spoils.\n\nThen they formed an encampment on the shore, with ramparts and deep\nditches and long rows of pointed stakes all round. And each day a party\nof the foreigners landed, led by one of their captains, who were met by\nan equal number of the men of Sorca, led by one of the Fena; and each\ntime they were driven back to their ships, after losing their best men.\n\nWhen, now, this had continued for many days, the King of the World\ncalled a meeting of the chiefs of his army, and asked their counsel as\nto what should be done. And they spoke as one man, that their best\nchiefs had fallen, and that they were in worse case now for overcoming\nthe men of Sorca than they were at first; that their sages and prophets\nhad declared against them; and that they had met with ill luck from the\nday of their arrival. And the advice they gave the king was to depart\nfrom the shores of Sorca, for there seemed no chance of conquering the\ncountry as long as the Fena were there to help the king.\n\nSo the king ordered the sails to be set, and he left the harbour in the\nnight with his whole fleet, without bringing the king of Sorca under\nsubjection, and without imposing tribute on the people.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nFINN AND DERMAT MEET.\n\n\nWhen the people of Sorca and the Fena arose next morning, not a ship was\nin sight; and they began to rejoice greatly, finding themselves freed\nfrom this invasion. And while the king and Finn, with the chiefs and\npeople, stood eagerly conversing on all these matters, they saw a troop\nat a distance coming towards them, with banners and standards and arms\nglittering in the morning sun. Now they wondered much who these might\nbe; and Finn desired that some one might go and bring back tidings.\n\nSo Fergus Finnvel went with a few followers, and when he was yet a good\nway off, he knew Dermat O'Dyna at the head of the troop, and ran forward\nwith joy to meet him. And they embraced, even as brothers embrace who\nmeet after being long parted. Then they came towards the assembly; and\nwhen the Fena saw Dermat they shouted with joy and welcome And Dermat,\non his part, could scarce restrain the excess of his joyfulness; for,\nindeed, he did not expect to meet his friends so soon; and he embraced\nthem one by one, with glad heart, beginning with Finn.\n\nThen Finn inquired from Dermat all particulars, what places he had\nvisited since the day he had climbed up the rock, and whether he had\nheard any news of their lost companions; and he asked him also who were\nthey--those valiant-looking fighting men--he had brought with him.\n\nDermat told him of all his adventures from first to last--of his long\ncombat at the well with the Knight of the Fountain, of his descent to\nTir-fa-tonn, and how the Knight of Valour had entertained him hospitably\nin his palace. He related also how he headed the men of the Knight of\nValour, and made war on the king of Tir-fa-tonn (who was also called the\nKnight of the Fountain, the wizard-champion who fought with Dermat at\nthe well), whom he slew, and defeated his army.\n\n\"And now,\" continued he, bringing forth the Knight of Valour from among\nthe strange host, \"this is he who was formerly called the Knight of\nValour, but who is now the king of Tir-fa-tonn. Moreover, this king has\ntold me, having himself found it out by his druidical art, that it was\nAvarta the Dedannan (the son of Illahan of the Many-coloured Raiment)\nwho took the form of the Gilla Dacker, and who brought the sixteen Fena\naway to the Land of Promise,[8] where he now holds them in bondage.\"\n\nFinn and the young king then put hand in hand and made covenants of\nlasting friendship with each other. And the Fena were much rejoiced that\nthey had at last got some tidings of their lost companions.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nCONAN AND HIS COMPANIONS FOUND AND RESCUED.\n\n\nNow after they had rested some days in the palace of the king of Sorca,\nFergus Finnvel told Finn that it was time to begin once more their quest\nafter Conan and the others. They held council, therefore; and the\nresolution they came to was to return to the rock at the spot where they\nhad turned aside from the track of the Gilla Dacker, and to begin their\nsearch anew from that. And when both the king of Sorca and the king of\nTir-fa-tonn would have sent men with them, Finn thanked them, but said\nthat the small party of Fena he had with him were quite enough for that\nadventure.\n\nSo they took leave of the two kings, and went back to the rock, and\nFoltlebar at once found the track. He traced it from the very edge of\nthe rock across the plain to the sea at the other side; and they brought\nround their ship and began their voyage. But this time Foltlebar found\nit very hard to keep on the track; for the Gilla Dacker, knowing that\nthere were not in the world men more skilled in following up a quest\nthan the Fena, took great pains to hide all traces of the flight of\nhimself and his horse; so that Foltlebar was often thrown out; but he\nalways recovered the track after a little time.\n\nAnd so they sailed from island to island, and from bay to bay, over many\nseas and by many shores, ever following the track, till at length they\narrived at the Land of Promise. And when they had made the land, and\nknew for a certainty that this was indeed the Land of Promise, they\nrejoiced greatly; for in this land Dermat O'Dyna had been nurtured by\nMannanan Mac Lir of the Yellow Hair.\n\nThen they held council as to what was best to be done; and Finn's advice\nwas that they should burn and spoil the country, in revenge of the\noutrage that had been done to his people. Dermat, however, would not\nhear of this. And he said--\n\n\"Not so, O king. The people of this land are of all men the most skilled\nin druidic art; and it is not well that they should be at feud with us.\nLet us rather send to Avarta a trusty herald, to demand that he should\nset our companions at liberty. If he does so, then we shall be at peace;\nif he refuse, then shall we proclaim war against him and his people, and\nwaste this land with fire and sword, till he be forced, even by his own\npeople, to give us back our friends.\"\n\nThis advice was approved by all. And then Finn said--\n\n\"But how shall heralds reach the dwelling of this enchanter; for the\nways are not open and straight, as in other lands, but crooked and made\nfor concealment, and the valleys and plains are dim and shadowy, and\nhard to be traversed?\"\n\nBut Foltlebar, nothing daunted by the dangers and the obscurity of the\nway, offered to go with a single trusty companion; and they took up the\ntrack and followed it without being once thrown out, till they reached\nthe mansion of Avarta. There they found their friends amusing themselves\non the green outside the palace walls; for, though kept captive in the\nisland, yet were they in no wise restrained, but were treated by Avarta\nwith much kindness. When they saw the heralds coming towards them, their\njoy knew no bounds; they crowded round to embrace them, and asked them\nmany questions regarding their home and their friends.\n\nAt last Avarta himself came forth, and asked who these strangers were;\nand Foltlebar replied--\n\n\"We are of the people of Finn Mac Cumal, who has sent us as heralds to\nthee. He and his heroes have landed on this island, guided hither by me;\nand he bade us tell thee that he has come to wage war and to waste this\nland with fire and sword, as a punishment for that thou hast brought\naway his people by foul spells, and even now keepest them in bondage.\"\n\nWhen Avarta heard this, he made no reply, but called a council of his\nchief men, to consider whether they should send back to Finn an answer\nof war or of peace. And they, having much fear of the Fena, were minded\nto restore Finn's people, and to give him his own award in satisfaction\nfor the injury done to him; and to invite Finn himself and those who had\ncome with him to a feast of joy and friendship in the house of Avarta.\n\nAvarta himself went with Foltlebar to give this message. And after he\nand Finn had exchanged friendly greetings, he told them what the council\nhad resolved; and Finn and Dermat and the others were glad at heart. And\nFinn and Avarta put hand in hand, and made a league of friendship.\n\nSo they went with Avarta to his house, where they found their lost\nfriends; and, being full of gladness, they saluted and embraced each\nother. Then a feast was prepared; and they were feasted for three days,\nand they ate and drank and made merry.\n\nOn the fourth day, a meeting was called on the green to hear the award.\nNow it was resolved to make amends on the one hand to Finn, as king of\nthe Fena, and on the other, to those who had been brought away by the\nGilla Dacker. And when all were gathered together, Finn was first asked\nto name his award; and this is what he said--\n\n\"I shall not name an award, O Avarta; neither shall I accept an eric\nfrom thee. But the wages I promised thee when we made our covenant at\nKnockainy, that I will give thee. For I am thankful for the welcome thou\nhast given us here; and I wish that there should be peace and friendship\nbetween us for ever.\"\n\nBut Conan, on his part, was not so easily satisfied; and he said to\nFinn--\n\n\"Little hast thou endured, O Finn, in all this matter; and thou mayst\nwell waive thy award. But hadst thou, like us, suffered from the sharp\nbones and the rough carcase of the Gilla Dacker's monstrous horse, in a\nlong journey from Erin to the Land of Promise, across wide seas, through\ntangled woods, and over rough-headed rocks, thou wouldst then, methinks,\nname an award.\"\n\nAt this, Avarta, and the others who had seen Conan and his companions\ncarried off on the back of the big horse, could scarce keep from\nlaughing; and Avarta said to Conan--\n\n\"Name thy award, and I will fulfil it every jot: for I have heard of\nthee, Conan, and I dread to bring the gibes and taunts of thy foul\ntongue on myself and my people.\"\n\n\"Well then,\" said Conan, \"my award is this: that you choose fifteen of\nthe best and noblest men in the Land of Promise, among whom are to be\nyour own best beloved friends; and that you cause them to mount on the\nback of the big horse, and that you yourself take hold of his tail. In\nthis manner you shall fare to Erin, back again by the selfsame track the\nhorse took when he brought us hither--through the same surging seas,\nthrough the same thick thorny woods, and over the same islands and rough\nrocks and dark glens. And this, O Avarta, is my award,\" said Conan.\n\nNow Finn and his people were rejoiced exceedingly when they heard\nConan's award--that he asked from Avarta nothing more than like for\nlike. For they feared much that he might claim treasure of gold and\nsilver, and thus bring reproach on the Fena.\n\nAvarta promised that everything required by Conan should be done,\nbinding himself in solemn pledges. Then the heroes took their leave; and\nhaving launched their ship on the broad, green sea, they sailed back by\nthe same course to Erin. And they marched to their camping-place at\nKnockainy, where they rested in their tents.\n\nAvarta then chose his men. And he placed them on the horse's back, and\nhe himself caught hold of the tail; and it is not told how they fared\ntill they made harbour and landing-place at Cloghan Kincat. They delayed\nnot, but straightway journeyed over the selfsame track as before, till\nthey reached Knockainy.\n\nFinn and his people saw them afar off coming towards the hill with great\nspeed; the Gilla Dacker, quite as large and as ugly as ever, running\nbefore the horse; for he had let go the tail at Cloghan Kincat. And the\nFena could not help laughing heartily when they saw the plight of the\nfifteen chiefs on the great horse's back; and they said with one voice\nthat Conan had made a good award that time.\n\nWhen the horse reached the spot from which he had at first set out, the\nmen began to dismount. Then the Gilla Dacker, suddenly stepping forward,\nheld up his arm and pointed earnestly over the heads of the Fena\ntowards the field where the horses were standing; so that the heroes\nwere startled, and turned round every man to look. But nothing was to be\nseen except the horses grazing quietly inside the fence.\n\nFinn and the others now turned round again, with intent to speak to the\nGilla Dacker and bring him and his people into the tents; but much did\nthey marvel to find them all gone. The Gilla Dacker and his great horse\nand the fifteen nobles of the Land of Promise had disappeared in an\ninstant; and neither Finn himself nor any of his chiefs ever saw them\nafterwards.\n\n\nSo far we have related the story of the pursuit of the Gilla Dacker and\nhis horse.\n\n\n\n\nTHE PURSUIT OF DERMAT AND GRANIA.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nFINN, THE SON OF CUMAL, SEEKS THE PRINCESS GRANIA TO WIFE.\n\n\nOn a certain day, Finn, the son of Cumal, rose at early morn in Allen of\nthe broad hill-slopes, and, going forth, sat him down on the green lawn\nbefore the palace, without companion or attendant. And two of his people\nfollowed him, namely, Oisin his son, and Dering the son of Dobar\nO'Baskin.\n\nOisin spoke to him and asked, \"Why, O king, hast thou come forth so\nearly?\"\n\n\"Cause enough have I indeed,\" replied Finn; \"for I am without a wife\nsince Manissa, the daughter of Garad of the Black Knee, died; and who\ncan enjoy sweet sleep when his life is lonely like mine, with no wife to\ncomfort and cheer him? This, my friends, is the cause of my early\nrising.\"\n\nAnd Oisin said, \"Why should you be without a wife if you desire one? For\nthere is not, within the sea-circle of green Erin, a maiden that we will\nnot bring you, either by consent or by force, if you only turn the\nlight of your eyes on her.\"\n\nThen Dering spoke and said, \"I know where there is a maiden, who in all\nrespects is worthy to be thy wife.\"\n\nAnd when Finn asked who she was, Dering replied--\n\n\"The maiden is Grania, daughter of king Cormac,[22] the son of Art, the\nson of Conn the Hundred-fighter; the most beautiful, the best\ninstructed, and the most discreet in speech and manner of all the\nmaidens of Erin.\"\n\n\"There has been strife between me and Cormac for a long time,\" said\nFinn, \"and it may happen that he will not give me his daughter in\nmarriage. But go ye to Tara in my name, you and Oisin, and ask the\nmaiden for me: if the king should refuse, so let it be; but I can better\nbear a refusal to you than to myself.\"\n\n\"We will go,\" said Oisin; \"but it is better that no man know of our\njourney till we return.\"\n\nSo the two heroes took leave of Finn and went their way; and nothing is\ntold of what befell them till they reached Tara. It chanced that the\nking was at this time holding a meeting; and the chiefs and great nobles\nof Tara were assembled round him. And when the two warriors arrived,\nthey were welcomed, and the meeting was put off for that day; for the\nking felt sure that it was on some business of weight they had come.\n\nAfter they had eaten and drunk, the king, sending away all others from\nhis presence, bade the two chiefs tell their errand. So Oisin told him\nthey had come to seek his daughter Grania in marriage for Finn the son\nof Cumal.\n\nThen the king said, \"In all Erin there is scarce a young prince or noble\nwho has not sought my daughter in marriage; and she has refused them\nall. And it is on me that the ill feeling and reproach caused by her\nrefusals have fallen; for she has ever made me the bearer of her\nanswers. Wherefore now you shall come to my daughter's presence, and I\nwill not mention the matter to her till she give you an answer from her\nown lips: so shall I be blameless if she refuse.\"\n\nSo they went to the apartments of the women, at the sunny side of the\npalace. And when they had entered the princess's chamber, the king sat\nwith her on the couch and said--\n\n\"Here, my daughter, are two of the people of Finn the son of Cumal, who\nhave come to ask thee as a wife for him.\"\n\nAnd Grania, giving, indeed, not much thought to the matter, answered, \"I\nknow not whether he is worthy to be thy son-in-law; but if he be, why\nshould he not be a fitting husband for me?\"\n\nThe two messengers were satisfied with this answer, and retired. And\nCormac made a feast for them; and they ate and drank and made merry with\nthe chiefs and nobles of the palace; after which the king bade them tell\nFinn to come at the end of a fortnight to claim his bride.\n\nSo the two heroes returned to Allen, and told how they had fared in\ntheir quest. And as all things come at last to an end, so this fortnight\nwore slowly away; and at the end of the time, Finn, having collected\nround him the chief men of the seven standing battalions of the Fena to\nbe his guard, marched to Tara. The king received him with great honour,\nand welcomed the Fena, and they were feasted with the nobles of Erin in\nthe great banquet hall of Micorta.[CVII.] And the king sat on his throne\nto enjoy the feast with his guests, having Finn on his right hand, and\non his left the queen, Etta, the daughter of Atan of Corca; and Grania\nsat next the queen, her mother, on the left. And all the others sat\naccording to their rank and patrimony.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nDERMAT O'DYNA SECRETLY ESPOUSES THE PRINCESS GRANIA.\n\n\nNow while the feast went on, it chanced that Dara of the Poems, one of\nFinn's druids, sat near Grania. And he recited for her many lays about\nthe deeds of her forefathers; after which a pleasant conversation arose\nbetween them. And when they had talked for some time, she asked him--\n\n\"What means all this feasting? And why has Finn come with his people on\nthis visit to my father the king?\"\n\nDara was surprised at this question, and answered, \"If thou dost not\nknow, it is hard for me to know.\"\n\nAnd Grania answered, \"I wish, indeed, to learn from you what has brought\nFinn to Tara.\"\n\n\"It is strange to hear thee ask this question,\" said the druid. \"Knowest\nthou not that he has come to claim thee for his wife?\"\n\nGrania was silent for a long time after hearing this. And again she\nspoke--\n\n\"If, indeed, Finn had sought me for his son Oisin, or for the youthful\nOscar, there would be nothing to wonder at; but I marvel much that he\nseeks me for himself, seeing that he is older than my father.\"\n\nThen Grania meditated in silence; and after a time she said to the\ndruid--\n\n\"This is a goodly company, but I know not one among them, except only\nOisin, the son of Finn. Tell me now who is that warrior on the right of\nOisin.\"\n\n\"That knightly warrior,\" answered the druid, \"is Gaul Mac Morna the\nTerrible in Battle.\"\n\n\"Who is the youthful champion to the right of Gaul?\" asked Grania.\n\n\"That is Oscar, the son of Oisin,\" said the druid.\n\n\"Who is the graceful and active-looking chief sitting next Oscar?\" asked\nthe princess.\n\n\"That is Kylta Mac Ronan the Swift-footed,\" said the druid.\n\n\"Next to Kylta Mac Ronan sits a champion with fair, freckled skin,\nraven-black curls, a gentle, handsome, manly countenance, and soft\nvoice: pray who is he?\"\n\n\"That is Dermat O'Dyna of the Bright Face, the favourite of maidens, and\nbeloved of all the Fena for his high-mindedness, his bravery, and his\ngenerous disposition.\"\n\n\"Who is he sitting at Dermat's shoulder?\" asked Grania.\n\n\"That is Dering, the son of Dobar O'Baskin,\" replied the druid; \"a\nvaliant champion, and also a druid and a man of science.\"\n\nThen Grania called her handmaid, and said to her, \"Bring me the large\njewelled, gold-chased drinking-horn that lies in my chamber.\"\n\nThe handmaid brought the drinking-horn; and Grania, having filled it to\nthe brim, said--\n\n\"Take it now to Finn from me, and tell him that I desire him to drink\nfrom it.\"\n\nThe handmaiden did so, and Finn took a full draught. He passed the\ndrinking-horn to the king, and the king drank; and after him the queen.\nThen again Grania bade the handmaid bring it to Carbri of the Liffey,\nthe king's son; and she ceased not till all she wished to drink had\ndrunk from the gold-chased horn. And after a little time, those who had\ndrunk fell into a deep sleep, like the sleep of death.\n\nThen the princess rose from her seat, and, walking softly across the\nhall, sat down near Dermat O'Dyna; and with downcast eyes and low voice,\nshe said--\n\n\"Wilt thou, Dermat, return my love if I give it to thee?\"\n\nDermat heard her at first with amazement and alarm. Then for a moment,\neven before he was aware, his heart leaped with joy; but when he\nbethought him of his duty to his chief, he hardened his mind, and\nanswered with cold looks and words--\n\n\"The maiden who is betrothed to Finn, I will not love; and even if I\nwere so minded, I dare not.\"\n\nAnd with eyes still cast down, Grania said, \"I know well it is thy duty,\nand not thy heart, that prompts thee to speak so. Thou seest how it is\nwith me; and I am forced to speak more boldly than a maiden should. Finn\nhas come to ask me for his wife; but he is an old man, even older than\nmy father, and I love him not. But I love thee, Dermat, and I beseech\nthee to save me from this hateful marriage. And, lest thou think that my\nlove for thee is only a passing fancy, hear now what befell.\n\n\"Of a day when a hurling match was played on the green of Tara, between\nMac Luga and the Fena on the one side, and Carbri of the Liffey and the\nmen of Tara on the other, I sat high up at the window of my sunny\nchamber to see the game. Thou didst remain sitting with some others that\nday, not meaning to take part in the play. But at last, when the game\nbegan to go against thy friends, I saw thee start up; and, snatching the\nhurlet from the man nearest to thee, thou didst rush into the thick of\nthe crowd; and before sitting down thou didst win the goal three times\non the men of Tara. At that hour my eyes and my heart were turned to\nthee; and well I knew thee to-day in this banquet hall, though I knew\nnot thy name till the druid told me. At that same hour, too, I gave thee\nmy love--what I never gave, and never will give, to any other.\"\n\nThen was Dermat sore troubled. He strove with himself, but strove in\nvain; for he could not help loving the princess with his whole heart.\nYet none the less did he hide his thoughts; for his duty to his chief\nprevailed. And with looks and words cold and stern, he replied--\n\n\"I marvel greatly that thou hast not given thy love to Finn, who\ndeserves it much better than any other man alive. And still more do I\nmarvel that thou hast lighted on me beyond all the princes and nobles of\nTara; for truly there is not one among them less worthy of thy love than\nI. But that thou shouldst be my wife, by no means can this be; for even\nwere I to consent, there is not in Erin a fastness or a wilderness,\nhowever strong or remote, that could shelter us from Finn's vengeance.\"\n\nThen Grania said, \"I read thy thoughts; and I know thou art striving\nagainst what thy heart prompts. And now, O Dermat, I place thee under\ngesa,[12] and under the bonds of heavy druidical spells--bonds that true\nheroes never break through, that thou take me for thy wife before Finn\nand the others awaken from their sleep; and save me from this hateful\nmarriage.\"\n\nAnd Dermat, still unyielding, replied, \"Evil are those gesa thou hast\nput on me; and evil, I fear, will come of them. But dost thou not know,\nprincess, that whenever Finn sleeps at Tara, it is one of his privileges\nto have in his own keeping the keys of the great gates; so that even if\nwe so willed it, we should not be able to leave the fortress?\"\n\n\"There is a wicket gate leading out from my apartments,\" said Grania,\n\"and through that we shall pass forth.\"\n\n\"That I cannot do,\" answered Dermat; \"for it is one of my gesa[12] never\nto enter a king's mansion, or leave it, by a wicket gate.\"\n\nAnd Grania answered, \"I have heard it said that every true champion, who\nhas been instructed in all the feats that a warrior should learn, can\nbound over the highest rampart of a fort by means of the handles of his\nspears; and well I know that thou art the most accomplished champion\namong the Fena. I will now pass out through the wicket gate; and even if\nthou dost not follow, I will fly alone from Tara.\"\n\nAnd so she went forth from the banquet hall.\n\nThen Dermat, much doubting how to act, spoke to his friends and asked\ncounsel of them. And first he addressed Oisin, the son of Finn, and\nasked him how he should deal with the heavy gesa-bonds that had been\nlaid on him by the princess; and what he should do in the case.\n\n\"You are blameless in regard to these bonds,\" answered Oisin; \"and I\ncounsel you to follow Grania; but guard yourself well against the wiles\nof Finn.\"\n\n\"O dear friend Oscar,\" spoke Dermat again, \"what think you is best for\nme to do, seeing that these heavy gesa-bonds have been put on me?\"\n\n\"I say you should follow Grania,\" answered Oscar; \"for he, indeed, is\nbut a pitiful champion who fears to keep his bonds.\"\n\n\"What counsel do you give me, Kylta?\" said Dermat to Kylta Mac Ronan.\n\n\"I say,\" answered Kylta, \"that I would gladly give the world's wealth\nthat the princess had given me her love; and I counsel you to follow\nher.\"\n\nLast of all, Dermat spoke to Dering, the son of Dobar O'Baskin, and\nsaid, \"Give me your judgment in this hard matter, friend Dering.\"\n\nAnd Dering answered, \"If you espouse Grania, I foresee that your death\nwill come of it, which grieves me even to think of; but even so, I\ncounsel you to follow the princess rather than break through your gesa.\"\n\nAnd Dermat, doubting even still, asked for the last time, \"Is this, my\nfriends, the counsel you all give?\"\n\nAnd they all answered, \"Yes,\" as with the voice of one man.\n\nThen Dermat arose and put on his armour and his helmet; and he took his\nshield, and his two heavy spears, and his sword. And with tears he bade\nfarewell to his dear companions; for well he knew that it would be long\nbefore they should meet again; and he foresaw trouble and danger.\n\nThen he went forth to where the steep side of the inner mound\noverlooked the outer rampart; and, placing his two spears point\ndownwards, and leaning on them after the manner of skilful champions,\nwith two light, airy bounds he cleared rampart and ditch, and measured\nthe length of his two feet on the level green outside. And there the\nprincess met him; and he said to her, with voice and manner still\ndistant and stern--\n\n\"Evil will certainly come of this espousal, O princess, both to thee and\nto me. Far better would it be for thee to choose Finn and to pass me by;\nfor now we shall wander without home or rest, fleeing from his wrath.\nReturn, then, princess, return even now through the wicket gate, for the\nsleepers have not yet awakened; and Finn shall never learn what has\nhappened.\"\n\nBut Grania, gentle and sad indeed, but quite unmoved, replied, \"I will\nnever return; and until death takes me I will not part from thee.\"\n\nThen at last Dermat yielded and strove no longer; and putting off his\nsternness of manner and voice, he spoke gently to the princess and\nsaid--\n\n\"I will hide my thoughts from thee no more, Grania. I will be thy\nhusband, all unworthy of thee as I am; and I will guard thee and defend\nthee to the death from Finn and his hirelings.\"\n\nAnd they plighted their faith, and vowed solemn vows to be faithful to\neach other as man and wife for ever.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CVII.] See foot-note, page 55.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nFLIGHT AND PURSUIT.\n\n\nThen Grania showed Dermat the fenced meadow where her father's horses\ngrazed, and bade him yoke two horses to a chariot. And when he had done\nso, he and Grania sat in the chariot and travelled with all speed\nwestward, till they reached Ath-Luan.[CVIII.]\n\nAnd when they had come to the ford, Dermat said, \"Finn will doubtless\npursue us, and it will be all the easier for him to follow our track,\nthat we have the horses.\"\n\nAnd Grania answered, \"As we are now so far from Tara, we may leave the\nchariot and horses here, and I will fare on foot henceforward.\"\n\nSo they alighted from the chariot; and Dermat, leading one of the horses\nacross, left them both some distance above the ford, one at each side of\nthe river. And he took up Grania in his strong arms, and brought her\ntenderly across the ford, so that not even the sole of her foot, or the\nskirt of her mantle was wetted. Then they walked against the stream for\na mile, and turned south-west, till they reached the Wood of the two\nTents.[CIX.]\n\nIn the midst of the wood, where it was thickest, Dermat lopped off\nbranches and wove a hut, where they rested. And he brought Grania the\nwild animals of the wood to eat, and gave her the water of a clear\nspring to drink.\n\nAs to Finn, the son of Cumal, I will now tell what befell him. When the\nking and his guests arose from their sleep at early dawn next morning,\nthey found Dermat and Grania gone; and a burning jealousy seized on\nFinn, and his rage was so great that for a time all his strength left\nhim. Then he sent for his tracking-men, namely, the Clann Navin; and he\ncommanded them forthwith to follow the track of Dermat and Grania. This\nthey did with much ease as far as Ath-Luan, while Finn and the others\nfollowed after; but when they had come to the ford, they lost the track.\nWhereupon Finn, being now indeed easily kindled to wrath, told them that\nunless they took up the track again speedily, he would hang every man of\nthe Clann Navin on the edge of the ford.\n\nSo the trackers, being sore afraid, searched upwards against the stream,\nand found the two horses where they had been left, one on each side of\nthe river. And going on a mile further, they came to the spot where\nDermat and Grania had turned from the river; and there they lighted on\nthe south-west track, Finn and the Fena still following. And when the\nClann Navin had pointed out to Finn the direction of the track, he\nsaid--\n\n\"Well do I know now where we shall find Dermat and Grania; for of a\ncertainty they have hidden themselves in the Wood of the two Tents.\"\n\nNow it chanced that Oisin, and Oscar, and Kylta, and Dering were present\nwhen Finn spoke these words; and they were troubled, for they loved\nDermat. And going aside, they held council among themselves, and Oisin\nspoke--\n\n\"There is much likelihood, friends, that Finn speaks truth; for he is\nfar-seeing, and judges not hastily. It is needful, therefore, that we\nsend Dermat warning, lest he be taken unawares. My counsel is that you,\nOscar, find out Finn's hound, Bran, and tell him to go to the Wood of\nthe two Tents with a warning to Dermat; for Bran does not love his own\nmaster Finn better than he loves Dermat.\"\n\nSo Oscar called Bran secretly, and told him what he should do. Bran\nlistened with sagacious eye and ears erect, and understood Oscar's words\nquite well. Then, running back to the rear of the host, so that Finn\nmight not see him, he followed the track without once losing it, till he\narrived at the Wood of the two Tents. There he found Dermat and Grania\nasleep in their hut, and he put his head into Dermat's bosom.\n\nDermat started up from his sleep, and seeing Bran, he awakened Grania,\nand said--\n\n\"Here is Bran, Finn's hound; he has come to warn me that Finn himself is\nnear.\"\n\nAnd Grania trembled and said, \"Let us take the warning, then, and fly!\"\n\nBut Dermat answered, \"I will not leave this hut; for however long we\nfly, we cannot escape from Finn; and it is not worse to fall into his\nhands now than at any other time. Howbeit, they shall not come into this\nfastness unless I permit them.\"\n\nThen great fear fell on Grania; but, seeing Dermat gloomy and downcast,\nshe urged the point no further.\n\nAgain Oisin spoke to his three companions and said, \"I fear me that Bran\nmay not have been able to baffle Finn, or that some other mischance may\nhave hindered him from finding Dermat; so we must needs send him another\nwarning. Bring hither, therefore, Fergor, Kylta's errand-man.\"\n\nAnd Kylta brought forward Fergor.\n\nNow this Fergor had a voice so loud that his shout was heard over the\nthree nearest cantreds.\n\nSo they caused him to give three shouts that Dermat might hear. And\nDermat heard Fergor's shouts, and, awakening Grania from her sleep, said\nto her--\n\n\"I hear the shout of Fergor, Kylta's errand-man. And he is with Kylta,\nand Kylta is with Finn; and I know that my friends have sent me this\nwarning, as a sign that Finn himself is coming.\"\n\nAnd again Grania trembled and said, \"Let us take this warning and fly!\"\n\nBut Dermat answered, \"I will not fly; and we shall not leave this wood\ntill Finn and the Fena overtake us. Howbeit, none shall come into this\nfastness unless I permit them.\"\n\nAnd Grania was in great fear; but this time Dermat looked gloomy and\nstern, and she pressed the matter no further.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CVIII.] Ath-Luan, now Athlone, on the Shannon. In ancient times the\nriver had to be crossed by a ford, where the bridge is now built.\n\n[CIX.] The Wood of the two Tents was situated in the territory of\nClanrickard, in the county Galway.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nTHE FASTNESS OF THE SEVEN NARROW DOORS.\n\n\nNow as to Finn. He and the others went forward till they reached the\nWood of the two Tents. And he sent forward the Clann Navin to make\nsearch; who went, and having made their way to the thickest part of the\nwood, they came to a fence which they could not cross.\n\nFor Dermat had cleared a space round his hut, and surrounded it with a\nfence that no man could pierce, with seven narrow doors of strong poles\nwoven with saplings, to face seven different parts of the wood.\n\nThen the Clann Navin climbed up to a high tree branch, and looked over\nthe fence; and they saw Dermat with a lady. And when they had returned,\nFinn asked them if Dermat and Grania were in the wood. And they\nanswered--\n\n\"Dermat, indeed, is there, and we saw a lady with him; but whether she\nbe Grania or not we cannot tell, for we know not the princess.\"\n\n\"May ill luck attend Dermat, and all his friends for his sake!\" said\nFinn. \"I know he is in this wood; and he shall never leave it till he\ngive me quittance for the injury he has done me.\"\n\nAnd Oisin said, \"Certain it is, that you, Finn, are blinded by jealousy;\nelse you would never think that Dermat would await you on this plain,\nwith no stronger fastness to shelter him from your wrath than the Wood\nof the two Tents.\"\n\nTo which Finn, being angry, replied, \"Your words will profit you\nnothing, Oisin; neither will your friendship for Dermat avail him aught.\nWell I knew, indeed, when I heard Fergor's three shouts, that it was ye\nwho caused him to shout, as a warning signal to Dermat; and I know also\nthat ye sent my dog Bran to him with another warning. But these warnings\nwill not avail you; for he shall never leave this wood till he pay me\nsuch eric[10] as I seek for the injury he has done me.\"\n\nThen Oscar spoke and said, \"Surely, Finn, it is mere folly to believe\nthat Dermat would wait here for you, knowing, as he does, that you seek\nhis head.\"\n\nAs Oscar spoke these words, they arrived at the fence; and Finn\nanswered, \"Who then, think you, has cleared the wood in this manner, and\nfenced the space with this strong, sheltering enclosure, and fitted it\nwith these narrow doors? But indeed,\" added he, \"I will find out the\ntruth of the matter in another way.\" So, raising his voice a little, he\ncalled out, \"Tell us now, Dermat, which of us is telling truth, Oscar or\nI.\"\n\nAnd Dermat, who would not hide when called on, answered from within,\n\"You never erred in your judgment, O king: Grania and I are here; but\nnone shall come in unless I permit them.\"\n\nThen Finn placed his men around the enclosure, a company at each narrow\ndoor; and he said to each company, \"If Dermat tries to escape by this\ndoor, seize him and keep him securely for me.\"\n\nNow when Grania saw these preparations, and overheard Finn's words, she\nwas overcome with fear, and wept and trembled very much. And Dermat had\npity on his wife, and comforted her; and he kissed her three times,\nbidding her be of good cheer, for that all would be well with them yet.\n\nAnd when Finn saw this--for he stood with some others viewing the hut\nfrom a mound at a little way off--a flame of burning jealousy went\nthrough his heart; and he said--\n\n\"Now of a certainty Dermat shall not escape from me; and I shall have\nhis head for all these injuries!\"\n\nNow Angus of Bruga,[1] the wisest and most skilled in magic arts of all\nthe Dedannan race, was Dermat's foster father. For he had reared him\nfrom childhood, and had taught him all the arts and accomplishments of a\nchampion; and he loved him even as a father loves his only son.\n\nAnd it was revealed to Angus that Dermat was in deadly strait So he\narose and travelled on the wings of the cool, east wind, neither did he\nhalt till he reached the Wood of the two Tents; and he passed into the\nhut without being perceived by Finn and his men. And when Dermat saw the\nold man his heart leaped with joy.\n\nAngus greeted Dermat and Grania, and said, \"What is this thing thou hast\ndone, my son?\"\n\nAnd Dermat answered, \"The princess Grania, daughter of the king of Tara,\nasked me to take her for my wife, putting heavy gesa-bonds on me; and I\ndid so, and we fled from her father's house. And Finn, the son of Cumal,\nhas pursued us with intent to kill me, for he sought the princess to\nwife for himself.\"\n\nAnd Angus said, \"Come now, children, under my mantle, one under each\nborder, and I will bring you both away from this place without the\nknowledge of Finn.\"\n\nBut Dermat answered, \"Take Grania; but for me, I will not go with you.\nHowever, I will leave this place; and if I am alive I will follow you.\nBut if they slay me, send the princess to her father, and tell him to\ntreat her neither better nor worse on account of taking me for her\nhusband.\"\n\nThen Dermat kissed Grania, and bade her be of good cheer, for that he\nfeared not his foes. And Angus placed her under his mantle, and, telling\nDermat whither to follow, went forth from the enclosure without the\nknowledge of Finn and the Fena. They turned south then, and nothing is\ntold of what befell them till they came to the Wood of the two Sallows,\nwhich is now called Limerick.\n\nNow as to Dermat. After Angus and Grania had left him, he girded on his\narmour, and took his sharp weapons in his hands; and he stood up tall\nand straight like a pillar, meditating in silence for a space. Then he\nwent to one of the seven narrow doors, and asked who was outside.\n\n\"No enemy of thine is here, but Oisin and Oscar, with the men of the\nClann Baskin. Come out to us, and no one will dare to harm thee.\"\n\n\"I must needs find the door where Finn himself keeps guard,\" answered\nDermat; \"so I will not go out to you.\"\n\nHe went to the second narrow door, and asked who was there.\n\n\"Kylta Mac Ronan with the Clann Ronan around him. Come out at this door,\nand we will fight to the death for thy sake.\"\n\n\"I will not go out to you,\" answered Dermat; \"for I do not wish to bring\nFinn's anger on you for treating me with kindness.\"\n\nHe went to another narrow door, and asked who was there.\n\n\"Conan of the Grey Rushes and the Clann Morna. We are no friends to\nFinn; but thee we all love. Come out to us, then, and no one will dare\nto harm thee.\"\n\n\"Of a certainty I will not go out at this door,\" answered Dermat; \"for\nwell I know that Finn would rather see you all dead than that I should\nescape!\"\n\nHe went to another narrow door, and asked who was there.\n\n\"A friend and a dear comrade of thine is here; Cuan, the chief of the\nMunster Fena, and his Munster men with him. Thou and we come from the\nsame territory; and if need be we will give our lives in fight for thy\nsake.\"\n\n\"I will not go out to you,\" said Dermat; \"for it would bring Finn's sure\ndispleasure on you to act kindly towards me.\"\n\nHe went to another narrow door, and asked who was there.\n\n\"Finn, the son of Glore of the Loud Voice, chief of the Fena of Ulster,\nand the Ulster men around him. Thou and we come not from the same\nterritory; but we all love thee, Dermat; and now come forth to us, and\nwho will dare to wound or harm thee?\"\n\n\"I will not go out to you,\" replied Dermat; \"you are a faithful friend\nof mine, and your father in like manner; and I do not wish you to earn\nthe enmity of Finn on my account.\"\n\nHe went to another narrow door, and asked who was there.\n\n\"No friend of thine! Here stand the Clann Navin watching for thee;\nnamely, Aed the Lesser, and Aed the Tall, and Gonna the Wounder, and\nGothan the Loud-voiced, and Cuan the Tracker, with all their men. We\nbear thee no love; and if thou come out at this door, we shall make thee\na mark for our swords and spears!\"\n\nAnd Dermat answered, \"Lying and mean-faced dogs! It is not fear of you\nthat keeps me from going forth at this door; but I do not wish to defile\nmy spear with the blood of your shoeless, tracking vagabonds!\"\n\nAnd he went to another narrow door, and asked who was there.\n\n\"Finn, the son of Cumal, the son of Art, the son of Trenmore O'Baskin,\nand with him the Leinster Fena. No love awaits thee here; and if thou\ncome forth we will cleave thee, flesh and bones!\"\n\n\"The door I have sought I have found at last!\" cried Dermat; \"for the\ndoor where thou, Finn, standest, that, of a certainty, is the very door\nby which I shall pass out!\"\n\nThen Finn charged his men, under pain of death, not to let Dermat pass.\nBut Dermat, watching an unguarded place, rose by means of his two spears\nwith a light, airy bound over the fence, and alighted on the clear space\noutside; and running swiftly forward, was in a moment beyond the reach\nof sword and spear. And so dismayed were they by his threatening look,\nthat not a man attempted to follow him.\n\nThen, turning southward, he never halted till he came to the Wood of the\ntwo Sallows, where he found Angus and Grania in a warm hut, with a boar\nfixed on hazel spits roasting before a great flaming fire. Dermat\ngreeted them; and the spark of life all but leaped from Grania's heart\nwith joy when she saw him.[CX.] So he told them all that had befallen\nhim; and they ate their meal and slept in peace that night, till the\nmorning of next day filled the world with light.\n\nThen Angus arose with the dawn, and said to Dermat, \"I will now depart,\nmy son; but Finn will still pursue you, and I leave you this counsel to\nguide you when I am gone. Go not into a tree having only one trunk;\nnever enter a cave that has only one opening; never land on an island of\nthe sea that has only one channel of approach; where you cook your food,\nthere eat it not; where you eat, sleep not there; and where you sleep\nto-night, sleep not there to-morrow night!\"\n\nSo Angus bade them farewell; and they were sad after him.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CX.] Original: \"It was little but that the salmon of her life fled\nthrough her mouth with joy before Dermat.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nTHE THREE SEA-CHAMPIONS AND THEIR THREE VENOMOUS HOUNDS ON THE TRACK OF\nDERMAT AND GRANIA.\n\n\nAfter Angus was gone, Dermat and Grania journeyed westward, keeping the\nShannon on their right, till they reached the Rough Stream of the\nChampions, which is now called the Laune.[CXI.] They rested there; and\nDermat killed a salmon with his spear, and fixed it on a hazel spit to\nbroil on the near bank; and he crossed the river with Grania, to eat it\non the further bank, as Angus had told him. And after they had eaten,\nthey sought a sleeping-place further west.\n\nThey rose early next morning, and journeyed still west, till they\nreached the Grey Moor of Finnlia.[CXII.] There they met a man of great\nsize, noble in gait and feature, but with arms and armour not befitting\nhis appearance. Dermat greeted him, and asked who he was; and he\nreplied--\n\n\"My name is Modan, and I am seeking a lord whom I may serve for pay.\"\n\n\"If I take you into my service,\" asked Dermat, \"what can you do for us?\"\n\n\"I will serve you by day and watch for you by night,\" answered Modan.\n\nWhereupon they entered into bonds of agreement with one another, Modan\nto serve by day and watch by night, and Dermat to pay him wages.\n\nThen the three went westward till they reached the river of\nCarra,[CXIII.] and Modan lifted Dermat and Grania with the greatest\nease, and bore them dry across the stream. From that further west to\nBeha,[CXIV.] and Modan bore them over this stream in like manner. Here\nthey found a cave, on the side of the hill over that part of the sea\ncalled Tonn Toma,[CXV.] namely, the hill of Curra-Kenn-Ammid; and Modan\nprepared a couch of soft rushes and birch tops in the innermost part of\nthe cave, for Dermat and Grania. After this he went to the nearest wood\nand cut him a long, straight quicken tree rod; and, having put a hair\nand a hook on the rod, and a holly berry on the hook, he stood on the\nbrink of the stream, and with three casts he hooked three salmon. Then\nhe put the rod by for next day; and, putting the hook and the hair under\nhis girdle, he returned to Dermat and Grania. And he broiled the fish,\nand they ate their meal, Modan giving the largest salmon to Dermat, the\nsecond in size to Grania, and keeping the smallest for himself. After\nwhich Dermat and Grania went to sleep in the cave, and Modan kept watch\nand ward at the mouth, till morning arose with its abundant light.\n\nDermat rose early and set out for the nearest high hill, to look round\nthe country, telling Grania to keep watch at the mouth of the cave while\nModan slept. Having come to the top of the hill, he viewed the country\nall round to the four points of the sky; and after a little while, he\nsaw a fleet of black ships approaching from the west. When they had come\nnear enough to the shore, a company of nine nines landed at the very\nfoot of the hill where Dermat stood. He went to them, and, after\ngreeting them, asked who they were, and from what country they had come.\n\n\"We are three sea-champions from the Iccian Sea,[CXVI.] who are at the\nhead of this troop,\" replied they, \"and our names are Ducoss, Fincoss,\nand Trencoss;[CXVII.] and we have come hither at the suit of Finn the\nson of Cumal. For a certain chief named Dermat O'Dyna has rebelled\nagainst him, and is now an outlaw, flying through the country from one\nfastness to another. And Finn has asked us to come with our fleet to\nwatch the coast, while he himself watches inland, so that this marauder\nmay no longer escape punishment. We hear, moreover, that this Dermat is\nvaliant and dangerous to attack, and we have brought hither three\nvenomous hounds to loose them on his track, and scent him to his\nhiding-place: fire cannot burn them, water cannot drown them, and\nweapons cannot wound them. And now tell us who thou art, and whether\nthou hast heard any tidings of this Dermat O'Dyna.\"\n\n\"I saw him, indeed, yesterday,\" answered Dermat. \"I know him well too,\nand I counsel you to follow your quest warily; for if you meet with\nDermat O'Dyna you will have no common man to deal with.\"\n\nThen he asked if they had got any wine in their ships. They replied\nthat they had; so he asked that a tun might be brought, as he wished to\ndrink; and he told them he would show them a champion-feat after he had\ndrunk. Two men were accordingly sent on board for a tun of wine. When\nthey had brought it, Dermat raised it in his arms and drank; and the\nothers drank in like manner till the tun was empty.\n\nThen he said, \"I will now show you a champion-feat that Dermat O'Dyna\ntaught me; and I challenge any man among you to do it after me. And from\nthis you may learn what manner of man you will have to deal with, should\nyou have the ill luck to meet with Dermat himself.\"\n\nSo saying, he brought the tun to the crest of the hill, and set it down\nat the edge of a steep cliff. Then, leaping up on it, he turned it\ncunningly aside from the cliff, and let it roll down the smooth slope of\nthe hill till it reached the very bottom, while he himself remained\nstanding on it the whole time. And three times did he do this while the\nstrangers looked on.\n\nBut they laughed, mocking him, and said, \"Do you call that a\nchampion-feat indeed? Truly, you have never in your life seen a good\nchampion-feat!\"\n\nThereupon one among them started up and brought the tun to the top of\nthe hill, intending to do the same feat; and, placing it on the edge of\nthe cliff, he leaped up on it. And while he stood on it, Dermat pushed\nit with his foot to set it going. But the moment it moved, the man lost\nhis balance, and while the tun went rolling down the face of the hill,\nhe himself fell over the cliff, and was dashed to pieces on the sharp\nedges and points of the rocks.\n\nAnother man tried the same thing, and he in like manner fell down and\nwas killed among the rocks. And the end of the matter was, that before\nthey would acknowledge themselves beaten, fifty of their men attempted\nthe feat, and every man of the fifty fell over the cliff and was killed.\nSo the others went on board their ships, gloomy and heart-sore.\n\nDermat returned to the cave, and Grania's heart was glad when she saw\nhim. Modan went then, and putting the hair and the hook on the rod as\nbefore, he hooked three salmon; and he went back to the cave and broiled\nthem on hazel spits. And they ate their meal; and Modan kept watch and\nward, while Dermat and Grania slept in the cave, till the pleasant\nmorning filled the world with light.\n\nDermat rose up with the dawn, and telling Grania to keep watch while\nModan slept, he went to the same hill, and found the three sea-champions\nwith their men on the shore before him. He greeted them, and asked\nwhether they wished for any more champion-feats. But they answered that\nthey would much rather he would give them some tidings of Dermat O'Dyna.\nWhereupon he said--\n\n\"I have seen a man who saw him this very morning. And now I will show\nyou a champion-feat he taught me, in order that you may know what is\nbefore you, should you meet with Dermat O'Dyna himself.\"\n\nWhen he had said this, he threw off helmet and tunic and armour, till\nonly his shirt remained over his brawny shoulders; and, taking the\nGa-boi,[CXVIII.] the spear of Mannanan Mac Lir, he fixed it firmly in\nthe earth, standing point upwards. Then, walking back some little way,\nhe ran towards the spear, and, rising from the earth with a bird-like\nbound, he alighted softly on the very point; and, again leaping off it,\nhe came to the ground on his feet without wound or hurt of any kind.\n\nThen arose one of the strange warriors and said, \"If you call that a\nchampion-feat, it is plain that you have never seen a good champion-feat\nin your life!\"\n\nAnd so saying, he ran swiftly towards the spear and made a great bound;\nbut he fell heavily on the sharp point, so that it pierced him through\nthe heart, and he was taken down dead. Another man attempted the feat,\nand was killed in like manner; and before they ceased, fifty of their\nmen were slain by Dermat's spear. Then they bade him draw his spear from\nthe earth, saying that no more should try that feat; and they went on\nboard their ships.\n\nSo Dermat returned to the cave; and Modan hooked three salmon; and\nDermat and Grania ate their meal and slept till morning, Modan keeping\nwatch.\n\nNext morning, Dermat went to the hill, bringing two strong forked poles\ncut from the wood. He found the three sea-champions with their men on\nthe shore; and he greeted them, and said--\n\n\"I have come to-day to show you a champion-feat I learned from Dermat\nO'Dyna, that you may know what to expect if you should meet with Dermat\nhimself.\"\n\nHe then fixed the poles standing firmly in the earth; and he placed the\nMorallta, that is, the long sword of Angus of the Bruga, in the forks,\nedge upwards, the hilt on one, and the point on the other, binding it\nfirmly with withes. Then, rising up with a bound, he alighted gently on\nthe edge; and he walked cunningly three times from hilt to point, and\nfrom point to hilt, and then leaped lightly to the earth without wound\nor hurt. And he challenged the strangers to do that feat.\n\nThen one arose and said, \"There never yet was done a champion-feat by a\nman of Erin, that one among us will not do likewise.\"\n\nAnd he leaped up, intending to alight on his feet; but he came down\nheavily on the sharp edge, so that the sword cut him clean in two.\nAnother tried the same, and was killed also; and, they ceased not till\nas many were killed that day by Dermat's sword as were killed on each of\nthe two days before.\n\nWhen they were about to return to their ships, they asked him had he got\nany tidings of Dermat O'Dyna; and he answered--\n\n\"I have seen him this day: I will now go to seek him, and methinks I\nshall bring him to you in the morning.\"\n\nThen he returned to the cave; and he and Grania ate their meal, and\nslept that night, while Modan kept watch.\n\nNext morning, Dermat arose with the dawn, and this time he arrayed\nhimself for battle. He put on his heavy armour--no man who wore it could\nbe wounded through it, or above it, or beneath it. He hung the Morallta\nat his left hip, the sword of Angus of the Bruga, which never left\nanything for a second blow; and he took his two thick-handled spears,\nthe Ga-derg and the Ga-boi, whose wounds no one ever recovered.\n\nThen he awakened Grania, telling her to keep watch till he returned,\nthat Modan might sleep. And when she saw him so arrayed, she trembled\nwith fear, for she well knew that this was his manner of preparing for\nbattle. And she asked him what he meant to do to-day, and whether Finn's\npursuers had found them. But he, to quiet her fears, put off the matter\nlightly, and said, \"It is better to be prepared, lest the enemy come in\nmy way;\" and this soothed her.\n\nSo he went to the hill, and met the strangers on the shore as before.\nAnd they asked him had he any tidings to give them of Dermat O'Dyna.\n\nHe answered, \"He is not very far off, for I have seen him just now.\"\n\n\"Then,\" said they, \"lead us to his hiding-place, that we may bring his\nhead to Finn the son of Cumal.\"\n\n\"That would, indeed, be an ill way of repaying friendship,\" answered he.\n\"Dermat O'Dyna is my friend; and he is now under the protection of my\nvalour: so of this be sure, I will do him no treachery.\"\n\nAnd they replied wrathfully, \"If thou art a friend to Dermat O'Dyna,\nthou art a foe to Finn; and now we will take thy head and bring it to\nhim along with the head of Dermat.\"\n\n\"You might indeed do that with much ease,\" answered Dermat, \"if I were\nbound hand and foot; but being as I am, free, I shall defend myself\nafter my usual custom.\"\n\nThen he drew the Morallta from its sheath, and, springing forward to\nmeet them as they closed on him, he clove the body of the foremost in\ntwo with one blow. Then he rushed through them and under them and over\nthem, like a wolf among sheep, or a hawk among sparrows, cleaving and\nslaughtering them, till only a few were left, who hardly escaped to\ntheir ships.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CXI.] The river Laune, flowing from the Lakes of Killarney into Dingle\nBay.\n\n[CXII.] The Grey Moor of Finnlia (_Bogach-Fhinnl\u00e9ithe_ in the original)\nwas somewhere between the river Laune and the river Caragh, but the name\nis now forgotten.\n\n[CXIII.] The river of Carra, the Caragh river, flowing into Dingle Bay\nfrom the beautiful lake Caragh, twenty miles west of Killarney.\n\n[CXIV.] Beha, the river Behy, about a mile and a half west from the\nCaragh, flowing through Glanbehy into Rossbehy creek.\n\n[CXV.] Tonn Toma, the wave of Toma (a woman). The word Tonn (a wave or\nbillow) was often applied to the sea-waves that break over certain\nsandbanks and rocks with an exceptionally loud roaring. Tonn Toma is the\nname of a sandbank at the head of Dingle Bay, just outside the extreme\npoint of Rossbehy peninsula; and in the winter storms, the sea thunders\non this sandbank, and indeed on the whole length of the beach of the\npeninsula, so as often to be heard twenty miles inland. This roaring is\npopularly believed to predict rain.\n\nThere is a chain of three hills, Stookaniller, Knockatinna, and\nKnockboy, lying between Behy bridge on the east and Drung mountain on\nthe west, and isolated from the hills to the south-east by the valley of\nGlanbehy. These hills rise directly over Tonn Toma; and the old Gaelic\nname, Currach-Cinn-Adhmuid (the moor of the head [or hill] of timber)\nmust have been anciently applied to one or all of them.\n\n(See, for an account of the great historical _tonns_ of Ireland, the\nauthor's \"Origin and History of Irish Names of Places,\" series ii. page\n251.)\n\n[CXVI.] Iccian Sea (Irish, _Muir nIcht_), the Irish name for the sea\nbetween England and France.\n\n[CXVII.] Ducoss, Fincoss, and Trencoss, _i.e._ Blackfoot, Whitefoot, and\nStrongfoot.\n\n[CXVIII.] Dermat had two spears, the great one called the Ga-derg or\nCrann-derg (red javelin), and the small one called Ga-boi or Crann-boi\n(yellow javelin): he had also two swords: the Morallta (great fury), and\nthe Begallta (little fury). These spears and swords he got from Mannanan\nMac Lir and from Angus of the Bruga. He carried the great spear and\nsword in affairs of life and death; and the smaller in adventures of\nless danger.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nWHAT BEFELL THE THREE SEA-CHAMPIONS AND THEIR THREE VENOMOUS HOUNDS.\n\n\nAfter this Dermat returned to the cave without wound or hurt; and he and\nGrania ate and slept, and Modan watched till morning. Then he repaired\nto the hill, fully armed as before, and standing right over the ships,\nhe struck his hollow-sounding shield[CXIX.] with his spear for a\nchallenge, till the whole shore and the surrounding hills re-echoed. And\nDucoss straightway armed himself and came ashore to fight Dermat single\nhand.\n\nNow Dermat by no means wished to slay his foe immediately, being,\nindeed, intent on worse punishment. So he closed with Ducoss; and the\ntwo champions, throwing aside their weapons, seized each other round the\nwaists with their sinewy arms. Then they twisted and tugged and wrestled\nin deadly silence; and their swollen sinews strained and crackled; and\nthe earth trembled beneath their feet; like two great writhing serpents,\nor like two raging lions, or like two savage bulls that strive and\nstruggle to heave each other with horns interlocked. Thus did the heroes\ncontend; till at last Dermat, heaving Ducoss on his shoulder, dashed him\nhelpless and groaning to the ground; and instantly seizing him, he bound\nhim in hard iron bonds.\n\nFincoss came next against Dermat, and after him Trencoss; but he\novercame them both, and bound them with like bonds; and then, leaving\nthe three writhing with pain, he said to them--\n\n\"I would strike off your heads, but that I wish to prolong your\ntorment; for none can release you from these bonds till you die!\"\n\nDermat then returned to the cave; and he and Grania ate their meal and\nslept that night, Modan watching. In the morning, Dermat told Grania all\nthat had happened from beginning to end; how fifty of the foreigners had\nbeen killed each day for the first three days; how he had slain a much\ngreater number on the fourth day; and how he had overcome and bound the\nthree sea-champions in hard iron bonds.\n\n\"I have left them bound on the hill,\" continued he, \"instead of killing\nthem; because I would rather their torment to be long than short. For\nthere are only four men in Erin that can loosen the bonds I tie; that is\nto say, Oisin, and Oscar, and Mac Luga, and Conan Mail; and I think no\none of these will free them. Finn will doubtless hear of their state,\nand the news will sting him to the heart. But he will know that we are\nhere; so we must now leave this cave, to escape him, and also to escape\nthe three venomous dogs.\"\n\nSo they came forth from the cave, and travelled eastward till they came\nto the Grey Moor of Finnlia; and whenever Grania was tired, or when they\nhad to walk over rugged places, Modan lifted her tenderly and carried\nher, without ever being in the least tired himself. And so they\njourneyed, till they reached the broad, heathery slopes of Slieve\nLougher;[CXX.] and they sat down to rest on the green bank of a stream\nthat wound through the heart of the mountain.\n\nNow as to the sea-strangers. Those of them that were left alive landed\nfrom their ships, and coming to the hill, found their three chiefs bound\ntightly, hand and foot and neck. And they tried to loose them, but only\nmade their bonds the tighter. While they were so engaged, they saw\nFinn's errand-woman coming towards them, with the speed of a swallow, or\nof a weasel, or of the swift, cold wind blowing over a mountain-side.\nWhen she had come near, she greeted them, and, seeing the bodies of the\nslain, she asked who it was that had made that fearful slaughter.\n\n\"Tell us first,\" said they, \"who art thou that makest this inquiry?\"\n\n\"I am Derdri of the Black Mountain, the errand-woman of Finn the son of\nCumal,\" she replied; \"and he has sent me hither to look for you.\"\n\nAnd they said, \"We know not who made this slaughter; but we can tell\nthee his appearance, for that we know well. He was a tall warrior, with\na fair, handsome, open countenance, and jet-black, curly hair. He has\nbeen three days fighting against us; and what grieves us even more than\nthe slaughter of our men is that our three chiefs lie here bound by him\nso firmly that we are not able to loose them from their bonds.\"\n\n\"Alas, friends!\" said Derdri; \"you have sped but badly at the very\nbeginning of your quest; for this man was Dermat O'Dyna himself. And now\nloose your three venomous dogs on his track without delay; and I will\nreturn and send Finn to meet you.\"\n\nThen they brought forth the three hounds, and loosed them on the track\nof Dermat; and leaving one of their druids to attend to the three\nfettered chiefs, they followed the hounds till they came to the cave,\nwhere they found the soft, rushy bed of Dermat and Grania. From that\nthey fared east, and crossing the Carra, and the Grey Moor of Finnlia,\nand the Laune, they reached at length the broad, heathy Slieve Lougher.\n\nAs Dermat sat by the mountain stream with Grania and Modan, looking\nwestward, he saw the silken banners of the foreigners at a distance as\nthey approached the hill. In front of all marched three warriors with\nmantles of green, who held the three fierce hounds by three chains. And\nDermat, when he saw the hounds, was filled with loathing and hatred of\nthem. Then Modan lifted Grania, and walked a mile with Dermat up the\nstream into the heart of the mountain.\n\nWhen the green-clad warriors saw them, they loosed one of the three\nhounds; and when Grania heard his hoarse yelps down the valley, she was\nin great dread. But Modan bade her not fear, for that he would deal with\nthis hound; and then, turning round, he drew forth from beneath his\ngirdle a small hound-whelp, and placed it on the palm of his hand. There\nit stood till the great hound came up raging, with jaws wide open; when\nthe little whelp leaped from Modan's hand down the dog's throat, and\nbroke his heart, so that he fell dead. And after that the whelp leaped\nback again on Modan's hand; and Modan put him under his girdle.\n\nThen they walked another mile up the stream through the mountain, Modan\nbringing Grania. But the second hound was loosed, and soon overtook\nthem; and Dermat said--\n\n\"I will try the Ga-derg on this hound. For no spell can guard against\nthe magic spear of Angus of the Bruga; and I have heard it said also\nthat there is no charm that can shield the throat of an animal from\nbeing wounded.\"\n\nThen, while Modan and Grania stood to look, Dermat, putting his finger\ninto the silken loop of the spear, threw a cast, and drove the\nspear-head down the hound's throat, so that the entrails of the brute\nwere scattered about; and Dermat, leaping forward, drew the spear, and\nfollowed Modan and Grania.\n\nAfter they had walked yet another mile, the third hound was loosed; and\nGrania, seeing him coming on, said, trembling--\n\n\"This is the fiercest of the three, and I greatly fear him; guard\nyourself, Dermat, guard yourself well against this hound!\"\n\nEven while she spoke, the hound overtook them at the place called\nDuban's Pillar-stone; and as they stood looking back at him, Dermat\nstepped in front of Grania to shield her. The hound rose with a great\nspring over Dermat's head to seize Grania; but Dermat grasped him by\nthe two hind legs as he passed, and, swinging him round, he struck his\ncarcase against a rock and dashed out his brains.\n\nThen, putting his tapering finger into the silken string of the Ga-derg,\nhe threw the spear at the foremost of the green-clad knights, and slew\nhim. He made another cast of the Ga-boi and brought down the second\nwarrior; and, drawing the Morallta, he sprang on the third, and swept\noff his head.\n\nWhen the foreigners saw their leaders slain, they fled hither and\nthither in utter rout. And Dermat fell upon them with sword and spear,\nscattering and slaughtering them, so that there seemed no escape for\nthem, unless, indeed, they could fly over the tops of the trees, or hide\nthemselves under the earth, or dive beneath the water. And when Derdri\nof the Black Mountain saw this havoc, she ran, panic-stricken and crazed\nwith fright, off the field towards the hill where the three kings lay\nbound.\n\nNow as to Finn. Tidings were brought to him of what happened to the\nthree sea-kings, and how they were lying bound in hard bonds on the hill\nover Tonn-Toma. So he set out straightway from Allen, and travelled by\nthe shortest ways till he reached the hill. And when he saw the three\nchampions, he was grieved to the heart; for he knew of old that the iron\nfetters bound by Dermat slew by slow torment, and that none could loose\nthem except Oisin, or Oscar, or Mac Luga, or Conan Mail.\n\nAnd Finn asked Oisin to loose the bonds and relieve the kings.\n\n\"I cannot do so,\" answered Oisin, \"for Dermat bound me under gesa[12]\nnever to loose any warrior that he should bind.\"\n\nHe next asked Oscar; but the young warrior answered, \"None shall be\nreleased by me who seeks to harm Dermat O'Dyna. Fain would I indeed put\nheavier bonds on them.\"\n\nAnd when he asked Mac Luga and Conan, they refused in like manner.\n\nNow while they were speaking in this wise, they saw the errand-woman,\nDerdri of the Black Mountain, running towards them, breathless and with\nfailing steps, and her eyes starting from the sockets with terror. And\nFinn asked her what tidings she had brought.\n\n\"Tidings indeed, O king, tidings of grievous mishap and woe!\" Whereupon\nshe told him all that she had seen--how Dermat O'Dyna had killed the\nthree fierce hounds, and had made a slaughter of the foreigners. \"And\nhardly, indeed,\" she cried, \"hardly have I myself got off scathless with\nthe news!\"\n\nThe three kings, hearing this, and being worn out with the straitness\nand torment of their bonds, died at the same moment. And Finn caused\nthem to be buried in three wide graves; and flagstones were placed over\nthem with their names graved in Ogam;[CXXI.] and their funeral rites\nwere performed. Then, with heart full of grief and gall, Finn marched\nnorthwards with his men to Allen of the green hill-slopes.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CXIX.] A usual form of challenge among the ancient Irish warriors. It\nis very curious that this custom is remembered to the present day in the\n_patois_ of the peasantry, even where the Irish language is no longer\nspoken. In the south, and in parts of the west, they call a\ndistinguished fighting man a _buailim sciach_, an expression which means\nliterally, \"I strike the shield.\"\n\n[CXX.] Slieve Lougher, a mountain near Castle Island. (See note, page\n237.)\n\n[CXXI.] See note, page 36.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VII.\n\nSHARVAN, THE SURLY GIANT, AND THE FAIRY QUICKEN TREE OF DOOROS.\n\n\nNow touching Dermat and Grania. They travelled eastward from Slieve\nLougher, through Hy Conall Gavra, keeping the Shannon on their left,\ntill they reached the Wood of the two Sallow Trees, which is now called\nLimerick. Here they rested; and Dermat killed a wild deer, and they ate\nof its flesh, and drank pure spring water, and slept that night. Next\nmorning Modan bade them farewell, and left them. And Dermat and Grania\nwere sad after him, for he was very gentle, and had served them\nfaithfully.\n\nOn that same day they departed from the Wood of the two Sallows; and\nnothing is related of what befell them till they arrived at the Forest\nof Dooros, in the district of Hy Ficra[CXXII.] of the Moy, which was at\nthat time guarded by Sharvan the Surly, of Lochlann.\n\nNow this is the history of Sharvan the Surly, of Lochlann. On a certain\noccasion, a game of hurley was played by the Dedannans against the Fena,\non the plain beside the Lake of Lein of the Crooked Teeth.[CXXIII.] They\nplayed for three days and three nights, neither side being able to win a\nsingle goal from the other during the whole time. And when the\nDedannans found that they could not overcome the Fena, they suddenly\nwithdrew from the contest, and departed from the lake, journeying in a\nbody northwards.\n\nThe Dedannans had for food during the game, and for their journey\nafterwards, crimson nuts and arbutus apples and scarlet quicken berries,\nwhich they had brought from the Land of Promise.[CXXIV.] These fruits\nwere gifted with many secret virtues; and the Dedannans were careful\nthat neither apple nor nut nor berry should touch the soil of Erin. But\nas they passed through the Wood of Dooros, in Hy Ficra of the Moy, one\nof the scarlet quicken berries dropped on the earth; and the Dedannans\npassed on, not heeding.\n\nFrom this berry a great quicken tree[CXXV.] sprang up, which had the\nvirtues of the quicken trees that grow in Fairyland. For its berries had\nthe taste of honey, and those who ate of them felt a cheerful flow of\nspirits, as if they had drunk of wine or old mead; and if a man were\neven a hundred years old, he returned to the age of thirty, as soon as\nhe had eaten three of them.\n\nNow when the Dedannans heard of this tree, and knew of its many virtues,\nthey would not that any one should eat of the berries but themselves;\nand they sent a Fomor[CXXVI.] of their own people to guard it, namely,\nSharvan the Surly, of Lochlann; so that no man dared even to approach\nit. For this Sharvan was a giant of the race of the wicked Cain, burly\nand strong; with heavy bones, large, thick nose, crooked teeth, and one\nbroad, red, fiery eye in the middle of his black forehead. And he had a\ngreat club tied by a chain to an iron girdle which was round his body.\nHe was, moreover, so skilled in magic that fire could not burn him,\nwater could not drown him, and weapons could not wound him; and there\nwas no way to kill him but by giving him three blows of his own club. By\nday he sat at the foot of the tree, watching; and at night he slept in a\nhut he had made for himself, high up among the branches.\n\nInto this land Dermat came, knowing well that he should be safe there\nfrom the pursuit of Finn. For Sharvan did not let any of the Fena hunt\nin Hy Ficra. And neither they nor any others dared to come near the\ngreat Wood of Dooros, for dread of the giant; so that the land around\nthe quicken tree for many miles was a wilderness.\n\nDermat, leaving Grania behind in safe shelter, went boldly to the giant,\nwhere he sat at the foot of the tree, and told him he wished to live\namidst the woods of Hy Ficra, and chase its wild animals for food.\nWhereupon the giant, bending his red eye on him, told him, in words few\nand surly, that he might live and hunt where he pleased, as long as he\ndid not take and eat the berries of the quicken tree.\n\nSo Dermat built him a hunting-booth near a spring, in the thick of the\nForest of Dooros; and, clearing a space all round, fenced it with strong\nstakes interwoven with tough withes, leaving one narrow door well\nbarred and secured. And they lived in peace for a time, eating the flesh\nof the wild animals of Dooros, which Dermat brought down each day in the\nchase, and drinking the water of the well.\n\nNow let us speak of Finn, the son of Cumal. One day, soon after his\nreturn to Allen, as he and his household troops were on the exercise\ngreen before the palace, a company of fifty horsemen were seen\napproaching from the east, led by two taller and nobler looking than the\nothers. Having come near, they bowed low and greeted the king; and when\nhe asked them who they were, and from whence they had come, they\nanswered--\n\n\"We are enemies of thine, who now desire to make peace; and our names\nare Angus, the son of Art Mac Morna, and Aed, the son of Andala Mac\nMorna. Our fathers were present at the battle of Knocka,[27] aiding\nthose who fought against thy father, Cumal, when he was slain; for which\nthou didst afterwards slay them both, and didst outlaw us, their sons,\nthough indeed we were blameless in the matter, seeing that we were not\nborn till after the death of Cumal. However, we have come now to ask\nthis boon of thee: that thou make peace with us, and give us the places\nour fathers held in the ranks of the Fena.\"\n\n\"I will grant your request,\" answered Finn, \"provided you pay me eric\nfor the death of my father.\"\n\n\"We would indeed pay thee eric willingly if we could,\" answered they;\n\"but we have neither gold, nor silver, nor cattle, nor wealth of any\nkind to give.\"\n\nAnd then Oisin spoke and said, \"Ask them not for eric, O king; surely\nthe death of their fathers should be eric enough.\"\n\nBut Finn replied, \"Of a truth, I think, Oisin, that if any one should\nslay me, it would not be hard to satisfy you in the matter of an eric.\nBut, indeed, none of those who fought at Knocka against my father, and\nnone of their sons, shall ever get peace from me, or join the Fena,\nwithout such eric as I demand.\"\n\nThen Angus, one of the two, asked, \"What eric dost thou require, O\nking?\"\n\n\"I ask only one or the other of two things,\" answered Finn; \"namely, the\nhead of a warrior, or the full of my hand of the berries of a quicken\ntree.\"\n\n\"I will give you counsel, ye sons of Morna, that will stand you in good\nstead, if you follow it,\" said Oisin, addressing the two strange chiefs;\n\"and my counsel is, that you return to the place from whence you came,\nand seek this peace no longer. Know that the head the king seeks from\nyou is the head of Dermat O'Dyna, the most dangerous of all the Fena to\nmeddle with, who is well able to defend himself, even if you were twenty\ntimes as many as you are; and who will certainly take your heads if you\nattempt to take his. Know also that the berries Finn seeks from you are\nthe berries of the quicken tree of Dooros. And it is hard to say if this\nbe not a more perilous quest than the other; for the quicken tree\nbelongs to the Dedannans, who have sent Sharvan, the surly giant of\nLochlann, to guard it day and night.\"\n\nBut the two chiefs, unmoved by what they had heard from Oisin, said that\nthey would rather perish in seeking out the eric than return to their\nmother's country. So, leaving their people in the care of Oisin, they\nset out on their quest. They travelled through the Wood of the two\nSallows, and from that to Dooros of the Moy, where they found the track\nof Dermat and Grania, and followed it till they came to the\nhunting-booth. Dermat heard their voices and footsteps outside, and,\nsnatching up his weapons, went to the door and asked who was there.\n\n\"We are Aed, the son of Andala Mac Morna, and Angus, the son of Art Mac\nMorna,\" they replied. \"We have come hither from Allen of Leinster, to\nget either the head of Dermat O'Dyna, or a handful of the berries of the\nquicken tree of Dooros; for Finn, the son of Cumal, has demanded of us\nthat we bring him either the one or the other, as an eric for the\nkilling of his father.\"\n\nDermat laughed when he heard this, and said, \"Truly this is not pleasant\nnews for me to hear, for I am Dermat O'Dyna. But however, friends, I am\nnot willing to give you my head, and you will find it no easy matter to\ntake it. And as for the berries, these are quite as hard to get; for you\nwill have to fight the surly giant Sharvan, who cannot be burned with\nfire, or drowned with water, or wounded with weapons. But woe to the man\nwho falls under the power of Finn, the son of Cumal. And you have come,\nmethinks, on a bootless quest; for even if you should be able to bring\nhim either of the two things he asks for, he will not grant you the\nplace or the rank ye seek after all. And now,\" asked Dermat, \"which of\nthe two do ye wish to strive for first, my head or the quicken berries?\"\n\nAnd they answered, \"We will do battle with thee first.\"\n\nSo Dermat opened the door, and they made ready for the combat. Now this\nis the manner in which they agreed to fight: to throw aside their\nweapons, and to use the strength of their hands alone. And if the sons\nof Morna were able to overcome Dermat, they should take his head to\nFinn; but if, on the other hand, they were overpowered and bound by\nDermat, their heads should be in like manner forfeit to him. But the\nfight was, indeed, a short one; for these two chiefs were even as\nchildren in Dermat's hands, and he bound them in close and bitter bonds.\n\nNow when Grania heard of the berries of the quicken tree, she was seized\nwith a longing desire to taste them. At first she strove against it and\nwas silent, knowing the danger; but now she was not able to hide it any\nlonger, and she told Dermat that she should certainly die if she did not\nget some of the berries to eat. This troubled Dermat, for he did not\nwish to quarrel with the giant Sharvan; but, seeing that harm might come\nto Grania if she did not get the berries, he told her he would go and\nget some for her, either by good will or by force.\n\nWhen the sons of Morna heard this, they said, \"Loose these bonds, and we\nwill go with thee and help thee to fight the giant.\"\n\nBut Dermat answered, \"Not much help, indeed, could ye give me, as I\nthink, for the mere sight of this giant would be enough to unman you.\nBut even were it otherwise, I would not seek your help, for if I fight\nat all I shall fight unaided.\"\n\nAnd they said, \"Even so, let us go. Our lives are now forfeit to thee,\nbut grant us this request before we die, to let us see thee fight this\ngiant.\"\n\nAnd he consented to this.\n\nSo Dermat went straightway to the quicken tree, followed by the two sons\nof Morna; and he found the giant lying asleep at the foot of the tree.\nHe dealt him a heavy blow to awaken him, and the giant, raising his\nhead, glared at him with his great red eye, and said--\n\n\"There has been peace between us hitherto; do you now wish for strife?\"\n\n\"I seek not strife,\" answered Dermat; \"but the Princess Grania, my wife,\nthe daughter of king Cormac Mac Art, longs to taste of these quicken\nberries; and if she does not get them she will die. This is why I have\ncome; and now I pray you give me a few of the berries for the princess.\"\n\nBut the giant answered, \"I swear that if the princess and her child were\nnow dying, and that one of my berries would save them, I would not give\nit!\"\n\nThen Dermat said, \"I do not wish to deal unfairly with you; and I have\naccordingly awakened you from your sleep, and made my request openly,\nwishing for peace. But now understand that before I leave this spot, I\nwill have some of these quicken berries, whether you will or no.\"\n\nWhen the giant heard this, he rose up, and, seizing his club, dealt\nDermat three great blows, which the hero had much ado to ward off; nor\ndid he escape without some hurt, even though his shield was tough and\nhis arm strong. But now, watching narrowly, and seeing that the giant\nexpected to be attacked with sword and spear, he suddenly threw down his\nweapons and sprang upon him, taking him unguarded. He threw his arms\nround his body, and, heaving him with his shoulder, hurled him with\nmighty shock to the earth; and then, seizing the heavy club, he dealt\nhim three blows, dashing out his brains with the last.\n\nDermat sat down to rest, weary and breathless. And the sons of Morna,\nhaving witnessed the fight from beginning to end, came forth rejoiced\nwhen they saw the giant slain. Dermat told them to drag the body into\nthe wood and bury it out of sight, lest Grania might see it and be\naffrighted; and when they had done so, he sent them for the princess.\nWhen she had come, Dermat said to her--\n\n\"Behold the quicken berries, Grania: take now and eat.\"\n\nBut she answered, \"I will eat no berries except those that are plucked\nby the hands of my husband.\"\n\nSo Dermat stood up and plucked the berries; and Grania ate till she was\nsatisfied. And he also plucked some for the sons of Morna, and said--\n\n\"Take these berries now, friends, as much as you please, and pay your\neric to Finn; and you may, if you are so minded, tell him that it was\nyou who slew Sharvan the Surly, of Lochlann.\"\n\nThey answered, \"We will bring to Finn as much as he demanded, one\nhandful and no more; and we grudge even so much.\"\n\nThen they thanked Dermat very much; for he had given them the berries,\nwhat they should never have been able to get for themselves; and though\ntheir lives were forfeit to him, he had not so much as mentioned the\nmatter, but had allowed them to return freely. And after bidding Dermat\nand Grania farewell, they went their ways.\n\nAfter that Dermat left his hunting-booth, and he and Grania lived\nthenceforth in Sharvan's hut among the branches. And they found the\nberries on the top of the tree the most delicious of all; those on the\nlower branches being as it were bitter in comparison.\n\nWhen the sons of Morna reached Allen, Finn asked them how they had\nfared, and whether they had brought him the eric: and they answered--\n\n\"Sharvan, the surly giant of Lochlann, is slain; and here we have\nbrought thee the berries of the quicken tree of Dooros as eric for the\ndeath of thy father, Cumal, that we may have peace from thee, and be\nplaced in our due rank among the Fena.\"\n\nFinn took the berries and knew them; and he smelled them three times,\nand said--\n\n\"These, indeed, are the berries of the quicken tree of Dooros; but they\nhave passed through the hands of Dermat O'Dyna, for I smell his touch.\nAnd sure I am that it was Dermat, and not you, who slew Sharvan, the\nsurly giant. It shall profit you nothing, indeed, to have brought me\nthese berries; neither will you get from me the peace you seek, nor your\nplace among the Fena, till you pay me fair eric for my father's death.\nFor you have gotten the berries not by your own strength; and you have,\nbesides, made peace with my enemy. And now I shall go to the Wood of\nDooros, to learn if Dermat abides near the quicken tree.\"\n\nAfter this he gathered together the choice men of the seven battalions\nof the Fena, and marched with them to Dooros of Hy Ficra. They followed\nDermat's track to the foot of the quicken tree, and found the berries\nwithout any one to guard them; and they ate of them as much as they\npleased.\n\nNow it was noon when they had come to the tree; and the sun shone hot,\nand Finn said--\n\n\"We shall rest under this tree till evening come, and the heat pass\naway; for well I know that Dermat O'Dyna is on the tree among the\nbranches.\"\n\nAnd Oisin said, \"Truly your mind must be blinded by jealousy, if you\nthink that Dermat O'Dyna has waited for you on that tree, since he knows\nwell that you seek his head.\"\n\nFinn answered nothing to this speech, but called for a chess-board and\nmen.[26] And he and Oisin sat down to a game; while Oscar and Mac Luga\nand Dering, the son of Dobar O'Baskin, sat near Oisin to advise him; for\nFinn played against them all. They played on for a time warily and\nskilfully, till at last Oisin had only one move to make; and Finn said--\n\n\"One move more would win you the game, Oisin, but I challenge all your\nhelpers to show you that move.\" And Oisin was puzzled.\n\nDermat had been viewing the game from the beginning, where he sat among\nthe branches; and he said, speaking to himself--\n\n\"Pity that you should be in a strait, Oisin, and I not near to advise\nyour move.\"\n\nGrania, sitting near, overheard him, and said, \"It is a small matter\nwhether Oisin win or lose a game; far worse is it for you to be in this\nhut, while the men of the seven battalions of the Fena are round about\nyou, waiting to kill you.\"\n\nThen Dermat, not giving heed to Grania's words, plucked a berry, and,\nflinging it down with true aim, struck Oisin's chess-man--the man that\nshould be moved. And Oisin moved the man, and won the game against Finn.\n\nThe game was begun again, and it went on till it came to the same pass\nas before, Oisin having to make only one move to win, but that move hard\nto make out. And again Dermat threw a berry and struck the right man;\nand Oisin made the move, and won the game.\n\nA third time the game went on, and Dermat struck the chess-man as\nbefore; and Oisin won the game the third time. Whereupon the Fena raised\na mighty shout.\n\n\"I marvel not that you should win the game, Oisin,\" said Finn, \"seeing\nthat you have the best help of Oscar, and the zeal of Dering, and the\nskill of Mac Luga; and that, along with all, you have been prompted by\nDermat O'Dyna.\"\n\n\"It shows a mind clouded by great jealousy,\" said Oscar, \"that you\nshould think that Dermat O'Dyna is in that tree waiting for you to kill\nhim.\"\n\n\"Which of us tells truth, Dermat,\" said Finn, looking up, \"Oscar or I?\"\n\n\"You, Finn, have never yet erred in your judgment,\" answered Dermat from\nthe tree; \"for indeed I am here with the princess Grania, in the hut of\nSharvan, the surly giant of Lochlann.\"\n\nAnd, looking up, Finn and the others saw them plainly through an opening\nin the branches.\n\nBut now Grania, seeing the danger, began to tremble with great fear, and\nto weep; and Dermat, taking pity on her, comforted her and kissed her\nthree times.\n\nAnd Finn, seeing this, said, \"Much more than this did it grieve me the\nnight you espoused Grania, and brought her away from Tara before all the\nmen of Erin; but even for these kisses you shall certainly pay quittance\nwith your head!\"\n\nWhereupon Finn, being now bent on killing Dermat, arose, and ordered his\nhirelings to surround the tree, catching hand in hand, so as to leave no\ngap; and he warned them, on pain of death, not to let Dermat pass out.\nHaving done this, he offered a suit of armour and arms, and a high place\nof honour among the Fena, to any man who would go up into the tree, and\neither bring him the head of Dermat O'Dyna, or force him to come down.\n\nGarva of Slieve Cua[CXXVII.] started up and said, \"Lo, I am the man! For\nit was Dermat's father, Donn, that slew my father; and I will now avenge\nthe deed.\"\n\nAnd he went up the tree.\n\nNow it was revealed to Angus of the Bruga that Dermat was in deadly\nstrait; and he came to the tree to his aid, without the knowledge of the\nFena; and Dermat and Grania were filled with joy when they saw the old\nman.\n\nAnd when Garva, climbing from branch to branch, had come near the hut,\nDermat dealt him a blow with his foot, which dashed him to the ground\namong the Fena. And Finn's hirelings cut off his head on the spot, for\nAngus had caused him to take the shape of Dermat; but after he was slain\nhe took his own shape, so that all knew that it was Garva of Slieve Cua\nthat had been killed.\n\nThen Garva of Slieve Crot[CXXVIII.] said, \"It was Dermat's father,\nDonn, that slew my father; and I will now avenge the deed on Dermat.\"\n\nSo saying, he went up the tree. But Angus gave him a blow which hurled\nhim to the ground under the shape of Dermat, so that the hirelings fell\non him and slew him. And then Finn told them that it was not Dermat they\nhad killed, but Garva of Slieve Cua.\n\nGarva of Slieve Gora[CXXIX.] next started up, and said that his father\nhad been slain by Dermat's father; and he began to climb up the tree to\ntake Dermat's head in revenge. But Dermat flung him down like the\nothers, while Angus gave him for the time the shape of Dermat, so that\nthe hirelings slew him.\n\nAnd so matters went on till the nine Garvas had fallen; namely, Garva of\nSlieve Cua, Garva of Slieve Crot, Garva of Slieve Gora, Garva of Slieve\nMucka,[CXXX.] Garva of Slieve-more, Garva of Slieve Luga, Garva of\nAth-free, Garva of Slieve Mish, and Garva of Drom-more. And full of\ngrief and bitterness was the heart of Finn, witnessing this.\n\nThen Angus said he would take Grania away from that place of danger. And\nDermat was glad, and said--\n\n\"Take her with thee; and if I live till evening I will follow you. But\nif Finn slays me, send her to Tara to her father, and tell him to use\nher well.\"\n\nThen Dermat kissed his dear wife; and Angus, having thrown his mantle\nround her, passed out from the tree without the knowledge of the Fena,\nand went straightway to Bruga of the Boyne.\n\nAfter Angus and Grania had gone, Dermat, addressing Finn from the tree,\nsaid--\n\n\"I will now go down from this tree; and I will slaughter many of thy\nhirelings before they slay me. For I see that thou art resolved to\ncompass my death; and why should I fear to die now more than at a future\ntime? There is, indeed, no escape for me, even should I pass from this\nplace unharmed; since I can find no shelter in Erin from thy wrath.\nNeither have I a friend in the far-off countries of this great world to\ngive me protection, seeing that I have from time to time dealt defeat\nand slaughter among them, every one, for thy sake. For never have the\nFena been caught in any strait or danger, that I did not venture my life\nfor them and for thee. When we went to battle, moreover, I was always in\nfront of you; and I was always behind you when leaving the field. And\nnow I care no longer to seek to prolong my life; but of a certainty thou\nshalt purchase my death dearly, for I shall avenge myself by dealing\ndestruction among thy hirelings.\"\n\n\"Dermat speaks truly,\" said Oscar; \"and now let him have mercy and\nforgiveness; for he has suffered enough already.\"\n\n\"I swear that I will never grant him peace or forgiveness to the end of\nmy life,\" answered Finn, \"till he has given me the eric I seek from him\nfor the injury he has done me; that is to say, his head.\"\n\n\"Shame it is to hear thee say so, and a sure mark of jealousy,\" answered\nOscar. \"And now I take the body and life of Dermat under the protection\nof my knighthood and valour; and I pledge the word of a true champion,\nthat sooner shall the firmament fall on me, or the earth open up and\nswallow me, than that I shall let any man harm Dermat O'Dyna!\"\n\nThen, looking upwards, he said, \"Come down now, Dermat, and thou shalt\ncertainly go in safety from this place; for as long as I am alive, no\nman will dare to offer thee hurt!\"\n\nThen Dermat, choosing that side of the tree where the men stood nearest\nto the trunk, walked along a thick branch unseen, and, leaning on the\nshafts of his spears, he sprang forward and downward with a light, airy\nbound, and alighted outside the circle of those who stood round with\njoined hands; and in a moment he was beyond the reach of sword and\nspear. And Oscar joined him, looking back threateningly, so that no man\nof Finn's hirelings durst follow.\n\nSo the two heroes fared on together, crossing the Shannon; and nothing\nis told of what befell them till they reached Bruga of the Boyne, where\nthey met Angus and Grania. And Grania was almost beside herself with joy\nwhen she saw Dermat without wound or hurt of any kind. And the two\nchampions were welcomed by Angus; and Dermat related to him and Grania\nthe whole story, how he had escaped from Finn and his hirelings, Oscar\nhelping. And as Grania listened, her spirit almost left her, at the\ndeadly peril Dermat had passed through.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CXXII.] Hy Ficra, now the barony of Tireragh, in Sligo.\n\n[CXXIII.] The Lake of Lein of the Crooked Teeth, _i.e._ Loch Lein, or\nthe Lakes of Killarney.\n\n[CXXIV.] The Land of Promise, or Fairyland. (See note 8 at the end.)\n\n[CXXV.] Quicken tree. (See note, page 177.)\n\n[CXXVI.] Fomor, a giant. (See note, page 227.)\n\n[CXXVII.] Slieve Cua, the ancient name of the highest of the\nKnockmeal-down mountains, in Waterford.\n\n[CXXVIII.] Slieve Crot, the ancient name of the Galty mountains.\n\n[CXXIX.] Slieve Gora, a mountainous district in the barony of Clankee,\nCounty Cavan.\n\n[CXXX.] Slieve Mucka, now Slievenamuck (the mountain of the pig), a long\nmountain ridge in Tipperary, separated from the Galties by the Glen of\nAherlow. Slieve Luga, a mountainous district, formerly belonging to the\nO'Garas, in the barony of Costello, county Mayo. Slieve Mish, a mountain\nrange west of Tralee.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VIII.\n\nTHE ATTACK OF THE WITCH-HAG.\n\n\nNow as regards Finn. After the departure of Dermat and Oscar, his heart\nwas filled with anger and bitterness, and he vowed he would never rest\ntill he had revenged himself on Dermat. And, leaving the Wood of Dooros,\nhe marched eastward till he reached Allen. Making no delay, he ordered\nhis trusted servants to make ready his best ship, and to put therein\nfood and drink for a voyage. Then going on board, he put out to sea; and\nnothing is told of him till he reached the Land of Promise,[8] where his\nold nurse lived.\n\nWhen he appeared before her, she gave him a joyful welcome. And after he\nhad eaten and drunk, she asked him the cause of his journey, knowing\nthat some weighty matter had brought him thither. So he told her the\nwhole story of what Dermat O'Dyna had done against him; and said that he\nhad come to seek counsel from her how he should act. \"For,\" he said, \"no\nstrength or cunning of men can compass his death; magic alone can\novermatch him.\"\n\nThen the old woman told him that she would go with him next day and work\nmagic against Dermat. Whereupon Finn was much rejoiced, and they rested\nthat night.\n\nNext day, they set out, Finn and his people and his nurse; and it is not\ntold how they fared till they reached Bruga of the Boyne. And the men of\nErin knew not that they had come thither, for the witch-hag threw a\ndruidical mist round them, so that no man might see them.\n\nIt chanced that Dermat hunted that day in the forest, alone; for Oscar\nhad gone from Bruga the day before. When this was known to the\nwitch-hag, she caused herself to fly into the air by magic, on a\nwater-lily, having by her spells turned the pale flat leaf into a broad\nmillstone with a hole in the middle. And, rising over the tops of the\ntrees, she floated on the clear, cold wind, till she had come straight\nover the hero. Then, standing on the flat millstone, she began to aim\ndeadly poisoned darts at him through the hole. And no distress Dermat\never suffered could compare with this; for the darts stung him even\nthrough his shield and armour, the witch having breathed venomous spells\non them.\n\nSeeing at last that there was no escape from death unless he could slay\nthe witch-hag, he seized the Ga-derg, and, leaning backwards, flung it\nwith sure aim at the millstone, so that it went right through the hole,\nand pierced the hag; and she fell dead at Dermat's feet. Then he\nbeheaded her, and brought the head to Angus of the Bruga; and he\nrelated to him and to Grania how he had escaped that great danger.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IX.\n\nPEACE AND REST AT LAST.\n\n\nAngus arose next morning, and, going to Finn, asked him whether he would\nmake peace with Dermat. Finn, seeing that he was worsted in every\nattempt against the hero, and that moreover he had lost his nurse and\nmany of his men, told Angus that he was weary of the quarrel, and that\nhe was fain to make peace on whatever terms Dermat should choose.\n\nHe next went to Tara to the king, Cormac, the grandson of Conn. Him he\nasked in like manner whether he was willing to grant Dermat peace and\nforgiveness; and Cormac answered that he was quite willing.\n\nThen he came to Dermat and said, \"Peace is better for thee: art thou\nwilling now to be at peace with Finn and Cormac?\"\n\nAnd Dermat answered, \"Gladly will I make peace, if they grant me such\nconditions as befit a champion and the husband of the princess Grania.\"\n\nAnd when Angus asked what these conditions were, he answered--\n\n\"The cantred which my father had, that is to say, the cantred of\nO'Dyna,[CXXXI.] without rent or tribute to the king of Erin; also the\ncantred of Ben-Damis,[CXXXII.] namely, Ducarn of Leinster. These two to\nbe granted to me by Finn; and he shall not hunt over them, nor any of\nhis Fena, without my leave. And the king of Erin shall grant me the\ncantred of Kesh-Corran,[CXXXIII.] as a dowry with his daughter. On these\nconditions will I make peace.\"\n\nAngus went to Finn, and afterwards to the king, with these conditions.\nAnd they granted them, and forgave Dermat all he had done against them\nduring the time he was outlawed. So they made peace. And Cormac gave his\nother daughter to Finn to wife.\n\nDermat and Grania went to live in the cantred of Kesh-Corran, far away\nfrom Finn and Cormac; and they built a house for themselves, namely,\nRath-Grania, in which they abode many years in peace. And Grania bore\nDermat four sons and one daughter. And his possessions increased year by\nyear, insomuch that people said that no man of his time was richer than\nDermat, in gold and silver and jewels, in sheep, and in cattle-herds.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CXXXI.] The cantred of O'Dyna, now the barony of Corkaguiny, in Kerry.\n(See note, page 237.)\n\n[CXXXII.] The cantred of Ben-Damis, or Ducarn of Leinster, probably the\ndistrict round Douce mountain, in the county Wicklow.\n\n[CXXXIII.] The district round the mountain of Kesh-Corran, in Sligo.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER X.\n\nTHE DEATH OF DERMAT.\n\n\nNow when many years had passed, Grania said one day to Dermat--\n\n\"It is surely a thing unworthy of us, seeing the greatness of our\nhousehold and our wealth, and the number of our folk, that we should\nlive in a manner so much removed from the world. And in a special manner\nit is unbecoming that the two most illustrious men in Erin have never\nbeen in our house, namely, my father the king, and Finn the son of\nCumal.\"\n\nFor indeed she had not seen her father since the night she had left Tara\nwith Dermat, and her heart yearned for him.\n\n\"Wherefore say you this, Grania?\" answered Dermat; \"for though there is\nindeed peace between us, they are both none the less enemies of mine;\nand for this reason have I removed my dwelling far apart from them.\"\n\nAnd Grania said, \"Their enmity has surely softened with length of time:\nand now I would that you give them a feast: so shall we win back their\nfriendship and love.\"\n\nAnd in an evil hour Dermat consented.\n\nFor a full year were they preparing for that great feast, and when it\nwas ready, messengers were sent to invite the king, with his house-folk,\nand Finn, with the chief men of the seven batallions of the Fena. So\nthey came, with their attendants and followers, their horses and dogs;\nand they lived for a whole year in Rath-Grania, hunting and feasting.\n\nIt chanced one night, at the end of the year, long after all had gone to\nrest, that Dermat heard, through the silence of the night, the distant\nyelping of a hound; and he started up from his sleep. But Grania, being\nscared, started up also, and, throwing her arms round him, asked him\nwhat he had seen.\n\n\"I have heard the voice of a hound,\" answered Dermat; \"and I marvel much\nto hear it at midnight.\"\n\n\"May all things guard thee from harm!\" said Grania. \"This is surely a\ntrap laid for thee by the Dedannans, unknown to Angus of the Bruga: and\nnow lie down on thy bed again.\"\n\nDermat lay down, but did not sleep, and again he heard the hound's\nvoice. He started up, and this time was fain to go and look to the\nmatter; but Grania caught him and kept him back a second time, saying\nthat it was not meet for him to seek a hound whose voice he heard in the\nnight.\n\nA gentle slumber now fell on Dermat, and he slept through a good part of\nthe night. But the yelping of the hound came a third time, and awakened\nhim, so that he started up; and it being now broad day, he told Grania\nthat he would go to seek the hound, and find out why he was abroad in\nthe night.\n\nAnd though Grania consented, she felt, she knew not why, ill at ease;\nand she said--\n\n\"Bring with you the Morallta, the sword of Mannanan Mac Lir, and the\nGa-derg,[A] Angus's spear; for there may be danger.\"\n\nBut Dermat, regarding the matter lightly, and forced by fate to the\nworse choice, answered--\n\n\"How can danger arise from such a small affair? I will bring the\nBegallta and the Ga-boi;[CXXXIV.] and I will also bring my good hound\nMac-an-coill, leading him by his chain.\"\n\nSo Dermat went forth, and he delayed not till he reached the summit of\nBen-Gulban,[CXXXV.] where he found Finn; and Dermat, offering him no\nsalute, asked him who it was that held the chase. Finn answered--\n\n\"Some of our men came out from Rath-Grania at midnight with their\nhounds; and one of the hounds coming across the track of a wild boar,\nboth men and dogs have followed it up. I indeed would have held them\nback, but the men were eager, and left me here alone. For this is the\ntrack of the wild boar of Ben-Gulban, and they who follow him are bent\non a vain and dangerous pursuit. Often has he been chased; and he has\nalways escaped, after killing many men and dogs. Even now thou canst see\nin the distance that the Fena are flying before him; and he has slain\nseveral this morning. He is coming towards this hillock where we stand;\nand the sooner we get out of his way the better.\"\n\nBut Dermat said he would not leave the hillock through fear of any wild\nboar.\n\n\"It is not meet that thou shouldst tarry here,\" answered Finn. \"Dost\nthou not know that thou art under gesa[12] never to hunt a boar?\"\n\nDermat answered, \"I know nothing of these gesa; wherefore were they\nplaced on me?\"\n\nAnd Finn said, \"I will tell thee of this matter, for well do I remember\nit. When thou wert taken to Bruga of the Boyne, to be fostered by Angus,\nthe son of Angus's steward was fostered with thee, that he might be a\ncompanion and playmate to thee. Now the steward, being a man of the\ncommon sort, agreed to send each day to Bruga, food and drink for nine\nmen, as a price for having his son fostered with thee--thy father, Donn,\nbeing one of the nobles of the Fena. And thy father was accordingly\npermitted to visit the house of Angus when it pleased him, with eight\ncompanions, and claim the food sent by the steward; and when he did not\ncome, it was to be given to Angus's house-folk.\n\n\"It chanced on a certain day that I was at Allen of the broad\nhill-slopes, with the chief men of the seven battalions of the Fena. And\nBran Beg O'Bucan brought to my mind, what indeed I had forgotten, that\nit was forbidden to me to sleep at Allen more than nine nights one after\nanother, and that the next would be the tenth.\n\n\"Now this restriction had not been placed on any of the Fena save\nmyself, and they all went into the hall except thy father and a few\nothers. Then I asked where we should get entertainment for that night.\nAnd thy father, Donn, answered that he would give me entertainment at\nBruga of the Boyne; where food and drink awaited himself and his\ncompanions whenever he visited Angus. Donn said, moreover, that he had\nnot been to see his son for a year, and that we were sure to get a\nwelcome.\n\n\"So Donn and I and the few that were with us went to the house of Angus,\nbringing our hounds; and Angus welcomed us. And thou and the steward's\nson were there, two children. After a while we could see that Angus\nloved thee, Dermat, very much, but that the house-folk loved the son of\nthe steward; and thy father was filled with jealousy, that the people\nshould show fondness for him and not for thee.\n\n\"After night had fallen, it chanced that our hounds quarrelled over some\nbroken meat we had thrown to them, and began to fight in the court; and\nthe women and lesser people fled from them hither and thither. The son\nof the steward happened to run between thy father's knees, who, calling\nnow to mind how the people favoured him more than thee, gave him a\nsudden strong squeeze with his knees, and killed him on the spot. And,\nwithout being seen by any one, he threw him under the feet of the\nhounds.\n\n\"When at last the dogs were put asunder, the child was found dead; and\nthe steward uttered a long, mournful cry. Then he came to me and said--\n\n\"'Of all the men in Angus's house to-night, I have come worst out of\nthis uproar; for this boy was my only child. And now, O Finn, I demand\neric from thee for his death; for thy hounds have slain him.'\n\n\"I told him to examine the body of his son, and that if he found the\nmark of a hound's tooth or nail, I would give him eric. So the child was\nexamined, but no hurt--either bite or scratch--was found on him.\n\n\"Then the steward laid me under fearful bonds of druidical gesa,[12] to\nfind out for him who slew his son. So I called for a chess-board and\nsome water, and, having washed my hands, I put my thumb under my tooth\nof knowledge;[25] and then it was revealed to me that the boy had been\nslain by thy father. Not wishing to make this known, I now offered to\npay eric for the boy; but the steward refused, saying that he should\nknow who killed his son. So I was forced to tell him: whereupon he\nsaid--\n\n\"'It is easier for Donn to pay me eric than for any other man in this\nhouse. And the eric I demand is that his son be placed between my knees:\nif the lad gets off safe, then I shall follow up the matter no further.'\n\n\"Angus was very wroth at this; and thy father would have struck off the\nsteward's head if I had not come between and saved him.\n\n\"The steward said no more, but went aside and brought forth a druidical\nmagic wand, and, striking his son with it, he turned him into a great\nbristly wild boar, having neither ears nor tail. And, holding the wand\naloft, he chanted this incantation over the boar--\n\n    \"By this magical wand,\n    By the wizard's command,\n    I appoint and decree,\n    For Dermat and thee,\n    The same bitter strife,\n    The same span of life:\n    In the pride of his strength,\n    Thou shalt slay him at length:\n    Lo, Dermat O'Dyna\n      Lies stretched in his gore;\n    Behold my avengers,\n      The tusks of the boar!\n    And thus is decreed,\n    For Donn's cruel deed,\n    Sure vengeance to come--\n    His son's bloody doom;\n    By this wand in my hand,\n    By the wizard's command!\n\n\"The moment he had ended the incantation, the boar rushed out through\nthe open door, and we knew not whither he betook himself.\n\n\"When Angus heard the steward's words, he laid a command on thee never\nto hunt a wild boar, that so thou mightest avoid the doom foretold for\nthee.\n\n\"That same boar is the wild boar of Binbulbin; and he is now rushing\nfuriously towards us. Come, then, let us leave this hill at once, that\nwe may avoid him in time!\"\n\n\"I know nothing of these incantations and prohibitions,\" replied Dermat;\n\"or if, as thou sayest, they were put on me in my boyhood, I forget them\nall now. And neither for fear of this wild boar of Ben-Gulban nor of any\nother wild beast will I leave this hillock. But thou, before thou goest,\nleave me thy hound, Bran, to help and encourage my dog, Mac-an-coill.\"\n\n\"I will not leave him,\" answered Finn; \"for often has Bran chased this\nboar, and has always barely escaped with his life. And now I leave; for\nlo, here he comes over yonder hill-shoulder.\"\n\nSo Finn went his ways, and left Dermat standing alone on the hill. And\nafter he had left Dermat said--\n\n\"I fear me, indeed, that thou hast begun this chase hoping that it would\nlead to my death. But here will I await the event; for if I am fated to\ndie in this spot, I cannot avoid the doom in store for me.\"\n\nImmediately the boar came rushing up the face of the hill, with the Fena\nfollowing far behind. Dermat loosed Mac-an-coill against him, but to no\nprofit; for the hound shied and fled before him at the first glance.\nThen Dermat said, communing with himself--\n\n\"Woe to him who does not follow the advice of a good wife! For this\nmorning Grania bade me bring the Morallta and the Ga-derg; but I brought\ninstead the Begallta and the Ga-boi, disregarding her counsel.\"\n\nThen, putting his white taper finger into the silken loop of the Ga-boi,\nhe threw it with careful aim, and struck the boar in the middle of the\nforehead; but to no purpose, for the spear fell harmless to the ground,\nhaving neither wounded nor scratched the boar, nor disturbed even a\nsingle bristle.\n\nSeeing this, Dermat, though indeed he knew not fear, felt his courage a\nlittle damped. And thereupon drawing the Begallta from its sheath, he\ndealt a blow on the boar's neck, with the full strength of his brawny\narm. But neither did he fare better this time; for the sword flew in\npieces, leaving the hilt in his hand, while not a bristle of the boar\nwas harmed.\n\nAnd now the boar rushed on him as he stood defenceless, and with furious\nonset hurled him headlong to the earth; and, turning round, he gashed\nthe hero's side with his tusk, inflicting a deep and ghastly wound.\nTurning again, he was about to renew the attack, when Dermat flung the\nhilt of the sword at him, and drove it through the skull to his brain,\nso that the brute fell dead on the spot.\n\nFinn and the Fena now came up, and found Dermat lying pale and bleeding,\nin the pangs of death. And Finn said--\n\n\"It likes me well, Dermat, to see thee in this plight; only I am grieved\nthat all the women of Erin cannot see thee also. For now, indeed, the\nsurpassing beauty of thy form, that they loved so well, is gone from\nthee, and thou art pale and deformed!\"\n\nAnd Dermat answered, \"Alas, O Finn! these words surely come from thy\nlips only, and not from thy heart. And indeed it is in thy power to heal\nme even now if thou wilt.\"\n\n\"How should I heal thee?\" asked Finn.\n\n\"It is not hard for thee to do so,\" answered Dermat. \"For when, at the\nBoyne, the noble gift of foreknowledge was given to thee,[25] this gift\nalso thou didst receive--that to whomsoever thou shouldst give a drink\nof water from the closed palms of thy two hands, he should be healed\nfrom sickness or wounds, even though he stood at the point of death.\"\n\n\"Why should I heal thee by giving thee drink from my hands?\" replied\nFinn. \"For of a certainty thou of all men dost least deserve it from\nme.\"\n\n\"Thou surely speakest hastily, not remembering past services,\" answered\nDermat. \"Well, indeed, do I deserve that thou shouldst heal me. Dost\nthou forget the day thou didst go with the chiefs and nobles of the\nFena, to the house of Derca, the son of Donnara, to a banquet? And even\nas we sat down, and before the feast began, Carbri of the Liffey, son of\nCormac, with the men of Tara, and of Bregia, and of Meath, and of\nCarmna, surrounded the palace, intent on slaying thee and all thy\npeople. And they uttered three great shouts, and threw firebrands to\nburn the palace over our heads. Then thou didst arise and prepare to\nissue forth, but I put thee back and bade thee enjoy thy feast; and,\nleaving the banquet untasted, I rushed forth with a chosen few of my own\nmen, and quenched the flames. Thrice we made a circuit of the palace,\ndealing slaughter amongst thy foes, so that we left fifty of them dead\nafter each circuit. And having put Carbri and his men to flight, we\nreturned to join the feast. Had I asked thee for a drink that night,\ngladly wouldst thou have given it to me. And yet, not more justly was it\ndue to me then than it is now.\"\n\n\"Ill dost thou deserve a healing drink from me, or any other favour,\"\nsaid Finn; \"for it was thy part to guard Grania the night we came to\nTara; but thou didst espouse her secretly, and didst fly with her from\nTara, knowing that she was betrothed to me.\"\n\n\"Lay not the blame of that on me,\" said Dermat; \"for Grania put me under\nheavy gesa, which for all the wealth of the world I would not break\nthrough--no, not even for life itself. Neither did I rest on my own\njudgment in the matter; for well thou knowest that Oisin, and Oscar, and\nDering, and Mac Luga counselled me to the course I took.\n\n\"And now, O Finn, I pray thee let me drink from thy hands, for I feel\nthe weakness of death coming on me. And thou wilt not gainsay that I\ndeserve it, if thou wilt only remember the feast that Midac, the son of\nColga, made for thee in the Fairy Palace of the Quicken Trees.[CXXXVI.]\nTo this feast Midac invited thee and thy companions; while to the Palace\nof the Island he brought secretly the King of the World with a great\nhost, and the three kings of the Island of the Torrent, with intent to\nslay thee and all thy Fena.\n\n\"Now Midac caused some of the clay of the Island of the Torrent to be\nplaced under you, with foul spells, in the Palace of the Quicken Trees,\nso that your feet and your hands clove to the ground. And it was\nrevealed to thee that the King of the World was about to send a chief\nwith a troop of warriors, to slay you, helpless as you were, and to\nbring him your heads to the Palace of the Island.\n\n\"But at that same time, I came to thee outside the Palace of the Quicken\nTrees; and thou didst make known to me your deadly strait. Then did I\ntake thee, Finn, and those who were with thee, under the protection of\nmy knighthood and valour; and I went to the ford to defend it against\nthe foreigners.\n\n\"And after a little time the three dragon-like kings of the Island of\nthe Torrent came towards the palace: but I defended the ford, and,\nventuring my life for thee, I bore their attack and slew them all three.\nAnd I swept off their heads, and brought them, all gory as they were, in\nthe hollow of my shield, to the palace where you lay miserably bound;\nand, sprinkling the clay with the blood, I broke the spell and set you\nfree. And had I asked thee for a drink on that night, O Finn, of a\nsurety thou wouldst not have refused me.\n\n\"And many another deadly strait did I free you from, since the day I was\nadmitted among the Fena, always putting myself forward to the post of\ndanger, and perilling my life for your safety; and now why dost thou\nrequite me with this foul treachery?\n\n\"Moreover, many a king's son and many a brave warrior hast thou slain;\nand thou hast earned the enmity of powerful foes: neither is there yet\nan end of it. For the day will come--I see it even now--a day of direful\noverthrow and slaughter,[CXXXVII.] when few, alas! of the Fena will be\nleft to tell the tale. Then thou shalt sorely need my help, O Finn, and\nsorely shalt thou rue this day. I grieve not, indeed, for thee, but for\nmy dear, faithful companions--for Oscar and Mac Luga and Dering, and\nmore than all for Oisin, who shall long outlive the others in sad old\nage.[CXXXVIII.] Alas! how deadly shall be their strait when I am not\nnear to aid them!\"\n\nThen Oscar, moved with pity even to tears, addressing Finn, said,\n\"Although I am nearer akin to thee, O king, than to Dermat, yet I cannot\nsuffer that he die, when a drink from thy hands would heal him. Bring\nhim, then, a drink without delay.\"\n\nAnd Finn answered, \"I know of no well on this mountain from which to\nbring drink.\"\n\n\"Therein thou speakest not truth,\" said Dermat; \"for thou knowest that\nnot more than nine paces from thee, hidden under yonder bush, is a well\nof crystal water.\"\n\nThereupon Finn went to the well, and, holding his two hands tightly\ntogether, he brought up some of the water, and came towards Dermat; but\nafter he had walked a little way, he let it spill through his fingers,\nsaying that he was not able to bring water in his hands so far.\n\n\"Not so, Finn,\" said Dermat. \"I saw thee that of thy own will thou didst\nlet it spill. And now, O king, hasten, for death is on me.\"\n\nAgain he went to the well, and was bringing the water slowly, while\nDermat followed the dripping hands with his eyes; but when Finn thought\nof Grania he let the water spill a second time. And Dermat, seeing\nthis, uttered a piteous sigh of anguish.\n\nAnd now was Oscar no longer able to contain his grief and rage; and he\nsaid, \"I swear, O king, if thou dost not bring the water, that only one\nof us two--thou or I--shall leave this hill alive!\"\n\nHearing Oscar's words, and seeing the frowning looks of the others, Finn\ndipped up the water a third time, and was hastening forward; but before\nhe had got half-way, Dermat's head dropped backwards, and his life\ndeparted.\n\nAnd all the Fena present raised three long loud cries of sorrow for\nDermat O'Dyna.\n\nThen Oscar, looking fiercely on Finn, spoke and said, \"Would that thou\nthyself lay dead here instead of Dermat! For now indeed the noblest\nheart of the Fena is still; and our mainstay in battle and danger is\ngone. Ah! why did I not foresee this? Why was I not told that Dermat's\nlife was linked with the life of the wild boar of Ben-Gulban? Then would\nI have stayed this chase, and put off the evil day!\"\n\nAnd Oscar wept; and Oisin, and Dering, and Mac Luga wept also, for\nDermat was much loved by all.\n\nAfter a time, Finn said, \"Let us now leave this hill, lest Angus of the\nBruga overtake us. For although we had no hand in Dermat's death,\nnevertheless he may not believe us.\"\n\nSo Finn and the Fena departed from the hill, Finn leading Dermat's dog,\nMac-an-coill. But Oisin, and Oscar, and Dering, and Mac Luga turned\nback, and with tears, threw their mantles over Dermat; after which they\nfollowed the others.\n\nGrania sat that day on the highest rampart of Rath-Grania, watching for\nDermat's return; for a dark fear haunted her mind on account of this\nchase. And when at last the Fena came in view, she saw Dermat's dog led\nby Finn; but not seeing Dermat himself, she said--\n\n\"Ah me! what is this I see? Surely if Dermat were alive, it is not by\nFinn that Mac-an-coill would be led to his home!\"\n\nAnd as she spoke she fell forward off the rampart, and lay long in a\nswoon as if her spirit had fled, while her handmaid stood over her,\nweeping and distracted. And when at last she opened her eyes, then\nindeed they told her that Dermat was dead; and she uttered a long and\npiteous cry, so that her women and all the people of the court came\nround her to ask the cause of her sorrow. And when they were told that\nDermat had perished by the wild boar of Ben-Gulban, they raised three\nloud, bitter cries of lamentation, which were heard in the glens and\nwildernesses around, and which pierced the clouds of heaven.\n\nWhen at length Grania became calm, she ordered that five hundred of her\npeople should go to Ben-Gulban, to bring home the body of Dermat. Then,\nturning to Finn, who still held Mac-an-coill in his hand, she asked him\nto leave her Dermat's hound; but Finn refused, saying that a hound was a\nsmall matter, and that he might be allowed to inherit at least so much\nof Dermat's riches. When Oisin heard this, he came forward and took the\nhound from the hand of Finn and gave him to Grania.\n\nAt the time that the men left Rath-Grania to go for the body of Dermat,\nit was revealed to Angus that the hero was lying dead on Ben-Gulban. And\nhe set out straightway, and travelling on the pure, cool wind, soon\nreached the mountain; so that when Grania's people came up, they found\nhim standing over the body, sorrowing, with his people behind him. And\nthey held forward the wrong sides of their shields in token of peace.\n\nThen both companies, having viewed the dead hero, raised three mighty\ncries of sorrow, so loud and piercing that they were heard in the wastes\nof the firmament, and over the five provinces of Erin.\n\nAnd when they had ceased, Angus spoke and said, \"Alas! why did I abandon\nthee, even for once, O my son? For from the day I took thee to Bruga, a\ntender child, I have watched over thee and guarded thee from thy foes,\nuntil last night. Ah! why did I abandon thee to be decoyed to thy doom\nby the guileful craft of Finn? By my neglect hast thou suffered, O\nDermat; and now, indeed, I shall for ever feel the bitter pangs of\nsorrow!\"\n\nThen Angus asked Grania's people what they had come for. And when they\ntold him that Grania had sent them to bring the body of Dermat to\nRath-Grania, he said--\n\n\"I will bring the body of Dermat with me to Bruga of the Boyne; and I\nwill keep him on his bier, where he shall be preserved by my power, as\nif he lived. And though I cannot, indeed, restore him to life, yet I\nwill breathe a spirit into him, so that for a little while each day he\nshall talk with me.\"\n\nThen he caused the body to be placed on a golden bier, with the hero's\njavelins fixed one on each side, points upwards. And his people raised\nthe bier and carried it before him; and in this manner they marched\nslowly to Bruga of the Boyne.\n\nGrania's people then returned; and when they had told her the whole\nmatter, though she was grieved at first, yet in the end she was content,\nknowing how Angus loved Dermat.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CXXXIV.] See note, page 302.\n\n[CXXXV.] Now Benbulbin, a mountain five miles north of the town of\nSligo.\n\n[CXXXVI.] See this story told at length, page 177.\n\n[CXXXVII.] A prophetic allusion to the battle of Gavra. (See note 28 at\nthe end.)\n\n[CXXXVIII.] A prophetic allusion to the events related in the story of\n\"Oisin in Tirnanoge,\" page 385.\n\n\n\n\nTHE CHASE OF SLIEVE CULLINN.\n\nIN WHICH IT IS RELATED HOW FINN'S HAIR WAS CHANGED IN ONE DAY FROM THE\nCOLOUR OF GOLD TO SILVERY GREY.[CXXXIX.]\n\n\nCuland, the smith of the Dedannans,[1] who lived at Slieve\nCullinn,[CXL.] had two beautiful daughters, Milucra and Aina. They both\nloved Finn,[23] and each sought him for her husband.\n\nAs they walked together one evening near Allen,[CXLI.] they fell to\ntalking of many things; and their conversation turning at last on their\nfuture husbands, Aina said she would never marry a man with grey hair.\n\nWhen Milucra heard this, she resolved with herself that if she could not\nget Finn, she would plan so that he should not marry her sister Aina. So\nshe departed immediately, and, turning her steps northwards, she\nsummoned the Dedannans to meet her at Slieve Cullinn. Having brought\nthem all together, she caused them to make her a lake[CXLII.] near the\ntop of the mountain; and she breathed a druidical virtue on its waters,\nthat all who bathed in it should become grey.\n\nOn a morning not long after this, Finn happened to be walking alone on\nthe lawn before the palace of Allen, when a doe sprang out from a\nthicket, and, passing quite close to him, bounded past like the wind.\nWithout a moment's delay, he signalled for his companions and dogs; but\nnone heard except his two hounds, Bran and Skolan. He instantly gave\nchase, with no other arms than his sword, Mac-an-Lona, and accompanied\nonly by his two dogs; and before the Fena[23] knew of his absence, he\nhad left Allen of the green slopes far behind.\n\nThe chase turned northwards; and though the hounds kept close to the\ndoe, the chief kept quite as close to the hounds the whole way. And so\nthey continued without rest or pause, till they reached Slieve Cullinn,\nfar in the north.\n\nHere the doe made a sudden turn and disappeared; and what direction she\ntook, whether east or west, Finn knew not, for he never caught sight of\nher after. And he marvelled much that any doe in the world should be\nable to lead Bran and Skolan so long a chase, and escape from them in\nthe end. Meantime they kept searching, Finn taking one side of the hill\nand the dogs another, so that he was at last left quite alone.\n\nWhile he was wandering about the hill and whistling for his hounds, he\nheard the plaintive cry of a woman at no great distance; and, turning\nhis steps towards the place, he saw a lady sitting on the brink of a\nlittle lake, weeping as if her heart would break. Never before did the\nchieftain see a maiden so lovely. The rose colour on her cheeks was\nheightened by her grief; her lips were like ruddy quicken berries; the\ndelicate blossom of the apple tree was not more white than her neck; her\nhair fell in heavy golden ringlets on her shoulders; and as she looked\nup at the chief, her eyes beamed like stars on a frosty night.\n\nFinn accosted her; and, seeing that she ceased her weeping for a moment,\nhe asked her had she seen his two hounds pass that way.\n\n\"I have not seen thy hounds,\" she replied, \"nor have I been at all\nconcerned in the chase; for, alas, there is something that troubles me\nmore nearly, a misadventure that has caused me great sorrow!\"\n\nAnd as she spoke these words, she burst out weeping and sobbing more\nbitterly than before.\n\nFinn was greatly moved at this, so much so, that he quite forgot all\nabout his hounds and his own troubles; and he asked her--\n\n\"What is the cause of this great grief, gentle lady? Has death robbed\nyou of your husband or your child, or what other evil has befallen you?\nI am much concerned to see a lady in such distress; and I wish you to\ntell me if anything can be done to lighten your sorrow, or to remove the\ncause of it?\"\n\nShe replied, \"I had a precious gold ring on my finger, which I prized\nbeyond anything in the world; and it has fallen from me into the water.\nI saw it roll down the steep slope at the bottom, till it went quite out\nof my sight. This is the cause of my sorrow, and thou canst remedy the\nmishap if thou wilt. The Fena are sworn never to refuse help to a woman\nin distress; and I now put on thee those gesa[12] that true heroes dare\nnot break through, to search for the ring, and cease not till thou find\nit and restore it to me.\"\n\nThough the chief had indeed at the moment no inclination to swim, he\ncould not refuse a prayer urged in this manner. So he plunged in without\na moment's hesitation, and examined the lake on all sides, diving and\nsearching into every nook and cranny at the bottom.\n\nAfter swimming in this manner three times round and round the lake, he\nfound the ring at last; and, approaching the lady, he handed it to her\nfrom the water. The moment she had got it she sprang into the lake\nbefore his eyes, and, diving down, disappeared in an instant.\n\nThe chief, wondering greatly at this strange behaviour, stepped forth\nfrom the water; but as soon as his feet had touched the dry land, he\nlost all his strength, and fell on the brink, a withered, grey old man,\nshrunken up and trembling all over with weakness. He sat him down in\nwoful plight; and soon his hounds came up. They looked at him wistfully\nand sniffed and whined around him; but they knew him not, and, passing\non, they ran round the lake, searching in vain for their master.\n\nOn that day the Fena were assembled in the banquet hall of the palace of\nAllen; some feasting and drinking, some playing chess, and others\nlistening to the sweet music of the harpers. While all were in this wise\npleasantly engaged, Kylta Mac Ronan[23] stood up in the midst, and said\nin the hearing of all--\n\n\"I have observed, friends, that our master and king, Finn the son of\nCumal, has not been amongst us to-day, as is his wont; and I wish to\nknow whither he has gone.\"\n\nThis speech caused a sudden alarm amongst us; for no one knew aught of\nthe chief, or was aware till that moment that he was absent at all; and\nwe knew not wherefore he had disappeared or whither he had gone. In the\nmidst of our anxious tumult, the envious and foul-mouthed Conan Mail[23]\nstood up, and said--\n\n\"I have never heard sweeter music than your words, Kylta! The Fena are\nnow about to seek for their king; and my only wish is that their quest\nmay last for a whole year, and that it may prove a vain search in the\nend! Be not cast down, however, O Fena; if you should fail to find the\nson of Cumal, you will not be so ill off as you think; for I will\nundertake to be your king from this time forth!\"\n\nThough we were at the time more inclined to be sad than mirthful, being\nweighed down with much anxiety, we could not help laughing when we heard\nthe loud, foolish talk of Conan Mail; but we took no further notice of\nhim.\n\nInquiring now from the lesser people about the palace, we found that the\nchief and his two dogs had followed a doe northwards. So, having\nmustered a strong party of the Fena, we started in pursuit. Kylta and I\ntook the lead, the rest keeping close behind; and in this order we\nfollowed the track, never taking rest or slackening speed till we\nreached Slieve Cullinn.\n\nWe began to search round the hill, hoping to find either the chief\nhimself or some person who might give us tidings of him. After wandering\namong brakes and rough, rocky places, we at last espied a grey-headed\nold man sitting on the brink of a lake. I went up to him to ask a\nquestion, followed by the rest of the Fena. At first I thought he might\nbe a fisherman who had come up from the plains to fish; but when we came\nnear him, he seemed so wretched an old creature, all shrivelled up, with\nthe skin hanging in wrinkles over the bare points of his bones, that I\nfelt quite sure he was not a fisherman, and that he was reduced to that\nstate more by sickness and want than by old age.\n\nI asked the poor old man if he had seen a noble-looking hero pass that\nway, with two hounds, chasing a doe. He never answered a word, neither\ndid he stir from where he sat, or even look up; but at the question, his\nhead sank on his breast, and his limbs shook all over as with palsy.\nThen he fell into a sudden fit of grief, wringing his hands and uttering\nfeeble cries of woe.\n\nWe soothed him and used him gently for a time, hoping he might speak at\nlast; but to no purpose, for he still kept silent. Then at last growing\nimpatient, and thinking that this might be a mere headstrong humour, we\ndrew our swords, and threatened him with instant death if he did not at\nonce tell us all he knew of the chief and his hounds--for we felt sure\nhe had seen them. But he only lamented the more, and still answered\nnothing.\n\nAt last, after this had gone on for some time, and when we were about to\nleave him, he beckoned to Kylta Mac Ronan; and when Kylta had come near,\nthe old man whispered into his ear the dreadful secret. And then we all\ncame to know the truth. When we found that the withered old man was no\nother than our beloved king, Finn, himself, we uttered three shouts of\nlamentation and anger, so loud and prolonged that the foxes and badgers\nrushed affrighted from their dens in the hollows of the mountain.\n\nConan now stepped forward, looking very fierce; and, unsheathing his\nsword with mighty bluster, he began in a loud voice to revile Finn and\nthe Fena with the foulest language he could think of. And he ended by\nsaying that he meant to slay the king that moment--\n\n\"Now, O Finn Mac Cumal, I will certainly strike off your head; for you\nare the man that never gave me credit for valour, or praised my noble\ndeeds in battle. Ever since your father, Cumal of the Hosts, was slain\non the field of Knocka[CXLIII.] by the Clann Morna[23] of the Golden\nShields, you have been our bitter foe; and it is against your will that\nany of us are now alive. I am very glad to see you, Finn Mac Cumal,\nbrought down to what you now are; and I only wish that the rest of the\nClann Baskin[23] were like you. Then should I very soon make short work\nof them all; and joyful to me would be the task of raising a great carn\nto their memory!\"\n\nTo which Oscar replied with great scorn, \"It is not worth while drawing\na sword to punish thee, Conan Mail, vain and foolish boaster as thou\nart; and besides, we have at present something else to think of. But if\nit were not for the trouble that now lies heavy on us on account of our\nking, I would of a certainty chastise thee by breaking all the bones of\nthy mouth with my fist!\"\n\n\"Cease, Oscar,\" returned Conan, in a voice still louder than before;\n\"cease your foolish talk! It is actions and not words that prove a man;\nand as to the noble warlike deeds done in past times by the Fena, it\nwas by the Clann Morna they were performed, and not by the\nchicken-hearted Clann Baskin!\"\n\nThe fiery Oscar could bear this no longer. He rushed towards Conan Mail;\nbut Conan, terrified at his vengeful look, ran in amongst the Fena with\ngreat outcry, beseeching them to save him from the rage of Oscar. We\nstraightway confronted the young hero, and checked him in his headlong\ncareer; and after much ado, we soothed his anger and made peace between\nhim and Conan.\n\nWhen quietness was restored, Kylta asked Finn how this dread evil had\nbefallen him, who was the enchanter, and whether there was any hope of\nrestoring him to his own shape. Finn told him that it was the daughter\nof Culand the smith who had transformed him by her spells. And then he\nrecounted how she had lured him to swim in the lake, and how, when he\ncame forth, he was turned into a withered old man.\n\nWe now made a framework litter of slender poles, and, placing our king\non it, we lifted him tenderly on our shoulders. And, turning from the\nlake, we marched slowly up-hill till we came to the fairy palace of\nSlieve Cullinn, where we knew the daughter of Culand had her dwelling\ndeep under ground.[19] Here we set him down, and the whole troop began\nat once to dig, determined to find the enchantress in her cave-palace,\nand to take vengeance on her if she did not restore our chief.\n\nFor three days and three nights we dug, without a moment's rest or\npause, till at length we reached her hollow dwelling; when she,\naffrighted at the tumult and at the vengeful look of the heroes,\nsuddenly started forth from the cave and stood before us. She held in\nher hand a drinking-horn of red gold, which was meant for the king. Yet\nshe appeared unwilling, and held it back, notwithstanding the\nthreatening looks of the Fena. But, happening to cast her eyes on the\ngraceful and manly youth, Oscar, she was moved with such admiration and\nlove for him that she wavered no longer, but placed the fairy\ndrinking-horn in the hands of the king. No sooner had he drunk from it,\nthan his own shape and features returned, save only that his hair\nremained of a silvery grey.\n\nWhen we gazed on our chief in his own graceful and manly form, we were\nall pleased with the soft, silvery hue of the grey hairs. And, though\nthe enchantress appeared ready to restore this also, Finn himself told\nher that it pleased him as it pleased the others, and that he chose to\nremain grey for the rest of his life.\n\nWhen the king had drunk from the horn, he passed it to Mac Reth, who\ndrank from it in like manner and gave it to Dering. Dering, after\ndrinking, was about to hand it to the next, when it gave a sudden twist\nout of his hand, and darted into the loose earth at our feet, where it\nsank out of sight. We ran at once to recover it; but, though we turned\nup the earth deeply all round, we were not able to find the\ndrinking-horn. This was a disappointment that vexed us exceedingly, for\nif we had all drunk from it, we should have been gifted with a\nforeknowledge of future events.\n\nA growth of slender twigs grew up afterwards over the spot where it sank\ninto the ground; and this little thicket is still gifted with a part of\nthe virtue of the golden drinking-horn. For any one who looks on it in\nthe morning fasting, will know in a moment all things that are to happen\nthat day.\n\nSo ended the Chase of Slieve Cullinn; and in this wise it came to pass\nthat Finn's hair was turned in one day from golden yellow to silvery\ngrey.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CXXXIX.] It is necessary to remind the reader that this story and the\ntwo following are related by Oisin, in his old age, to St. Patrick. (See\nthe prefatory note to the story of \"Oisin in Tirnanoge,\" p. 385; and see\nalso note 23 at the end.)\n\n[CXL.] Now Slieve Gullion, a lofty, isolated mountain in the south of\nthe county Armagh, celebrated in legendary lore.\n\n[CXLI.] The Hill of Allen, in Kildare, where Finn had his palace. (See\nnote 23 at the end.)\n\n[CXLII.] The little lake for which this legendary origin is assigned\nlies near the top of Slieve Gullion. There were several wells in Ireland\nwhich, according to the belief of old times, had the property of turning\nthe hair grey. Giraldus Cambrensis tells us of such a well in Munster;\nand he states that he once saw a man who had washed a part of his head\nin this well, and that the part washed was white, while the rest was\nblack!\n\nIt is to be observed that the peasantry of the district retain to this\nday a lingering belief in the power of the lake of Slieve Gullion to\nturn the hair grey.\n\n[CXLIII.] Knocka, now Castleknock, near Dublin. (See note 27 at the\nend.)\n\n\n\n\nTHE CHASE OF SLIEVE FUAD.\n\n\nIN WHICH IT IS RELATED HOW AILNA, THE WIFE OF MERGAH OF THE SHARP\nSPEARS, IN ORDER TO BE REVENGED ON THE FENA FOR THE DEATH OF HER\nHUSBAND, TRANSFORMED HERSELF INTO A DEER, AND DECOYED THEM TILL SHE GOT\nTHEM INTO THE POWER OF HER BROTHER, DRYANTORE, A GIANT AND AN ENCHANTER;\nHOW HE THREW THEM INTO A DUNGEON, WITH INTENT TO KILL THEM; AND HOW THEY\nWERE IN THE END SET FREE BY CONAN MAIL.[CXLIV.]\n\n\nFinn and the Fena[23] went one day to hunt at Slieve Fuad.[CXLV.] When\nthey had come very near to the top of the mountain, a deer suddenly\nbounded from a thicket right before them, very large and fierce, with a\ngreat pair of sharp, dangerous antlers. At once they loosed their dogs\nand gave chase; and those who were scattered here and there about the\nhill gave up the pursuit of smaller game to join the main body for it\nwas very seldom they fell in with a deer that promised better sport.\n\nShe led them through rugged places, over rocks and bogs, and into deep\nglens. The hounds several times surrounded her; but she fought her way\nwith so much strength and fury that she always escaped, after killing\nmany of the dogs and disabling some of the men.\n\nSoon she left Slieve Fuad behind, nor did she slacken speed till she\nreached the green hill of Lidas, while the hunters and dogs followed in\nfull chase close behind. She then made her way across the open country\nto a rugged and bushy hill--the hill of Carrigan;[CXLVI.] and here they\nsuddenly lost her among the rocks and thickets. They searched round the\nhill without avail, north, south, east, and west, till all, both men and\ndogs, were quite scattered; and Finn and Dara the Melodious were left\nalone.\n\nAt length Finn's dog, Skolan, started the deer once more, and again the\nchase began. Back over the selfsame course she ran, by the hill of\nLidas, and straight on towards Slieve Fuad, Finn and Dara close on her\ntrack; while the main body of the Fena followed far behind, guided by\nthe cries of the dogs.\n\nWhen the deer reached Slieve Fuad, she again took cover and disappeared\nat the very spot where they had first started her; and the two chiefs,\nafter beating the thickets on every side, were at length forced to give\nup the search.\n\nA druidical mist now rose up, darkening the air, and enfolding them on\nevery side; so that they lost their way. They tried many times to regain\nthe path, but to no purpose; for they only lost themselves more and\nmore among the quagmires and thickets. At last they sat down to rest,\nweary and baffled; and Dara played a mournful strain on his timpan;\nafter which they sounded the Dord-Fian,[CXLVII.] as a signal to their\nfriends.\n\nWhen the Fena heard the Dord-Fian sounding afar off, they felt sure that\ntheir leader was in trouble or strait of some kind; and they started to\nhis relief, making northwards straight towards the point from which they\nthought the signal came. But they had not gone far when they heard it\nsounding from the east, and altered their course accordingly. Again it\nchanged to the west; and no sooner had they set forward in that\ndirection than it seemed to come from the south. In this manner were\nthey led hither and thither, till they became quite bewildered; and they\nfound themselves no nearer to those they were in search of, for every\ntime they heard the Dord-Fian, it seemed as far off as ever.\n\nMeantime Finn and Dara, after resting for a time, again started off,\nintent on trying once more to reach their friends; for they heard their\nshouts, and knew they were seeking them. As they were making their way\nthrough the thick fog, they heard a voice at a little distance, as if\nfrom one in distress; and, turning their steps that way, they met a\nyoung woman, very beautiful, and very pleasing in manner, but looking\nweary and sore perplexed, and all over in sad plight from the bogs and\nbrambles.\n\nFinn accosted her in a gentle voice, asking how she came to be alone in\na place so wild.\n\nShe replied, \"I and my husband were journeying along over the plain,\nwhen we heard the melodious cry of hounds; and he left me to follow the\nchase, telling me to continue along the same path, and promising to\nrejoin me without delay. But this fairy fog has risen around me, and I\nhave lost my way, so that I know not now in what direction to go.\"\n\nFinn then asked her name and the name of her husband.\n\n\"My husband's name is Lavaran, and mine is Glanlua. But I perceive that\nyou are one of the Fena; and indeed I think, from your arms and from\nyour noble mien, that you must be the great chief Finn himself. If this\nbe so, I place myself under your protection; and I know well that you\nwill lead me safely out of this place to my husband; for the Fena never\nyet refused their help to a woman in distress.\"\n\nFinn replied, \"You are quite right, lady, for I am Finn; and this chase\nthat has parted you and your husband belongs to me. We will certainly\ntake you under our protection, and we will neither abandon you on this\nmountain, nor suffer any one to harm you. But as to leading you to your\nhusband, it is not at present in our power to do that; for you must\nknow, lady, that we also have been set astray by this magical fairy fog.\nNevertheless, we will do the best we can; and now you had better come\nwith us.\"\n\nSo the three set forward in the direction they thought most likely to\nlead to the open plain.\n\nAfter walking for some time, they heard a low, sweet strain of fairy\nmusic; and they stopped to listen. It seemed to be near them and around\nthem in the fog, so that Finn thought it came from the spot where the\nlady stood; and she thought it came from Finn or Dara: and the music was\nfollowed by shouts and noise, as if from a great company. When the noise\nceased, the music began again more sweetly than before; so that they\nfelt heavy, and as if inclined to sleep. Still more drowsy and powerless\nthey became as they listened; and at last they all three sank on the\nground, in a trance deep and deathlike.\n\nAfter a time they awoke, and slowly regained their senses; though they\nwere so weak that they could scarcely move. The fog had cleared away,\nleaving the air bright and warm; and when they were able to look around,\nthey found themselves on the margin of a blue lake. The part of the lake\nthat lay in front of them was narrow, and quite calm and smooth; but on\neach side, to the right and left, it opened out into two broad,\ngreen-bordered seas, with great waves tumbling wildly about, as if the\nwaters were torn up by whirlwinds. But where they sat, not a breath was\nblowing. And looking across the narrow part, they saw a stately palace\nright before them on the opposite shore.\n\nAs they were gazing at all these strange things, silent and much\nastonished, they saw a warrior coming forth from the palace, in size\nlike a giant, rough and fierce-looking, with a beautiful woman by his\nside. The two walked quickly down to the shore, and, plunging in, they\nswam straight across the middle of the lake. And Dara and Glanlua,\nturning to Finn, said--\n\n\"Of a surety, it is not for our good yonder strangers are approaching;\nbut to work us treachery and mischief!\"\n\nThis forecast turned out to be true. The large warrior and the beautiful\nlady had no sooner gained the land than they came up to Finn and his two\ncompanions; and without speaking a word, the giant seized them roughly,\nand led them down to the shore of the lake. For the two heroes were\nstill so weak from the spell of the fairy music that they were not able\nto raise a hand to defend either the lady or themselves.\n\nThe giant and his companion, making no delay, plunged in, and swam back\ntowards the palace, bringing the three with them; and as soon as they\nhad reached the shore, the strange warrior, addressing Finn in a fierce\nand surly manner, said--\n\n\"For a long time have I sought Finn Mac Cumal, the evil-minded and\ncrafty; and now, O Finn, now that thou hast been by a well-laid plan\ncast under my power, I will take good care that thou shalt not escape\ntill I take revenge, even to the full, for all the injuries thou hast\ndone to me and to my sister!\"\n\nFinn listened to this speech with much surprise, for he could not call\nto mind that he had ever seen the hero before; and he said--\n\n\"Tell me, I pray thee, who thou art; for I know thee not; neither do I\nknow of any injury thou hast suffered at my hands. Thou art, indeed,\nlarge of body, and fierce and boastful in speech; but know that to take\nrevenge on a foe who is unable to defend himself, is a deed quite\nunbecoming a hero!\"\n\nThe large man replied, \"Do you not remember the treachery you practised\non Mergah of the Sharp Spears, and on my sons, two fair youths, whom you\nslew by unfair means, at the battle of Knockanare?[CXLVIII.] Well indeed\ndo I know thee, Finn, for I am Dryantore, and this is Ailna my sister,\nthe wife of Mergah. She is left without her husband, and I without my\nsons, by your cruel wiles; for it was by fraud and foul play, and not by\nfair fighting, that you gained the battle of Knockanare, and slew Mergah\nand his host!\"\n\n\"I remember well,\" said Finn, \"that they all fell on the battle-field;\nbut it was not by craft or treachery. Mergah of the Sharp Spears came\nwith a mighty host to conquer Erin, and lay it under tribute. But they\nwere met at Knockanare, and every man of them slain in fair, open fight,\nthough not without sore loss to the Fena.\"\n\n\"You may say what you please on the matter,\" said Dryantore; \"but it is\nquite enough for me that you have slain Ailna's husband and my two sons.\nAnd now, indeed, I shall take revenge--of that be sure--both on you and\non all the Fena that come within my reach.\"\n\nAnd having so spoken, he began without more ado to bind Finn, Dara, and\nGlanlua in strong fetters; and having done so, he threw them into a\ndungeon, where he left them without food or drink or comfort of any\nkind.\n\nMeantime the Fena ceased not to search for their king. They knew, by the\nsad strain they had heard in the distance, and by the strange manner in\nwhich the music had shifted from place to place, that he was caught\nunder some druidic spell; and they vowed they would never rest till they\nhad found him and punished the enchanter, whoever he might be.\n\nNext day, Ailna visited the dungeon; and Finn addressed her--\n\n\"Hast thou forgotten, Ailna, that when thou didst come to Erin after the\ndeath of thy husband, Mergah of the Sharp Spears, the Fena received thee\nhospitably, and, pitying thy distress, treated thee with much kindness?\nBut for this thou hast indeed given us an ungrateful and unbecoming\nreturn; for thou hast shut us up in this dungeon, without food or drink,\nhaving, by guileful druidical spells, taken away our strength.\"\n\n\"I remember very well,\" said Ailna, \"that you treated me kindly. But you\nkilled my husband; and I am well pleased that it has now come to my\nturn to avenge his death. I do not feel the least pity for you; and I\nonly wish that the whole of the Fena were with you in that dungeon, to\nbe dealt with by my brother.\"\n\nThen, casting her eyes on Glanlua, she began to upbraid her in bitter\nwords for having been in the company of Finn and Dara. But Glanlua\nexplained the matter, saying that she had never seen either of the\nchiefs before, and that it was only by chance she had fallen on them\nwhen she had lost her way in the fog.\n\n\"If that be so,\" said Ailna, \"it is not just that you should be punished\nfor the evil deeds of the others.\"\n\nAnd she went and told Dryantore, who came forthwith to release the lady.\n\nGlanlua took leave of Finn and Dara, and left the prison, grieving much\nfor their evil plight; for she was grateful for their kindness on the\nmountain. Ailna led her to the palace; and, having placed food before\nher, bade her eat. But Glanlua, being overcome by weakness, suddenly\nfell into a swoon, and remained for a long time without sense or motion,\nlike one dead. When at last she opened her eyes, she saw Ailna standing\nnear, holding in her hand a golden drinking-horn. And Ailna gave her to\ndrink, and immediately the spells lost their power; and she regained her\nstrength; and the bloom and beauty of her countenance returned.\n\nBut now she bethought her of the two heroes; and, remembering their\ndismal plight in the dungeon, she became sorrowful, and began to sigh\nand weep. And when Ailna and Dryantore came to know the cause of her\ntears, they told her with much severity that Finn and Dara deserved\ntheir punishment; and that both should stay in prison till the time had\ncome to put them to death.\n\n\"I seek not to release them from prison or to save them from death,\"\nsaid Glanlua; \"but that they are left without food and drink--this it is\nthat moves me to pity.\"\n\nAnd Dryantore said, \"If only that has caused your tears, you may, if you\nso please, bring them food. Besides, I do not mean to put them to death\nimmediately. I shall let them live yet awhile, that I may decoy by them\nthe other Fena, who are now wandering hither and thither in quest of\ntheir chief. And it is my firm belief that in a little time I shall have\nthem all in that dungeon.\"\n\nSo Glanlua went to the prison, bringing food and drink, and Ailna went\nwith her. They found the heroes sitting on the floor, sorrowing, their\nstrength and activity all gone; for the music-spell still held them, and\nthey suffered also from want of food. And when they saw the two ladies,\nthey shed bitter tears. Glanlua, on her part, wept with pity when she\nlooked on the wasted face of the chief. But not so Ailna; she was\npleased at their distress, for her heart was hardened with vengeance,\nand she longed for the time when they should suffer death. Howbeit,\nGlanlua placed food and drink before them, and they ate and drank and\nwere strengthened for the time.\n\nWhen the two ladies returned, Dryantore asked Glanlua if it were true\nwhat he had heard, that Dara was a favourite among the Fena; and why it\nwas that they loved him so.\n\nGlanlua replied, \"I only know that he is a very skilful musician; for I\nnever heard melody sweeter than the strains he played yesterday, when I\nmet himself and Finn in the fog.\"\n\n\"I should like very much to hear this music,\" said Dryantore, \"if it be\nso melodious as you say;\" and as he spoke these words he went towards\nthe dungeon.\n\nAnd when he had come to the door, he said to Dara, in a loud, harsh,\nsurly voice--\n\n\"I have heard that you are a skilful musician, and can play very sweet\nstrains. I wish you to play for me now that I may know if this be true.\"\n\nTo which Dara replied, \"If I had the Fena around me, I could delight\nthem with the melody of my timpan; but as for you, guileful and cruel as\nyou are, I do not believe that you can take any pleasure in music.\nMoreover, how can you expect that I should play sweet music for you,\nseeing that I am shut up here in this dismal dungeon, and that all manly\nstrength and cheerfulness of mind have left me through your foul\nspells?\"\n\n\"I will take off the spells if only you play for me,\" said Dryantore;\n\"and if your strains be as delightful as I have heard reported, I will\nbring you forth from your prison, and I will keep you for ever in my\ncastle, and you shall play for me whensoever I wish for music.\"\n\n\"I shall never consent to be released, neither will I play any music for\nyou, so long as my chief lies in bondage and under enchantment,\" said\nDara; \"for I grieve not indeed for myself, but for him.\"\n\nDryantore replied, \"I will lift the spells from both of you for a time;\nbut as to releasing Finn, that is a matter I do not wish to talk of\nnow.\"\n\nWhereupon Dryantore removed the spells, and the heroes regained their\nstrength and courage.\n\nDara then played a low, sweet tune; and Dryantore, who had never before\nheard such music, listened with delight and wonder. He was so charmed\nthat he called Ailna and Glanlua, that they also might hear; and they\nwere as much delighted as the giant. But what pleased Glanlua most was\nto see the heroes restored to their wonted cheerfulness.\n\nNow all this time the Fena were seeking among the glens and hollows of\nthe mountain for Finn and Dara. After walking for some time over a stony\nand rugged way, a faint strain of music struck on their ears. They\nstopped to listen, breathless; and every man knew the sound of Dara's\ntimpan; and they raised a shout of gladness, which reached Finn and Dara\nin their dungeon. At the same moment they came in view of the palace,\nand they drew their swords and put their shields and spears in\nreadiness, as men do going to battle. And they went forward warily, for\nthey feared foul play, and their hearts had a forecast that a foe was\nnear. But, indeed, they little deemed what manner of foe they should\nmeet.\n\nWhen Dryantore heard the shouts, he hid himself from the view of the\nFena, and forthwith betook him to his magic arts. And again the spell\nfell on the two heroes, and their strength departed; and Dara's hand,\nlosing its cunning, trembled on the strings, so that his music became\ndull and broken.\n\nAnd when Dara's music ceased, the Fena heard a low, hoarse murmur,\nwhich, growing each moment louder, sounded at last like the hollow roar\nof waves. And anon their strength and their swiftness left them, and\nthey fell to the ground every man, in a deep trance as if they slept the\nsleep of death.\n\nThen Dryantore and Ailna came forth, and having bound them one by one in\nstrong, hard fetters, they roused them up and led them helpless and\nfaltering to the dungeon, where they shut them in with Finn and Dara.\n\nThe Fena looked sadly on their king; and he, on his part, shed bitters\ntears to think that he had decoyed them--though, indeed, he had done so\nunwittingly--into the hands of their foe.\n\nIn the midst of their sighs and tears they heard the loud voice of the\ngiant, who, looking in on them from the open door, addressed them--\n\n\"Now at last, ye Fena, you are in my safe keeping. Truly you have done\ngreat deeds in your time, but yet, methinks, you will not be able to\nescape from this prison till I have taken just vengeance on you for\nslaying Mergah of the Sharp Spears, and my two sons, at the battle of\nKnockanare!\"\n\nAnd having so spoken, he shut the door and went his way.\n\nWhen he came to the palace, he found that Glanlua's husband, Lavaran,\nhad been there. Upon which he fell into a mighty rage; for he feared to\nlet any man know the secrets of the palace; and he feared also that\nLavaran might try to aid Finn and the others. He inquired of the two\nladies whither he had gone; but they replied they did not know. He then\nbegan to search through the rooms, and, raising his voice, he called\naloud for Lavaran; and the Fena, even in their dungeon, heard the roar\nquite plainly.\n\nLavaran, hearing him, was sore afraid, and answered from a remote part\nof the palace. And as he came forward, the giant placed him under his\nspells, and, having bound him, flung him into the dungeon with the\nothers.\n\nDryantore's fury had not in the least abated; and, entering the dungeon,\nhe struck off the heads of several of the Fena with his great sword,\nsaying he would visit them each day, and do in like manner till he had\nkilled them all.\n\nDuring this time the Fena were unable to defend themselves; for, besides\nthat their strength had gone out from their limbs on account of the\nspells, they found that from the time the enchanter entered the prison,\nthey were all fixed firmly in their places, every man cleaving to the\nground, in whatsoever position he chanced to be, sitting, lying, or\nstanding. And Finn shed tears--even tears of blood in sight of\nall--seeing his men fall one by one, while he had to look on without\npower to help them.\n\nAfter Dryantore had in this manner slain several, he approached Conan\nMail,[23] with intent to end that day's work by cutting off his head;\nand as it chanced, Conan was lying full length on the floor. Now Conan,\nthough he was large-boned and strong, and very boastful in his speech,\nwas a coward at heart, and more afraid of wounds and death than any man\nthat ever lived.\n\nSo when he saw Dryantore coming towards him with his sword in his hand\nall dripping, he shouted aloud--\n\n\"Hold thy hand, Dryantore! Hold thy hand for a little while, and be not\nguilty of such treachery!\"\n\nBut the giant, not heeding in the least Conan's words, raised his sword\nwith his two hands and rose on tiptoe for a mighty blow. Then Conan,\nterrified beyond measure, put forth all his strength to free himself,\nand bounded from the floor clear outside the range of the sword; but\nleft behind him, clinging to the floor, all the skin of his back, even\nfrom the points of his shoulders to the calves of his legs.\n\nWhen he saw the giant still making towards him in a greater rage than\never for missing his blow, he again cried aloud--\n\n\"Hold your hand this time, Dryantore! Is it not enough that you see me\nin this woful plight? For it is plain that I cannot escape death. Leave\nme, then, to die of my wounds, and slay me not thus suddenly!\"\n\nDryantore held his hand; but he told Conan that he would for a certainty\nkill him next time he came, if he did not find him already dead of his\nwounds. Then he stalked out of the dungeon, and, shutting close the\ndoor, left the Fena in gloom and sadness.\n\nThough Lavaran had been only a little while in the palace, he made good\nuse of his time, and now approaching Finn, he whispered in his ear--\n\n\"There is that in yonder palace which would free us from those accursed\nspells if we only could get at it.\"\n\nAnd when Finn asked what it was, he replied, \"A magical golden\ndrinking-horn of wondrous virtue. I saw it in the palace among many\nother precious jewels.\"\n\nAnd when Finn again questioned him how he knew of its secret power, he\nsaid--\n\n\"Glanlua, my wife, told me. For she said that, being herself at the\npoint of death, Ailna fetched this drinking-horn and bade her drink. And\nwhen she had drunk, she was immediately freed from spells and sickness.\nShe told me, moreover, that it would remove the spell from the Fena, and\nbring back their strength and heal their wounds, if they could get to\ndrink from it.\"\n\nConan, being near, overheard this conversation; and he inwardly\nresolved that he would try to secure the drinking-horn, if perchance he\nmight be able to heal his wounds by means of it.\n\nNot long after, the giant again came to the prison, sword in hand, and\naddressed Conan in these words--\n\n\"Come forward now, O big, bald man, for I am about to fulfil my promise\nto you! Come forward, that I may strike off your large head; for I see\nthat your wounds have not killed you!\"\n\nBut Conan, instead of coming forward, fell back even to the farthest\npart of the dungeon, and replied--\n\n\"You must know, Dryantore, that I, of all men alive, am the most\nunwilling to die any death unworthy of a brave hero. You see my evil\nplight, all wounded and faint from loss of blood; and, being as I am a\nvaliant warrior, it would surely be a shameful thing and a foul blot on\nmy fame, to be slain while in this state. I ask only one favour--that\nyou cure me of my wounds first. After this, you may put me to death in\nany manner that is most agreeable to you.\"\n\nTo this Dryantore consented, seeing that Conan was secure; and he called\nto Ailna and bade her fetch him the magical golden drinking-horn. \"For I\nwish,\" said he, \"to heal the wounds of yonder big, bald man.\"\n\nBut Ailna replied, \"Of what concern are his wounds to us? Is it not\nbetter that he should die at once, and all the other Fena with him?\"\n\nConan spoke out from where he stood, \"Lovely Ailna, I seek not to escape\ndeath. I ask only to be healed first and slain afterwards!\"\n\nAilna went to the palace and soon returned, bringing, not the\ndrinking-horn, but a large sheepskin, covered all over with a long\ngrowth of wool. Dryantore took it from her, and doing as she told him,\nhe fitted it on Conan's back, where it cleaved firmly, so that his\nwounds were all healed up in an instant.\n\nAs long as Conan lived afterwards, this sheepskin remained on his back;\nand the wool grew upon it every year, even as wool grows on the back of\na living sheep. And from that time forth, the other Fena were always\nmocking him and laughing at him and calling him nicknames.\n\nAs soon as Conan felt his wounds healed, he again spoke to the giant--\n\n\"It is my opinion, Dryantore, that it would be a very unwise thing for\nyou to put me to death. I see plainly you want a servant. Now, although\nI am large of bone and strong of body, and very brave withal, still I am\nvery harmless. And if you let me live, I shall be your servant for ever,\nand you will find me very useful to you.\"\n\nThe giant saw the force and wisdom of Conan's words; and he felt that he\nwanted a servant very much, though he never perceived it till that\nmoment, when Conan reminded him of it.\n\nSo he said, \"I believe, indeed, Conan, that your words are truth.\nWherefore, I will not put you to death. You are now my servant, and so\nshall you be for the rest of your life.\"\n\nHe then led Conan forth from the dungeon towards the palace; and he was\nin such good humour at having got a servant, that he forgot to kill any\nof the Fena on that occasion.\n\nHe called to him Ailna and Glanlua, to tell them of what he had done.\nAnd he said to them--\n\n\"I find that I need a servant very much. Wherefore, I have made Conan my\nservant. And I am now about to free him from the spell and give him back\nhis strength by a drink from the golden drinking-horn, so that he may be\nable to wait on me and do my work.\"\n\nFor Conan, though his wounds were healed, was still so weak from the\nspell that he was scarce able to walk.\n\n\"I do not at all approve what you have done,\" said Ailna. \"It would be,\nmethinks, much better to put him straightway to death along with all the\nothers. As long as he is with us as our servant, I shall never think\nmyself free from danger; for the Fena are treacherous all alike.\"\n\n\"As for the other Fena,\" replied Dryantore, \"you need not be in any\ntrouble on their account, for their time is short. As soon as I have got\nConan free from the spell, I will go straight to the dungeon and kill\nthem, every man. And when they are fairly put out of the way, it seems\nto me that we need not fear danger from this big, bald man with the\nsheepskin on his back.\"\n\nWhen Ailna heard that the death of the Fena was near at hand, she no\nlonger gainsaid her brother. So Dryantore led Conan to the palace; and\nplacing the magical drinking-horn in his hand, bade him drink. And Conan\ndrank; and immediately his strength and his spirits returned.\n\nNow it so happened, while these things went on, that Finn asked Dara to\nplay one of his sweet, sad tunes, that they might hear the music of his\ntimpan before they died. And Dara took his timpan, and began to play;\nand historians say that no one either before or since ever played\nsweeter strains.\n\nAt the very moment that Conan had finished drinking, he and Dryantore\nheard the music sounding faintly in the distance; and the giant opened\nthe door and stood on the threshold to listen. He was so charmed that he\nquite forgot all about Conan and the drinking-horn; and finding that he\ncould not hear the music plainly enough where he stood, he walked\nhastily towards the dungeon, leaving Conan behind with the drinking-horn\nin his hand.\n\nNo sooner had he gone out than Conan hid the drinking-horn under his\ncloak, and went to the dungeon after him.\n\nAnd when the giant saw him he said, \"Why have you followed me; and what\nbusiness have you here? Are you not my servant; and why have you come\nwithout being bidden by me?\"\n\n\"I thought,\" replied Conan, \"that you were about to put the Fena to\ndeath; and I came to look at them once more before they died.\"\n\nThen suddenly Dryantore bethought him of the drinking-horn, and he\nsaid, \"Where is the golden drinking-horn I gave you?\"\n\n\"I left it,\" said Conan, \"just where I found it in the palace.\"\n\nThe giant ran hastily towards the palace to secure the drinking-horn;\nand no sooner was he out of sight than Conan, drawing forth the horn,\nput it to the lips of each to drink, beginning with Finn. Only Finn and\nOscar had drunk, when they heard the heavy steps of the giant running\ntowards the dungeon; and now they saw that he was indeed inflamed with\nfury. Oscar seized his great, polished spear, and sprang to the door;\nand the others raised a mighty shout of joy; while Conan went on\nreleasing the heroes one by one.\n\nWhen Dryantore saw Oscar, he uttered a roar of rage and disappointment;\nand then called aloud to Ailna to come to him. And she came forth; and\nwhen she saw how matters stood, she was seized with such grief and\nterror that she dropped down and died immediately. Glanlua was standing\nnear at hand, rejoicing at the release of her husband and friends; but\nwhen she saw Ailna fall to the ground dead, she became sad, and,\nstooping down, wept over her.\n\nAll this Oscar saw from where he stood; and it was with much ado he\nchecked his tears. For though my son was the bravest of the heroes, and\nthe most terrible in battle, he had a gentle heart, and never saw a\nwoman or a child in distress without being moved to pity.\n\nBut Conan felt not the least pity. On the contrary, he was very glad to\nsee Ailna dead; and he told Oscar that it was very well she was out of\nthe way, for that she was a vicious woman, and had wrought the Fena much\ntrouble and woe.\n\nAnd now Oscar, casting his eyes again on Dryantore, hardened his heart\nfor battle, and addressed the giant in these words--\n\n\"It has at last come to pass, O Dryantore, that you are in the power of\nthe Fena; and there is no escape for you, though you are a large and\nstrong giant, and a druid with powerful magical spells. But the Fena\nnever yet treated an enemy ungenerously. You indeed dealt unfairly and\ntreacherously with us; and meant to kill us all, after having taken away\nour strength and valour by your black, guileful magic. But even so, we\ngive you your choice; and we challenge you now to single combat with any\nof our champions you may wish to choose.\"\n\nTo which Dryantore replied, \"It is very true that the Fena have\nprevailed over me; and it is a just punishment for my folly in releasing\nConan the Bald from my spells. I desire single combat. I will fight the\nFena one after another, till I either fall myself or slay them all; and\nI will begin with you!\"\n\nOscar then took his shield and made ready for battle. Meantime the\ngiant, harbouring great wrath against Conan, approached him unawares;\nand when he had come near enough, he sprang suddenly on him, and aimed a\nblow with all his might at his head. But Conan, springing aside, barely\nescaped the edge of the sword; and, running in great fear, called to\nOscar with great outcry to save him from the giant.\n\nThen Oscar ran between; and he and the giant fought a long and fierce\nfight, while we looked on with anxious hearts. The giant was furious and\nstrong; but my son was active and watchful and fearless of heart; and\nDryantore at length fell at the door of his own palace, pierced through\nand through by the long, smooth spear of Oscar.\n\nWhen the Fena saw the giant fall, they raised three mighty shouts of\njoy. And Glanlua brought the magic drinking-horn to Oscar, from which he\ndrank, so that his wounds were healed, and his strength straightway\nreturned to him.\n\nThe Fena then went into the palace, where they found food in great\nplenty, with wine and mead in golden bowls and drinking-horns. And they\nate and drank and made merry; after which they rested that night on soft\nbeds and couches.\n\nWhen they awoke in the morning, all was changed. The palace and the lake\nwere gone; and the heroes found themselves lying on the heathy side of\nSlieve Fuad, at the selfsame spot where they had first started the deer;\nwith the morning sun shining brightly over their heads.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CXLIV.] This story is told by Oisin to St. Patrick. (See the prefatory\nnote to the next story, \"Oisin in Tirnanoge,\" page 385.)\n\n[CXLV.] Slieve Fuad was the ancient name of the highest of the Fews\nmountains, near Newtown Hamilton, in Armagh; but the name is now lost.\n\n[CXLVI.] Now probably the village of Carrigans, on the river Foyle, five\nmiles south-west of Londonderry.\n\n[CXLVII.] Dord-Fian, a sort of musical war-cry. (See note, page 195.)\n\n[CXLVIII.] Knockanare (the hill of slaughter), where a great battle was\nfought between the Fena under Finn, and the foreigners under Mergah of\nthe Sharp Spears, in which Mergah was defeated and slain. This battle\nforms the subject of a poetical romance. It may be as well to observe\nthat this hill is _not_ Knockanare in Kerry, near the mouth of the\nShannon, as some say.\n\n\n\n\nOISIN IN TIRNANOGE;[CXLIX.]\n\nOR,\n\nTHE LAST OF THE FENA.\n\n    [According to an ancient legend, Finn's son, Oisin, the hero-poet,\n    survived to the time of St. Patrick, two hundred years (the legend\n    makes it three hundred) after the other Fena. On a certain occasion,\n    when the saint asked him how he had lived to such a great age, the\n    old hero related the following story.]\n\n\nA short time after the fatal battle of Gavra,[CL.] where so many of our\nheroes fell, we were hunting on a dewy morning near the brink of Lough\nLein,[CLI.] where the trees and hedges around us were all fragrant with\nblossoms, and the little birds sang melodious music on the branches. We\nsoon roused the deer from the thickets, and as they bounded over the\nplain, our hounds followed after them in full cry.\n\nWe were not long so engaged, when we saw a rider coming swiftly towards\nus from the west; and we soon perceived that it was a maiden on a white\nsteed. We all ceased from the chase on seeing the lady, who reined in as\nshe approached. And Finn and the Fena were greatly surprised, for they\nhad never before seen so lovely a maiden. A slender golden diadem\nencircled her head; and she wore a brown robe of silk, spangled with\nstars of red gold, which was fastened in front by a golden brooch, and\nfell from her shoulders till it swept the ground. Her yellow hair flowed\nfar down over her robe in bright, golden ringlets. Her blue eyes were as\nclear as the drops of dew on the grass; and while her small, white hand\nheld the bridle and curbed her steed with a golden bit, she sat more\ngracefully than the swan on Lough Lein. The white steed was covered with\na smooth, flowing mantle. He was shod with four shoes of pure yellow\ngold, and in all Erin a better or more beautiful steed could not be\nfound.\n\nAs she came slowly to the presence of Finn, he addressed her courteously\nin these words--\n\n\"Who art thou, O lovely youthful princess? Tell us thy name and the name\nof thy country, and relate to us the cause of thy coming.\"\n\nShe answered in a sweet and gentle voice, \"Noble king of the Fena, I\nhave had a long journey this day, for my country lies far off in the\nWestern Sea. I am the daughter of the king of Tirnanoge, and my name is\nNiam of the Golden Hair.\"\n\n\"And what is it that has caused thee to come so far across the sea? Has\nthy husband forsaken thee; or what other evil has befallen thee?\"\n\n\"My husband has not forsaken me, for I have never been married or\nbetrothed to any man. But I love thy noble son, Oisin; and this is what\nhas brought me to Erin. It is not without reason that I have given him\nmy love, and that I have undertaken this long journey: for I have often\nheard of his bravery, his gentleness, and the nobleness of his person.\nMany princes and high chiefs have sought me in marriage; but I was quite\nindifferent to all men, and never consented to wed, till my heart was\nmoved with love for thy gentle son, Oisin.\"\n\nWhen I heard these words, and when I looked on the lovely maiden with\nher glossy, golden hair, I was all over in love with her. I came near,\nand, taking her small hand in mine, I told her she was a mild star of\nbrightness and beauty, and that I preferred her to all the princesses in\nthe world for my wife.\n\n\"Then,\" said she, \"I place you under gesa,[12] which true heroes never\nbreak through, to come with me on my white steed to Tirnanoge, the land\nof never-ending youth. It is the most delightful and the most renowned\ncountry under the sun. There is abundance of gold and silver and jewels,\nof honey and wine; and the trees bear fruit and blossoms and green\nleaves together all the year round. You will get a hundred swords and a\nhundred robes of silk and satin, a hundred swift steeds, and a hundred\nslender, keen-scenting hounds. You will get herds of cows without\nnumber, and flocks of sheep with fleeces of gold; a coat of mail that\ncannot be pierced, and a sword that never missed a stroke and from\nwhich no one ever escaped alive. There are feasting and harmless\npastimes each day. A hundred warriors fully armed shall always await you\nat call, and harpers shall delight you with their sweet music. You will\nwear the diadem of the king of Tirnanoge, which he never yet gave to any\none under the sun, and which will guard you day and night, in tumult and\nbattle and danger of every kind. Lapse of time shall bring neither decay\nnor death, and you shall be for ever young, and gifted with unfading\nbeauty and strength. All these delights you shall enjoy, and many others\nthat I do not mention; and I myself will be your wife if you come with\nme to Tirnanoge.\"\n\nI replied that she was my choice above all the maidens in the world, and\nthat I would willingly go with her to the Land of Youth.\n\nWhen my father, Finn, and the Fena heard me say this, and knew that I\nwas going from them, they raised three shouts of grief and lamentation.\nAnd Finn came up to me and took my hand in his, saying sadly--\n\n\"Woe is me, my son, that you are going away from me, for I do not expect\nthat you will ever return to me!\"\n\nThe manly beauty of his countenance became quite dimmed with sorrow; and\nthough I promised to return after a little time, and fully believed that\nI should see him again, I could not check my tears, as I gently kissed\nmy father's cheek.\n\nI then bade farewell to my dear companions, and mounted the white steed,\nwhile the lady kept her seat before me. She gave the signal, and the\nsteed galloped swiftly and smoothly towards the west, till he reached\nthe strand; and when his gold-shod hoofs touched the waves, he shook\nhimself and neighed three times. He made no delay, but plunged forward\nat once, moving over the face of the sea with the speed of a\ncloud-shadow on a March day. The wind overtook the waves and we overtook\nthe wind, so that we straightway lost sight of land; and we saw nothing\nbut billows tumbling before us and billows tumbling behind us.\n\nOther shores came into view, and we saw many wonderful things on our\njourney--islands and cities, lime-white mansions, bright greenans[CLII.]\nand lofty palaces. A hornless fawn once crossed our course, bounding\nnimbly along from the crest of one wave to the crest of another; and\nclose after, in full chase, a white hound with red ears. We saw also a\nlovely young maiden on a brown steed, with a golden apple in her hand;\nand as she passed swiftly by, a young warrior on a white steed plunged\nafter her, wearing a long, flowing mantle of yellow silk, and holding a\ngold-hilted sword in his hand.\n\nI knew naught of these things, and, marvelling much, I asked the\nprincess what they meant; but she answered--\n\n\"Heed not what you see here, Oisin; for all these wonders are as\nnothing compared with what you shall see in Tirnanoge.\"\n\nAt last we saw at a great distance, rising over the waves on the very\nverge of the sea, a palace more splendid than all the others; and, as we\ndrew near, its front glittered like the morning sun. I asked the lady\nwhat royal house this was, and who was the prince that ruled over it.\n\n\"This country is the Land of Virtues,\" she replied. \"Its king is the\ngiant, Fomor of the Blows, and its queen the daughter of the king of the\nLand of Life.[19] This Fomor brought the lady away by force from her own\ncountry, and keeps her in his palace; but she has put him under gesa[12]\nthat he cannot break through, never to ask her to marry him till she can\nfind a champion to fight him in single combat. But she still remains in\nbondage; for no hero has yet come hither who has the courage to meet the\ngiant.\"\n\n\"A blessing on you, golden-haired Niam,\" I replied; \"I have never heard\nmusic sweeter than your voice; and although I feel pity for this\nprincess, yet your story is pleasant to me to hear; for of a certainty I\nwill go to the palace, and try whether I cannot kill this Fomor, and\nfree the lady.\"\n\nSo we came to land; and as we drew nigh to the palace, the lovely young\nqueen met us and bade us welcome. She led us in and placed us on chairs\nof gold; after which choice food was placed before us, and\ndrinking-horns filled with mead, and golden goblets of sweet wine.\n\nWhen we had eaten and drunk, the mild young princess told us her story,\nwhile tears streamed from her soft, blue eyes; and she ended by saying--\n\n\"I shall never return to my own country and to my father's house, so\nlong as this great and cruel giant is alive!\"\n\nWhen I heard her sad words, and saw her tears falling, I was moved with\npity; and telling her to cease from her grief, I gave her my hand as a\npledge that I would meet the giant, and either slay him or fall myself\nin her defence.\n\nWhile we were yet speaking, we saw the giant coming towards the palace,\nlarge of body, and ugly and hateful in appearance, carrying a load of\ndeerskins on his back, and holding a great iron club in his hand. He\nthrew down his load when he saw us, turned a surly look on the princess,\nand, without greeting us or showing the least mark of courtesy, he\nforthwith challenged me to battle in a loud, rough voice.\n\nIt was not my wont to be dismayed by a call to battle, or to be\nterrified at the sight of an enemy; and I went forth at once without the\nleast fear in my heart. But though I had fought many battles in Erin\nagainst wild boars and enchanters and foreign invaders, never before did\nI find it so hard to preserve my life. We fought for three days and\nthree nights without food or drink or sleep; for the giant did not give\nme a moment for rest, and neither did I give him. At length, when I\nlooked at the two princesses weeping in great fear, and when I called to\nmind my father's deeds in battle, the fury of my valour arose; and with\na sudden onset I felled the giant to the earth; and instantly, before he\ncould recover himself, I cut off his head.\n\nWhen the maidens saw the monster lying on the ground dead, they uttered\nthree cries of joy; and they came to me, and led me into the palace. For\nI was indeed bruised all over, and covered with gory wounds; and a\nsudden dizziness of brain and feebleness of body seized me. But the\ndaughter of the king of the Land of Life applied precious balsam and\nhealing herbs to my wounds; and in a short time I was healed, and my\ncheerfulness of mind returned.\n\nThen I buried the giant in a deep and wide grave; and I raised a great\ncarn over him, and placed on it a stone with his name graved in Ogam.\n\nWe rested that night, and at the dawn of next morning Niam said to me\nthat it was time for us to resume our journey to Tirnanoge. So we took\nleave of the daughter of the king of the Land of Life; and though her\nheart was joyful after her release, she wept at our departure, and we\nwere not less sorry at parting from her. When we had mounted the white\nsteed, he galloped towards the strand; and as soon as his hoofs touched\nthe wave, he shook himself and neighed three times. We plunged forward\nover the clear, green sea with the speed of a March wind on a hill-side;\nand soon we saw nothing but billows tumbling before us and billows\ntumbling behind us. We saw again the fawn chased by the white hound with\nred ears; and the maiden with the golden apple passed swiftly by,\nfollowed by the young warrior in yellow silk on his white steed. And\nagain we passed many strange islands and cities and white palaces.\n\nThe sky now darkened, so that the sun was hidden from our view. A storm\narose, and the sea was lighted up with constant flashes. But though the\nwind blew from every point of the heavens, and the waves rose up and\nroared around us, the white steed kept his course straight on, moving as\ncalmly and swiftly as before, through the foam and blinding spray,\nwithout being delayed or disturbed in the least, and without turning\neither to the right or to the left.\n\nAt length the storm abated, and after a time the sun again shone\nbrightly; and when I looked up, I saw a country near at hand, all green\nand full of flowers, with beautiful smooth plains, blue hills, and\nbright lakes and waterfalls. Not far from the shore stood a palace of\nsurpassing beauty and splendour. It was covered all over with gold and\nwith gems of every colour--blue, green, crimson, and yellow; and on each\nside were greenans shining with precious stones, built by artists the\nmost skilful that could be found. I asked Niam the name of that\ndelightful country, and she replied--\n\n\"This is my native country, Tirnanoge; and there is nothing I have\npromised you that you will not find in it.\"\n\nAs soon as we reached the shore, we dismounted; and now we saw advancing\nfrom the palace a troop of noble-looking warriors, all clad in bright\ngarments, who came forward to meet and welcome us. Following these we\nsaw a stately glittering host, with the king at their head wearing a\nrobe of bright yellow satin covered with gems, and a crown that sparkled\nwith gold and diamonds. The queen came after, attended by a hundred\nlovely young maidens; and as they advanced towards us, it seemed to me\nthat this king and queen exceeded all the kings and queens of the world\nin beauty and gracefulness and majesty.\n\nAfter they had kissed their daughter, the king took my hand, and said\naloud in the hearing of the host--\n\n\"This is Oisin, the son of Finn, for whom my daughter, Niam, travelled\nover the sea to Erin. This is Oisin, who is to be the husband of Niam of\nthe Golden Hair. We give you a hundred thousand welcomes, brave Oisin.\nYou will be for ever young in this land. All kinds of delights and\ninnocent pleasures are awaiting you, and my daughter, the gentle,\ngolden-haired Niam, shall be your wife; for I am the king of Tirnanoge.\"\n\nI gave thanks to the king, and I bowed low to the queen; after which we\nwent into the palace, where we found a banquet prepared. The feasting\nand rejoicing lasted for ten days, and on the last day, I was wedded to\nthe gentle Niam of the Golden Hair.\n\nI lived in the Land of Youth more than three hundred years; but it\nappeared to me that only three years had passed since the day I parted\nfrom my friends. At the end of that time, I began to have a longing\ndesire to see my father, Finn, and all my old companions, and I asked\nleave of Niam and of the king to visit Erin. The king gave permission,\nand Niam said--\n\n\"I will give consent, though I feel sorrow in my heart, for I fear much\nyou will never return to me.\"\n\nI replied that I would surely return, and that she need not feel any\ndoubt or dread, for that the white steed knew the way, and would bring\nme back in safety. Then she addressed me in these words, which seemed\nvery strange to me--\n\n\"I will not refuse this request, though your journey afflicts me with\ngreat grief and fear. Erin is not now as it was when you left it. The\ngreat king Finn and his Fena are all gone; and you will find, instead of\nthem, a holy father and hosts of priests and saints. Now, think well on\nwhat I say to you, and keep my words in your mind. If once you alight\nfrom the white steed, you will never come back to me. Again I warn you,\nif you place your feet on the green sod in Erin, you will never return\nto this lovely land. A third time, O Oisin, my beloved husband, a third\ntime I say to you, if you alight from the white steed, you will never\nsee me again.\"\n\nI promised that I would faithfully attend to her words, and that I would\nnot alight from the white steed. Then, as I looked into her gentle face\nand marked her grief, my heart was weighed down with sadness, and my\ntears flowed plentifully; but even so, my mind was bent on coming back\nto Erin.\n\nWhen I had mounted the white steed, he galloped straight towards the\nshore. We moved as swiftly as before over the clear sea. The wind\novertook the waves and we overtook the wind, so that we straightway left\nthe Land of Youth behind; and we passed by many islands and cities, till\nat length we landed on the green shores of Erin.\n\nAs I travelled on through the country, I looked closely around me; but I\nscarcely knew the old places, for everything seemed strangely altered. I\nsaw no sign of Finn and his host, and I began to dread that Niam's\nsaying was coming true. At length, I espied at a distance a company of\nlittle men and women,[CLIII.] all mounted on horses as small as\nthemselves; and when I came near, they greeted me kindly and\ncourteously. They looked at me with wonder and curiosity, and they\nmarvelled much at my great size, and at the beauty and majesty of my\nperson.\n\nI asked them about Finn and the Fena; whether they were still living, or\nif any sudden disaster had swept them away. And one replied--\n\n\"We have heard of the hero Finn, who ruled the Fena of Erin in times of\nold, and who never had an equal for bravery and wisdom. The poets of the\nGaels have written many books concerning his deeds and the deeds of the\nFena, which we cannot now relate; but they are all gone long since, for\nthey lived many ages ago. We have heard also, and we have seen it\nwritten in very old books, that Finn had a son named Oisin. Now this\nOisin went with a young fairy maiden to Tirnanoge, and his father and\nhis friends sorrowed greatly after him, and sought him long; but he was\nnever seen again.\"\n\nWhen I heard all this, I was filled with amazement, and my heart grew\nheavy with great sorrow. I silently turned my steed away from the\nwondering people, and set forward straightway for Allen of the mighty\ndeeds, on the broad, green plains of Leinster. It was a miserable\njourney to me; and though my mind, being full of sadness at all I saw\nand heard, forecasted further sorrows, I was grieved more than ever when\nI reached Allen. For there, indeed, I found the hill deserted and\nlonely, and my father's palace all in ruins and overgrown with grass and\nweeds.\n\nI turned slowly away, and afterwards fared through the land in every\ndirection in search of my friends. But I met only crowds of little\npeople, all strangers, who gazed on me with wonder; and none knew me. I\nvisited every place throughout the country where I knew the Fena had\nlived; but I found their houses all like Allen, solitary and in ruins.\n\nAt length I came to Glenasmole,[CLIV.] where many a time I had hunted\nin days of old with the Fena, and there I saw a crowd of people in the\nglen. As soon as they saw me, one of them came forward and said--\n\n\"Come to us, thou mighty hero, and help us out of our strait; for thou\nart a man of vast strength.\"\n\nI went to them, and found a number of men trying in vain to raise a\nlarge, flat stone. It was half lifted from the ground; but those who\nwere under it were not strong enough either to raise it further or to\nfree themselves from its weight. And they were in great distress, and on\nthe point of being crushed to death.\n\nI thought it a shameful thing that so many men should be unable to lift\nthis stone, which Oscar, if he were alive, would take in his right hand\nand fling over the heads of the feeble crowd. After I had looked a\nlittle while, I stooped forward and seized the flag with one hand; and,\nputting forth my strength, I flung it seven perches from its place, and\nrelieved the little men. But with the great strain the golden\nsaddle-girth broke, and, bounding forward to keep myself from falling, I\nsuddenly came to the ground on my two feet.\n\nThe moment the white steed felt himself free, he shook himself and\nneighed. Then, starting off with the speed of a cloud-shadow on a March\nday, he left me standing helpless and sorrowful. Instantly a woeful\nchange came over me: the sight of my eyes began to fade, the ruddy\nbeauty of my face fled, I lost all my strength, and I fell to the earth,\na poor, withered old man, blind and wrinkled and feeble.\n\nThe white steed was never seen again. I never recovered my sight, my\nyouth, or my strength; and I have lived in this manner, sorrowing\nwithout ceasing for my gentle, golden-haired wife, Niam, and thinking\never of my father, Finn, and of the lost companions of my youth.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CXLIX.] Tirnanoge, the Land of Youth. (See note 19 at the end.)\n\n[CL.] Gavra, now Garristown, in the north-west of the county Dublin.\n(For an account of this battle, see note 28 at the end.)\n\n[CLI.] Lough Lein, the Lakes of Killarney.\n\n[CLII.] Greenan, a summer-house; a house in a bright, sunny spot.\n\n[CLIII.] The gigantic race of the Fena had all passed away, and Erin was\nnow inhabited by people who looked very small in Oisin's eyes.\n\n[CLIV.] Glenasmole, a fine valley about seven miles south of Dublin,\nthrough which the river Dodder flows.\n\n\n\n\nTHE\n\nVOYAGE OF THE SONS OF O'CORRA.[CLV.]\n\n\nA princely upright hundred-herd brugaid[CLVI.] was born one time in the\nlovely province of Connaught, namely, Conall Derg O'Corra the\nfair-haired. And thus was this brugaid (circumstanced):--he was a\nfortunate, rich, prosperous man; and his house was never found without\nthree shouts in it--the shout of the brewers brewing ale, and the shout\nof the servants over the caldrons distributing (meat) to the hosts, and\nthe shout of the youths over the chessboards[CLVII.] winning games from\none another.\n\nThe same house was never without three measures:--a measure of malt for\nmaking yeast, a measure of wheat for providing bread for the guests, and\na measure of salt for savouring each kind of food.\n\nHis wife was Cairderga[CLVIII.] the daughter of the Erenach[CLIX.] of\nClogher.[CLX.] They felt no want of any kind except being without\nchildren; and it was not that they were without children (being born to\nthem), but that the infants always died the moment after birth.\n\nThen this brugaid said (one day) to his wife as she reclined near him on\nthe couch:--\"It is a sad thing for us,\" said he, \"that we have no\nchildren who would take our place and fill it worthily when we are\ngone.\"\n\n\"What desire is in your mind in regard to that?\" says the wife.\n\n\"It is my desire,\" says the brugaid, \"to make a bond with the demon to\ntry if he would give us a son or a daughter who would take our place\nafter us (since God has not done so).\"\n\n\"Let us do that,\" said the woman.\n\nThey accordingly fasted (and prayed) to the demon; (and the demon\nhearkened unto them. And in due time) the pains and struggles, of\nchildbirth came upon the lady; and she bore three sons at that great\nbirth, namely, a son at the beginning of the night, and a son at the\nmiddle of the night, and a son at the end of the night.\n\nAnd they were baptised according to the baptism of the pagans (by which\nthey were dedicated not to God but to the demon); and their names were\nLochan, Enna, and Silvester. And after that, they were reared and\ncarefully trained up till they were swift and active on sea and land; so\nthat they were an overmatch for all the young people of their own age in\nevery game and in every accomplishment. And they were in the mouths and\non the tongues of all who saw or heard of them in their day.\n\nOne day when they were resting at the railings of the house of their\nfather and mother, wearied after their hurling and their martial games,\nthe housefolk said that they saw no fault or defect in these handsome\nmuch-renowned youths, except only their being baptised in the service of\nthe devil. (And the youths hearing this said):--\"If it be so,\" said\nthey, \"that the devil is our lord and master, it is very wrong of us not\nto bring ruin and wrath and woe on his enemies, that is to say, (we\nought) to slaughter the clergy, and burn and spoil their churches.\"\n\nThen did these three youths arise, (and collecting a band), and taking\nunto them their arms, they came to Tuam-da-Gualann,[CLXI.] and spoiled\nand burned the town. And (after that) they plundered and made dreadful\nhavoc on the churches and clergy throughout the province of Connaught,\nuntil their wicked and bloodthirsty ravages were noised over the four\nquarters of Erin. Thus did they run their evil course without ceasing\nfor a whole year, during which time they destroyed more than half the\nchurches of Connaught.\n\nAt the end of the year Lochan said to his brothers: \"We have made one\ngreat mistake through forgetfulness,\" says he, \"and our lord the devil\nwill not be thankful to us on account of it.\" \"What is that?\" said the\nother two youths. \"Our grandfather,\" says he, \"that is our mother's\nfather--not to have killed him and burned his church.\"\n\nSo they set out straightway, journeying without sparing or respite (to\nClogher), and this was how they found the erenach, namely, on the green\nof the church with a great company of his folk around him, (waiting for\nthe O'Corras), in order to attend on them and to deal out to them the\nchoice of every food and the best of every ale. And the intention that\nthe elder had towards them, that indeed was not the intention they had\ntowards him, but to murder him and to burn and spoil his church.\n\nThen the O'Corras came to the spot where the elder was standing, and\nthey made up their minds not to kill him or burn the houses till night,\nwhen the cows and the (other) cattle of the homestead would be housed,\nall in their own proper places.\n\nThe elder welcomed them and led them to the homestead; and he now became\naware of their intention. Nevertheless he put them in a goodly pleasant\n_Greenan_,[CLXII.] and they were served with food and ale till they\nbecame exhilarated and cheerful: after which couches were made ready for\nthem on lofty bedsteads.\n\nAnd now deep slumber and heavy sleep fell on them, and a wonderful\nvision was revealed in a dream to Lochan, the eldest of the sons of\nO'Corra, in which he was carried to see heaven and hell. And after this\nhe awoke. The other two awoke at the same time, and they said:--\"Let us\nnow arise, for it is time to plunder and destroy the homestead.\"\n\n\"Seems to me,\" said Lochan, \"that this is not the right thing for us to\ndo: for evil is the lord we have served until now, and good is the Lord\nwe have plundered and outraged.\n\n\"And last night I had,\" said he, \"a fearful dream, in which I saw a\nvision of heaven and hell. And first I was taken to see hell, where were\ncountless souls of men and vast crowds of demons suffering divers\ntortures, and plagues unexampled. And I saw the four rivers of hell,\nthat is to say, a river of toads, a river of serpents, a river of fire,\nand a river of snow. I saw also a monstrous serpent with many heads and\nlegs, at sight whereof, even though it were only a single glance, all\nthe men in the world would drop dead with loathing and horror.\n\n\"After this methought I was taken to see heaven; where I beheld the Lord\nHimself seated on His kingly throne, and angels in the shapes of white\nbirds singing for Him. And among them was one great snow-white bird of\ndazzling brightness that excelled all the others in size and beauty and\nvoice, chanting strains of surpassing sweetness. Women in travail and\nmen sore wounded and sick people racked with pain would fall asleep if\nthey heard the delightful harmony of his voice. And it was made known to\nme that this great bird who chanted such heavenly music to his mild Lord\nwas Michael the Archangel.\n\n\"And now my brothers,\" said Lochan, \"it is my counsel to you that you\nfollow God henceforward.\"\n\n\"But,\" said the others, \"will the Lord accept repentance from us for the\ndreadful evils we have already done?\"\n\nThey go to the father of their mother, namely, the erenach, and they ask\nthis thing of him. \"He will accept your repentance without doubt,\" says\nthe erenach.\n\n\"Well then,\" said Lochan, \"let Mass be celebrated for us, and put us\nunder instruction, and let us offer our confession to God. After that we\nwill make staffs of the handles of our spears; and we will go to Finnen\nof Clonard,[CLXIII.] the tutor of the saints and of the just men of all\nErin. He is a very holy man, and he will advise us in regard to what we\nought to do.\"\n\nTo this counsel they agreed; and on the morrow they set out for the\nplace where Finnen was; whom they found on the green of Clonard with a\nnumber of his clerics.\n\n\"Who are these coming towards us?\" said the clerics. And one said, \"They\nare the O'Corras the robbers.\" Hearing this they fled, like lightning,\nin a body from their master, for they felt quite sure that the O'Corras\nwere coming to slay them; so that Finnen was left quite alone before the\nthree brothers.\n\n\"It is from us the clerics are fleeing:\" says Lochan.\n\n\"Of a certainty it is,\" said his brothers. \"Let us,\" said Lochan, \"cast\nfrom us our staffs, the only little remnant of our arms left with us;\nand let us throw ourselves on our knees before the cleric.\"\n\nAnd this they did. \"What is your desire?\" says the cleric (Finnen). \"Our\ndesire,\" said they, \"is faith and piety, and to serve God, and to\nabandon the lord whom we have hitherto served, namely, the devil.\"\n\n\"That is a good resolution,\" says the cleric; \"and let us go now to the\nhomestead yonder, the place where live our brotherhood.\"\n\nThey go accordingly with him to the brotherhood; and after the matter\nhad been considered, it was arranged to set apart a young cleric to\nteach them; and it was decreed that they should not speak to any one\nexcept their own master till the end of a year.\n\nSo they continued for a whole year till they had read the Canons\nthrough, and by the time they had come to be able to read them, the\nwhole brotherhood felt grateful (to God) for their piety and their\ngentleness.\n\nAt the end of the year they came to Finnen; and they knelt before him,\nand said to him:--\"It is time now that we should be judged and sentence\npassed on us for the great crimes we have committed.\n\n\"What,\" said Finnen, \"do ye not think it enough--the penance you have\ndone already for a whole year among the brotherhood?\" \"It is not\nenough,\" said they. \"What then are the greatest crimes ye have\ncommitted?\" says Finnen. \"We have burned more than half the churches of\nConnaught; and neither priest nor bishop got quarter or protection from\nus.\"\n\n\"You cannot\" replied Finnen, \"give back life to the people you have\nkilled; but do ye that which will be in your power, namely, to build up\nthe churches ye have burned, and to repair every other damage ye have\ncommitted in them. And I will give to each man of you,\" says he, \"the\nswiftness and strength of a hundred; and I will take from you all\nweariness of feet, of hands, and of body; and I will give you light and\nunderstanding which will have neither decay nor end.\"\n\nSo the O'Corras departed, and went first to Tuam-da-Gualann; and after\nthat, they fared through the province, obedient to rule and working hard\neach day, until it came to pass that they had restored everything they\nhad previously destroyed.\n\nAfter that they came at the end of the year to speak with Finnen. \"Have\nyou been able,\" asks Finnen, \"to repair everything ye destroyed\nbelonging to the Church?\" \"We have,\" said they, \"except one place alone,\nnamely Kenn-Mara.\"[CLXIV.] \"Alas for that,\" says Finnen; \"that is the\nvery first place you should have repaired; for it is the homestead of\nthe oldest of all the saints of Ireland, namely, the aged Camann of\nKenn-Mara. And now go and carefully restore everything ye have destroyed\nin that homestead. And the sentence that holy man passes on you, fulfil\nit patiently.\"\n\nSo they went gladly to Kenn-Mara; and they repaired everything they had\nruined there.\n\nOne day when they had come forth from the homestead, they sat on the\nmargin of the little bay, watching the sun as it went westward. And as\nthey gazed and reflected on the course of the sun, they began to marvel\ngreatly, pondering whither it went after it had gone down beneath the\nverge of the sea. \"What more wonderful thing is there in the whole\nworld,\" said they, \"than that the sea does not freeze into ice, while\nice is formed in every other water!\"\n\nThereupon they formed the resolution on the spot to bring unto them a\ncertain artificer who was a fast friend of theirs, and to (get him) to\nmake a three-hide curragh[CLXV.] for them. Accordingly the curragh was\nmade, and a strong-sided one it was. And the reward the artificer asked\nfor building it was to be let go with them.\n\nWhen the time had come, and they were about to embark, they saw a large\ncrowd passing close by; and this crowd was a company of\n_crossans_.[CLXVI.] When the _crossans_ saw the curragh putting forth on\nthe sea, they inquired:--\"Who are yonder people that are launching this\ncurragh on the sea?\" said they.\n\nThe _furshore_ (juggler) of the crossans said:--\"I know them well; they\nare the sons of Conall derg O'Corra the fair-haired of Connaught, the\ndestroyers and robbers, going on their pilgrimage on the sea and on the\ngreat ocean, to make search for their Lord.\" \"And indeed,\" added the\n_furshore_, \"my word for it, they do not stand more in need of seeking\nfor heaven than we do.\"\n\n\"It is a long day I fancy till you go on your pilgrimage,\" said the\nleader of the band. \"Say not so,\" answered the _furshore_: \"for I will\ncertainly go with these people on my pilgrimage now without delay.\"\n\n\"Upon our word,\" said the _crossans_, \"you will not take away our\nclothes with you; for not a single article of the garments you wear\nbelongs to you.\" \"It is not so small a matter that would keep me with\nyou,\" says he.\n\nSo they stripped off all his clothes, and sent him away mother naked to\nthe curragh.\n\n\"Who and what in the world are you, good man?\" asked the crew. \"A poor\nwretch who wishes to go with you on pilgrimage,\" said he. \"Indeed,\" said\nthey, \"you shall not by any means come with us, seeing that you are\nstark naked.\" \"Say not so, young men,\" said he, \"for the sake of God do\nnot refuse me; for I will amuse you and keep your hearts cheerful (with\nmy music and singing); and your piety will not be a whit the worse for\nit.\"\n\nAnd (inasmuch as he had asked) for the sake of God they consented to let\nhim go.\n\nNow this is how it was with the crew:--each man of them had built a\nchurch and raised an altar to the Lord in his own district. Their number\nwas nine; among whom was a bishop, and a priest, and a deacon; and they\nhad one _gilla_ (attendant) who was the ninth man.\n\n\"Let us go aboard our curragh now,\" says Lochan, \"as we have finished\nour task of restoring the churches, and as we have, besides, each of us\nbuilt a church to the Lord in our own district.\"\n\nIt was then they put up their prayers fervently to God in the hope that\nthey might have fine weather; and that the Lord would quell the fury of\nthe billows, and the might of the ocean, and the rage of the terrible\nsea monsters. So they embarked in their curragh, bringing their oars;\nand they began to question among themselves what direction they should\ntake. \"The direction in which this wind will bring us,\" says the bishop.\nAnd having commended themselves to God, one and all, they betook them to\ntheir oars. A great wind now arose, which drove them out on the waste\nof waters straight to the west; and they were forty days and forty\nnights on the ocean. And God revealed to them great and unheard of\nwonders.\n\nThey had not been long rowing when the _crossan_ died; and sad and\nsorrowful were they for his loss, and wept much. While they were still\nmourning, they saw a little bird alight on the deck of the curragh. And\nthe little bird spoke and said to them:--\"Good people, tell me now in\nGod's name what is the cause of your sorrow.\"\n\n\"A _crossan_ that we had playing music for us; and he died a little\nwhile ago in this curragh; and that is the cause of our sorrow.\"\n\nAnd the bird said:--\"Lo, I am your little _crossan_: and now be not\nsorrowful any longer, for I am going straightway to heaven.\" So saying\nhe bade them farewell and flew away.\n\n\nI.\n\nThey row forward for a long time till there was shown to them a\nwonderful island, and in it a great grove of marvellous beauty, laden\nwith apples, golden coloured and sweet scented. A sparkling rivulet of\nwine flowed through the midst of the grove; and when the wind blew\nthrough the trees, sweeter than any music was the rustling it made. The\nO'Corras ate some of the apples and drank from the rivulet of wine, and\nwere immediately satisfied. And from that time forth they were never\ntroubled by either wounds or sickness.\n\n\nII.\n\nThen they took to their oars; and after a time they came in view of\nanother island, and four companies of people in it, such as had never\nbeen seen before. Now these people had divided the island into four\nparts: old greyheaded people were in the first division; princes in the\nsecond; warriors in the third; and servants in the fourth. They were all\nbeautiful and glorious to behold; and they diverted themselves\ncontinually with games and pastimes. One of the crew went to them to ask\nnews: (he was a comely, well-favoured youth, but) he seemed ugly and\ndark-visaged in presence of these glorious people. When he had got among\nthem, he became in a moment beautiful like the others; and he joined in\ntheir games, and laughed, and made merry. Moreover he remembered nothing\nmore of his companions; and he sojourned in the island after that for\nevermore. And the O'Corras were at length forced to depart, though much\ngrieved for the loss of their companion.\n\n\nIII.\n\nThen they set out and rowed for some time till they sighted another\nmarvellous island. It stood up in the air high over the great sea; and\nit was propped up by a pillar like a single foot standing under it in\nthe middle. And the crew heard great shouting and the loud conversation\nof people on the top of the island overhead; but though the O'Corras\nsailed round and round, they could not get a sight of them.\n\n\nIV.\n\nThey row forward after that till they come to an island in which lived\none lone cleric. Very lovely was that island, and glorious its history.\nBeautiful purple flowers covered all the plains, dropping honey in\nabundance; and on the trees were perched flocks of bright-coloured birds\nsinging slow sweet fairy-music. The O'Corras went to ask the cleric\nabout himself and about the island. And he spoke as follows:--\n\n\"I am a disciple of St. Andrew the Apostle, and Dega is my name. On a\ncertain night I neglected to read my Matins; and it is for this that I\nwas sent on a pilgrimage on the ocean; and here I am awaiting the\nJudgment day. And yonder birds that are singing those incomparable\nstrains on the trees, these are the souls of holy men.\"\n\n\nV.\n\nThey took leave of the old man and plied their oars, till they reached\nanother island, with dead people on one side of it, and living people on\nthe other side: and many of the living people had feet of iron. All\nround was a burning sea, which broke over the island continually in\nmighty waves. And the living people uttered fearful cries when the fiery\nwaves flowed over them, for their torments thereby were great and\nterrible.\n\n\nVI.\n\nAfter leaving this they rowed on till they saw an island formed of great\nflat stones for ever burning red hot. And thereon they saw whole hosts\nof people burning in great torment; and many had red fiery spits thrust\nthrough their bodies. And they uttered great cries of pain without\nceasing. The crew called out from a distance to ask who they were:\nwhereupon one answered:--\n\n\"This is one of the flagstones of hell. We are souls who in life did not\nfulfil the penance imposed on us; and warn all men to avoid this place;\nfor whosoever cometh hither shall never go hence till the Day of\nJudgment.\"\n\n\nVII.\n\nThe next island they saw was very beautiful and glorious to look upon.\nIt had a wall of copper all round it, with a network of copper hanging\nout from each corner; and in the centre stood a palace. The crew left\ntheir curragh on the strand and went towards the palace. And when they\nhad come nigh unto the wall, the wind, as it rustled and murmured\nthrough the copper network, made music so soft and sweet that they fell\ninto a gentle slumber, and slept for three days and three nights. When\nthey awoke they saw a beautiful maiden coming towards them from the\npalace. She had sandals of _findrina_ (a sort of white metal) on her\nfeet, and an inner garment of fine silk next her snow-white skin. She\nwore a beautiful gold-coloured vest, and over all a bright-tinted\nmantle, plaited fivefold on its upper border, and fastened at the neck\nwith a brooch of burnished gold. In one hand she held a pitcher of\ncopper, and in the other a silver goblet.\n\nWhen she had come near she greeted them and bade them welcome. And she\ngave them food from the copper pitcher which seemed to them like cheese;\nand she brought them water in the silver goblet from a well on the\nstrand. And there was no delicious flavour that was ever tasted by man\nthat they did not find in this food and drink. Then the maiden said to\nthem:--\"Although we are all--you and I--of one race, yet shall ye go\nhence without delay, for your resurrection is not to be here.\"\n\nSo they bade her farewell and took to their oars once more.\n\n\nVIII.\n\nAfter rowing for some time they saw flocks of large birds of divers\ncolours flying over the sea; and their number was great beyond counting.\nOne of them alighted on the deck of the curragh.\n\n\"It would be a delightful thing,\" said one of the clerics, \"if this bird\nwere a messenger from the Lord, sent to give us news.\"\n\n\"That would be quite possible with God,\" said the eldest; and as he\nspoke he raised his eyes and looked at the bird. Whereupon the bird\nspoke and said:--\n\n\"It is indeed to converse with you that I have come; for I am of the\nland of Erin.\"\n\nNow this bird was crimson red all over, except three beautiful streaks\non her breast, which shone as bright as the sun. And after a time she\nsaid to the same cleric:--\n\n\"I am the soul of a woman; and I am your friend. And come ye now,\" says\nshe, \"to hear yonder birds; for these are the souls that are permitted\nto come out of hell every Sunday.\"\n\n\"It is better that we leave this place at once,\" said the same old\ncleric. And his companions said to him:--\n\n\"We will go with thee whithersoever thou goest.\" So they departed from\nthat place; (and the crimson red bird went with them).\n\n\nIX.\n\nAnd as they went, they saw three wonderful streams, namely, a stream of\notters, a stream of eels, and a stream of black swans. Great flocks of\nbirds arose from these three streams and flew past the voyagers; and the\nblack swans followed close after, tearing and tormenting the birds. And\nthe crimson red bird said:--\n\n\"Marvel not, neither be ye sad of heart; for these bird-shapes that ye\nsee are the souls of people suffering the punishment of their crimes.\nAnd the black swans that follow them, these are devils who are for ever\ntormenting them; and the birds scream fearfully, and are for ever trying\nto fly from the demons and to free themselves from their torment.\n\n\"And now as to me,\" continued the bird, \"I am about to depart from you.\nIt is not permitted me to make known to you what is to befall you; but\nin a little time another will tell you all that you need to know.\"\n\nAnd the cleric said:--\"Tell us, I beseech thee, what are those three\nbeautiful streaks on thy breast.\"\n\n\"I will tell you that,\" answered the bird. \"When I was in the world I\nwas married; but I did not yield obedience to my husband, neither did I\nfulfil my lawful homely duties as a wife. And when a grievous sickness\ncame upon him I left him to die. But thrice I went in pity to him:--once\nto see him and ask after his illness; once to bring him such food as\nbefitted his state; and the third time when he was dead, to watch by the\nbody and see it buried. These three good deeds are the three beautiful\nstreaks that you see on my breast; and I should have been bright all\nover like these streaks if I had not violated my lawful marriage\nduties.\"\n\nAnd having so spoken, the bird bade them farewell and flew away.\n\n\nX.\n\nThey next discovered a very beautiful island. The grass was bright\ngreen, and it was all over intermingled with pretty purple-coloured\nflowers. Flocks of lovely little birds of many bright colours, and\nmyriads of bees, flew among the trees and flowers, humming and singing\nharmonious music. The voyagers saw a venerable grey-headed old man with\na harp in his hand. He played this harp on the island continually; and\nthe music thereof was sweeter than any music they had ever heard. They\nsaluted the old man, who saluted them in return, with a blessing. But\nimmediately he bade them to depart.\n\n\nXI.\n\nSo they rowed away till they came to another island, on which they saw a\nman digging in a field; and his spade was all fiery, and the handle\nthereof, which he held in his hand, was red hot. From the sea at one\nside arose at times a mighty wave all flaming red with fire, which\nflowed quite over the island and over the man. And ever when he saw the\nwave coming he cried out with fear; and when the burning torrent covered\nhim, he strove to raise his head above the flames, and roared with his\ngreat torment. Now when one of the waves had retired they spoke to him\nand asked:--\n\n\"Who art thou, O wretched man?\"\n\nAnd he answered:--\"Lo, this is my punishment for my misdeeds. For when I\nlived on earth I always worked on Sundays, digging in my garden; for\nwhich I am condemned to dig with this fiery spade, and to suffer the\ntorments of these fiery waves. And now, for the sake of God, offer up\nyour prayers for me, that my pains may be lightened.\"\n\nAnd they prayed fervently; after which they departed from the island.\n\n\nXII.\n\nSoon after leaving this they saw a horseman of vast size riding on the\nsea; and the horse he rode was made of fire flaming red. And as he rode,\ngreat waves of fire came after him along the sea; and when a wave began\nto roll over him, he yelled aloud with fear and pain. Then they asked\nhim why he was thus tormented; and he answered:--\n\n\"I am he who stole my brother's horse; and after I had gotten him I rode\nhim every Sunday. For this I am now undergoing my punishment, riding on\nthis horse of fire, and tormented with these great waves of fire.\"\n\n\nXIII.\n\nAfter leaving this they came in sight of another island, full of people,\nall weeping and lamenting grievously. Great numbers of jet-black birds\nwith beaks of fire and red-hot fiery talons followed and fluttered round\nabout them, tearing and burning them with their talons, and rending away\npieces of flesh, the full of their fiery beaks. Then the crew said\naloud:--\n\n\"Who are ye, O miserable people?\"\n\n\"We are dishonest smiths and artisans; and because we cheated while we\nlived, we are punished by these hateful fiery birds. Moreover, our\ntongues are burning, being all afire in our heads; for that we reviled\npeople with bitter words and foul taunts.\"\n\n\nXIV.\n\nComing now to another place, they saw a giant huge in size, and of a\nsooty black colour all over. His mouth was all on fire; and from his\nthroat he belched forth great flakes of fire, each flake as it came from\nhis mouth larger than the skin of a three-year-old wether. He held in\nhis hand an iron club larger than the shaft of a mill wheel; and on his\nback he bore an immense faggot of firewood, a good load for a team of\nhorses. Now this faggot often blazed up and burned him; and he tried to\nfree himself from his torment by lying down so that the sea might flow\nover him. But ever as he did so, the sea around him turned to fire, and\nrose up in mighty burning billows, covering him all over, so that he\nmade the place resound with his bellowings.\n\n\"Miserable wretch, who art thou?\" asked the crew.\n\nAnd he answered:--\"I will tell you truly. When I lived I used to cut\nfaggots and bring them home on my back every Sunday: and lo, here is my\npunishment.\"\n\n\nXV.\n\nThey came after that to a sea of fire full of men's heads, all black,\nand continually fighting with each other. And many great serpents rose\nup among the heads and came with fury to attack the curragh, so that at\none time they pierced through the outer hide. And one of the crew who\nlooked on cried out in great horror, and said:--\n\n\"It is enough to strike one dead to behold the fearful things I see!\"\n\nAnd the whole crew when they saw the heads and the serpents fell flat\nwith fear. But the elder (the bishop) comforted them, saying:--\n\n\"Be ye not afraid or troubled on account of these things; for God is\nable to protect us, even though we were in a curragh of only one hide;\nand if He wishes to save us, these monsters cannot hurt us, however\nfurious they may be to slay us.\"\n\nAnd they took courage after this, and rowed out into the open sea.\n\n\nXVI.\n\nThere was shown to them next another beautiful island, having in one\nplace an open wood. The trees were laden with fruit, and the leaves\ndropped honey to the ground. The sides of the hills were clothed with\npurple blossomed heather, mixed with soft, green grass to its very\ncentre. In the midst of the island was a pretty lake, whose waters\ntasted like sweet wine. They rested for a week on the shore of this\nlake, and cast off their weariness. And now, being about to leave the\nisland, as they turned to go to the curragh, a monstrous\nreptile[CLXVII.] rose up from the lake and looked at them. And they\ntrembled with fear at the sight of this terrible beast; for each man\nthought that he himself would be the first to be attacked. But after a\nlittle time the reptile dived again into the water, and they saw no more\nof him.\n\n\nXVII.\n\nFrom this they rowed away; and after a long time they came at midnight\nto an island wherein was a community of Ailbe of Emly.[CLXVIII.] On the\nbeach they found two spring wells; one foul, the other bright and clear.\nThe gilla wished to drink of the clear well; but the elder (the bishop)\ntold him it was better to ask leave, if there was anyone living on the\nisland.\n\nThen they saw a great light; and coming closer, they found the twelve\nmen of the community at their prayers; and now they perceived that the\nbright light they saw came from the radiant faces of the twelve; so that\nthese holy men needed no other light. One of them, an old man, comes\ntowards the voyagers; and he bids them welcome and asks news of them.\nThey tell him all their adventures, and ask his leave to drink from the\nwell; whereupon he said to them:--\"Ye may fill your pitchers from the\nclear well, if your elder (_i.e._ the bishop) gives you leave.\"\n\n\"Who are ye?\" asks the gilla.\n\n\"A community of Ailbe of Emly,\" says he: \"and we are the crew of one of\nAilbe's curraghs. God has permitted that we live here till the Day of\nJudgment, praying for everyone who is drowned at sea. And now leave this\nland before morning,\" he added, \"for your resurrection is not to be\nhere. And if ye have not left by the dawn, so much the worse for\nyourselves; for if once ye get a view of this island in the light of\nday, bitter will be your anguish of mind for leaving it (on account of\nits surpassing loveliness). So it is better for you to go away during\nthe night.\"\n\nAnd they did exactly all he told them to do.\n\n\"Shall we take away some of the pebbles of the strand?\" said they\n(talking among themselves).\n\n\"It is better to ask leave,\" answered the cleric. So the gilla asked\nleave of the same old man.\n\n\"Yes, if you have the permission (of your bishop),\" answered he.\n\"Nevertheless,\" he added, \"those who take them will be sorry; and those\nwho do not take them will be sorry also.\"\n\nThey pick up pebbles, some bringing away one, some two, some three.\n(After which they row away in the dark night from the island.) In the\nmorning they drank some of the spring water of the island from their\npitchers; which threw them into a deep sleep from that time till next\nday. On wakening up, they examined their pebbles in the light; and some\nwere found to be crystal, some silver, and some gold. Then those who\nbrought some away were in sorrow that they had not brought more; and\nmuch greater was the sorrow of those who had brought away none. So the\nwords of the old man came true.\n\n\nXVIII.\n\nAfter leaving this they came to a lovely island on which was a church\nstanding all alone: and when they drew nigh they heard the voice of a\ncleric singing the psalms with a sweet voice. They came to the door and\nstruck it with the hand-wood; and straightway a beautiful\nbright-coloured bird came to speak with them. When they had told him\nwho they were and what they wanted, he flew back to the cleric, who bade\nhim have the door opened for the pilgrims. And when they had come in,\nthey found the cleric--a very old man with white hair--who sang his\nhymns continually. And they saluted each other; and the pilgrims stayed\nthere that night. And an angel came and brought them supper, and\nministered unto them. On the morrow the old priest bade them depart,\nsince that was not to be the place of their resurrection on the Judgment\nDay. But before they went he foretold all that should happen to them\nduring the rest of their voyage.\n\n\nXIX.\n\nFrom that they came to an island in which was a disciple of Christ.\nGlorious and beautiful was that island; and on it stood a church and a\nkingly shrine. As they came near they heard some one singing the Pater\nto God in the door of the church: whereupon one of the clerics said:--\n\n\"Welcome the prayer of our father and teacher, Jesus.\"\n\nAnd the priest who stood praying at the door said:--\n\n\"Why say you so? Who are ye; and where have ye seen Him?\"\n\nAnd when they had told him that they were servants of Jesus, he spoke\nagain:--\n\n\"I too am one of His disciples. And when I first took Him for my Lord I\nwas faithful and steady; but after a time I left Him and came to sea in\nmy curragh, and rowed till I came to this island. For a long time I\nlived on fruit and herbs; till at length an angel came from heaven to\nvisit me. And he said to me:--\n\n\"'Thou hast not done well: nevertheless thou shalt abide on this island,\neating the same food without either decay or death till the Judgment\nDay.' And so I have lived here to this hour: and no daily meal is sent\nto me, but I eat of the herbs and fruit that grow on the island.\"\n\nThen they all went together into one house; and being very hungry, they\nprayed fervently for food. And presently an angel came down from heaven;\nand while they looked on he placed a supper for them on a flagstone hard\nby the strand, namely, a cake with a slice of fish for each. And while\nthey ate, whatsoever taste each man separately wished for, that taste he\nfound on the food. In the morning, when they were about to bid the\ncleric farewell, he foretold all that should happen to them, saying:--\n\n\"Ye shall go from me now on sea till ye reach the western point of\nSpain. And as ye near the land, ye shall meet a boat with a crew of men\nfishing, who will bring you with them to land.\"\n\nThen turning to the bishop, he said:--\"Immediately after leaving the\ncurragh, as soon as thou hast reached the land, prostrate thyself three\ntimes to God. And the place on which thou shalt first set thy foot,\nthere a great crowd shall gather round thee from every quarter. And they\nwill treat thee kindly, and will give thee land on which they will\nbuild a church for thee; and after this thy fame shall spread over the\nwhole world. And the successor of Peter (the Pope) shall bring thee\neastwards to Rome. Yonder priest thou shalt leave as thy successor in\nthe church, and the deacon thou shalt leave to be his sacristan. That\nplace and that church shall be revered, and shall be preserved for ever.\nAnd thou shalt leave the Gilla in Britain, where he will live for the\nrest of his life.\"\n\nAfter this they bade the old man farewell and left the island. And all\nfell out just as he had foretold. And the bishop went to Rome; and he\nafterwards related these adventures to Saerbrethach bishop of West\nMunster, and to Mocolmoc, one of the holy men of Aran, as we have set\nthem down here.\n\n\nThus far the Voyage of the Sons of O'Corra.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CLV.] I translated this tale fifteen years ago (as mentioned in\nPreface, page xiii) from two Royal Irish Academy MSS., 23. N. 15 and 23.\nM. 50; and I subsequently made some modifications after I had an\nopportunity of consulting the more correct text of the Book of Fermoy.\nThis last text has since been published, with literal translation, by\nDr. Whitley Stokes, in the _Revue Celtique_ (Jan. 1893). After comparing\nmy somewhat free version with Dr. Stokes's close translation, I have not\nthought it necessary to make any changes.\n\nA few of the adventures in this tale are identical with those described\nin the Voyage of Maildun: the description of these I have omitted here.\nLochan, Enna, and Silvester, the chief characters in this extraordinary\nfiction, are historical: they were saints of the primitive Irish church,\nand lived in the sixth century.\n\n[CLVI.] _Brugaid_, a sort of local officer who maintained a large\nestablishment as keeper of a house of public hospitality. See my \"Short\nHistory of Ireland,\" p. 57.\n\n[CLVII.] Chess-playing was a favourite amusement among the ancient\nIrish.\n\n[CLVIII.] Cairderga: original _Caer-derg_, red berry.\n\n[CLIX.] _Erenach_, the holder or _impropriator_ of a church and its\nlands: usually a layman.\n\n[CLX.] Clogher in Tyrone where there was a monastery.\n\n[CLXI.] Tuam-da-Gualann, where was formerly a celebrated ecclesiastical\nestablishment: now Tuam in Galway.\n\n[CLXII.] Greenan: original _grianan_, literally a sunny place: a\nsummer-house: the most lightsome, airy, and pleasant apartment of a\nhouse. See this word discussed in my \"Irish Names of Places,\" vol. i. p.\n291.\n\n[CLXIII.] For St. Finnen of Clonard in the County Meath, see my \"Short\nHistory of Ireland,\" p. 175\n\n[CLXIV.] _Kenn-Mara_, now Kinvarra on Galway bay.\n\n[CLXV.] _Curragh_, see note 17 at end. Some curraghs were made with\ntwo--some with three--hides, one outside another, for the better\nsecurity.\n\n[CLXVI.] _Crossans_: travelling gleemen: the clothes, musical\ninstruments, &c., were the property of the company. This word is the\norigin of the Scotch and Irish family name MacCrossan, now often changed\nto Crosbie. A company of crossans had always among them a _fuirseoir_,\ni.e. a juggler or buffoon.\n\n[CLXVII.] According to very ancient legends, which are still vividly\nremembered and recounted all over the country, almost every lake in\nIreland has a tremendous hairy reptile in its waters. Some say they are\ndemons, sent by St. Patrick to reside at the bottom of the lakes to the\nDay of Judgment.\n\n[CLXVIII.] St. Ailbe, the patron of Munster, was a contemporary of St.\nPatrick. He founded his great monastery and school at Emly in the County\nLimerick.\n\n\n\n\nTHE FATE OF THE SONS OF USNA.[CLXIX.]\n\n    Avenging and bright fall the swift sword of Erin\n    On him who the brave sons of Usna betrayed.\n\n    MOORE.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CLXIX.] The translation that follows is my own, and is of course\ncopyright, like all the other translations in this book. On this fine\nstory is founded the epic poem of \"Deirdre,\" by Robert Dwyer Joyce, M.D.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER I.\n\nTHE FLIGHT TO ALBAN.\n\n\nConcobar mac Nessa, king of Ulaid,[CLXX.] ruled in Emain. And his chief\nstory-teller, Felimid, made a feast for the king and for the knights of\nthe Red Branch,[CLXXI.] who all came to partake of it in his house.\nWhile they were feasting right joyously, listening to the sweet music of\nthe harps and the mellow voices of the bards, a messenger brought word\nthat Felimid's wife had given birth to a little daughter, an infant of\nwondrous beauty. And when Caffa, the king's druid and seer, who was of\nthe company, was ware of the birth of the child, he went forth to view\nthe stars and the clouds, if he might thereby glean knowledge of what\nwas in store for that little babe.[CLXXII.] And when he had returned to\nhis place, he sat deep pondering for a time: and then standing up and\nobtaining silence, he said:--\n\n\"This child shall be called Deir-dr[)e][CLXXIII.]; and fittingly is she\nso named: for much of woe will befall Ulaid and Erin in general on her\naccount. There shall be jealousies, and strifes, and wars: evil deeds\nwill be done: many heroes will be exiled: many will fall.\"\n\nWhen the heroes heard this, they were sorely troubled, and some said\nthat the child should be killed. But the king said:--\"Not so, ye Knights\nof the Red Branch; it is not meet to commit a base deed in order to\nescape evils that may never come to pass. This little maid shall be\nreared out of the reach of mischief, and when she is old enough she\nshall be my wife: thus shall I be the better able to guard against those\nevils that Caffa forecasts for us.\"\n\nAnd the Ultonians did not dare to gainsay the word of the king.\n\nThen king Concobar caused the child to be placed in a strong fortress on\na lonely spot nigh the palace, with no opening in front, but with door\nand windows looking out at the back on a lovely garden watered by a\nclear rippling stream: and house and garden were surrounded by a wall\nthat no man could surmount. And those who were put in charge of her\nwere, her tutor, and her nurse, and Concobar's poetess, whose name was\nLavarcam: and save these three, none were permitted to see her. And so\nshe grew up in this solitude, year by year, till she was of marriageable\nage, when she excelled all the maidens of her time for beauty.\n\nOne snowy day as she and Lavarcam looked forth from the window, they saw\nsome blood on the snow, where her tutor had killed a calf for dinner;\nand a raven alighted and began to drink of it. \"I should like,\" said\nDeirdre, \"that he who is to be my husband should have these three\ncolours: his hair as black as the raven: his cheeks red as the blood:\nhis skin like the snow. And I saw such a youth in a dream last night;\nbut I know not where he is, or whether he is living on the ridge of the\nworld.\"\n\n\"Truly,\" said Lavarcam, \"the young hero that answers to thy words is not\nfar from thee; for he is among Concobar's knights: namely, Naisi the son\nof Usna.\"\n\nNow Naisi and his brothers, Ainnli and Ardan, the three sons of Usna,\nwere the best beloved of all the Red Branch Knights, so gracious and\ngentle were they in time of peace, so skilful and swift-footed in the\nchase, so strong and valiant in battle.\n\nAnd when Deirdre heard Lavarcam's words, she said:--\"If it be as thou\nsayest, that this young knight is near us, I shall not be happy till I\nsee him: and I beseech thee to bring him to speak to me.\"\n\n\"Alas, child,\" replied Lavarcam, \"thou knowest not the peril of what\nthou askest me to do: for if thy tutor come to know of it, he will\nsurely tell the king; and the king's anger none can bear.\"\n\nDeirdre answered not: but she remained for many days sad and silent: and\nher eyes often filled with tears through memory of her dream: so that\nLavarcam was grieved: and she pondered on the thing if it could be done,\nfor she loved Deirdre very much, and had compassion on her. At last she\ncontrived that these two should meet without the tutor's knowledge: and\nthe end of the matter was that they loved each other: and Deirdre said\nshe would never wed the king, but she would wed Naisi.\n\nKnowing well the doom that awaited them when Concobar came to hear of\nthis, Naisi and his young wife and his two brothers, with thrice fifty\nfighting men, thrice fifty women, thrice fifty attendants, and thrice\nfifty hounds, fled over sea to Alban. And the king of the western part\nof Alban received them kindly, and took them into military service. Here\nthey remained for a space, gaining daily in favour: but they kept\nDeirdre apart, fearing evil if the king should see her.\n\nAnd so matters went on, till it chanced that the king's steward, coming\none day by Naisi's house, saw the couple as they sat on their couch: and\ngoing directly to his master, he said:--\n\n\"O king, we have long sought in vain for a woman worthy to be thy wife,\nand now at last we have found her: for the woman, Deirdre, who is with\nNaisi, is worthy to be the wife of the king of the western world. And\nnow I give thee this counsel:--Let Naisi be killed, and then take thou\nDeirdre for thy wife.\"\n\nThe king basely agreed to do so; and forthwith he laid a plot to slay\nthe sons of Usna; which matter coming betimes to the ears of the\nbrothers, they fled by night with all their people. And when they had\ngot to a safe distance, they took up their abode in a wild place, where\nwith much ado they obtained food by hunting and fishing. And the\nbrothers built them three hunting booths in the forest, a little\ndistance from that part of the seashore looking towards Erin: and the\nbooth in which their food was prepared, in that they did not eat; and\nthe one in which they ate, in that they did not sleep. And their people\nin like manner built themselves booths and huts, which gave them but\nscant shelter from wind and weather.\n\nNow when it came to the ears of the Ultonians, that the sons of Usna and\ntheir people were in discomfort and danger, they were sorely grieved:\nbut they kept their thoughts to themselves, for they dared not speak\ntheir mind to the king.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CLXX.] Ulaid (pronounced _Ulla_), Ulster.\n\n[CLXXI.] For Concobar and the Red Branch Knights, see note 15 farther\non: and for much fuller information, see my \"Social History of Ancient\nIreland,\" vol. i, page 83; or the Smaller Soc. Hist., page 38.\n\n[CLXXII.] The druids professed to be able to foretell by observing the\nstars and clouds. See Smaller Social History, p. 98.\n\n[CLXXIII.] \"Deirdre\" is said to mean \"alarm.\"\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER II.\n\nCONCOBAR'S GUILEFUL MESSAGE.\n\n\nAT this same time a right joyous and very splendid feast was given by\nConcobar in Emain Macha to the nobles and the knights of his household.\nAnd the number of the king's household that sat them down in the great\nhall of Emain on that occasion was five and three score above six\nhundred and one thousand.[CLXXIV.] Then arose, in turn, their musicians\nto sound their melodious harpstrings, and their poets and their\nstory-tellers to sing their sweet poetic strains, and to recount the\ndeeds of the mighty heroes of the olden time. And the feasting and the\nenjoyment went on, and the entire assembly were gay and cheerful. At\nlength Concobar arose from where he sat high up on his royal seat;\nwhereupon the noise of mirth was instantly hushed. And he raised his\nkingly voice and said:--\n\n\"I desire to know from you, ye Nobles and Knights of the Red Branch,\nhave you ever seen in any quarter of Erin a house better than this house\nof Emain, which is my mansion: and whether you see any want in it.\"\n\nAnd they answered that they saw no better house, and that they knew of\nno want in it.\n\nAnd the king said: \"I know of a great want: namely, that we have not\npresent among us the three noble sons of Usna. And why now should they\nbe in banishment on account of any woman in the world?\"\n\nAnd the nobles replied:--\"Truly it is a sad thing that the sons of Usna,\nour dear comrades, should be in exile and distress. They were a shield\nof defence to Ulaid: and now, O king, it will please us well that thou\nsend for them and bring them back, lest they and their people perish by\nfamine or fall by their enemies.\"\n\n\"Let them come,\" replied Concobar, \"and make submission to me: and their\nhomes, and their lands and their places among the Knights of the Red\nBranch shall be restored to them.\"\n\nNow Concobar was mightily enraged at the marriage and flight of Naisi\nand Deirdre, though he hid his mind from all men; and he spoke these\nwords pretending forgiveness and friendship. But there was guile in his\nheart, and he planned to allure them back to Ulaid that he might kill\nthem.\n\nWhen the feast was ended, and the company had departed, the king called\nunto him Fergus mac Roy, and said:--\"Go thou, Fergus, and bring back the\nsons of Usna and their people. I promise thee that I will receive them\nas friends should be received, and that what awaits them here is not\nenmity or injury, but welcome and friendship. Take my message of peace\nand good will, and give thyself as pledge and surety for their safety.\nBut these two things I charge thee to do:--That the moment you land in\nUlaid on your way back, you proceed straight to Barach's house which\nstands on the sea cliff high over the landing place fronting Alban: and\nthat whether the time of your arrival be by day or by night, thou see\nthat the sons of Usna tarry not, but let them come hither direct to\nEmain, that they may not eat food in Erin till they eat of mine.\"\n\nAnd Fergus, suspecting no evil design, promised to do as the king\ndirected: for he was glad to be sent on this errand, being a fast friend\nto the sons of Usna.\n\nFergus set out straightway, bringing with him only his two sons, Illan\nthe Fair and Buinni the Red, and his shield-bearer to carry his shield.\nAnd as soon as he had departed, Concobar sent for Barach and said to\nhim:--\n\n\"Prepare a feast in thy house for Fergus: and when he visits thee\nreturning with the sons of Usna, invite him to partake of it.\" And\nBarach thereupon departed for his home to do the bidding of the king and\nprepare the feast.\n\nNow those heroes of old, on the day they received knighthood, were wont\nto make certain pledges which were to bind them for life, some binding\nthemselves to one thing, some to another. And as they made the promises\non the faith of their knighthood, with great vows, in presence of kings\nand nobles, they dared not violate them; no, not even if it was to save\nthe lives of themselves and all their friends: for whosoever broke\nthrough his knighthood pledge was foully dishonoured for evermore. And\none of Fergus's obligations was never to refuse an invitation to a\nbanquet: a thing which was well known to King Concobar and to Barach.\n\nAs to Fergus mac Roy and his sons: they went on board their galley and\nput to sea, and made no delay till they reached the harbour nigh the\ncampment of the sons of Usna. And coming ashore, Fergus gave the loud\nshout of a mighty man of chase. The sons of Usna were at that same hour\nin their booth; and Naisi and Deirdre were sitting with a polished\nchessboard between them playing a game.\n\nAnd when they heard the shout, Naisi said:--\"That is the call of a man\nfrom Erin.\"\n\n\"Not so,\" replied Deirdre, \"it is the call of a man of Alban.\"\n\nAnd after a little time when a second shout came, Naisi said:--\"That of\na certainty is the call of a man of Erin!\"\n\nBut Deirdre again replied:--\"No, indeed: it concerns us not: let us play\nour game.\"\n\nBut when a third shout came sounding louder than those before, Naisi\narose and said:--\"Now I know the voice: that is the shout of Fergus!\"\nAnd straightway he sent Ardan to the shore to meet him.\n\nNow Deirdre knew the voice of Fergus from the first: but she kept her\nthoughts to herself: for her heart misgave her that the visit boded\nevil. And when she told Naisi that she knew the first shout, he\nsaid:--\"Why, my queen, didst thou conceal it then?\"\n\nAnd she replied:--\"Lo, I saw a vision in my sleep last night: three\nbirds came to us from Emain Macha, with three drops of honey in their\nbeaks, and they left us the honey and took away three drops of our\nblood.\"\n\n\"What dost thou read from that vision, O princess?\" said Naisi.\n\n\"It denotes the message from Concobar to us,\" said Deirdre; \"for sweet\nas honey is the message of peace from a false man, while he has thoughts\nof blood hidden deep in his heart.\"\n\nWhen Ardan arrived at the shore, the sight of Fergus and his two sons\nwas to him like rain on the parched grass; for it was long since he had\nseen any of his dear comrades from Erin. And he cried out as he came\nnear, \"An affectionate welcome to you, my dear companions\": and he fell\non Fergus's neck and kissed his cheeks, and did the like to his sons.\nThen he brought them to the hunting-booth; and Naisi, Ainnli, and\nDeirdre gave them a like kind welcome; after which they asked the news\nfrom Erin.\n\n\"The best news I have,\" said Fergus, \"is that Concobar has sent me to\nyou with kindly greetings, to bring you back to Emain and restore you to\nyour lands and homes, and to your places in the Red Branch; and I am\nmyself a pledge for your safety.\"\n\n\"It is not meet for them to go,\" said Deirdre: \"for here they are under\nno man's rule; and their sway in Alban is even as great as the sway of\nConcobar in Erin.\"\n\nBut Fergus said: \"One's mother country is better than all else, and\ngloomy is life when a man sees not his home each morning.\"\n\n\"Far dearer to me is Erin than Alban,\" said Naisi, \"even though my sway\nshould be greater here.\"\n\nIt was not with Deirdre's consent he spoke these words: and she still\nearnestly opposed their return to Erin.\n\nBut Fergus tried to re-assure her:--\"If all the men of Erin were against\nyou,\" said he, \"it would avail nought once I have passed my word for\nyour safety.\"\n\n\"We trust in thee,\" said Naisi, \"and we will go with thee to Erin.\"\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CLXXIV.] That is 1665. This inverted method of enumeration was often\nused in Ireland. But they also used direct enumeration like ours.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER III.\n\nTHE RETURN TO EMAIN.\n\n\nGoing next morning on board their galleys, Fergus and his companions put\nout on the wide sea: and oar and wind bore them on swiftly till they\nlanded on the shore of Erin near the house of Barach.\n\nAnd Deirdre, seating herself on a cliff, looked sadly over the waters at\nthe blue headlands of Alban: and she uttered this farewell:--\n\n\nI.\n\n\"Dear to me is yon eastern land: Alban with its wonders. Beloved is\nAlban with its bright harbours and its pleasant hills of the green\nslopes. From that land I would never depart except to be with Naisi.\n\n\nII.\n\n\"Kil-Cuan, O Kil-Cuan,[CLXXV.] whither Ainnli was wont to resort: short\nseemed the time to me while I sojourned there with Naisi on the margins\nof its streams and waterfalls.\n\n\nIII.\n\n\"Glen-Lee, O Glen-Lee, where I slept happy under soft coverlets: fish\nand fowl, and the flesh of red deer and badgers; these were our fare in\nGlen-Lee.\n\n\nIV.\n\n\"Glen-Masan, O Glen-Masan: tall its cresses of white stalks: often were\nwe rocked to sleep in our curragh in the grassy harbour of Glen-Masan.\n\n\nV.\n\n\"Glen-Orchy, O Glen-Orchy: over thy straight glen rises the smooth ridge\nthat oft echoed to the voices of our hounds. No man of the clan was more\nlight-hearted than my Naisi when following the chase in Glen-Orchy.\n\n\nVI.\n\n\"Glen-Ettive, O Glen-Ettive: there it was that my first house was raised\nfor me: lovely its woods in the smile of the early morn: the sun loves\nto shine on Glen-Ettive.\n\n\nVII.\n\n\"Glen-da-Roy, O Glen-da-Roy: the memory of its people is dear to me:\nsweet is the cuckoo's note from the bending bough on the peak over\nGlen-da-Roy.\n\n\nVIII.\n\n\"Dear to me is Dreenagh over the resounding shore: dear to me its\ncrystal waters over the speckled sand. From those sweet places I would\nnever depart, but only to be with my beloved Naisi.\"\n\n\nAfter this they entered the house of Barach; and when Barach had\nwelcomed them, he said to Fergus: \"Here I have a three-days banquet\nready for thee, and I invite thee to come and partake of it.\"\n\nWhen Fergus heard this, his heart sank and his face waxed all over a\ncrimson red: and he said fiercely to Barach:--\"Thou hast done an evil\nthing to ask me to this banquet: for well thou knowest I cannot refuse\nthee. Thou knowest, too, that I am under solemn pledge to send the Sons\nof Usna this very hour to Emain: and if I remain feasting in thy house,\nhow shall I see that my promise of safety is respected?\"\n\nBut none the less did Barach persist; for he was one of the partners in\nConcobar's treacherous design.\n\nThen Fergus turned to Naisi and said:--\"I dare not violate my knighthood\npromise: what am I to do in this strait?\" But Deirdre answered for her\nhusband:--\"The choice is before thee, Fergus; and it is more meet for\nthee to abandon thy feast than to abandon the sons of Usna, who have\ncome over on thy pledge.\"\n\nThen Fergus was in sore perplexity; and pondering a little he said:--\"I\nwill not forsake the sons of Usna: for I will send with them to Emain\nMacha my two sons, Illan the Fair and Buinni the Red, who will be their\npledge instead of me.\"\n\nBut Naisi said: \"We need not thy sons for guard or pledge: we have ever\nbeen accustomed to defend ourselves!\" And he moved from the place in\ngreat wrath: and his two brothers, and Deirdre, and the two sons of\nFergus followed him, with the rest of the clan; while Fergus remained\nbehind silent and gloomy: for his heart misgave him that mischief was\nbrewing for the sons of Usna.\n\nThen Deirdre tried to persuade the sons of Usna to go to Rathlin,\nbetween Erin and Alban, and tarry there till Barach's feast was ended:\nbut they did not consent to do so, for they deemed it would be a mark of\ncowardice: and they sped on by the shortest ways towards Emain Macha.\n\nWhen now they had come to Fincarn of the Watch-tower on Slieve Fuad,\nDeirdre and her attendants stayed behind the others a little: and she\nfell asleep. And when Naisi missed her, he turned back and found her\njust awakening; and he said to her:--\"Why didst thou tarry, my\nprincess?\"\n\nAnd she answered:--\"I fell asleep and had a dream. And this is what I\nsaw in my dream:--Illan the Fair took your part: Buinni the Red did not:\nand I saw Illan without his head: but Buinni had neither wound nor\nhurt.\"\n\n\"Alas, O beauteous princess,\" said Naisi, \"thou utterest nought but evil\nforebodings: but the king is true and will not break his plighted\nword.\"\n\nSo they fared on till they had come to the Ridge of the\nWillows,[CLXXVI.] an hour's journey from the palace: and Deirdre,\nlooking upwards in great fear, said to Naisi:--\"O Naisi, see yonder\ncloud in the sky over Emain, a fearful chilling cloud of a blood-red\ntinge: a baleful red cloud that bodes disaster! Come ye now to Dundalgan\nand abide there with the mighty hero Cuculainn till Fergus returns from\nBarach's feast; for I fear Concobar's treachery.\"\n\nBut Naisi answered:--\"We cannot follow thy advice, beloved Deirdre, for\nit would be a mark of fear: and we have no fear.\"\n\nAnd as they came nigh the palace Deirdre said to them:--\"I will now give\nyou a sign if Concobar meditates good or evil. If you are brought into\nhis own mansion where he sits surrounded by his nobles, to eat and drink\nwith him, this is a token that he means no ill; for no man will injure a\nguest that has partaken of food at his table: but if you are sent to the\nhouse of the Red Branch, be sure he is bent on treachery.\"\n\nWhen at last they arrived at the palace, they knocked loudly with the\nhandwood: and the door-keeper swang the great door wide open. And when\nhe had spoken with them, he went and told Concobar that the sons of Usna\nand Fergus's two sons had come, with their people.\n\nAnd Concobar called to him his stewards and attendants and asked\nthem:--\"How is it in the house of the Red Branch as to food and drink?\"\nAnd they replied that if the seven battalions of Ulaid were to come to\nit, they would find enough of all good things. \"If that is so,\" said\nConcobar, \"take the sons of Usna and their people to the Red Branch.\"\n\nEven then Deirdre besought them not to enter the Red Branch: for she\ndeemed now that of a certainty there was mischief afoot. But Illan the\nFair said:--\"Never did we show cowardice or unmanliness, and we shall\nnot do so now.\" Then she was silent and went with them into the house.\n\nAnd the company, when they had come in, sat them down so that they\nfilled the great hall: and alluring viands and delicious drinks were set\nbefore them: and they ate and drank till they became satisfied and\ncheerful: all except Deirdre and the Sons of Usna, who did not partake\nmuch of food or drink. And Naisi asked for the king's chessboard and\nchessmen; which were brought: and he and Deirdre began to play.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CLXXV.] This and the other places named in Deirdre's Farewell are all\nin the west of Scotland.\n\n[CLXXVI.] Irish name, _Drum-Sailech_; the ridge on which Armagh was\nafterwards built.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER IV.\n\nTROUBLE LOOMING.\n\n\nLet us now speak of Concobar. As he sat among his nobles, the thought of\nDeirdre came into his mind, and he said:--\"Who among you will go to the\nRed Branch and bring me tidings of Deirdre, whether her youthful shape\nand looks still live upon her: for if so there is not on the ridge of\nthe world a woman more beautiful.\" And Lavarcam said she would go.\n\nNow the sons of Usna were very dear to Lavarcam: and Naisi was dearer\nthan the others. And rising up she went to the Red Branch, where she\nfound Naisi and Deirdre with the chessboard between them, playing. And\nshe saluted them affectionately: and she embraced Deirdre, and wept over\nher, and kissed her many times with the eagerness of her love: and she\nkissed the cheeks of Naisi and of his brothers.\n\nAnd when her loving greeting was ended, she said:--\"Beloved children,\nevil is the deed that is to be done this night in Emain: for the three\ntorches of valour of the Gaels will be treacherously assailed, and\nConcobar is certainly resolved to put them to death. And now set your\npeople on guard, and bolt and bar all doors, and close all windows; and\nbe steadfast and valorous, and defend your dear charge manfully, if you\nmay hold the assailants at bay till Fergus comes.\" And she departed\nweeping piteously.\n\nAnd when Lavarcam had returned to Concobar he asked what tidings she\nbrought. \"Good tidings have I,\" said she: \"for the three sons of Usna\nhave come, the three valiant champions of Ulaid: and now that they are\nwith thee, O king, thou wilt hold sway in Erin without dispute. And bad\ntidings I bring also: Deirdre indeed is not as she was, for her youthful\nform and the splendour of her countenance have fled from her.\"\n\nAnd when Concobar heard this, his jealousy abated, and he joined in the\nfeasting.\n\nBut again the thought of Deirdre came to him, and he asked:--\"Who now\nwill go for me to the Red Branch, and bring me further tidings of\nDeirdre and of the sons of Usna?\" for he distrusted Lavarcam. But the\nKnights of the Red Branch had misgivings of some evil design, and all\nremained silent.\n\nThen he called to him Trendorn, one of the lesser chiefs: and he\nsaid:--\"Knowest thou, Trendorn, who slew thy father and thy three\nbrothers in battle?\" And Trendorn answered:--\"Verily, it was Naisi, the\nson of Usna, that slew them.\" Then the king said:--\"Go now to the Red\nBranch and bring me back tidings of Deirdre and of the sons of Usna.\"\n\nTrendorn went right willingly. But when he found the doors and windows\nof the Red Branch shut up, he was seized with fear, and he said:--\"It is\nnot safe to approach the sons of Usna, for they are surely in wrathful\nmood: nevertheless I must needs bring back tidings to the king.\"\n\nWhereupon, not daring to knock at the door, he climbed nimbly to a small\nwindow high up that had been unwittingly left open, through which he\nviewed the spacious banquet hall, and saw Naisi and Deirdre playing\nchess. Deirdre chanced to look up at that moment, and seeing the face of\nthe spy with eyes intently gazing on her, she started with affright and\ngrasped Naisi's arm, as he was making a move with the chessman. Naisi,\nfollowing her gaze, and seeing the evil-looking face, flung the\nchessman with unerring aim, and broke the eye in Trendorn's head.\n\nTrendorn dropped down in pain and rage; and going straight to Concobar,\nhe said:--\"I have tidings for thee, O king: the three sons of Usna are\nsitting in the banquet hall, stately and proud like kings: and Deirdre\nis seated beside Naisi; and verily for beauty and queenly grace her peer\ncannot be found.\"\n\nWhen Concobar heard this, a flame of jealousy and fury blazed up in his\nheart, and he resolved that by no means should the sons of Usna escape\nthe doom he planned for them.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER V.\n\nTHE ATTACK ON THE SONS OF USNA.\n\n\nComing forth on the lawn of Emain, King Concobar now ordered a large\nbody of hireling troops to beset the Red Branch: and he bade them force\nthe doors and bring forth the sons of Usna. And they uttered three\ndreadful shouts of defiance, and assailed the house on every side; but\nthe strong oak stood bravely, and they were not able to break through\ndoors or walls. So they heaped up great piles of wood and brambles, and\nkindled them till the red flames blazed round the house.\n\nBuinni the Red now stood up and said to the sons of Usna:--\"To me be\nentrusted the task to repel this first assault: for I am your pledge in\nplace of my father.\" And marshalling his men, and causing the great door\nto be thrown wide open, he sallied forth and scattered the assailants,\nand put out the fires: slaying thrice fifty hirelings in that onslaught.\n\nBut Buinni returned not to the Red Branch: for the king sent to him with\na secret offer of great favours and bribes: namely, his own royal\nfriendship, and a fruitful tract of land; which Buinni took and basely\nabandoned the sons of Usna. But none the better luck came to him of it:\nfor at that same hour a blight fell on the land, so that it became a\nmoor, waste and profitless, which is at this day called Slieve Fuad.\n\nWhen Illan the Fair became aware of his brother's treason, he was\ngrieved to the heart, and he said:--\"I am the second pledge in place of\nmy father for the sons of Usna, and of a certainty I will not betray\nthem: while this straight sword lives in my hand I will be faithful: and\nI will now repel this second attack.\" For at this time the king's\nhirelings were again thundering at the doors.\n\nForth he issued with his band: and he made three quick furious circuits\nround the Red Branch, scattering the troops as he went: after which he\nreturned to the mansion and found Naisi and Deirdre still\nplaying.[CLXXVII.] But as the hireling hordes returned to the attack,\nhe went forth a second time and fell on them, dealing death and havoc\nwhithersoever he went.\n\nThen, while the fight was still raging, Concobar called to him his son\nFicra, and said to him:--\"Thou and Illan the Fair were born on the same\nnight: and as he has his father's arms, so thou take mine, namely, my\nshield which is called the Ocean, and my two spears which are called\nDart and Slaughter, and my great sword, the Blue-green blade. And bear\nthyself manfully against him, and vanquish him, else none of my troops\nwill survive.\"\n\nFicra did so and went against Illan the Fair; and they made a stout,\nwarlike, red-wounding attack on each other, while the others looked on\nanxious: but none dared to interfere. And it came to pass that Illan\nprevailed, so that Ficra was fain to shelter himself behind his father's\nshield the Ocean, and he was like to be slain. Whereupon, the shield\nmoaned, and the Three Waves of Erin uttered their hollow melancholy\nroar.[CLXXVIII.]\n\nThe hero Conall Carnagh, sitting in his dun afar off, heard the moan of\nthe shield and the roar of the Wave of Tuath: and springing up from\nwhere he sat, he said: \"Verily, the king is in danger: I will go to his\nrescue.\"\n\nHe ran with the swiftness of the wind, and arrived on the Green of\nEmain, where the two young heroes were fighting. Thinking it was\nConcobar that crouched beneath the shield, he attacked Illan, not\nknowing him, and wounded him even unto death. And Illan looking up said,\n\"Is it thou, Conall? Alas, dreadful is the deed thou hast done, not\nknowing me, and not knowing that I am fighting in defence of the sons of\nUsna, who are now in deadly peril from the treachery of Concobar.\"\n\nAnd Conall, finding he had unwittingly wounded his dear young friend\nIllan, turned in his grief and rage on the other, and swept off his\nhead. And he stalked fierce and silent out of the battlefield.\n\nIllan, still faithful to his charge, called aloud to Naisi to defend\nhimself bravely: then putting forth his remaining strength, he flung his\narms, namely, his sword and his spears and his shield, into the Red\nBranch; and falling prone on the green sward, the shades of death dimmed\nhis eyes, and his life departed.\n\nAnd now when it was the dusk of evening, another great battalion of the\nhirelings assailed the Red Branch, and kindled fagots around it:\nwhereupon Ardan sallied out with his valorous band and scattered them,\nand put out the fires, and held guard for the first third of the night.\nAnd during the second third Ainnli kept them at bay.\n\nThen Naisi took his turn, issuing forth, and fought with them till the\nmorning's dawn: and until the sands of the seashore, or the leaves of\nthe forest, or the dew-drops on the grass, or the stars of heaven are\ncounted, it will not be possible to number the hirelings that were slain\nin that fight by Naisi and his band of heroes.\n\nAnd as he was returning breathless from the rout, all grimy and terrible\nwith blood and sweat, he spied Lavarcam, as she stood watching the\nbattle anxiously; and he said:--\"Go, Lavarcam, go and stand on the outer\nrampart, and cast thine eyes eastwards, if perchance thou shouldst see\nFergus and his men coming.\"\n\nFor many of Naisi's brave followers had fallen in these encounters: and\nhe doubted that he and the others could sustain much longer the\ncontinual assaults of superior numbers. And Lavarcam went, but returned\ndowncast, saying she saw nought eastwards, but the open plain with the\npeaceful herds browsing over it.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CLXXVII.] These champions, as well as their wives, took care never to\nshow any signs of fear or alarm even in the time of greatest danger: so\nNaisi and Deirdre kept playing quietly as if nothing was going on\noutside, though they heard the din of battle resounding.\n\n[CLXXVIII.] The \"Three _Tonns_ or Waves of Erin\" were the Wave of Tuath\noutside the mouth of the river Bann, off the coast of Derry; the Wave of\nRury in Dundrum Bay, off the county Down; and the Wave of Cleena in\nGlandore Harbour in the south of Cork. In stormy weather, when the wind\nblows from certain directions, the sea at those places, as it tumbles\nover the sandbanks, or among the caves and fissures of the rocks, utters\na loud and solemn roar, which in old times was believed to forebode the\ndeath of some king.\n\nThe legends also tell that the shield belonging to a king moaned when\nthe person who wore it in battle--whether the king himself or a member\nof his family--was in danger of death: the moan was heard all over\nIreland; and the \"Three Waves of Erin\" roared in response. See \"Irish\nNames of Places,\" Vol. II., Chap. XVI.\n\n\n\n\nCHAPTER VI.\n\nDEATH OF THE SONS OF USNA.\n\n\nBelieving now that they could no longer defend the Red Branch, Naisi\ntook council with his brothers; and what they resolved on was this:--To\nsally forth with all their men and fight their way to a place of\nsafety. Then making a close, firm fence of shields and spears round\nDeirdre, they marched out in solid ranks and attacked the hireling\nbattalions and slew three hundred in that onslaught.\n\nConcobar, seeing the rout of his men, and being now sure that it was not\npossible to subdue the sons of Usna in open fight, cast about if he\nmight take them by falsehood and craft. And sending for Caffa, the\ndruid, who loved them, he said:--\n\n\"These sons of Usna are brave men, and it is our pleasure to receive\nthem back into our service. Go now unto them, for thou art their loved\nfriend; and say to them that if they lay down their arms and submit to\nme, I will restore them to favour and give them their places among the\nRed Branch Knights. And I pledge thee my kingly word and my troth as a\ntrue knight, that no harm shall befall them.\"\n\nCaffa, by no means distrusting him, went to the sons of Usna, and told\nthem all the king had said. And they, suspecting neither guile nor\ntreachery, joyfully threw their swords and spears aside, and went\ntowards the king to make submission. But now, while they stood\ndefenceless, the king caused them to be seized and bound. Then, turning\naside, he sought for some one to put them to death; but he found no man\nof the Ultonians willing to do so.\n\nAmong his followers was a foreigner named Maini of the Rough Hand, whose\nfather and two brothers had fallen in battle by Naisi: and this man\nundertook to kill the sons of Usna.\n\nWhen they were brought forth to their doom, Ardan said:--\"I am the\nyoungest: let me be slain first, that I may not see the death of my\nbrothers.\" And Ainnli earnestly pleaded for the same thing for himself,\nsaying that he was born before Ardan, and should die before him.\n\nBut Naisi said:--\"Lo, I have a sword, the gift of Mannanan mac Lir,\nwhich leaves no remnant unfinished after a blow: let us be struck with\nit, all three together, and we shall die at the same moment.\"\n\nThis was agreed to: and the sword was brought forth, and they laid their\nheads close together, and Maini swept off all three with one blow of the\nmighty sword. And when it became known that the sons of Usna were dead,\nthe men of Ulaid sent forth three great cries of grief and lamentation.\n\nAs for Deirdre, she cried aloud, and tore her golden hair, and became\nlike one distracted. And after a time, when her calmness had a little\nreturned, she uttered a lament:--\n\n\nI.\n\n\"Three lions of the hill are dead, and I am left alone to weep for them.\nThe generous princes who made the stranger welcome have been guilefully\nlured to their doom.\n\n\nII.\n\n\"The three strong hawks of Slieve Cullinn,[CLXXIX.] a king's three sons,\nstrong and gentle: willing obedience was yielded to them by heroes who\nhad conquered many lands.\n\n\nIII.\n\n\"Three generous heroes of the Red Branch, who loved to praise the valour\nof others: three props of the battalions of Quelna: their fall is the\ncause of bitter grief.\n\n\nIV.\n\n\"Ainnli and Ardan, haughty and fierce in battle, to me were ever loving\nand gentle: Naisi, Naisi, beloved spouse of my choice, thou canst not\nhear thy Deirdre lamenting thee.\n\n\nV.\n\n\"When they brought down the fleet red deer in the chase, when they\nspeared the salmon skilfully in the clear water, joyful and proud were\nthey if I looked on.\n\n\nVI.\n\n\"Often when my feeble feet grew weary wandering along the valleys, and\nclimbing the hills to view the chase, often would they bear me home\nlightly on their linked shields and spears.\n\n\nVII.\n\n\"It was gladness of heart to be with the sons of Usna: long and weary is\nthe day without their company: short will be my span of life since they\nhave left me.\n\n\nVIII.\n\n\"Sorrow and tears have dimmed my eyes, looking at the grave of Naisi: a\ndark deadly sickness has seized my heart: I cannot, I cannot live after\nNaisi.\n\n\nIX.\n\n\"O thou who diggest the new grave, make it deep and wide: let it be a\ngrave for four; for I will sleep for ever beside my beloved.\"\n\n\nWhen she had spoken these words, she fell beside the body of Naisi and\ndied immediately. And a great cairn of stones was piled over their\ngrave, and their names were inscribed in Ogham, and their funeral rites\nwere performed.\n\nThis is the sorrowful tale of The Fate of the Sons of Usna.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CLXXIX.] Slieve Cullinn, now Slieve Gullion mountain in Armagh.\n\n\n\n\nNOTES.\n\n\nNOTE 1.--_The Dedannans._\n\nAccording to the old bardic legends, the first man who led a colony to\nIreland after the Flood was Parthalon. Next came Nemed and his people;\nand after these the Firbolgs, who were conquered and succeeded by the\nDedannans.\n\nThe legend relates that the Dedannans, in the course of their\nwanderings, spent some time in Greece, where they learned magic and\nother curious arts. From this they migrated to Lochlann, in the north of\nEurope (see note 6), from which they came through Scotland to their\nfinal resting-place, Ireland.\n\nFrom the three queens of their three last kings, Ireland got the three\nnames, Erin, F[=o]la, and Banba.\n\nAfter the Dedannans had held sway in Ireland for about two hundred\nyears, they were in their turn conquered by the last and greatest colony\nof all, the people of Mil\u00e8d or Milesius, who are commonly known by the\nname of Milesians, and who are the ancestors of the leading Gaelic\nfamilies of Ireland. The Milesians defeated the Dedannans in two great\nbattles: one fought at _Tailltenn_, now Teltown, on the river\nBlackwater, between Navan and Kells, in Meath; and the other at\n_Druim-Lighean_, now Drumleene, about three miles from Lifford, in\nDonegal.\n\nIn the legendary and romantic literature of Ireland, the Dedannans are\ncelebrated as magicians. By the Milesians and their descendants they\nwere regarded as gods, and ultimately, in the imagination of the people,\nthey became what are now in Ireland called \"fairies.\"\n\nAfter their defeat by the Milesians, they seem to have retired to remote\nand lonely places; and their reputation as magicians, as well as the\nobscure and mysterious manner in which they lived, gradually impressed\nthe vulgar with the belief that they were supernatural beings.\n\nThe notion was that they lived in splendid palaces in the interior of\npleasant green hills. These hills were called _sidh_ (pronounced\n_shee_); and hence the Dedannans were called _Daoine-sidhe_\n(_Deena-shee_), or people of the fairy hills; _Marcra-sidhe_\n(_Markra-shee_), fairy cavalcade; and _Sluagh-sidhe_ (_Sloo-shee_),\nfairy host.\n\nOf this mysterious race, the following are the principal characters\nmentioned in these tales.\n\nMannanan Mac Lir, the Gaelic sea-god. In \"Cormac's Glossary\" (written\nA.D. 900), we are told that he was a famous merchant who resided in, and\ngave name to, _Inis-Manann_, or the Isle of Man; that he was the best\nmerchant in Western Europe; and that he used to know, by examining the\nheavens, the length of time the fair and the foul weather would last.\n\nThe Dagda, whose name some interpret to mean \"the great good fire,\" so\ncalled from his military ardour, who reigned as king of Ireland from\nA.M. 3370 to 3450.\n\nAngus or Angus Oge, the son of the Dagda, who lived at _Brugh_ or Bruga,\non the north shore of the Boyne, a little below the village of Slane.\nAngus is spoken of as the wisest and the most skilled in magic of all\nthe Dedannan race.\n\nNuada of the Silver Hand. (See note 4.)\n\nLir of Shee Finnaha, the father of the four \"Children of Lir,\" and Bove\nDerg of Shee Bove, of whom we know little more than what is told of them\nin the \"Fate of the Children of Lir.\" Shee Finnaha is supposed to have\nbeen situated near Newtown Hamilton, in Armagh; and Shee Bove was on the\nshore of Lough Derg, on the Shannon.\n\nLuga of the Long Arms, who imposed the eric-fine on the three sons of\nTurenn for slaying his father Kian. (See note 7 for a further account of\nthis Luga.)\n\nDianket, the great physician, of whose powers of cure extraordinary\nstories are told. He had a son Midac, and a daughter Armedda, more\nskilful than himself. The old legend relates that Midac took off the\nsilver arm which his father Dianket had put on Nuada (see note 4), and,\nhaving procured the bones of the real arm, he clothed them with flesh\nand skin, and fixed the arm in its place as well as ever \"in three\nmoments.\" Dianket was so enraged at being outdone by his son that he\nslew him. After Midac had been buried for some time, three hundred and\nsixty-five healing herbs grew up from his grave, one from every joint\nand sinew of his body--each herb to cure disease in that part of the\nhuman body from which it grew--all which were gathered by his sister\nArmedda, and placed carefully in her cloak in their proper order. But\nbefore she had time to study their several virtues fully, her father\nDianket mixed them all up in utter confusion. (O'Curry, _Atlantis_, vii.\nand viii. 158.) Were it not for this churlish proceeding, Armedda would\nhave found out, and we should now know, the exact herb to cure each\nparticular disease of the human frame.\n\n\nNOTE 2.--_The Feast of Age._\n\nThis was also called the Feast of Gobnenn the Dedannan smith. It was\ninstituted by Mannanan Mac Lir, and whoever was present at it, and\npartook of the food and drink, was free ever after from sickness, decay,\nand old age.\n\n\nNOTE 3.--_The Druids._\n\nThe ancient Irish druids do not appear to have been _priests_ in any\nsense of the word. They were, in popular estimation, men of knowledge\nand power--\"Men of science,\" as they were often designated; they knew\nthe arts of healing and divination; and they were skilled above all in\nmagic. In fact, the Irish druids were magicians, neither more nor less;\nand hence the Gaelic word for \"druidical\" is almost always applied where\nwe should use the term \"magical\"--to spells, incantations,\nmetamorphoses, etc. (See O'Curry, \"Lectures on the Manners and Customs\nof the Ancient Irish,\" Lecture ix.)\n\n\nNOTE 4.--_Nuada of the Silver Hand._\n\nNuada of the Silver Hand was king of Ireland, according to the\nchronology of the Four Masters, from A.M. 3311 to 3330. He commanded the\nDedannans in the first battle of Moytura (see note 11), where his arm\nwas cut off with a sword-blow by Sreng, the great Firbolg champion.\nAfterwards Credne the artificer made him a silver arm with a hand, which\nwas fixed on by Dianket, the physician (see note 1). Nuada was slain in\nthe second battle of Moytura, by Balor of the Mighty Blows (see note\n11).\n\n\nNOTE 5.--_The Fomorians._\n\n\"Fomor,\" the simple form of this word, means, according to the old\netymologists, a sea-robber, from _fo_, on or along, and _muir_, the sea.\nThe word is also used to denote a giant, or a gigantic champion.\n\nThe Fomorians of Irish history were sea-robbers, who infested the\ncoasts, and indeed the interior, of Ireland, for a long series of years,\nand at one time fortified themselves in Tory Island. They are stated to\nhave come to Ireland from Lochlann, in the north of Europe (for which\nsee next note); but they were originally from Africa, being, according\nto the legend, the descendants of Ham the son of Noah.\n\n\nNOTE 6.--_Lochlann: The Lochlanns._\n\nLochlann was the Gaelic designation of the country from which came the\npeople who are known in European history as Danes, _i.e._ the country\nround the southern shores of the Baltic, including the south part of\nSweden. The Lochlanns, or Lochlannachs, or Danes, it need hardly be\nsaid, make a very conspicuous figure in our early history, and in our\nmedi\u00e6val romantic literature.\n\nIn the Gaelic tales, the chief city of Lochlann is always Berva; but\nwhether this represents a real name, or is merely an invention of the\nold story-tellers, I cannot tell.\n\n\nNOTE 7.--_Luga of the Long Arms: The Ildana._\n\nLuga of the Long Arms was the son of Ethlenn, daughter of the Fomorian\nking, Balor of the Mighty Blows (see note 9). His father, Kian (who was\nslain by the three sons of Turenn), was a Dedannan; so that Luga was\nhalf Fomorian and half Dedannan. But he always took the side of the\nDedannans against the Fomorians.\n\nLuga is often called The Ildana, the Man of many sciences, to signify\nhis accomplishments as a warrior and a man of general knowledge.\n\nIt had been foretold that Balor would be slain by his own grandson.\nAccordingly, when Luga was born, Balor sent him off to be drowned. But\nLuga escaped, and lived to revenge the unnatural conduct of his\ngrandfather, whom he slew in the second battle of Moytura (see note 11),\nafter Balor had slain the Dedannan king, Nuada of the Silver Hand. Luga\nsucceeded Nuada as king of Ireland, and reigned, according to the\nchronology of the Four Masters, from A.M. 3330 to 3370.\n\nIt was by Luga that the celebrated yearly assembly of Tailltenn was\ninstituted, in honour of his foster mother _Taillte_, after whom the\nplace was called. (See note page 93, _supra._)\n\n\nNOTE 8.--_The Land of Promise: Fairyland._\n\nIn ancient Gaelic romantic tales, mention is often made of _Tir\nTairrngire_, the Land of Promise, Fairyland, as being one of the chief\ndwelling-places of the Dedannans or fairy host. In many passages this\nLand of Promise is identified with _Inis-Manann_, or the Isle of Man,\nwhich was ruled over by Mannanan Mac Lir, the sea-god, and named from\nhim.\n\n\nNOTE 9.--_Balor of the Mighty Blows._\n\nBalor was king of the Fomorians from Lochlann in the north; his wife was\nKethlenda; and his son, Bres. Balor is often called Balor of the Mighty\nBlows; and also Balor of the Evil Eye, for he had one eye which would\nstrike people dead or turn them into stone, so that he kept it covered,\nexcept when he wished to use it against his enemies. Balor is remembered\nvery vividly in tradition by the peasantry of Ireland, especially in\nDonegal and in Tory Island, where a very high, tower-like rock is called\nto this day Balor's Castle.\n\n\nNOTE 10.--_Eric._\n\nThe eric was a fine paid as compensation for murder or homicide. The\nfriends of the murdered person might accept an eric, or they might\nrefuse it and seek instead the death of the murderer. An eric was often\npaid for other crimes or injuries against the individual, as well as for\nhomicide.\n\n\nNOTE 11.--_Battle of Moytura._\n\nThere were two great battles, each called the battle of Moytura.\n\n_First Battle of Moytura._ When the Dedannans came to invade Erin, they\nfound the country occupied by the Firbolgs, who were by no means\ninclined to give up quiet possession to the newcomers. After some\nparleying and manoeuvring, a great battle was fought between them,\nA.M. 3303, at Moytura, near Cong, in Mayo, lasting for four days, in\nwhich the Firbolgs were defeated with great slaughter, and their king\nslain; after which the Dedannans took possession of the country, leaving\nConnaught, however, to a powerful remnant of the Firbolgs who survived\nthe battle. This is called the First Battle of Moytura, or the Battle of\nthe Southern Moytura. On the plain where it was fought, there are still\ngreat numbers of mounds, cromlechs, and other sepulchral monuments. (See\nSir William Wilde's \"Lough Corrib,\" page 210.)\n\n_Second Battle of Moytura._ King Nuada, who led the Dedannans in the\nfirst battle of Moytura, had his arm cut off by Sreng, one of the\nFirbolg champions. He was under cure for seven years; during which time\nBres, the son of Elatha, who was a Fomorian by his father and a Dedannan\nby his mother, ruled Ireland as regent. But at the end of the seven\nyears, Bres had to retire in favour of Nuada. Whereupon he repaired in\nanger to his father in Lochlann; and at his instigation an army of\nFomorians was raised, after some years, for the invasion of Ireland, and\nplaced under the command of Balor of the Mighty Blows.\n\nLuga of the Long Arms seems to have foreseen this invasion. He knew that\nBres would have to abdicate whenever Nuada's arm came to be healed, and\nhe conjectured truly that he would not resign the sovereignty without a\nstruggle. But the old tales would lead to the inference that Luga had\nsome preternatural foreknowledge of the battle. Anyhow, the legend says\nthat for many years he made preparations for the coming struggle; and it\nwas with this intention that he imposed the celebrated eric-fine on the\nsons of Turenn.\n\nThe Fomorians landed, and were met by the Dedannan army at the Northern\nMoytura, or, as it is often called, Moytura of the Fomorians, situated\nin the parish of Kilmactranny, barony of Tirerrill, county Sligo. The\nbattle was fought on the eve of Samin, _i.e._ on the last day of\nOctober, A.M. 3330; and the Fomorians were defeated with the slaughter\nof their principal men and the best part of their army. In the course of\nthe battle, Nuada of the Silver Hand, the Dedannan king, was slain by\nBalor; but soon after, Balor himself was killed by his grandson, Luga.\nLuga, we are told, flung a stone at him from a crann-tavall or sling\n(see note, page 240), and struck him in the evil eye with so much force\nthat the stone went clean through his head and out at the back.\n\nThe site of this battle, like that of the Southern Moytura, abounds to\nthis day in sepulchral monuments.\n\nThese two battles of Moytura form the subjects of two historic tales,\nwhich are still in existence, though they have never been published.\n\n\nNOTE 12.--_Gesa._\n\n\"Gesa\" (pronounced _gessa_, the _g_ hard, as in _get_) is plural:\nsingular _geis_, plural _geasa_ or _gesa_. Gesa means solemn vows,\nconjurations, injunctions, prohibitions. \"I put you under gesa\" means, I\nadjure you solemnly, so solemnly that you dare not disobey. It would\nappear that individuals were often under gesa or solemn vows to observe,\nor to refrain from, certain lines of conduct--the vows being either\ntaken on themselves voluntarily, or imposed on them, with their consent,\nby others. Thus Dermat O'Dyna was under gesa never to pass through a\nwicket gate when entering or leaving a palace (page 282); Finn was under\ngesa not to sleep at Allen more than nine nights in succession (page\n337); Dermat put Oisin under gesa not to loose any one whom he bound\n(page 312). It would appear, also, that if one person went through the\nform of putting another under gesa to grant any reasonable request, the\nabjured person could not refuse without loss of honour and reputation.\nThus Midac places Finn under gesa to come to the banquet in the Fairy\nPalace of the Quicken Trees (page 189); and the witch-lady places gesa\non Finn to search for the ring in the lake (page 354). And sometimes, on\nvery solemn or urgent occasions, the gesa seem to have been imposed with\nspells, so as to draw down ill luck as well as loss of honour on the\nperson who disregarded the injunction (page 281).\n\nGeis or gesa also means a charm or spell.\n\n\nNOTE 13.--_Tir-fa-tonn._\n\nThe Gaelic tales abound in allusions to a beautiful country situated\nunder the sea--an enchanted land sunk at some remote time, and still\nheld under spell. In some romantic writings it is called _Tir-fa-tonn_,\nthe land beneath the wave; and occasionally one or more of the heroes\nfind their way to it, and meet with many strange adventures (page 253).\nSometimes it is _O'Brasil_, that dim land which appears over the water\nonce every seven years--\"on the verge of the azure sea\"--and which would\nbe freed from the spell, and would remain permanently over water, if any\none could succeed in throwing fire on it. (See Gerald Griffin's\nbeautiful ballad, \"O'Brasil, the Isle of the Blest.\") The Island of\nFincara (page 87), and the beautiful country seen beneath the waves by\nMaildun (page 147), are remnants of the same superstition.\n\nThis very old Celtic tradition is obviously the same as the legend of\nthe continent of Atlantis, mentioned by Plato, which at some remote time\nwas overwhelmed and sunk under the Atlantic Ocean. And it would seem\nthat they have the same shadowy tradition in the East; for in \"Lalla\nRookh\" Moore makes the Peri say, in her soliloquy:\n\n    \"I know where the Isles of Perfume are,\n    Many a fathom down in the sea,\n    To the south of sun-bright Araby.\"\n\n\nNOTE 14.--_The Enchanted Well._\n\nRes autem sic revera evenit. Cum Angus magus equum giganteum Eochaidio\net popularibus traderet, monebat homines nec stabulandi neque omnino\nrequiescendi copiam equo faciendam; ne forte quiescendo urinam\ndemitteret, quod si fieret exitio omnibus fore. Postea vero quam at\nPlanitiem Silvul\u00e6 Cinere\u00e6 pervenissent, intenti adeo sarcinis ingentis\nequi dorso detrahendis incumbebant, ut monitorum Angi obliviscerentur;\nrestitit autem equus, et subinde urinam demisit. Extemplo hinc fons\nortus; qui cum scaturiisset, submersit omnes, sicuti in histori\u00e2\nnarratur.\n\n\nNOTE 15.--_Conal Carna of the Red Branch._\n\nThe Red Branch Knights of Ulster, a sort of militia in the service of\nthe monarch, much like the Fena of later date (see note 23), flourished\nin the first century of the Christian era. Their home was the palace of\nEmania, near the city of Armagh; and they received their name from one\nof the houses of the palace in which they resided, which was called\n_Craebh-ruadh_, or Red Branch. They attained their greatest glory in the\nreign of Conor Mac Nessa, king of Ulster in the first century; and Conal\nCarna, mentioned in the story of \"Liban the Mermaid,\" was one of their\nmost illustrious champions.\n\n\nNOTE 16.--_Ecca the Son of Marid: Comgall of Bangor._\n\nThis Marid was king of Munster about the beginning of the second century\nof the Christian era. St. Comgall, one of the greatest saints of the\nearly Irish Church, flourished in the sixth century, and was the founder\nof the celebrated monastery of Bangor in the county of Down.\n\n\nNOTE 17.--_Curragh._\n\nIt would appear that in Ireland, and indeed in England and Scotland as\nwell, navigation was carried on in ancient times chiefly by means of\ncurraghs. The curragh was a boat or canoe, consisting of a light\nframework of wood, covered over with the skins of animals. Curraghs are\nstill used on many parts of the western coast of Ireland; but they are\nnow covered with tarred canvas instead of skins.\n\n\nNOTE 18.--_Conn the Hundred-fighter._\n\nConn Ced-cathach or Conn the Fighter of a Hundred (not Conn of the\nHundred Battles, as the name is generally translated), was king of\nIreland from A.D. 123 to 158.\n\n\nNOTE 19.--_Land of the Living: Land of Life, etc._\n\nThe ancient Irish had a sort of dim, vague belief that there was a land\nwhere people were always youthful, and free from care and trouble,\nsuffered no disease, and lived for ever. This country they called by\nvarious names:--_Tir-na-mbeo_, the land of the [ever-]living;\n_Tir-na-n\u00f3g_, the land of the [ever-]youthful; _Moy-Mell_, the plain of\npleasure, etc. It had its own inhabitants--fairies; but mortals were\nsometimes brought there; and while they lived in it, were gifted with\nthe everlasting youth and beauty of the fairy people themselves, and\npartook of their pleasures. As to the exact place where Tirnanoge was\nsituated, the references are shadowy and variable, but they often place\nit far out in the Atlantic Ocean, as far as the eye can reach from the\nhigh cliffs of the western coast. And here it is identical with\nO'Brasil, of which mention has been made in note 13.\n\nI have already remarked (see note 1) that the fairies were also supposed\nto live in palaces in the interior of pleasant green hills, and that\nthey were hence called Aes-shee or Deena-shee, i.e. people of the _shee_\nor fairy hills; and hence also the word \"banshee\" _i.e._ a woman\n(_bean_) of the fairy hills. Tirnanoge was often regarded as identical\nwith these bright, subterranean palaces. In my boyhood days, the\npeasantry believed that the great limestone cavern near Mitchelstown, in\nthe county Cork, was one of the entrances to Tirnanoge.\n\n\nNOTE 20.--_St. Brendan of Birra._\n\nI have already, in the preface (page xiii.), spoken of the celebrated\nvoyage of St. Brendan of Birra (Birr, in King's County), undertaken in\nthe sixth century. He set out from near Brandon Mountain, in Kerry,\nsailing westwards into the Atlantic Ocean, and, according to the belief\nof some, landed on the shore of America. He had many imitators, who\nventured out on the great ocean in their curraghs as pilgrims; but none\nwere so enterprising as himself, or met with such a variety of strange\nlands, if we except Maildun and the three sons of O'Corra, whose\nadventures are quite as surprising as those of Brendan.\n\n\nNOTE 21.--_Brendan's Satchel._\n\nThe ancient Irish saints, when on their missionary journeys through the\ncountry, kept their precious books, as well as the portable sacred\nutensils, in leather satchels, which they brought with them from place\nto place. These satchels were often highly ornamented, and, like other\nrelics, were held in extraordinary veneration after the death of the\nowners. The Gaelic term for this kind of satchel is _polaire_. (See\nPetrie, \"Round Towers,\" page 336.)\n\n\nNOTE 22.--_Cormac Mac Art._\n\nCormac Mac Art, the most illustrious of the Irish kings, who began his\nreign A.D. 254, was the son of Art the Lonely, who was son of Conn the\nHundred-fighter. During his reign flourished the Fena or militia, spoken\nof in the next note; and the old chroniclers never tire of dwelling on\nthe magnificence of his court at Tara, and the prosperity of the country\nduring his reign. He was renowned for learning and wisdom, and he wrote\na book called _Tegusc-righ_, or instruction for kings, copies of which\nare extant in the Books of Leinster and Ballymote. He also caused the\nrecords of the kingdom to be collected and written down in one great\nbook called the Psalter of Tara, but no portion of this book is now\nknown to exist; and he established three schools at Tara--one for\nmilitary science, one for law, and one for history and chronology. He\nspent the last years of his life in retirement and study at Cletty on\nthe Boyne, and died A.D. 277, forty years after he had ascended the\nthrone.\n\n\nNOTE 23.--_Finn and the Fena._\n\nThe Fena or \"Fena of Erin\" were a sort of militia or standing army,\npermanently maintained by the monarch for the support of the throne, and\nregularly trained to military service. They attained their greatest\nglory in the reign of Cormac Mac Art (see previous note). Each province\nhad its own militia under its own captain, but all were under the\ncommand of one general-in-chief. Their most renowned commander was Finn\nthe son of Cumal, who of all the heroes of ancient Ireland is most\nvividly remembered in popular tradition. Finn had his palace on the top\nof the Hill of Allen, a remarkable flat-topped hill, lying about four\nmiles to the right of the railway as you pass Newbridge and approach\nKildare, rendered more conspicuous of late years by a tall pillar\nerected on the top, on the very site of Finn's palace. Before the\nerection of the pillar, there were considerable remains of the old fort\non the hill, but at present nearly every vestige is obliterated, cleared\naway partly to make room for the foundation of the pillar, and partly by\ncultivation; for the land has been tilled and cropped to the very\nsummit. The whole neighbourhood, however, teems with living traditions\nof Finn and the Fena.\n\nThe Fena were divided into distinct tribes or clanns, belonging to the\nseveral provinces, each under its own commander. Of these, the Clann\nBaskin of Leinster, under the immediate command of Finn; and the Clann\nMorna of Connaught, commanded by Gaul Mac Morna, were rival tribes, and,\nfor reasons stated in note 27, regarded each other with hatred and\ndistrust.\n\nThe following are some of the principal characters celebrated in the\nromantic literature of the Fena.\n\nFinn the son of Cumal, commander-in-chief of the Fena under king Cormac\nMac Art (see note 22); brave, wise, and far-seeing, a man of supreme\nmilitary ability. His foresight seemed so extraordinary, that the people\nbelieved it was a preternatural gift of divination, and the shanachies\ninvented a legend to account for it (see note 25). Like many great\ncommanders, he had a little of the tyrant in his character, and was\nunforgiving to those who injured him. But in the story of Dermat and\nGrania, he is drawn in too unfavourable a light. In his old age he was\nkilled by a fisherman at a place called Athbrea on the Boyne, A.D. 284,\nas recorded in the Annals of Tighernach, of the Four Masters, and of\nInnisfallen.\n\nOisin or Ossian, Finn's son, the renowned hero-poet, to whom the bards\nattribute many poems still extant.\n\nOscar, the son of Oisin, youthful and handsome, kind-hearted, and one of\nthe most valiant of the Fena.\n\nDermat O'Dyna, noble-minded, generous, of untarnished honour, and the\nbravest of the brave. He was as handsome as he was valiant, whence he is\noften styled Dermat of the Bright Face, Dermat of the White Teeth, etc.\nHe was the idol of the ladies of Ireland, and hence he is often called\nDermat-na-man, or Dermat of the Women (page 210). The Munster\ntraditions represent him as a native of Kerry; but he was in reality a\nLeinsterman, though his descendants migrated to Munster at a very early\nperiod. Mr. O'Grady, in his edition of the story of Dermat and Grania\n(page 294), has given an ancient poetical genealogy of Dermat. This hero\nis equally celebrated in popular story in the Highlands of Scotland.\nAccording to Highland tradition, the great and illustrious Clann\nCampbell, represented by the Duke of Argyll, descend from him; and their\ncrest is a boar's head, in memory of the manner of Dermat's\ndeath.[CLXXX.] Dermat O'Dyna is, on the whole, the finest type of hero\namong the Fena--as fine indeed as can be found in any literature; and\nhis noble character is very well maintained throughout the Ossianic\ntales.\n\nKylta Mac Ronan, Finn's nephew, renowned for his fleetness of foot.\n\nDering, the son of Dobar O'Baskin, who was not only a brave warrior, but\nalso \"a man of knowledge,\" gifted with some insight into futurity.\n\nLigan Lumina, also celebrated for swiftness of foot.\n\nFergus Finnvel, poet, warrior, and frequent adviser of the Fena.\n\nGaul Mac Morna, the leader of the Clann Morna or Connaught Fena, one of\nthe mightiest of all the heroes. He served under Finn, but the two\nchiefs bore no love to each other, for Gaul had slain Finn's father,\nCumal, in the battle of Knocka (see note 27).\n\nConan Mail or Conan the Bald, the best-marked and best-sustained\ncharacter in the Ossianic romances; large-bodied, a great boaster, a\ngreat coward, and a great glutton. He had a venomous tongue, and hardly\never spoke a good word of any one. He belonged to the Clann Morna, and\nwas always reviling the Clann Baskin. He was the butt for the gibes and\nmockery of the Fena, but they dreaded his foul tongue. The story-tellers\nnever lose an opportunity of having a fling at Conan, and of turning him\ninto ridicule for his cowardice, his big talk, and his gluttony.\n\n\nNOTE 24.--_Cooking-Places._\n\nThe Fena, as related in the beginning of the story of the Gilla Dacker,\nwere quartered on the principal householders during the winter\nhalf-year; and maintained themselves chiefly by the chase during the\nsummer months. When they were on their hunting expeditions, we are told\nthat they ate only one meal a day; and for this meal they cooked the\nflesh of the animals brought down in the chase, in the following manner.\nThey first dug a deep pit in the earth near their camping-place, and,\nhaving lighted a great fire beside it, they heated a number of round\nstones. They next covered the bottom of the pit with the hot stones, on\nwhich they placed the meat, bound up with sedge and grass ropes, and on\nthis again they put another layer of heated stones; and, having closely\ncovered up the whole with branches, they let it stand till the meat was\nsufficiently cooked. The remains of these old earth-ovens are still to\nbe seen, and are called by the peasantry _fulachta-na-bhfiann_, the\ncooking-places of the Fena.\n\n\nNOTE 25.--_Finn's Tooth of Knowledge._\n\nIt had been prophesied of old that a man named Finn would be the first\nto eat of the salmon of knowledge, which swam in the pool of Linn-Fec,\nin the Boyne (near the present village of Slane); and that he would\nthereby obtain the gifts of knowledge and of divination. A certain old\npoet named Finn, knowing this, hoped that he might be the lucky man; so\nhe took up his abode on the shore of Linn-Fec; and he fished in the pool\nevery day from morn till night, in the hope of catching the salmon of\nknowledge. At this time, Finn the son of Cumal was a boy, fleeing from\nplace to place from his hereditary enemies, the Clann Morna, disguised,\nand bearing the assumed name of Demna; and, happening to come to\nLinn-Fec, the old poet took him as his servant.\n\nAfter long watching and waiting, Finn the poet hooked the salmon at\nlast, and gave it to Demna to broil, warning him very strictly not to\neat or even taste of it. Demna proceeded to broil the fish; and soon the\nheat of the fire raised a great blister from its side, which the boy\npressed with his thumb to keep it down, thereby scalding himself so\nseverely that he unthinkingly thrust his thumb into his mouth.\n\nWhen the salmon was cooked, the poet asked Demna had he eaten of it.\n\"No,\" replied the boy; \"but I scalded my thumb on the fish, and put it\ninto my mouth.\" \"Thy name is not Demna, but Finn,\" exclaimed the poet:\n\"in thee has the prophecy been fulfilled; and thou art now a diviner and\na man of knowledge!\"\n\nIn this manner Finn obtained the gift of divination, so that ever after,\nwhen he wished to look into futurity, he put his thumb under his tooth\nof knowledge, as he did when cooking the salmon of Linn-Fec, and the\nwhole future was revealed to him. There appears to have been some sort\nof ceremony used, however (see page 339, _supra_); and it would seem\nthat the process was attended with pain (page 194), so that it was only\non very solemn and trying occasions he put his thumb under his tooth of\nknowledge.[CLXXXI.]\n\n\nNOTE 26.--_The Game of Chess._\n\nChess-playing was one of the favourite amusements of the ancient Irish\nchiefs. The game is constantly mentioned in the very oldest Gaelic\ntales; as, for instance, in the \"Cattle-Spoil of Cooley,\" in \"The Book\nof the Dun Cow\" (A.D. 1100). (See O'Donovan's \"Introduction to the Book\nof Rights,\" page lxi.)\n\n\nNOTE 27.--_Battle of Knocka._\n\nThe battle of Knocka or _Cnucha_ (now Castleknock, near Dublin) was\nfought in the reign of Conn the Hundred-fighter (see note 18). The\ncontending parties were, on the one side, Conn with his royal forces,\nand the renowned hero, Gaul Mac Morna, with his Connaught Fena, the\nClann Morna; and on the other side, Cumal, the father of Finn, with the\nClann Baskin and the Leinster forces in general, aided by Owen More,\nheir to the throne of Munster, with a large army of Munstermen. The\nLeinster and Munster armies were defeated, chiefly through the valour of\nGaul, who slew Cumal with his own hand. This was the cause of the\nirreconcilable enmity that existed ever after between the Clann Baskin\nand the Clann Morna.\n\nWhen Finn the son of Cumal grew up to man's estate, he succeeded to the\nposition held by his father as leader of the Fena. But though he made\npeace with Gaul Mac Morna, and though Gaul submitted to his command,\nthere was always a feeling of ill-concealed hatred and distrust between\nthem.\n\n\nNOTE 28.--_Battle of Gavra._\n\nWhen Carbri of the Liffey, son of Cormac Mac Art, ascended the throne of\nIreland, one of his first acts was to disband and outlaw the Clann\nBaskin; and he took into his service in their place their rivals and\ndeadly enemies, the Clann Morna from Connaught. Whereupon the Clann\nBaskin marched southwards, and entered the service of Fercorb, king of\nMunster, Finn's grandson, in direct disobedience to king Carbri's\ncommands. This led to the bloody battle of Gavra, celebrated in Ossianic\nliterature, which was fought A.D. 284, at Garristown, in the north-west\nof the county Dublin, where the rival clanns slaughtered each other\nalmost to annihilation. In the heat of the battle, Carbri and Oscar met\nin single combat; and, after a long and terrible fight, the heroic Oscar\nfell pierced by Carbri's spear, and died on the evening of the same day.\nBut Carbri himself was dreadfully wounded; and, while retiring from the\nfield, his own kinsman, Semeon, whom he had previously banished from\nTara, fell on him, and despatched him with a single blow.\n\nThis battle is the subject of a poem which the bards ascribe to Oisin,\nand which has been published, with translation, in the first volume of\nthe Ossianic Transactions. In this poem there is an affecting\ndescription of the death of Oscar, surrounded by his few surviving\ncompanions, and in presence of his father Oisin.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[CLXXX.] For a full account of the Highland traditions regarding Dermat,\nand of the Highland monuments that commemorate his name, see \"Loch Etive\nand the Sons of Uisnach\" (p. 255), a very valuable and interesting book,\nrecently published, which came into my hands after I had written the\nabove.\n\n[CLXXXI.] The above legend is taken from \"The Boyish Exploits of Finn\nMac Cumal,\" published, with translation, by John O'Donovan, LL.D., in\nthe fourth volume of the Ossianic Society's Transactions, from a MS.\n_transcribed_ in 1453, now lying in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. But\nthe internal evidence of the language shows that the piece is far more\nancient than the fifteenth century. The legend of Finn and the Salmon of\nKnowledge is still current among the peasantry; and a modern popular\nversion of it may be seen in the _Dublin Penny Journal_, Vol. I. page\n110.\n\nAs to the process of putting his thumb under his tooth of knowledge,\neven the English-speaking peasantry of the south still retain a\ntradition that it was painful; for they say that Finn \"chewed his thumb\nfrom the skin to the flesh, from the flesh to the bone, from the bone to\nthe marrow, and from the marrow to the _smoosagh_.\"\n\n\n\n\nLIST OF PROPER NAMES.\n\nALPHABETICAL LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL PROPER NAMES OCCURRING IN THIS\nVOLUME, WITH THEIR ORIGINAL GAELIC FORMS, AND, IN MANY CASES, THEIR\nMEANINGS.\n\n\nEvery writer who attempts to popularise the Gaelic literature of Ireland\nand Scotland, finds the proper names a serious difficulty. If they are\ngiven in their original Gaelic forms, they are not unfrequently\nunpronounceable and repulsive to the English reader; if they are written\nphonetically, they are often strange and barbarous looking. In this\nbook, I have not followed any general principle in reducing the names to\nforms suitable to readers of English. I have dealt with each, as it\nwere, on its own merits. Sometimes--very often, indeed--I have given the\noriginal spelling; sometimes I have given the names phonetically; and\nfrequently I have mixed the two modes. But all through I have avoided\nany great departure from the original forms, as will be seen by a glance\nat the following list.\n\nIn all cases the names occurring through the book may be pronounced just\nas the letters would indicate to the English reader.\n\n\n\n\n  Aed,               _Aedh_, a flame of fire.\n\n  Ahaclee,           _Ath-cliath_, hurdle-ford.\n\n  Ailna,             _Ailne_, beauty, joy.\n\n  Aina,              _Aine_.\n\n  Allil,             _Ailioll_, _Ailell_, or _Oilioll_.\n\n  Allil Ocar Aga,    _Ailell Ochair Aga_.\n\n  Alva,              _Ailbhe_.\n\n\n  Balor,             _Balar_.\n\n  Baskin,            _Baoiscne_.\n\n  Begallta,          _Beagalltach_, little fury.\n\n  Ben-Damis,         _Beann-Damhuis_.\n\n  Beoc,              _Be\u00f3c_, _Dabhe\u00f3c_, and _Beo\u00e1n_.\n\n  Berva,             _Berbhe_.\n\n  Borba,             _Borb_, proud.\n\n  Bran,              _Bran_, a raven.\n\n  Bres,              _Breas_.\n\n  Brian,             _Brian_.\n\n  Brickna,           _Briccne_.\n\n  Bruga of the       _Brugh-na-Boinne_.\n  Boyne,\n\n\n  Canta,             _Cainte_.\n\n  Carn-Arenn,        _Carnn-Airenn_.\n\n  Carricknarone,     _Carraic-na-r\u00f3n_, the rock of the seals.\n\n  Clann Navin,       _Clann-Neamhuinn_.\n\n  Cloghan Kincat,    _Clochan-chinn-chait_, the stepping-stones of\n                     the cat's head.\n\n  Coil Croda,        _Cael-crodha_, the slender valiant [man].\n\n  Colga,             _Colga_.\n\n  Colman,            _Colman_, little dove.\n\n  Comgall,           _Comhghall_.\n\n  Conal Carna,       _Conall Cernach_.\n\n  Conan Mail,        _Conan Mael_, Conan the Bald.\n\n  Conang,            _Conaing_.\n\n  Conn,              the Hundred-fighter (not Conn of the Hundred\n                     Battles, as it is usually translated),\n                     _Conn-C\u00e9dcathach_.\n\n  Connla,            _Connla_.\n\n  Coran,             _Coran_.\n\n  Cormac Mac Art,    _Cormac Mac Airt_.\n\n  Corr the           _Coir Cos-luath_.\n  Swift-footed,\n\n  Cuan,              _Cuan_ or _Cuadhan_.\n\n  Culand,            _Culand_.\n\n  Curnan the         _Curnan Onmit_.\n  Simpleton,\n\n  Curoi Mac Dara,    _Curoi Mac D\u00e1ire_.\n\n\n  Dagda,             _Dagda_.\n\n  Dara Donn,         _D\u00e1ire Donn_.\n\n  Darvra,            Lake, _Loch Dairbhreach_, the lake of oaks.\n\n  Dathkeen,          _Dathchaoin_, bright-complexioned.\n\n  Decca,             _Deoch_.\n\n  Dedannans,         _Tuatha De Danann_.\n\n  Derdri of the      _Deirdre Duibhshleibhe_.\n  Black Mountain,\n\n  Dering,            _Diorraing_.\n\n  Dermat O'Dyna,     _Diarmait O'Duibhne_.\n\n  Dianket,           _Diancecht_.\n\n  Diuran Lekerd,     _Diuran Lecerd_.\n\n  Dobar O'Baskin,    _Dobhar O'Baoiscne_.\n\n  Dooclone,          _Dubhchluain_, dark-coloured meadow.\n\n  Dord-Fian,         _Dord-Fiann_.\n\n  Dryantore,         _Draoigheant\u00f3ir_.\n\n  Ducoss,            _Dubhchosach_, black-foot.\n\n\n  Eas-Dara,          _Eas-Dara_.\n\n  Ebb,               _Eab_.\n\n  Ebliu,             _Ebliu_.\n\n  Ebric,             _Aibhric_.\n\n  Ecca,              _Eochaidh_, a horseman.\n\n  Enbarr,            _Aenbharr_, splendid mane.\n\n  Encoss,            _Aenchos_, one foot.\n\n  Ethnea,            _Eithne_, sweet nut-kernel.\n\n  Etta,              _Eitche_.\n\n  Eva,               _Aeife_.\n\n  Eve,               _Aebh_.\n\n\n  Failinis,          _Failinis_.\n\n  Fatha Conan,       _Fatha Chonain_.\n\n  Femin,             _Feimeann_.\n\n  Fena,              _Fianna_.\n\n  Ferdana,           _Feard\u00e1na_.\n\n  Fergor,            _Fearghoir_, manly or strong voice.\n\n  Fergus,            _Fearghus_, manly strength.\n\n  Fiaca Findamnas,   _Fiacha Findamnais_.\n\n  Ficna,             _Fiachna_, little raven.\n\n  Ficra,             _Fiachra_.\n\n  Fincara,           _Fianchaire_.\n\n  Fincoss,           _Finnchosach_, white-foot.\n\n  Finn,              _Finn_ or _Fionn_, fair-haired.\n\n  Finnin,            _Fingh\u00edn_, fair offspring.\n\n  Finola,            _Fionnghuala_, white shoulder.\n\n  Flidas,            _Flidas_.\n\n  Foltlebar,         _Folt-leabhar_, long hair.\n\n  Frevan,            _Freamhainn_.\n\n\n  Ga-boi,            _Ga-buidhe_, yellow javelin.\n\n  Ga-derg,           _Ga-dearg_, red javelin.\n\n  Gael Glas,         _Gaodhal-Glas_.\n\n  Garva,             _Garbh_, rough.\n\n  Gaul Mac Morna,    _Goll Mac Morna_.\n\n  Germane,           _Germane_.\n\n  Gilla Dacker,      _Giolla Deacair_, lazy fellow.\n\n  Glanlua,           _Glanluadh_, pure-spoken.\n\n  Glas Mac Encarda,  _Glas Mac Aeinchearda_.\n\n  Glore,             _Gl\u00f3r_, a voice.\n\n\n  Ilbrec,            _Ilbhreach_.\n\n  Ildana,            _Ioldhanach_.\n\n  Inis Glora,        _Inis Gluaire_.\n\n  Innia,             _Innia_.\n\n  Innsa,             _Inse_.\n\n  Inver-tre-Kenand,  _Inbher-Tre-Cenand_.\n\n  Iraun,             _Irann_.\n\n  Iroda,             _Ioruaidhe_.\n\n  Irros Domnann,     _Iorrus Domnann_.\n\n  Island of the      _Inis Tuile_.\n  Torrent,\n\n\n  Kemoc,             _Caemhoc_ or _Mochoemhoc_.\n\n  Kenn-Avrat,        _Ceann-Abhrat_.\n\n  Kenri,             _Caenraighe_.\n\n  Kethen,            _Cethen_.\n\n  Kethlenda,         _Ceithleann_ or _Ceithleand_.\n\n  Kian,              _Cian_.\n\n  Kylta Mac Ronan,   _Caeilte Mac Ronain_.\n\n\n  Largnen,           _Lairgnen_.\n\n  Lavaran,           _Lobharan_.\n\n  Liban,             _Liban_.\n\n  Lidas,             _Liadhas_.\n\n  Ligan Lumina,      _Liagan Luaimneach_, Ligan the Bounding.\n\n  Lir,               _Lir_.\n\n  Lobas,             _Lobais_.\n\n  Lochlann,          _Lochlann_.\n\n  Loskenn of the     _Loiscinn Lomghl\u00faineach_.\n  Bare Knees,\n\n  Luath,             _Luaith_, swift.\n\n  Luga of the Long   _Lugh Lamh-fada_.\n  Arms,\n\n\n  Mac-an-Lona,       _Mac-an-Luin_.\n\n  Mac Luga,          _Mac Luigheach_.\n\n  Mac-na-Corra,      _Mac-na-Corra_.\n\n  Maildun,           _Mail Duin_, chief of the fort.\n\n  Manissa,           _Maighneis_.\n\n  Mannanan Mac Lir,  _Manannan Mac Lir_.\n\n  Marid Mac Carido,  _Mairid Mac Cairedo_.\n\n  Mergah,            _Meargach_.\n\n  Micorta,           _Miodhchuarta_.\n\n  Midac,             _Miodhach_ or _Mioch_.\n\n  Midir,             _Midhir_.\n\n  Midkena,           _Miodhchaoin_.\n\n  Milucra,           _Miluchradh_.\n\n  Modan,             _Muadhan_.\n\n  Morallta,          _Moralltach_, great fury.\n\n  Moyle,             _Mael_, a bare hill.\n\n  Moy-Mell,          _Magh-Mell_, plain of pleasures.\n\n  Moytura,           _Magh-tuireadh_, plain of towers.\n\n  Muman,             _Mumha_, gen. _Mumhan_.\n\n  Muridach,          _Muridach_.\n\n  Murthemna,         _Muirthemhne_.\n\n\n  Niam,              _Niamh_, beauty.\n\n  Nuada of the       _Nuadha Airgeatlaimh_.\n  Silver Hand,\n\n  Nuca,              _Nuca_.\n\n\n  Oisin,             _Oisin_ (pronounced _Isheen_ in Munster, and\n                     _Osh'in_ in Ulster and in Scotland).\n\n  Oscar,             _Oscar_.\n\n  Owenaght,          _Eoghanacht_, descendants of Owen.\n\n\n  Pezar,             _Pisear_.\n\n\n  Racad,             _Rachadh_.\n\n  Rib,               _Rib_.\n\n\n  Sencab,            _Seanchab_, old mouth.\n\n  Sharvan,           _Searbhan_, a surly person.\n\n  Shee Finnaha,      _Sidh-Fionnachaidh_.\n\n  Skeabrac,          _Sciath-bhreac_, speckled shield.\n\n  Skolan,            _Sceolaing_.\n\n  Slana,             _Sl\u00e1nach_, healthy.\n\n  Sorca,             _Sorcha_.\n\n  Sotal of the Large _Sotal S\u00e1lmh\u00f3r_.\n  Heels,\n\n\n  Taillkenn,         _Tailcenn_.\n\n  Tinna the Mighty,  _Tinne M\u00f3r_.\n\n  Tir-fa-tonn,       _Tir-fa-thuinn_, country beneath the wave.\n\n  Tirnanoge,         _Tir na n-\u00f3g_, land of youths.\n\n  Trencoss,          _Treunchosach_, strongfoot.\n\n  Trenmore O'Baskin, _Treunm\u00f3r O'Baoiscne_.\n\n  Triscadal,         _Triscadal_.\n\n  Tuis,              _Tuis_.\n\n  Turenn,            _Tuireann_.\n\n\n  Ur,                _Uar_.\n\n  Urcar,             _Urchar_.\n\n\n\n\nTHE END\n\n\n  Transcriber's Notes:\n  Footnotes formatted in Roman.\n  Endnotes formatted in Arabic.\n  Italics shown as _Italics_.\n  Ligatures: [=o] o macron, [)e] e breve.\n  Inconsistent and archaic spelling retained.","title":"Old Celtic Romances","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":126056}