MAILDUN MEETS HIS ENEMY, AND ARRIVES HOME.
On a near approach, they found it was a small island; and now they
recognised it as the very same island they had seen in the beginning of
their voyage, in which they had heard the man in the great house boast
that he had slain Maildun's father, and from which the storm had driven
them out into the great ocean.
They turned the prow of their vessel to the shore, landed, and went
towards the house. It happened that at this very time the people of the
house were seated at their evening meal; and Maildun and his companions,
as they stood outside, heard a part of their conversation.
Said one to another, "It would not be well for us if we were now to see
Maildun."
"As to Maildun," answered another, "it is very well known that he was
drowned long ago in the great ocean."
"Do not be sure," observed a third; "perchance he is the very man that
may waken you up some morning from your sleep."
"Supposing he came now," asks another, "what should we do?"
The head of the house now spoke in reply to the last question; and
Maildun at once knew his voice--
"I can easily answer that," said he. "Maildun has been for a long time
suffering great afflictions and hardships; and if he were to come now,
though we were enemies once, I should certainly give him a welcome and a
kind reception."
When Maildun heard this he knocked at the door, and the door-keeper
asked who was there; to which Maildun made answer--
"It is I, Maildun, returned safely from all my wanderings."
The chief of the house then ordered the door to be opened; and he went
to meet Maildun, and brought himself and his companions into the house.
They were joyfully welcomed by the whole household; new garments were
given to them; and they feasted and rested, till they forgot their
weariness and their hardships.
They related all the wonders God had revealed to them in the course of
their voyage, according to the word of the sage who says, "It will be a
source of pleasure to remember these things at a future time."
After they had remained here for some days, Maildun returned to his own
country. And Diuran Lekerd took the five half-ounces of silver he had
cut down from the great net at the Silver Pillar, and laid it, according
to his promise, on the high altar of Armagh.
THE FAIRY PALACE OF THE QUICKEN TREES.[LXXVII.]
CHAPTER I.
COLGA, KING OF LOCHLANN, INVADES ERIN, AND IS SLAIN.
Once upon a time, a noble, warlike king ruled over Lochlann,[6] whose
name was Colga of the Hard Weapons. On a certain occasion, this king
held a meeting of his chief people, on the broad, green plain before his
palace of Berva.[6] And when they were all gathered together, he spoke
to them in a loud, clear voice, from where he sat high on his throne;
and he asked them whether they found any fault with the manner in which
he ruled them, and whether they knew of anything deserving of blame in
him as their sovereign lord and king. They replied, as if with the voice
of one man, that they found no fault of any kind.
Then the king spoke again and said, "You see not as I see. Do you not
know that I am called King of the Four Tribes of Lochlann, and of the
Islands of the Sea? And yet there is one island which acknowledges not
my rule."
And when they had asked which of the islands he meant, he said--
"That island is Erin of the green hills. My forefathers, indeed, held
sway over it, and many of our brave warriors died there in fight. There
fell the great king, Balor of the Mighty Blows;[9] his son Bres[9] also;
and his queen, Kethlenda of the Crooked Teeth;[9] there, too, fell Irann
and Slana, sisters of the king; and many others that I do not name. But
though our hosts at last subdued the land and laid it under tribute, yet
they held it not long; for the men of Erin arose and expelled our army,
regaining their ancient freedom.
"And now it is my desire that we once more sail to Erin with a fleet and
an army, to bring it under my power, and take, either by consent or by
force, the tributes that are due to me by right. And we shall thereafter
hold the island in subjection till the end of the world."
The chiefs approved the counsel of the king, and the meeting broke up.
Then the king made proclamation, and sent his swift scouts and couriers
all over the land, to muster his fighting men, till he had assembled a
mighty army in one place.
And when they had made ready their curve-sided, white-sailed ships, and
their strong, swift-gliding boats, the army embarked. And they raised
their sails and plied their oars; and they cleft the billowy, briny sea;
and the clear, cold winds whistled through their sails; and they made
neither stop nor stay, till they landed on the shore of the province of
Ulad.[LXXVIII.]
The King of Ireland at that time was Cormac Mac Art,[22] the grandson of
Conn the Hundred-fighter.[18] And when Cormac heard that a great fleet
had come to Erin, and landed an army of foreigners, he straightway sent
tidings of the invasion to Allen[LXXIX.] of the green hill-slopes, where
lived Finn,[23] and the noble Fena[23] of the Gaels.
When the king's messengers had told their tale, Finn despatched his
trusty, swift-footed couriers to every part of Erin where he knew the
Fena dwelt; and he bade them to say that all should meet him at a
certain place, near that part of the coast where the Lochlann army lay
encamped. And he himself led the Fena of Leinster northwards to join the
muster.
They attacked the foreigners, and the foreigners were not slow to meet
their onset; and the Fena were sore pressed in that battle, so that at
one time the Lochlanns were like to prevail.
Oscar, the son of Oisin,[23] when he saw his friends falling all round
him, was grieved to the heart; and he rested for a space to gather his
wrath and his strength. Then, renewing the fight, he rushed with fury
towards the standard of Colga, the Lochlann king, dealing havoc and
slaughter among those foreigners that stood in his track. The king saw
Oscar approach, and met him; and they fought a deadly battle
hand-to-hand. Soon their shields were rent, their hard helmets were
dinted with sword-blows, their armour was pierced in many places, and
their flesh was torn with deep wounds. And the end of the fight was,
that the king of the foreigners was slain by Oscar, the son of Oisin.
When the Lochlanns saw their king fall, they lost heart, and the battle
went against them. But they fought on nevertheless, till evening, when
their army entirely gave way, and fled from the field. And of all the
nobles and princes and mighty chiefs who sailed to Erin on that
expedition, not one was left alive, except the youngest son of the king,
whose name was Midac. Him Finn spared on account of his youth; with
intent to bring him up in his own household.
After the Fena had rested for a time, and buried their dead, they turned
their faces southward, and marched slowly towards Allen, bringing their
sick and wounded companions. And Finn placed Midac among the household
of Allen, treating him honourably, and giving him servants and tutors.
Moreover, he enlisted him in the Fena, and gave him a high post as
befitted a prince.
FOOTNOTES:
[LXXVII.] The quicken tree, or quickbeam, or mountain ash, or roan-tree;
Gaelic, _caerthainn_. Many mystic virtues were anciently attributed to
this tree.
[LXXVIII.] Ulad, _i.e._ Ulster.
[LXXIX.] The Hill of Allen, in the county Kildare, where Finn had his
palace. (See note 23 at the end.)
CHAPTER II.
MIDAC, THE SON OF COLGA, MEDITATES REVENGE.
After this things went on as before, while Midac grew up towards
manhood, and hunted and feasted with the Fena, and fought with them when
they fought. But he never lost an opportunity of making himself
acquainted with all their haunts and hunting-grounds, their palaces and
fortresses, and in particular with their manner of carrying on war.
It happened one day that Finn and some of his leading chiefs were in
council, considering sundry matters, especially the state and condition
of the Fena; and each chief was commanded by Finn to speak, and give his
opinion or advice on anything that he deemed weighty enough to be
debated by the meeting.
And after many had spoken, Conan Mail, the son of Morna, stood up and
said--
"It seems to me, O king, that you and I and the Fena in general are now
in great danger. For you have in your house, and mixing with your
people, a young man who has good cause of enmity towards you; that is to
say, Midac, the son of the king of Lochlann. For was it not by you that
his father and brothers and many of his friends were slain? Now I notice
that this young prince is silent and distant, and talks little to those
around him. Moreover, I see that day after day he takes much pains to
know all matters relating to the Fena; and as he has friends in
Lochlann, mighty men with armies and ships, I fear me the day may come
when this prince will use his knowledge to our destruction."
The king said that all this was quite true, and he asked Conan to give
his opinion as to what should be done.
"What I advise in the matter is this," said Conan, "that Midac be not
allowed to abide any longer in the palace of Allen. But as it is meet
that he should be treated in a manner becoming a prince, let him be
given a tract of land for himself in some other part of Erin, with a
home and a household of his own. Then shall we be freed from his
presence, and he can no longer listen to our counsels, and learn all our
secrets and all our plans."
This speech seemed to Finn and the other chiefs reasonable and prudent,
and they agreed to follow the advice of Conan Mail.
Accordingly Finn sent for the prince, and said to him--
"Thou knowest, Midac, that thou hast been brought up from boyhood in my
household, and that thou hast been dealt with in every way as becomes a
prince. Now thou art a man, and standest in no further need of
instruction, for thou hast learned everything needful for a prince and
for a champion of the Fena; and it is not meet that thou shouldst abide
longer in the house of another. Choose, therefore, the two cantreds
that please thee best in all Erin, and they shall be given to thee and
to thy descendants for ever as a patrimony. There thou shalt build
houses and a homestead for thyself, and I will help thee with men and
with cattle and with all things else necessary."
Midac listened in silence; and when the king had done speaking, he
replied in a cold and distant manner and in few words, that the proposal
was reasonable and proper, and pleased him well. And thereupon he chose
the rich cantred of Kenri on the Shannon, and the cantred of the Islands
lying next to it on the north, at the other side of the river.[LXXX.]
Now Midac had good reasons for choosing these two territories beyond all
others in Erin. For the river opens out between them like a great sea,
in which are many islands and sheltered harbours, where ships might
anchor in safety; and he hoped to bring a fleet and an army into Erin
some day, to avenge on Finn and the Fena the defeats they had inflicted
on his countrymen, and above all, the death of his father and brothers.
And being bent on treachery, he could not have chosen in all Erin a
territory better suited for carrying out his secret designs.
So these two cantreds were bestowed on Midac. Finn gave him also much
cattle and wealth of all kinds; so that when his houses were built, and
when he was settled in his new territory, with his servants and his
cattle and his wealth all round him, there was no brugaid[LXXXI.] in
Erin richer or more prosperous than he.
For fourteen years Midac lived in his new home, growing richer every
year. But the Fena knew nothing of his way of life, for he kept himself
apart, and none of his old acquaintances visited him. And though he was
enrolled in the ranks of the Fena, he never, during all that time,
invited one of them to his house, or offered them food or drink or
entertainment of any kind.
One day, Finn and the Fena went to hunt in the district of Fermorc,[C]
and over the plains of Hy Conall Gavra.[LXXXII.] And when all was
arranged and the chase about to begin, Finn himself, and a few of his
companions, went to the top of the hill of Knockfierna[LXXXIII.] to see
the sport; while the main body of the Fena scattered themselves over the
plain with their dogs and attendants, to start the deer and the wild
boars and all the other game of the forest.
Then Finn's people pitched their tents, and made soft couches of rushes
and heather, and dug cooking-places[24]; for they intended the hill to
be the resting-place of all who chose to rest, till the chase was
ended.
After Finn and his companions had sat for some time on the hill, they
saw a tall warrior coming towards them, armed in full battle array. He
wore a splendid coat of mail of Lochlann workmanship, and over it a
mantle of fine satin dyed in divers colours. A broad shield hung on his
left shoulder, and his helmet glittered in the morning sun like polished
silver. At his left side hung a long sword, with golden hilt and
enamelled sheath; and he held in his right hand his two long, polished,
death-dealing spears. His figure and gait were wonderfully majestic, and
as he came near, he saluted the king in stately and courteous words.
Finn returned the salutation, and spoke with him for a while; and at
length he asked him whence he had come, and if he had brought any
tidings.
"As to the place I came from," he answered, "that need not be spoken of;
and for news, I have nothing to tell except that I am a
ferdana,[LXXXIV.] and that I have come to thee, O king of the Fena, with
a poem."
"Methinks, indeed," replied Finn, "that conflict and battle are the
poetry you profess; for never have I seen a hero more noble in mien and
feature."
"I am a ferdana nevertheless," answered the stranger; "and if thou dost
not forbid me, I will prove it by reciting a poem I have brought for
thee."
"A mountain-top is not the place for poetry," said Finn; "and moreover,
there is now no opportunity either for reciting or listening. For I and
these few companions of mine have come to sit here that we may view the
chase, and listen to the eager shouts of the men, and the sweet cry of
the hounds.
"But if you are, as you say," continued Finn, "a ferdana, remain here
with us till the chase is ended; and then you shall come with me to one
of our palaces, where I shall listen to your poem, and bestow on you
such gifts as are meet for a poet of your rank."
But the strange champion answered, "It is not my wish to go to your
palace; and I now put you under gesa,[12] which true heroes do not
suffer, that you listen to my poem, and that you find out and explain
its meaning."
"Well then," said Finn, "let there be no further delay; repeat your
poem."
So the hero recited the following verse:--
I saw a house by a river's shore,
Famed through Erin in days of yore,
Radiant with sparkling gems all o'er,
Its lord deep skilled in magical lore;
No conqueror ever defiled its floor;
No spoiler can rive its golden store;
Fire cannot burn its battlements hoar;
Safe it stands when the torrents pour;
Feasting and joy for evermore,
To all who enter its open door!
Now if thou hast learned a champion's lore,
Tell me the name of that mansion hoar,
With roof of crystal and marble floor--
The mansion I saw by the river's shore.
"I can explain that poem," said Finn. "The mansion you saw is Bruga of
the Boyne,[LXXXV.] the fairy palace of Angus, the Dedannan prince, son
of the Dagda, which is open to all who wish to partake of its feasts and
its enjoyments. It cannot be burned by fire, or drowned by water, or
spoiled by robbers, on account of the great power of its lord and
master; for there is not now, and there never was, and there never shall
be, in Erin, a man more skilled in magic arts than Angus of the Bruga."
"That is the sense of my poem," said the stranger; "and now listen to
this other, and explain it to me if thou canst"--
I saw to the south a bright-faced queen,
With couch of crystal and robe of green;
A numerous offspring, sprightly and small,
Plain through her skin you can see them all;
Slowly she moves, and yet her speed
Exceeds the pace of the swiftest steed!
Now tell me the name of that wondrous queen,
With her couch of crystal and robe of green.[LXXXVI.]
"I understand the sense of that poem also," said Finn. "The queen you
saw is the river Boyne, which flows by the south side of the palace of
Bruga. Her couch of crystal is the sandy bed of the river; and her robe
of green the grassy plain of Bregia,[LXXXVII.] through which it flows.
Her children, which you can see through her skin, are the speckled
salmon, the lively, pretty trout, and all the other fish that swim in
the clear water of the river. The river flows slowly indeed; but its
waters traverse the whole world in seven years, which is more than the
swiftest steed can do."
"These are my poems," said the champion; "and thou hast truly explained
their meaning."
"And now," said Finn, "as I have listened to thy poetry and explained
it, tell us, I pray thee, who thou art and whence thou hast come; for I
marvel much that so noble a champion should live in any of the five
provinces of Erin without being known to me and my companions."
Then Conan Mail spoke. "Thou art, O king, the wisest and most far-seeing
of the Fena, and thou hast unravelled and explained the hard poetical
puzzles of this champion. Yet, on the present occasion, thou knowest not
a friend from a foe; for this man is Midac, whom thou didst bring up
with much honour in thine own house, and afterwards made rich, but who
is now thy bitter enemy, and the enemy of all the Fena. Here he has
lived for fourteen years, without fellowship or communication with his
former companions. And though he is enrolled in the order of the Fena,
he has never, during all that time, invited thee to a banquet, or come
to see any of his old friends, or given food or entertainment to any of
the Fena, either master or man."
Midac answered, "If Finn and the Fena have not feasted with me, that is
none of my fault; for my house has never been without a banquet fit for
either king or chief; but you never came to partake of it. I did not,
indeed, send you an invitation; but that you should not have waited for,
seeing that I was one of the Fena, and that I was brought up in your own
household. Howbeit, let that pass. I have now a feast ready, in all
respects worthy of a king; and I put you under gesa that you and the
chiefs that are here with you, come this night to partake of it. I have
two palaces, and in each there is a banquet. One is the Palace of the
Island, which stands on the sea; and the other is the Palace of the
Quicken Trees, which is a little way off from this hill; and it is to
this that I wish you to come."
Finn consented; and Midac, after he had pointed out the way to the
Palace of the Quicken Trees, left them, saying he would go before, that
he might have things in readiness when they should arrive.
FOOTNOTES:
[LXXX.] The cantreds of Kenri and Islands are now two baronies: the
former the barony of Kenry, in Limerick, a little below the city; the
latter the barony of Islands, in Clare, on the opposite side of the
Shannon, including the mouth of the river Fergus, with its numerous
_islands_, from which the barony has its name.
[LXXXI.] Brugaid, a sort of local officer, who was allowed a tract of
land free, on condition that he maintained a large establishment as a
house of public hospitality. Many of the brugaids were very rich.
[LXXXII.] Fermorc and Hy Conall Gavra are now the baronies of Upper and
Lower Connello, in the county Limerick.
[LXXXIII.] Knockfierna, a conspicuous hill, celebrated for its fairy
lore, near Croom, in the county Limerick; very near Kenri, Midac's
territory.
[LXXXIV.] Ferdana, a poet.
[LXXXV.] Bruga of the Boyne. (See note, page 62.)
[LXXXVI.] The poets were much given to proposing poetical puzzles of
this kind; and it was considered a mark of superior education, and of
great acuteness in a champion to be able to explain them. (For another
example, see the enigmatical verse about the skin of the pig, in the
story of "The Children of Turenn," page 69.)
[LXXXVII.] Bregia or Magh Breagh, the ancient name of the plain
extending from the Liffey northwards to the borders of the county Louth.
(For this name, see the author's "Irish Names of Places," Series II.
Part IV. chap. II.)
CHAPTER III.
FINN IS ENTRAPPED BY MIDAC, AND HELD BY ENCHANTMENT IN THE PALACE OF THE
QUICKEN TREES.
Finn now held council with his companions, and they agreed that the
king's son, Oisin, and five other chiefs, with their followers, should
tarry on the hill till the hunting party returned, while Finn went to
the palace with the rest.
And it was arranged that Finn should send back word immediately to the
party on the hill, how he fared; and that Oisin and the others were to
follow him to the palace when the hunting party had returned.
Those that remained with Oisin were Dermat O'Dyna; Fatha Conan, the son
of the son of Conn; Kylta Mac Ronan; Ficna, the son of Finn; and Innsa,
the son of Swena Selga.
And of those who went with Finn to the Palace of the Quicken Trees, the
chief were Gaul Mac Morna; Dathkeen the Strong-limbed; Mac Luga of the
Red Hand; Glas Mac Encarda from Beara; the two sons of Aed the Lesser,
son of Finn; Racad and Dalgus, the two kings of Leinster; Angus Mac
Bresal Bola; and the two leaders of the Connaught Fena, namely,
Mac-na-Corra and Corr the Swift-footed.
As Finn and his party came nigh to the palace, they were amazed at its
size and splendour; and they wondered greatly that they had never seen
it before. It stood on a level green, which was surrounded by a light
plantation of quicken trees, all covered with clusters of scarlet
berries. At one side of the little plain, very near the palace, was a
broad river, with a rocky bank at the near side, and a steep pathway
leading down to a ford.
But what surprised them most was that all was lonely and silent--not a
living soul could they see in any direction; and Finn, fearing some
foul play, would have turned back, only that he bethought him of his
gesa and his promise. The great door was wide open, and Conan went in
before the others; and after viewing the banqueting hall, he came out
quite enraptured with what he had seen. He praised the beauty and
perfect arrangement of everything, and told his companions that no other
king or chief in all Erin had a banqueting hall to match the hall of
Midac, the son of Colga. They all now entered, but they found no
one--neither host nor guests nor attendants.
As they gazed around, they thought they had never seen a banquet hall so
splendid. A great fire burned brightly in the middle, without any smoke,
and sent forth a sweet perfume, which filled the whole room with
fragrance, and cheered and delighted the heroes. Couches were placed all
round, with rich coverlets and rugs, and soft, glossy furs. The curved
walls were of wood,[LXXXVIII.] close-jointed and polished like ivory;
and each board was painted differently from those above and below; so
that the sides of the room, from floor to roof, were all radiant with a
wonderful variety of colours.
Still seeing no one, they seated themselves on the couches and rugs.
Presently a door opened, and Midac walked into the room. He stood for a
few moments before the heroes, and looked at them one after another,
but never spoke one word; then, turning round, he went out and shut the
great door behind him.
Finn and his friends were much surprised at this; however, they said
nothing, but remained resting as they were for some time, expecting
Midac's return. Still no one came, and at length Finn spoke--
"We have been invited here, my friends, to a banquet; and it seems to me
very strange that we should be left so long without attendance, and
without either food or drink. Perhaps, indeed, Midac's attendants have
made some mistake, and that the feast intended for this palace has been
prepared in the Palace of the Island. But I wonder greatly that such a
thing should have happened."
"I see something more wonderful than that," said Gaul Mac Morna; "for
lo, the fire, which was clear and smokeless when we first saw it, and
which smelled more sweetly than the flowers of the plain, now fills the
hall with a foul stench, and sends up a great cloud of black, sooty
smoke!"
"I see something more wonderful than that," said Glas Mac Encarda; "for
the boards in the walls of this banquet hall, which were smooth and
close-jointed and glorious all over with bright colours when we came,
are now nothing but rough planks, clumsily fastened together with tough
quicken tree withes, and as rude and unshapen as if they had been hacked
and hewed with a blunt axe!"
"I see something more wonderful than that," said Foilan, the son of Aed
the Lesser; "for this palace, which had seven great doors when we came
in, all wide open, and looking pleasantly towards the sunshine, has now
only one small, narrow door, close fastened, and facing straight to the
north!"
"I see something more wonderful than that," said Conan Mail; "for the
rich rugs and furs and the soft couches, which were under us when we sat
here first, are all gone, not as much as a fragment or a thread
remaining; and we are now sitting on the bare, damp earth, which feels
as cold as the snow of one night!"[LXXXIX.]
Then Finn again spoke. "You know, my friends, that I never tarry in a
house having only one door. Let one of you then, arise, and break open
that narrow door, so that we may go forth from this foul, smoky den!"
"That shall be done," cried Conan; and, so saying, he seized his long
spear, and, planting it on the floor, point downwards, he attempted to
spring to his feet. But he found that he was not able to move, and
turning to his companions, he cried out with a groan of anguish--
"Alas, my friends! I see now something more wonderful than all; for I am
firmly fixed by some druidical spell to the cold clay floor of the
Palace of the Quicken Trees!"
And immediately all the others found themselves, in like manner, fixed
where they sat. And they were silent for a time, being quite confounded
and overwhelmed with fear and anguish.
At length Gaul spoke, and said, "It seems clear, O king, that Midac has
planned this treachery, and that danger lies before us. I wish, then,
that you would place your thumb under your tooth of knowledge,[25] and
let us know the truth; so that we may at once consider as to the best
means of escaping from this strait."
Whereupon Finn placed his thumb under his tooth of knowledge, and mused
for a little while. Then suddenly withdrawing his thumb, he sank back in
his seat and groaned aloud.
"May it be the will of the gods," said Gaul, "that it is the pain of thy
thumb that has caused thee to utter that groan!"
"Alas! not so," replied Finn. "I grieve that my death is near, and the
death of these dear companions! For fourteen years has Midac, the son of
the king of Lochlann, been plotting against us; and now at last he has
caught us in this treacherous snare, from which I can see no escape.
"For in the Palace of the Island there is, at this moment, an army of
foreigners, whom Midac has brought hither for our destruction. Chief
over all is Sinsar of the Battles, from Greece, the Monarch of the
World, who has under his command sixteen warlike princes, with many
others of lesser note. Next to Sinsar is his son, Borba the Haughty,
who commands also a number of fierce and hardy knights.
"There are, besides, the three kings of the Island of the Torrent,
large-bodied and bloodthirsty, like three furious dragons, who have
never yet yielded to an enemy on the field of battle. It is these who,
by their sorcery, have fixed us here; for this cold clay that we sit on
is part of the soil of the enchanted Island of the Torrent, which they
brought hither, and placed here with foul spells. Moreover, the
enchantment that binds us to this floor can never be broken unless the
blood of these kings be sprinkled on the clay. And very soon some of
Sinsar's warriors will come over from the Palace of the Island, to slay
us all, while we are fixed here helpless, and unable to raise a hand in
our own defence."
Full of alarm and anguish were the heroes when they heard these tidings.
And some began to shed bitter tears in silence, and some lamented aloud.
But Finn again spoke and said--
"It becomes us not, my friends, being heroes, to weep and wail like
women, even though we are in danger of death; for tears and lamentations
will avail us nothing. Let us rather sound the Dord-Fian,[XC.] sweetly
and plaintively, according to our wont, that it may be a comfort to us
before we die."
So they ceased weeping, and, joining all together, they sounded the
Dord-Fian in a slow, sad strain.
FOOTNOTES:
[LXXXVIII.] The houses of the ancient Irish were circular, and generally
made of wood.
[LXXXIX.] "As cold as the snow of one night;" "As white as the snow of
one night," are usual comparisons in Gaelic. The first night's snow
seems particularly cold and white when you see it in the morning on
account of the contrast with the green fields of the day before.
[XC.] Dord-Fian, or Dord-Fiansa, a sort of musical war-cry, usually
performed by several persons in chorus.
CHAPTER IV.
INNSA, FINN'S FOSTER SON, DEFENDS THE FORD LEADING TO THE PALACE OF THE
QUICKEN TREES.
Now let us speak of Oisin, and the party who tarried with him on the
hill of Knockfierna. When he found that his father Finn had not sent
back a messenger as he had promised, though the night was now drawing
nigh, he began to fear that something was wrong; and he said to his
companions--
"I marvel much that we have got no news from the king, how he and his
companions have fared in the Palace of the Quicken Trees. It is clear to
me that he would have fulfilled his promise to send us word, if he had
not been hindered by some unforeseen difficulty. Now, therefore, I wish
to know who will go to the palace and bring me back tidings."
Ficna, the son of Finn, stood forth and offered to go; and Finn's foster
son, Innsa, the son of Swena Selga, said he would go with him.
They both set out at once, and as they travelled with speed, they soon
reached the plain on which stood the Palace of the Quicken Trees; and
now the night was darkening around them. As they came near to the
palace, they marvelled to hear the loud, slow strains of the Dord-Fian;
and Innsa exclaimed joyfully--
"Things go well with our friends, seeing that they are amusing
themselves with the Dord-Fian!"
But Ficna, who guessed more truly how things really stood, replied--
"It is my opinion, friend, that matters are not so pleasant with them as
you think; for it is only in time of trouble or danger that Finn is wont
to have the Dord-Fian sounded in a manner so slow and sad."
While they talked in this wise, it chanced that the Dord-Fian ceased for
a little space; and Finn hearing the low hum of conversation outside,
asked was that the voice of Ficna. And when Ficna answered, "Yes," Finn
said to him--
"Come not nearer, my son; for this place teems with dangerous spells. We
have been decoyed hither by Midac, and we are all held here by the foul
sorcery of the three kings of the Island of the Torrent."
And thereupon Finn told him the whole story of the treachery that had
been wrought on them, from beginning to end; and he told him also that
nothing could free them but the blood of those three kings sprinkled on
the clay.
Then he asked who the second man was whom he had heard conversing with
Ficna; and when he was told that it was Innsa, the son of Swena Selga,
he addressed Ficna earnestly--
"Fly, my son, from this fatal place! Fly, and save my foster child from
the treacherous swords of the foreigners; for they are already on their
way hither!"
But Innsa quickly answered, "That I will never do. It would, indeed, be
an ungrateful return to a kind foster father, to leave thee now in
deadly strait, and seek my own safety."
And Ficna spoke in a like strain.
Then Finn said, "Be it so, my sons; but a sore trial awaits you. Those
who come hither from the Palace of the Island must needs pass the ford
under the shadow of these walls. Now this ford is rugged and hard to be
crossed; and one good man, standing in the steep, narrow entrance at the
hither side, might dispute the passage for a time against many. Go now,
and defend this ford; and haply some help may come in time."
So both went to the ford. And when they had viewed it carefully, Ficna,
seeing that one man might defend it for a short time almost as well as
two, said to Innsa--
"Stay thou here to guard the ford for a little time, while I go to the
Palace of the Island to see how the foreigners might be attacked. Haply,
too, I may meet with the party coming hither, and decoy them on some
other track."
And Innsa consented; and Ficna set out straightway for the Palace of the
Island.
Now as to the Palace of the Island. When Midac returned in the morning,
and told how Finn and his people were held safe in the Palace of the
Quicken Trees, the foreigners were in great joy. And they feasted and
drank and were merry till evening; when an Irla[XCI.] of the King of the
World spoke in secret to his brother, and said--
"I will go now to the Palace of the Quicken Trees, and I will bring
hither the head of Finn the son of Cumal; and I shall gain thereby much
renown, and shall be honoured by the King of the World."
So he went, bringing with him a goodly number of his own knights; and
nothing is told of what befell them till they arrived at the brink of
the ford under the Palace of the Quicken Trees. Looking across through
the darkness, the Irla thought he saw a warrior standing at the other
brink; and he called aloud to ask who was there, and whether he belonged
to the noble or the ignoble races of the world.
And when Innsa answered that he belonged to the household of Finn, the
son of Cumal, the Irla said--
"Lo, we are going to the Palace of the Quicken Trees, to bring Finn's
head to the King of the World; and thou shalt come with us and lead us
to the door."
"That, indeed," replied Innsa, "would be a strange way for a champion to
act who has been sent hither by Finn to guard this ford. I will not
allow any foe to pass--of that be sure; and I warn you that you come not
to my side of the ford!"
At this the Irla said to his knights, "Force the ford: then shall we see
if yonder hero can fight as well as he threatens."
And at the word, they rushed through the water, as many as could find
room. But only one or two at a time could attack; and the young champion
struck them down right and left as fast as they came up, till the ford
became encumbered with their bodies.
And when the conflict had lasted for a long time, and when they found
that they could not dislodge him, the few that remained retired across
the ford; and Innsa was fain to rest after his long combat.
But the Irla, seeing so many of his knights slain, was mad with wrath;
and, snatching up his sword and shield, he attacked Innsa; and they
fought a long and bloody fight.
Now the Irla was fresh and strong, while Innsa was weary and sore
wounded; and at length the young hero fell in the ford, and the Irla
beheaded him, and, exulting in his victory, brought the head away.
Finn and his companions, as they sat in miserable plight in the Palace
of the Quicken Trees, heard the clash of arms at the ford, and the
shouts and groans of warriors; and after a time all was still again; and
they knew not how the fight had ended.
And now the Irla, thinking over the matter, deemed it unsafe to go to
the Palace of the Quicken Trees without a larger body of knights; so he
returned towards the Palace of the Island, intending to bring Innsa's
head to the King of the World. When he had come within a little distance
of the palace, he met Ficna, who was then on his way back to the ford;
and seeing that he was coming from the Palace of the Island, he deemed
that he was one of the knights of the King of the World.
Ficna spoke to him, and asked whither he had come.
"I come," replied the Irla, "from the ford of the Palace of the Quicken
Trees. There, indeed, on our way to the palace, to slay Finn the son of
Cumal, we were met by a young champion, who defended the ford and slew
my knights. But he fell at length beneath my sword; and, lo, I have
brought his head for a triumph to the King of the World!"
Ficna took the head tenderly, and kissed the cheek thrice, and said,
sorrowing--
"Alas, dear youth! only this morning I saw the light of valour in those
dim eyes, and the bloom of youth on that faded cheek!"
Then turning wrathfully to the Irla, he asked--
"Knowest thou to whom thou hast given the young warrior's head?"
And the Irla replied, "Hast thou not come from the Palace of the Island,
and dost thou not belong to the host of the King of the World?"
"I am not one of his knights," answered Ficna; "and neither shalt thou
be, after this hour!"
Whereupon they drew their swords, and fought where they stood; and the
foreign Irla fell by the avenging sword of Ficna, the son of Finn. Ficna
beheaded him and returned to the ford, bringing the head, and also the
head of Innsa. And when he had come to the ford, he made a grave of
green sods on the bank, in which he laid the body and the head of
Innsa, sometimes grieving for the youth, and sometimes rejoicing that
his death had been avenged.
Then he went on to the Palace of the Quicken Trees, bringing the Irla's
head; and when he had come nigh the door, he called aloud to Finn, who,
impatient and full of anxious thoughts, asked--
"Tell us, Ficna, who fought the battle at the ford, and how it has
ended."
"Thine own foster son, Innsa, defended the ford against many foes, whose
bodies now encumber the stream."
"And how is it now with my foster son?" asked Finn.
"He died where he fought," replied Ficna; "for at the end, when he was
weary and sore wounded, the foreign Irla attacked him, and slew him."
"And thou, my son, didst thou stand by and see my nursling slain?"
"Truly I did not," answered Ficna. "Would that I had been there, and I
would have defended and saved him! And even now he is well avenged; for
I met the Irla soon after, and lo, I have brought thee his head.
Moreover, I buried thy nursling tenderly in a grave of green sods by the
ford."
And Finn wept and said, "Victory and blessings be with thee, my son!
Never were children better than mine. Before I saw them, few were my
possessions and small my consideration in Erin; but since they have
grown up around me, I have been great and prosperous, till I fell by
treachery into this evil plight. And now, Ficna, return and guard the
ford, and peradventure our friends may send help in time."
So Ficna went and sat on the brink of the ford.
FOOTNOTES:
[XCI.] Irla, _i.e._ an earl, a chief.
CHAPTER V.
FICNA, THE SON OF FINN, DEFENDS THE FORD.
Now at the Palace of the Island, another Irla, whose name was Kironn,
brother to him who had been slain by Ficna, spoke to some of his own
followers--
"It is long since my brother left for the Palace of the Quicken Trees; I
fear me that he and his people have fared ill in their quest. And now I
will go to seek for them."
And he went, bringing a company of knights well armed; and when they had
come to the ford, they saw Ficna at the far side. Kironn called out and
asked who he was, and asked also who had made such a slaughter in the
ford.
Ficna answered, "I am one of the household champions of Finn the son of
Cumal, and he has sent me here to guard this ford. As to the slaughter
of yonder knights, your question stirs my mind to wrath, and I warn you,
if you come to this side of the ford, you will get a reply, not in
words, but in deeds."
Then Kironn and his men rushed through the water, blind with rage, and
struck wildly at Ficna. But the young hero watchfully parried their
strokes and thrusts; and one after another they fell beneath his blows,
till only a single man was left, who ran back with all speed to the
Palace of the Island to tell the tale. And Ficna sat down on the brink,
covered all over with wounds, and weary from the toil of battle.
When these tidings were brought to the palace, Midac was very wroth, and
he said, "These men should not have gone to force the ford without my
knowledge; for they were far too few in number, and neither were they
bold and hardy enough to meet Finn's valiant champions. I know these
Fena well, and it is not to me a matter of surprise that the Irla and
his people fell by them.
"But I will now go with a choice party of my own brave men; and I will
cross the ford despite their guards, and slay Finn and all his
companions in the Palace of the Quicken Trees.
"Moreover, there is one man among them, namely, Conan Mail,[23] who of
all the men of Erin has the largest appetite, and is fondest of choice
eating and drinking. To him will I bring savoury food and delicious
drink, not, indeed, to delight him with eating and drinking, but that I
may torment him with the sight and smell of what he cannot taste."
So, having got the food, he set out with a chosen band; and when he had
arrived at the ford, he saw a warrior at the far side. He asked who he
was, and finding that it was Ficna, he spoke guilefully to him.
"Dear art thou to me, Ficna, dearer even than all the rest of Finn's
household; for during the time I lived among the Fena, you never used me
ill, or lifted a hand to either man or dog belonging to me."
But Ficna spurned his smooth words, and replied, "While you lived among
the Fena, there was not a man among them that had less to do with you
than I. But this I know, that you were treated kindly by all, especially
by my father Finn, and you have repaid him by ingratitude and
treachery."
When Midac heard this speech he was filled with wrath, and no longer
hiding his evil mind, he ordered Ficna with threats to leave the ford.
But Ficna laughed with scorn, and replied--
"The task is easy, friend Midac, to dislodge a single champion; and
surely it is a small matter to you whether I stand in this narrow pass
or abandon my post. Come forward, then, you and your knights; but here I
will remain to receive you. I only regret you did not come sooner, while
my blood was hot, and before my wounds grew stiff, when you would have
got a better welcome!"
Then Midac ordered forward his knights, and they ran eagerly across the
ford. But Ficna overthrew them with a mighty onset, like a hawk among a
flight of small birds, or like a wolf among a flock of sheep. When Midac
saw this, he buckled on his shield and took his sword. Then, treading
warily over the rough rocks, and over the dead bodies of his knights,
he confronted Ficna, and they attacked each other with deadly hate and
fury.
We shall now speak of those who remained on Knockfierna. When Oisin
found that the two heroes did not return as soon as he expected, he thus
addressed his companions--
"It seems to me a long time, my friends, since Ficna and Innsa went to
the Palace of the Quicken Trees; methinks if they have sped successfully
they should have long since come back with tidings of Finn and the
others."
And one of his companions answered, "It is plain that they have gone to
partake of the feast, and it fares so well with them that they are in no
haste to leave the palace."
But Dermat O'Dyna of the Bright Face spoke and said, "It may be as you
say, friend, but I should like to know the truth of the matter. And now
I will go and find out why they tarry, for my mind misgives me that some
evil thing has happened."
And Fatha Conan said he would go with him.
So the two heroes set out for the Palace of the Quicken Trees; and when
they were yet a good way off from the ford they heard the clash of arms.
They paused for a moment, breathless, to listen, and then Dermat
exclaimed--
"It is the sound of single combat, the combat of mighty heroes; it is
Ficna fighting with the foreigners, for I know his war-shout. I hear
the clash of swords and the groans of warriors; I hear the shrieks of
the ravens over the fairy-mansions, and the howls of the wild men of the
glens! Hasten, Fatha, hasten, for Ficna is in sore strait, and his shout
is a shout for help!"
And so they ran like the wind till they reached the hill-brow over the
river; and, looking across in the dim moonlight, they saw the whole ford
heaped with the bodies of the slain, and the two heroes fighting to the
death at the far side. And at the first glance they observed that Ficna,
being sore wounded, was yielding and sheltering behind his shield, and
scarce able to ward off the blows of Midac.
Then Fatha cried out, "Fly, Dermat, fly! Save our dear companion! Save
the king's son from death."
And Dermat, pausing for a moment, said, as if communing with himself--
"This is surely an evil plight: for if I run to the other side, the
foreigner, being the more enraged for seeing me, will strike with
greater fury, and I may not overtake the prince alive; and if I cast my
spear, I may strike the wrong man!"
But Fatha, overhearing him, said, "Fear not, Dermat, for you never yet
threw an erring cast of a spear!"
Then Dermat, putting his finger in the silken loop of his spear, threw a
deadly cast with unerring aim, and struck Midac, so that the iron
spear-head went right through his body, and the length of a warrior's
hand beyond.
"Woe to the man," exclaimed Midac--"woe to him whom that spear reaches:
for it is the spear of Dermat O'Dyna!"
And now his wrath increased, and he struck at Ficna more fiercely than
before.
Dermat shouted to him to hold his hand and not slay the king's son; and
as he spoke he rushed down the slope and across the ford, to save the
young hero. But Midac, still pressing on with unabated strength and
fury, replied--
"Had you wished to save the prince's life, you should have spared mine:
now that I have been wounded to death by your spear, Finn shall never
see his son alive!"
Even as he spoke, he raised his sword for a mighty blow; and just as
Dermat, shouting earnestly, was closing on them, he struck the prince
lifeless to the earth, but fell down himself immediately after.
Dermat came up on the instant, and looked sadly at his friend lying
dead. Then, addressing Midac, he said--
"If I had found thee dead, I would have passed thee untouched; but now
that I have overtaken thee alive, I must needs behead thee, for thy head
will be to Finn a worthy eric[10] for his son."
And so saying, he struck off Midac's head with one sweep of his heavy
sword.
Dermat now repaired to the Palace of the Quicken Trees, leaving Fatha to
watch the ford till his return. And when he had come near, he called
aloud and struck the door with his heavy spear, for his wrath had not
yet left him; but the door yielded not.
Finn knew the voice, and called out impatiently, "Do not try to enter
here, Dermat, for this place is full of foul spells. But tell us first,
I pray thee, who fought that long and bitter fight; for we heard the
clash of arms and the shouts of warriors, but we know nothing more."
"Thy noble son, Ficna," returned Dermat, "fought single-handed against
the foreigners."
"And how fares it with my son after that battle?"
"He is dead," answered Dermat; "first sore wounded by many foes whom he
slaughtered, and afterwards slain by Midac, the son of Colga. But thy
son is avenged; for though I came to the ford indeed too late to save
him, I have slain Midac, and here I have brought thee his head as an
eric."
And for a long time Dermat heard no more.
At last Finn spoke again and said--
"Victory and blessings be with you, Dermat, for often before did you
relieve the Fena from sore straits. But never have we been in such
plight as this. For here we sit spell-bound, and only one thing can
release us, the blood of the three fierce kings of the Island of the
Torrent sprinkled on this clay. Meantime, unless the ford be well
defended, the foreigners will come and slay us. In you, Dermat, we
trust, and unless you aid us well and faithfully now, we shall of a
certainty perish. Guard the ford till the rising of the sun, for then I
know the Fena will come to aid you."
"I and Fatha will of a certainty keep the enemy at bay," replied Dermat;
and he bade them farewell for a time, and was about to return to the
ford: but Conan Mail, with a groan, said--
"Miserable was the hour when I came to this palace, and cold and
comfortless is the clay on which I sit--the clay of the Island of the
Torrent. But worst of all to be without food and drink so long. And
while I sit here, tormented with hunger and thirst, there is great
plenty of ale and wine and of rich, savoury food yonder in the Palace of
the Island. I am not able to bear this any longer; and now, Dermat, I
beseech you to bring me from the palace as much food as I can eat and a
drinking-horn of wine."
"Cursed be the tongue that spoke these selfish words!" said Dermat. "A
host of foreigners are now seeking to compass your death, with only
Fatha and myself to defend you. Surely this is work enough for two good
men! And now it seems I must abandon my post, and undertake a task of
much danger, to get food for the gluttonous Conan Mail!"
"Alas, Dermat-na-man!"[23] replied Conan, "if it were a lovely maiden,
with bright eyes and golden hair, who made this little request, quickly
and eagerly you would fly to please her, little recking of danger or
trouble. But now you refuse me, and the reason is not hard to see. For
you formerly crossed me four times in my courtships; and now it likes
you well to see me die of hunger in this dungeon!"
"Well, then," said Dermat, "cease your upbraiding, and I will try to
bring you food; for it is better to face danger than to suffer the
revilings of your foul tongue."
So saying, he went back to the ford to Fatha, where he stood watching;
and after he had told him how matters stood, he said to him--
"I must needs go to the Palace of the Island, to get food for Conan
Mail; and you shall guard the ford till I return."
But Fatha told him that there was food and drink enough at the other
side of the ford, which Midac had brought from the palace, and urged him
to bring a good meal of this to Conan.
"Not so," said Dermat. "He would taunt me with bringing him food taken
from the hands of dead men; and though one may recover from his blow, it
is not so easy to recover from the venom of his tongue."[XCII.]
So he left Fatha at the ford, and repaired to the Palace of the Island.
As he drew nigh, he heard the noise of feasting and revelry, and the
loud talk and laughter of men deep in drink. Walking tiptoe, he peered
warily through the open door, and saw the chiefs and the knights sitting
at the tables; with Sinsar of the Battles and his son Borba high seated
over all. He saw also many attendants serving them with food and drink,
each holding in his hand a large ornamented drinking-horn, filled with
wine.
Dermat entered the outer door softly, and stood in a dark part of the
passage near the door, silent and stern, with sword drawn, watching his
opportunity. And after a time one of the attendants, unsuspecting,
passed close to him; when Dermat, with a swift, sure blow, struck off
his head. And he snatched the drinking-horn from the man's hand before
he fell, so that not a drop of the wine was spilled.
Then, laying the drinking-horn aside for a moment, he walked straight
into the hall, and taking up one of the dishes near where the king sat,
he went out through the open door, bringing with him both dish and
drinking-horn. And amidst the great crowd, and the drinking, and the
noise, no one took the least notice of him, so that he got off without
hindrance or harm of any kind.
When he reached the ford, he found Fatha lying fast asleep on the bank.
He wondered very much that he could sleep in the midst of such a
slaughter; but knowing that the young warrior was worn out with watching
and toil, he left him lying asleep, and went to the Palace of the
Quicken Trees with the food for Conan.
When he had come to the door, he called aloud to Conan and said--
"I have here a goodly meal of choice food: how am I to give it to thee?"
Conan said, "Throw it towards me through yonder little opening."
Dermat did so; and as fast as he threw the food, Conan caught it in his
large hands, and ate it up ravenously. And when it was all gone, Dermat
said--
"I have here a large drinking-horn of good wine: how am I to give it to
thee?"
Conan answered, "There is a place behind the palace where, from a rock,
you may reach the lower parapet with a light, airy bound. Come from that
straight over me, and break a hole in the roof with your spear, through
which you can pour the wine down to me."
Dermat did so; and as he poured down the wine, Conan, with upturned
face, opened his great mouth and caught it, and swallowed it every drop.
After this Dermat came down and returned to the ford, where he found
Fatha still asleep; and he sat beside him, but did not awaken him.
FOOTNOTES:
[XCII.] A satirical allusion to Conan's well-known cowardice.
CHAPTER VI.
DERMAT O'DYNA SLAYS THE THREE KINGS OF THE ISLAND OF THE TORRENT, BREAKS
THE SPELL WITH THEIR BLOOD, AND FREES FINN.
Tidings were brought to the Palace of the Island that Midac and all whom
he led were slain at the ford; and the three kings of the Island of the
Torrent said--
"The young king of Lochlann did wrong to make this attempt without
asking our counsel; and had we known of the thing we would have hindered
him. For to us belongs the right to behead Finn and his companions,
since it is the spell-venom of the clay which we brought from the Island
of the Torrent that holds them bound in the Palace of the Quicken Trees.
And now, indeed, we will go and slay them all."
So they set out with a strong party, and soon reached the ford. Looking
across in the dim light, they saw Dermat, and called aloud to ask who he
was.
"I am Dermat O'Dyna," he replied, "one of Finn's champions. He has sent
me to guard this ford, and whoever you are, I warn you not to cross!"
Then they sought to beguile Dermat, and to win him over by smooth words;
and they replied--
"It is a pleasure to us to meet you, Dermat; for we are old friends of
yours. We are the three kings of the Island of the Torrent, your
fellow-pupils in valour and all heroic feats. For you and we lived with
the same tutors from the beginning; and you never learned a feat of arms
that we did not learn in like manner. Leave the ford, then, that we may
pass on to the Palace of the Quicken Trees."
But Dermat answered in few words, "Finn and his companions are under my
protection till morning; and I will defend the ford as long as I am
alive!"
And he stood up straight and tall like a pillar, and scowled across the
ford.
A number of the foreigners now rushed towards Dermat, and raging in a
confused crowd, assailed him. But the strong hero met them as a rock
meets the waves, and slew them with ease as they came within the range
of his sword. Yet still they pressed on, others succeeding those that
fell; and in the midst of the rage of battle, Fatha started up from his
sleep, awakened by the crashing of weapons and the riving of shields.
He gazed for a moment, bewildered, at the combatants, and, seeing how
matters stood, he was wroth with Dermat for not awakening him; so that
he ran at him fiercely with drawn sword. But Dermat stepped aside, and,
being angry, thus addressed him--
"Slake thy vengeance on our foes for the present: for me, the swords of
the foreigners are enough, methinks, without thine to aid them!"
Then Fatha turned and attacked the foe, and his onset was even more
deadly than that of Dermat; so that they fell before him to the right
and left on the ford.
And now at last the three kings, seeing so many of their men falling,
advanced slowly towards Dermat; and Dermat, unterrified, stood in his
place to meet them. And their weapons clashed and tore through their
shields, and the fight was long and furious; till at last the
champion-pride and the battle-fury of Dermat arose, so that the three
dragon-like kings fell slain one by one before him, on that ford of red
slaughter.
And now, though smarting with wounds, and breathless, and weary, Dermat
and Fatha remembered Finn and the Fena; and Dermat called to mind what
Finn had told him as to how the spell was to be broken. So he struck off
the heads of the three kings, and, followed by Fatha, he ran with them,
all gory as they were, to the Palace of the Quicken Trees.
As they drew nigh to the door, Finn, knowing their voices and their
footsteps, called aloud anxiously to ask how it fared with the
combatants at the ford; "For," said he, "the crashing and the din of
that battle exceeded all we have yet heard, and we know not how it has
ended."
Dermat answered, "King of the Fena, Fatha and I have slain the three
kings of the Island of the Torrent; and lo, here we have their heads all
bloody; but how am I to bring them to thee?"
"Victory and blessings be with you, Dermat; you and Fatha have fought a
valiant fight, worthy of the Fena of Erin! Now sprinkle the door with
the blood."
Dermat did so, and in a moment the door flew wide open with a crash. And
inside they saw the heroes in sore plight, all pale and faint, seated on
the cold clay round the wall. Dermat and Fatha, holding the gory heads
by the hair, sprinkled the earth under each with the blood, beginning
with Finn, and freed them one by one; and the heroes, as they found the
spell broken, sprang to their feet with exulting cries. And they thanked
the gods for having relieved them from that perilous strait, and they
and the two heroes joyfully embraced each other.
But danger still threatened, and they now took counsel what they should
do; and Finn, addressing Dermat and Fatha, said--
"The venom of these foul spells has withered our strength, so that we
are not able to fight; but at sunrise they will lose their power, and we
shall be strong again. It is necessary, therefore, that you still guard
the ford, and at the rising of the sun we shall relieve you."
So the two heroes went to the ford, and Fatha returned with food and
drink for Finn and the others.
After the last battle at the ford, a few who had escaped brought back
tidings to the King of the World and his people, that the three kings of
the Island of the Torrent had fallen by the hands of Dermat and Fatha.
But they knew not that Finn and the others had been released.
Then arose the king's son, Borba the Haughty, who, next to the king
himself, was mightiest in battle of all the foreign host. And he said--
"Feeble warriors were they who tried to cross this ford. I will go now
and avenge the death of our people on these Fena, and I will bring
hither the head of Finn the son of Cumal, and place it at my father's
feet."
So he marched forth without delay, with a large body of chosen warriors,
till he reached the edge of the ford. And although Dermat and Fatha
never trembled before a foe, yet when they saw the dark mass drawing
nigh, and heard the heavy tread and clank of arms, they dreaded that
they might be dislodged and overpowered by repeated attacks, leaving
Finn and the rest helpless and unprotected. And each in his heart longed
for the dawn of morning.
No parley was held this time, but the foreigners came straight across
the ford--as many abreast as could find footing. And as they drew near,
Dermat spoke to Fatha--
"Fight warily, my friend: ward the blows of the foremost, and be not too
eager to slay, but rather look to thy own safety. It behoves us to nurse
our strength and prolong the fight, for the day is dawning, and sunrise
is not far off!"
The foreigners came on, many abreast; but their numbers availed them
naught, for the pass was narrow; and the two heroes, one taking the
advancing party to the right, and the other to the left, sometimes
parried and sometimes slew, but never yielded an inch from where they
stood.
And now at last the sun rose up over the broad plain of Kenri; and
suddenly the withering spell went forth from the bones and sinews of the
heroes who sat at the Palace of the Quicken Trees, listening with
anxious hearts to the clash of battle at the ford. Joyfully they started
to their feet, and, snatching up their arms, hastened down to the ford
with Finn at their head; but one they sent, the swiftest among them, to
Knockfierna, to take the news to Oisin.
Dermat and Fatha, fighting eagerly, heeded not that the sun had risen,
though it was now indeed glittering before their eyes on the helmets and
arms of their foes. But as they fought, there rose a great shout behind
them; and Finn and Gaul and the rest ran down the slope to attack the
foreigners.
The foreigners, not in the least dismayed, answered the attack; and the
fight went on, till Gaul Mac Morna and Borba the Haughty met face to
face in the middle of the ford, and they fought a hard and deadly
combat. The battle-fury of Gaul at length arose, so that nothing could
stand before him, and, with one mighty blow, he cleft the head from the
body of Borba.
And now the foreigners began to yield: but they still continued to
fight, till a swift messenger sped to the Palace of the Island, and told
the great king, Sinsar of the Battles, that his son was dead, slain by
Gaul; and that his army was sore pressed by the Fena, with Finn at their
head.
When the people heard these tidings, they raised a long and sorrowful
cry of lamentation for the king's son; but the king himself, though
sorrow filled his heart, showed it not. And he arose and summoned his
whole host; and, having arranged them in their battalions and in their
companies under their princes and chiefs, he marched towards the
battle-field, desiring vengeance on the Fena more than the glory of
victory.
CHAPTER VII.
THE FIGHT AT THE FORD, WITH THE FOREIGN ARMY.
All the Fena who had gone to the chase from Knockfierna had returned,
and were now with Oisin, the son of Finn. And the messenger came slowly
up the hill-side, and told them, though with much difficulty, for he
was weary and breathless, the whole story from beginning to end, of
Finn's enchantment, and of the battles at the ford, and how their
companions at that moment stood much in need of aid against the
foreigners.
Instantly the whole body marched straight towards the Palace of the
Quicken Trees, and arrived on the hill-brow over the ford, just as the
King of the World and his army were approaching from the opposite
direction.
And now the fight at the ford ceased for a time, while the two armies
were put in battle array; and on neither side was there any cowardice or
any desire to avoid the combat.
The Fena were divided into four battalions. The active, bright-eyed
Clann Baskin marched in front of the first battalion; the fierce,
champion-like Clann Morna led the second; the strong, sanguinary
Mic-an-Smoil brought up the third; and the fourth was led forward by the
fearless, venomous Clann O'Navnan.
And they marched forward, with their silken banners, each banner-staff
in the hand of a tall, trusty hero; their helmets glittering with
precious gems; their broad, beautiful shields on their left shoulders;
with their long, straight, deadly lances in their hands; and their
heavy, keen-edged swords hanging at the left side of each. Onward they
marched; and woe to those who crossed the path of that host of active,
high-minded champions, who never turned their backs on an enemy in
battle!
And now at last the fight began with showers of light, venomous
missiles; and many a hero fell even before the combatants met face to
face. Then they drew their long, broad-bladed swords, and the ranks
closed and mingled in deadly strife. It would be vain to attempt a
description of that battle, for it was hard to distinguish friend from
foe. Many a high-souled hero fell wounded and helpless, and neither sigh
nor groan of pain escaped them; but they died, encouraging their friends
to vengeance with voice and gesture. And the first thought of each
champion was to take the life of his foe rather than to save his own.
The great king Finn himself moved tall and stately from battalion to
battalion, now fighting in the foremost ranks, and now encouraging his
friends and companions, his mighty voice rising clear over the clash of
arms and the shouts of the combatants. And wherever he moved, there the
courage of the Fena rose high, and their valour and their daring
increased, so that the ranks of their foes fell back thinned and
scattered before them.
Oscar, resting for a moment from the toil of battle, looked round, and
espied the standard of the King of the World, where he stood guarded by
his best warriors, to protect him from the danger of being surrounded
and outnumbered by his foes; and the young hero's wrath was kindled when
he observed that the Fena were falling back dismayed wherever that
standard was borne.
Rushing through the opposing ranks like a lion maddened by dogs, he
approached the king; and the king laughed a grim laugh of joy when he
saw him, and ordered his guards back; for he was glad in his heart,
expecting to revenge his son's death by slaying with his own hand Finn's
grandson, who was most loved of all the youthful champions of the Fena.
Then these two great heroes fought a deadly battle; and many a warrior
stayed his hand to witness this combat. It seemed as if both should
fall; for each inflicted on the other many wounds. The king's rage knew
no bounds at being so long withstood, for at first sight he despised
Oscar for his youth and beauty; and he made an onset that caused Oscar's
friends, as they looked on, to tremble; for during this attack the young
hero defended himself, and no more. But now, having yielded for a time,
he called to mind the actions and the fame of his forefathers, and
attacked the king in turn, and, with a blow that no shield or buckler
could withstand, he swept the head from the king's body.
Then a great shout went up from the Fena, and the foreigners instantly
gave way; and they were pursued and slaughtered on every side. A few
threw away their arms and escaped to the shore, where, hastily unmooring
their ships, they sailed swiftly away to their own country, with tidings
of the death of their king and the slaughter of their army.
THE PURSUIT OF THE GILLA DACKER AND HIS HORSE.
CHAPTER I.
ARRIVAL OF THE GILLA DACKER AND HIS HORSE.
One day in the beginning of summer, Finn, the son of Cumal, the son of
Trenmore O'Baskin,[23] feasted the chief people of Erin at Allen[23] of
the broad hill-slopes. And when the feast was over, the Fena reminded
him that it was time to begin the chase through the plains and the glens
and the wildernesses of Erin.
For this was the manner in which the Fena were wont to spend their time.
They divided the year into two parts. During the first half, namely,
from Beltane to Samin,[XCIII.] they hunted each day with their dogs; and
during the second half, namely, from Samin to Beltane, they lived in the
mansions and the betas[XCIV.] of Erin; so that there was not a chief or
a great lord or a keeper of a house of hospitality in the whole country
that had not nine of the Fena quartered on him during the winter half of
the year.
Finn and his chiefs now held council as to which of the provinces of
Erin they should begin with; and they chose Munster for the first chase.
Next day they set out, both dogs and men; and they travelled through
Offaly,[XCV.] and by one side of Fera-call, and to Brosna of Slieve
Bloma, and by the Twelve Mountains of Evlinn, till they came to
Collkilla, which is now called Knockainy.
The chase was then set in order, and they scattered themselves over the
broad plains of Munster. They began at Ardpatrick,[XCVI.] and they
hunted over Kenn-Avrat of Slieve-Keen, and over Coill-na-drua, which is
now called the district of Fermoy; over the fruitful lands of Lehan, and
over the confines of Fermorc, which is now called Hy Conall Gavra. Then
south to the patrimony of Curoi Mac Dara, and by the shores of Loch
Lein; afterwards along the blue-streamy Suir, by Caher-Dun-Isca, over
the great plain of Femin, and across the speckled summit of
Slieve-na-man-finn; all over East Munster and West Munster, as far as
Balla-Gavran on the one side, and on the other across the Shannon to
Cratloe, near Limerick of the blue waters.
In short, there was not a plain or a valley, a wood or a brake, a
mountain or a wilderness, in the two provinces of Munster, that they did
not hunt over on that occasion.
Now it chanced at one time during the chase, while they were hunting
over the plain of Cliach,[XCVII.] that Finn went to rest on the hill of
Collkilla, which is now called Knockainy; and he had his hunting-tents
pitched on a level spot near the summit. Some of his chief heroes
tarried with him; namely, his son Oisin; the valiant Oscar, the son of
Oisin; Gaul Mac Morna of the Mighty Deeds; Finn's shield-bearer,
Skeabrac; Kylta Mac Ronan; Dermat O'Dyna of the Bright Face; Ligan
Lumina the Swift-footed; Conan Mail of the Foul Tongue; and Finn Ban Mac
Bresal.
When the king and his companions had taken their places on the hill, the
Fena unleashed their gracefully shaped, sweet-voiced hounds through the
woods and sloping glens. And it was sweet music to Finn's ear, the cry
of the long-snouted dogs, as they routed the deer from their covers, and
the badgers from their dens; the pleasant, emulating shouts of the
youths; the whistling and signalling of the huntsmen; and the
encouraging cheers of the mighty heroes, as they spread themselves
through the glens and woods, and over the broad, green plain of Cliach.
Then did Finn ask who of all his companions would go to the highest
point of the hill directly over them, to keep watch and ward, and to
report how the chase went on. For, he said, the Dedannans[1] were ever
on the watch to work the Fena mischief by their druidical spells, and
more so during the chase than at other times.
Finn Ban Mac Bresal stood forward and offered to go: and, grasping his
broad spears, he went to the top, and sat viewing the plain to the four
points of the sky. And the king and his companions brought forth the
chess-board and chess-men,[26] and sat them down to a game.
Finn Ban Mac Bresal had been watching only a little time, when he saw on
the plain to the east, a Fomor[XCVIII.] of vast size coming towards the
hill, leading a horse. As he came nearer, Finn Ban observed that he was
the ugliest-looking giant his eyes ever lighted on. He had a large,
thick body, bloated and swollen out to a great size; clumsy, crooked
legs; and broad, flat feet, turned inwards. His hands and arms and
shoulders were bony and thick and very strong-looking; his neck was long
and thin; and while his head was poked forward, his face was turned up,
as he stared straight at Finn Mac Bresal. He had thick lips, and long,
crooked teeth; and his face was covered all over with bushy hair.
He was fully armed; but all his weapons were rusty and soiled and
slovenly looking. A broad shield of a dirty, sooty colour, rough and
battered, hung over his back; he had a long, heavy, straight sword at
his left hip; and he held in his left hand two thick-handled,
broad-headed spears, old and rusty, and seeming as if they had not been
handled for years. In his right hand he held an iron club, which he
dragged after him, with its end on the ground; and, as it trailed along,
it tore up a track as deep as the furrow a farmer ploughs with a team of
oxen.
The horse he led was even larger in proportion than the giant himself,
and quite as ugly. His great carcase was covered all over with tangled,
scraggy hair, of a sooty black; you could count his ribs, and all the
points of his big bones through his hide; his legs were crooked and
knotty; his neck was twisted; and as for his jaws, they were so long and
heavy that they made his head look twice too large for his body.
The giant held him by a thick halter, and seemed to be dragging him
forward by main force, the animal was so lazy and so hard to move. Every
now and then, when the beast tried to stand still, the giant would give
him a blow on the ribs with his big iron club, which sounded as loud as
the thundering of a great billow against the rough-headed rocks of the
coast. When he gave him a pull forward by the halter, the wonder was
that he did not drag the animal's head away from his body; and, on the
other hand, the horse often gave the halter such a tremendous tug
backwards that it was equally wonderful how the arm of the giant was not
torn away from his shoulder.
Now it was not an easy matter to frighten Finn Ban Mac Bresal; but when
he saw the giant and his horse coming straight towards him in that wise,
he was seized with such fear and horror that he sprang from his seat,
and, snatching up his arms, he ran down the hill-slope with his utmost
speed towards the king and his companions, whom he found sitting round
the chess-board, deep in their game.
They started up when they saw Finn Ban looking so scared; and, turning
their eyes towards where he pointed, they saw the big man and his horse
coming up the hill. They stood gazing at him in silent wonder, waiting
till he should arrive; but although he was no great way off when they
first caught sight of him, it was a long time before he reached the spot
where they stood, so slow was the movement of himself and his horse.
When at last he had come up, he bowed his head, and bended his knee, and
saluted the king with great respect.
Finn addressed him; and after having given him leave to speak, he asked
him who he was, and what was his name; from which of the three chief
divisions of the world he had come, and whether he belonged to one of
the noble or ignoble races; also what was his profession or craft, and
why he had no servant to attend to his horse--if, indeed, such an ugly
old spectre of an animal could be called a horse at all.
The big man made answer and said, "King of the Fena, I will answer
everything you ask me, as far as lies in my power. Whether I come of a
noble or of an ignoble race, that, indeed, I cannot tell, for I know not
who my father and mother were. As to where I came from, I am a Fomor of
Lochlann[6] in the north; but I have no particular dwelling-place, for
I am continually travelling about from one country to another, serving
the great lords and nobles of the world, and receiving wages for my
service.
"In the course of my wanderings I have often heard of you, O king, and
of your greatness and splendour and royal bounty; and I have come now to
visit you, and to ask you to take me into your service for one year; and
at the end of that time I shall fix my own wages, according to my
custom.
"You ask me also why I have no servant for this great horse of mine. The
reason of that is this: at every meal I eat, my master must give me as
much food and drink as would be enough for a hundred men; and whosoever
the lord or chief may be that takes me into his service, it is quite
enough for him to have to provide for me, without having also to feed my
servant.
"Moreover, I am so very heavy and lazy that I should never be able to
keep up with a company on march if I had to walk; and this is my reason
for keeping a horse at all.
"My name is the Gilla Dacker,[XCIX.] and it is not without good reason
that I am so called. For there never was a lazier or worse servant than
I am, or one that grumbles more at doing a day's work for his master.
And I am the hardest person in the whole world to deal with; for, no
matter how good or noble I may think my master, or how kindly he may
treat me, it is hard words and foul reproaches I am likely to give him
for thanks in the end.
"This, O Finn, is the account I have to give of myself, and these are my
answers to your questions."
"Well," answered Finn, "according to your own account, you are not a
very pleasant fellow to have anything to do with; and of a truth there
is not much to praise in your appearance. But things may not be so bad
as you say; and, anyhow, as I have never yet refused any man service and
wages, I will not now refuse you."
Whereupon Finn and the Gilla Dacker made covenants, and the Gilla Dacker
was taken into service for a year.
Then the big man turned to Conan Mail, and asked him whether the
foot-service or the horse-service had the better pay among the Fena; and
Conan answered that the horsemen had twice as much pay as the footmen.
"If that be so," replied the Gilla Dacker, "I will join the
horse-service, as I have a fine steed of my own; and indeed, if I had
known this before, I would certainly have come hither on horseback,
instead of walking.
"And now, as to this same horse of mine, I find I must attend to him
myself, as I see no one here worthy of putting a hand near him. So I
will lead him to the nearest stud, as I am wont to do, and let him graze
among your horses. I value him greatly, however, and it would grieve me
very much if any harm were to befall him; so," continued he, turning to
the king, "I put him under your protection, O king, and under the
protection of all the Fena that are here present."
At this speech the Fena all burst out laughing, to see the Gilla Dacker
showing such concern for his miserable, worthless old skeleton of a
horse.
Howbeit, the big man, giving not the least heed to their merriment, took
the halter off the horse's head, and turned him loose among the horses
of the Fena.
But now, this same wretched-looking old animal, instead of beginning to
graze, as every one thought he would, ran in among the horses of the
Fena, and began straightway to work all sorts of mischief. He cocked his
long, hard, switchy tail straight out like a rod, and, throwing up his
hind legs, he kicked about on this side and on that, maiming and
disabling several of the horses. Sometimes he went tearing through the
thickest of the herd, butting at them with his hard, bony forehead; and
he opened out his lips with a vicious grin, and tore all he could lay
hold on, with his sharp, crooked teeth, so that none were safe that came
in his way either before or behind. And the end of it was, that not an
animal of the whole herd escaped, without having a leg broken, or an eye
knocked out, or his ribs fractured, or his ear bitten off, or the side
of his face torn open, or without being in some other way cut or maimed
beyond cure.
At last he left them, and was making straight across to a small field
where Conan Mail's horses were grazing by themselves, intending to play
the same tricks among them. But Conan, seeing this, shouted in great
alarm to the Gilla Dacker, to bring away his horse, and not let him work
any more mischief; and threatening, if he did not do so at once, to go
himself and knock the brains out of the vicious old brute on the spot.
But the Gilla Dacker took the matter quite cool; and he told Conan that
he saw no way of preventing his horse from joining the others, except
some one put the halter on him and held him, which would, of course, he
said, prevent the poor animal from grazing, and would leave him with a
hungry belly at the end of the day.
He said, moreover, that as he had no horse-boy, and must needs do
everything for himself, he thought it quite time enough to look after
his horse when he had to make ready for a journey. "But," said he to
Conan, "there is the halter; and if you are in any fear for your own
animals, you may go yourself and bring him away from the field."
Conan was in a mighty rage when he heard this; and as he saw the big
horse just about to cross the fence, he snatched up the halter, and
running forward, with long strides, he threw it over the animal's head
and thought to lead him back. But in a moment the horse stood stock
still, and his body and legs became as stiff as if they were made of
wood; and though Conan pulled and tugged with might and main, he was not
able to stir him an inch from his place.
He gave up pulling at last, when he found it was no use; but he still
kept on holding the halter, while the big horse never made the least
stir, but stood as if he had been turned into stone; the Gilla Dacker
all the time looking on quite unconcernedly, and the others laughing at
Conan's perplexity. But no one offered to relieve him.
At last Fergus Finnvel, the poet, spoke to Conan, and said, "I never
would have believed, Conan Mail, that you could be brought to do
horse-service for any knight or noble in the whole world; but now,
indeed, I see that you have made yourself a horse-boy to an ugly foreign
giant, so hateful-looking and low-born that not a man of the Fena would
have anything to say to him. As you have, however, to mind this old
horse in order to save your own, would it not be better for you to mount
him, and revenge yourself for all the trouble he is giving you, by
riding him across the country, over the hill-tops, and down into the
deep glens and valleys, and through stones and bogs and all sorts of
rough places, till you have broken the heart in his big, ugly body?"
Conan, stung by the cutting words of the poet, and by the jeers of his
companions, jumped upon the horse's back, and began to beat him mightily
with his heels, and with his two big, heavy fists, to make him go; but
the horse seemed not to take the least notice and never stirred.
"I know the reason he does not go," said Fergus Finnvel; "he has been
accustomed to carry a horseman far heavier than you, that is to say,
the Gilla Dacker; and he will not move till he has the same weight on
his back."
At this Conan Mail called out to his companions, and asked which of them
would mount with him, and help to avenge the damage done to their
horses.
"I will go," said Coil Croda the Battle Victor, son of Criffan; and up
he went. But the horse never moved.
Dara Donn Mac Morna next offered to go, and mounted behind the others;
and after him Angus Mac Art Mac Morna. And the end of it was, that
fourteen men of the Clann Baskin and Clann Morna[23] got up along with
Conan; and all began to thrash the horse together, with might and main.
But they were none the better of it, for he remained standing stiff and
immovable as before. They found, moreover, that their seat was not at
all an easy one--the animal's back was so sharp and bony.
FOOTNOTES:
[XCIII.] Beltane, the first of May; Samin, the first of November.
[XCIV.] Beta, a public house of hospitality.
[XCV.] Offaly, now the name of two baronies in the county Kildare.
Fera-call, or Fircal, an ancient territory in the present King's County.
Brosna, a small river rising in the Slieve Bloma, or Slieve Bloom
mountains, which flows by Birr, and falls into the Shannon near
Banagher; usually called the Little Brosna, to distinguish it from the
Great Brosna, which flows through King's County into the Shannon.
The Twelve Mountains of Evlinn. (See note, page 97.)
Knockainy, a small hill much celebrated in fairy lore, in the county
Limerick, giving name to the village of Knockainy at its base. It
appears from the text that it was more anciently called Collkilla, or
hazel-wood.
[XCVI.] Ardpatrick, a beautiful green hill, with a remarkable church
ruin and graveyard on its summit, two miles from Kilfinane, county
Limerick.
Kenn-Avrat was the ancient name of Seefin mountain, rising over the
village of Glenosheen, two miles from Ardpatrick. Slieve-Keen, the old
name of the hill of Carrigeennamroanty, near Seefin.
Fermoy, a well-known town and barony in the county Cork. It appears from
the text that the district was anciently known by the name of
Coill-na-drua, or the wood of the druids.
Lehan, the ancient name of the district round Castlelyons, in the county
Cork.
Fermorc, now the baronies of Connello, in Limerick. (See note, page
184.)
Curoi Mac Dara, a celebrated chief who flourished in the time of the Red
Branch Knights of Ulster, viz., in the first century of the Christian
era. Curoi had his residence on a mountain near Tralee, still called
Caherconree (the fortress of Curoi), and his "patrimony" was South
Munster. The remains of Curoi's great stone fortress are still to be
seen on Caherconree.
Loch Lein, the Lakes of Killarney.
Caher-Dun-Isca, now the town of Caher, on the Suir, in Tipperary.
Femin was the name of the great plain lying to the south and west of the
mountain of Slievenaman, or Slieve-na-man-finn, near Clonmel, in
Tipperary.
Balla-Gavran, or the pass of Gavran, an ancient road, which ran by
Gavran (now Gowran), in the county Kilkenny.
Cratloe, a well-known district on the Clare side of the Shannon, near
Limerick.
[XCVII.] Cliach, the old name of the plain lying round Knockainy.
[XCVIII.] Fomor, a gigantic warrior, a giant; its primitive meaning is
"a sea-robber," commonly called a Fomorian. (See note 5 at the end.)
[XCIX.] Gilla Dacker means "a slothful fellow"--a fellow hard to move,
hard to manage, hard to have anything to do with.
CHAPTER II.
CONAN AND FIFTEEN OF THE FENA ARE CARRIED OFF BY THE GILLA DACKER'S
HORSE.
When the Gilla Dacker saw the Fena beating his horse at such a rate, he
seemed very angry, and addressed the king in these words--
"King of the Fena, I now see plainly that all the fine accounts I heard
about you and the Fena are false, and I will not stay in your
service--no, not another hour. You can see for yourself the ill usage
these men are giving my horse without cause; and I leave you to judge
whether any one could put up with it--any one who had the least regard
for his horse. The time is, indeed, short since I entered your service,
but I now think it a great deal too long; so pay me my wages, and let me
go my ways."
But Finn said, "I do not wish you to go; stay on till the end of your
year, and then I will pay you all I promised you."
"I swear," answered the Gilla Dacker, "that if this were the very last
day of my year, I would not wait till morning for my wages, after this
insult. So, wages or no wages, I will now seek another master; but from
this time forth I shall know what to think of Finn Mac Cumal and his
Fena!"
With that the Gilla Dacker stood up as straight as a pillar, and,
turning his face towards the south-west, he walked slowly away.
When the horse saw his master leaving the hill, he stirred himself at
once and walked quietly after him, bringing the fifteen men away on his
back. And when the Fena saw this they raised a loud shout of laughter,
mocking them.
The Gilla Dacker, after he had walked some little way, looked back, and
seeing that his horse was following, he stood for a moment to tuck up
his skirts. Then, all at once changing his pace, he set out with long,
active strides; and if you know what the speed of a swallow is, flying
across a mountain-side, or the dry, fairy wind of a March day sweeping
over the plains, then you can understand the swiftness of the Gilla
Dacker, as he ran down the hill-side towards the south-west.
Neither was the horse behindhand in the race; for, though he carried a
heavy load, he galloped like the wind after his master, plunging and
bounding forward with as much freedom as if he had nothing at all on his
back.
The men now tried to throw themselves off; but this, indeed, they were
not able to do, for the good reason that they found themselves fastened
firmly, hands and feet and all, to the horse's back.
And now Conan, looking round, raised his big voice, and shouted to Finn
and the Fena, asking them were they content to let their friends be
carried off in that manner by such a horrible, foul-looking old spectre
of a horse.
Finn and the others, hearing this, seized their arms and started off in
pursuit. Now the way the Gilla Dacker and his horse took was first
through Fermorc,[C.] which is at the present day called Hy Conall Gavra;
next over the wide, heathy summit of Slieve Lougher; from that to Corca
Divna; and they ran along by Slieve Mish, till they reached Cloghan
Kincat, near the deep green sea.
During all this time Finn and his people kept them in view, but were not
able to overtake them; and Ligan Lumina, one of the swiftest of the
Fena, kept ahead of the others.
The horse now passed by Cloghan Kincat without in the least abating his
speed; and when he had arrived on the beach, even at the very water's
edge, Ligan overtook him, and caught him by the tail with his two hands,
intending to hold him till the rest of the Fena came up. He gave a
mighty pull back; but the horse, not in the least checked by this, made
no more ado but plunged forward through the waves, dragging Ligan after
him hanging at his tail. And Ligan now found that he could neither help
his friends nor free himself, for his two hands clung fast to the tail
of the horse.
And so the great horse continued his course without stop or stay,
bringing the sixteen Fena with him through the sea. Now this is how they
fared in the sea, while the horse was rushing swiftly farther and
farther to the west: they had always a dry, firm strand under them, for
the waters retired before the horse while behind them was a wild, raging
sea, which followed close after, and seemed ready every moment to topple
over their heads. But, though the billows were tumbling and roaring all
round, neither horse nor riders were wetted by as much as a drop of
brine or a dash of spray.
FOOTNOTES:
[C.] Fermorc, now the baronies of Connello, in Limerick. Slieve Lougher,
a celebrated mountain near Castle Island, in Kerry. Corca Divna, now the
barony of Corkaguiny, the long peninsula lying west of Tralee, and
containing the town of Dingle, and the mountain range of Slieve Mish.
Cloghan Kincat, now called Cloghan, a small village on the northern
coast of the peninsula.
CHAPTER III.
PURSUIT.
Now as to Finn and the others. They stood on the bank over the beach,
watching the horse and men till they lost sight of them in the sea afar
off; and then they sat them down, weary after their long chase, and full
of sadness for the loss of their companions.
After a long silence, Finn spoke and asked the chiefs what they thought
best to be done. But they replied that he was far beyond them all in
knowledge and wisdom; and they told him they would follow whatsoever
counsel he and Fergus Finnvel, the poet, gave them. Then Finn told
Fergus to speak his mind; and Fergus said--
"My counsel is that we go straightway to Ben Edar,[CI.] where we shall
find a ship ready to sail. For our forefathers, when they wrested the
land from the gifted, bright-complexioned Dedannans, bound them by
covenant to maintain this ship for ever, fitted with all things needful
for a voyage, even to the smallest article, as one of the privileges of
Ben Edar; so that if at any time one of the noble sons of Gael
Glas[CII.] wished to sail to distant lands from Erin, he should have a
ship lying at hand in the harbour ready to begin his voyage."
They agreed to this counsel, and turned their steps without delay
northwards towards Ben Edar. They had not gone far when they met two
noble-looking youths, fully armed, and wearing over their armour
beautiful mantles of scarlet silk, fastened by brooches of gold. The
strangers saluted the king with much respect; and the king saluted them
in return. Then, having given them leave to converse, he asked them who
they were, whither they had come, and who the prince or chief was that
they served. And the elder answered--
"My name is Feradach, and my brother's name is Foltlebar; and we are the
two sons of the king of Innia. Each of us professes an art; and it has
long been a point of dispute between us, which art is the better, my
brother's or mine. Hearing that there is not in the world a wiser or
more far-seeing man than thou art, O king, we have come to ask thee to
take us into thy service among thy household troops for a year, and at
the end of that time to give judgment between us in this matter."
Finn asked them what were the two arts they professed.
"My art," answered Feradach, "is this: If at any time a company of
warriors need a ship, give me only my joiner's axe and my
crann-tavall,[CIII.] and I am able to provide a ship for them without
delay. The only thing I ask them to do is this--to cover their heads
close, and keep them covered, while I give the crann-tavall three blows
of my axe. Then I tell them to uncover their heads; and lo, there lies
the ship in harbour, ready to sail!"
Then Foltlebar spoke and said, "This, O king, is the art I profess: On
land I can track the wild duck over nine ridges and nine glens, and
follow her without being once thrown out, till I drop upon her in her
nest. And I can follow up a track on sea quite as well as on land, if I
have a good ship and crew."
Finn replied, "You are the very men I want; and I now take you both into
my service. At this moment I need a good ship and a skilful pilot more
than any two things in the whole world. And though our own track-men,
namely, the Clann Navin, are good, yet we now need some one still more
skilful, to follow the Gilla Dacker through unknown seas."
Then the two brothers asked Finn what strait he was in at that moment,
and why he wanted a ship and pilot so much. Whereupon Finn told them the
whole story of the Gilla Dacker's doings from beginning to end. "And we
are now," said he, "on our way to Ben Edar, to seek a ship, that we may
follow this giant and his horse, and rescue our companions."
Then Feradach said, "I will get you a ship--a ship that will sail as
swiftly as a swallow can fly!"
And Foltlebar said, "I will guide your ship in the track of the Gilla
Dacker till ye lay hands on him, in whatsoever quarter of the world he
may have hidden himself!"
And so they turned back to Cloghan Kincat. And when they had come to the
beach, Feradach told them to cover their heads; and they did so. Then he
struck three blows of his axe on the crann-tavall; after which he bade
them look. And lo, they saw a ship, fully fitted out with oars and
sails, and with all things needed for a long voyage, riding before them
in the harbour!
Then Kylta Mac Ronan went to the top of a high hill; and, turning his
face inland, he uttered three mighty shouts, which were taken up by the
people of the next valley, and after them by those of the next valley
beyond. And so the signal spread, till a shout of alarm was heard in
every plain and hill-side, glen and valley, wood and wilderness, in the
two provinces of Munster. And when the Fena heard these shouts, they
ceased anon from their sports and pastimes; for they knew their king was
in danger or strait of some kind. And they formed themselves into ranks
and troops and battalions, and began their march; and it is not told how
they fared till they reached Cloghan Kincat.
Finn told them the whole story of the Gilla Dacker and his horse, and
how he had carried away Conan and fifteen others to some far-off island
in the Western Ocean. He also showed them the ship, and told them that
he himself and a chosen band of the Fena were about to sail westward in
quest of their friends.
And Oisin asked him how many of the chief men of the Fena he wished to
take with him.
Finn replied, "I foresee that this will be a perilous quest; and I think
all the chiefs here present few enough to bring with me."
"Say not so, O king," said Oisin; "too many have gone already, and some
must be left behind to guard the country, and to keep order. If fifteen
good men go with you, and that you find the others, the whole party will
be a match for any foe you are like to meet in these western lands."
And Oscar and Gaul Mac Morna spoke in like manner.
To this Finn agreed. Then he picked out fifteen men, the bravest and
best, the most dexterous at the sword, and the swiftest of foot among
the Fena.
The question then arose, who should lead the Fena in the king's absence;
and what they agreed on was that Oisin should remain behind and take
command, as he was the eldest and bravest and wisest of the king's sons.
Of those who were chosen to go with Finn, the chief men were Dermat
O'Dyna; Gaul Mac Morna; Oscar, the son of Oisin; Aed Beg, the son of
Finn; Fergus Finnvel, the poet; the three sons of Encarda; and Feradach
and Foltlebar, the two sons of the king of Innia.
So the king and his party took leave of Oisin and the rest. And sad,
indeed, were they on both sides; for no one knew how far the king might
have to sail among unknown seas and islands, or how long he should be
away from Erin, or the spells and dangers he and his men might encounter
in this pursuit.
Then they went on board, and launched their ship on the cold, bright
sea; and Foltlebar was their pilot and steersman. And they set their
sail and plied their slender oars, and the ship moved swiftly westward
till they lost sight of the shores of Erin; and they saw nothing all
round them but a wide girdle of sea. After some days' sailing, a great
storm came from the west, and the black waves rose up against them, so
that they had much ado to keep their vessel from sinking. But through
all the roaring of the tempest, through the rain and blinding spray,
Foltlebar never stirred from the helm or changed his course, but still
kept close on the track of the Gilla Dacker.
At length the storm abated, and the sea grew calm. And when the darkness
had cleared away, they saw to the west, a little way off, a vast rocky
cliff towering over their heads to such a height, that its head seemed
hidden among the clouds. It rose up sheer from the very water, and
looked at that distance as smooth as glass, so that at first sight there
seemed no way to reach the top.
Foltlebar, after examining to the four points of the sky, found the
track of the Gilla Dacker as far as the cliff, but no farther. And he
accordingly told the heroes that he thought it was on the top of that
rock the giant lived; and that, anyhow, the horse must have made his way
up the face of the cliff with their companions.
When the heroes heard this they were greatly cast down and puzzled what
to do; for they saw no way of reaching the top of the rock; and they
feared they should have to give up the quest and return without their
companions. And they sat down and looked up at the cliff, with sorrow
and vexation in their hearts.
FOOTNOTES:
[CI.] Ben Edar, now Howth Hill, near Dublin.
[CII.] Gael Glas, the traditional ancestor of the Gaels.
[CIII.] Crann-tav'all, a sort of sling for projecting stones, made of an
elastic piece of wood, and strung somewhat like a cross-bow.
CHAPTER IV.
DERMAT O'DYNA, IN QUEST OF THE GILLA DACKER, ENCOUNTERS THE
WIZARD-CHAMPION AT THE WELL.
When now they had been silent for a time, Fergus Finnvel, the poet,
arose and said--
"My friends, we have here amongst us one who has been fostered and
taught from the child to the man, by Mannanan Mac Lir[8] in Fairyland,
and by Angus,[1] the wisest of the Dedannans, at Bruga of the Boyne. He
has been carefully trained by both in everything a warrior should learn,
and in much druidical lore besides; so that he is skilled beyond us all
in manly arts and champion-feats. But now it seems that all his arts and
accomplishments go for nought, seeing that he is unable to make use of
them just at the time that we stand most in need of them. On the top of
that rock, doubtless, the Gilla Dacker lives, and there he holds Conan
and the others in bondage; and surely this hero, who now sits idly with
us here in our ship, should be able to climb up the face of that cliff,
and bring us back tidings of our dear friends and companions."
When Dermat O'Dyna heard this speech, his cheek grew red with shame, and
he made this reply--
"It is of me you have spoken these words, Fergus. Your reproaches are
just; and though the task is hard, I will attempt to follow the track of
the Gilla Dacker, and find out some tidings of our friends."
So saying, Dermat arose, and girded on his armour, and put on his
glittering helmet. He hung his sword at his left hip; and he took his
two long, deadly spears, one in each hand, namely, the Crann-boi and the
Ga-derg;[CIV.] and the battle-fury of a warrior descended on him, so
that he looked a dreadful foe to meet in single combat.
Then, leaning on the handles of his spears, after the manner of skilful
champions, he leaped with a light, airy bound on the nearest shelf of
rock. And using his spears and his hands, he climbed from ledge to
ledge, while his companions watched him anxiously from below; till,
after much toil, he measured the soles of his two feet on the green sod
at the top of the rock. And when, recovering breath, he turned round and
looked at his companions in the ship far below, he started back with
amazement and dread at the dizzy height.
He now looked inland, and saw a beautiful country spread out before
him:--a lovely, flowery plain straight in front, bordered with pleasant
hills, and shaded with groves of many kinds of trees. It was enough to
banish all care and sadness from one's heart to view this country, and
to listen to the warbling of the birds, the humming of the bees among
the flowers, the rustling of the wind through the trees, and the
pleasant voices of the streams and waterfalls.
Making no delay, Dermat set out to walk across the plain. He had not
been long walking when he saw, right before him, a great tree laden with
fruit, overtopping all the other trees of the plain. It was surrounded
at a little distance by a circle of pillar-stones; and one stone, taller
than the others, stood in the centre near the tree. Beside this
pillar-stone was a spring well, with a large, round pool as clear as
crystal; and the water bubbled up in the centre, and flowed away towards
the middle of the plain in a slender stream.
Dermat was glad when he saw the well; for he was hot and thirsty after
climbing up the cliff. He stooped down to take a drink; but before his
lips touched the water, he heard the heavy tread of a body of warriors,
and the loud clank of arms, as if a whole host were coming straight down
on him. He sprang to his feet and looked round; but the noise ceased in
an instant, and he could see nothing.
After a little while he stooped again to drink; and again, before he had
wet his lips, he heard the very same sounds, nearer and louder than
before. A second time he leaped to his feet; and still he saw no one.
He knew not what to think of this; and as he stood wondering and
perplexed, he happened to cast his eyes on the tall pillar-stone that
stood on the brink of the well; and he saw on its top a large, beautiful
drinking-horn, chased with gold and enamelled with precious stones.
"Now surely," said Dermat, "I have been doing wrong; it is, no doubt,
one of the virtues of this well that it will not let any one drink of
its waters except from the drinking-horn."
So he took down the horn, dipped it into the well, and drank without
hindrance, till he had slaked his thirst.
Scarcely had he taken the horn from his lips, when he saw a tall
wizard-champion[CV.] coming towards him from the east, clad in a
complete suit of mail, and fully armed with shield and helmet, sword and
spear. A beautiful scarlet mantle hung over his armour, fastened at his
throat by a golden brooch; and a broad circlet of sparkling gold was
bended in front across his forehead, to confine his yellow hair, and
keep it from being blown about by the wind.
As he came nearer, he increased his pace, moving with great strides;
and Dermat now observed that he looked very wrathful. He offered no
greeting, and showed not the least courtesy; but addressed Dermat in a
rough, angry voice--
"Surely, Dermat O'Dyna, Erin of the green plains should be wide enough
for you; and it contains abundance of clear, sweet water in its crystal
springs and green bordered streams, from which you might have drunk your
fill. But you have come into my island without my leave, and you have
taken my drinking-horn, and have drunk from my well; and this spot you
shall never leave till you have given me satisfaction for the insult."
So spoke the wizard-champion, and instantly advanced on Dermat with fury
in his eyes. But Dermat was not the man to be terrified by any hero or
wizard-champion alive. He met the foe half-way; and now, foot to foot,
and knee to knee, and face to face, they began a fight, watchful and
wary at first, but soon hot and vengeful, till their shields and helmets
could scarce withstand their strong thrusts and blows. Like two enraged
lions fighting to the death, or two strong serpents intertwined in
deadly strife, or two great opposing billows thundering against each
other on the ocean border; such was the strength and fury and
determination of the combat of these two heroes.
And so they fought through the long day, till evening came, and it began
to be dusk; when suddenly the wizard-champion sprang outside the range
of Dermat's sword, and leaping up with a great bound, he alighted in the
very centre of the well. Down he went through it, and disappeared in a
moment before Dermat's eyes, as if the well had swallowed him up. Dermat
stood on the brink, leaning on his spear, amazed and perplexed, looking
after him in the water; but whether the hero had meant to drown himself,
or that he had played some wizard trick, Dermat knew not.
He sat down to rest, full of vexation that the wizard-champion should
have got off so easily. And what chafed him still more was that the Fena
knew nought of what had happened, and that when he returned, he could
tell them nothing of the strange hero; neither had he the least token or
trophy to show them after his long fight.
Then he began to think what was best to be done; and he made up his mind
to stay near the well all night, with the hope of finding out something
further about the wizard-champion on the morrow.
He walked towards the nearest point of a great forest that stretched
from the mountain down to the plain on his left; and as he came near, a
herd of speckled deer ran by among the trees. He put his finger into the
silken loop of his spear, and, throwing it with an unerring cast,
brought down the nearest of the herd.
Then, having lighted a fire under a tree, he skinned the deer and fixed
it on long hazel spits to roast, having first, however, gone to the
well, and brought away the drinking-horn full of water. And he sat
beside the roasting deer to turn it and tend the fire, waiting
impatiently for his meal; for he was hungry and tired after the toil of
the day.
When the deer was cooked, he ate till he was satisfied, and drank the
clear water of the well from the drinking-horn; after which he lay down
under the shade of the tree, beside the fire, and slept a sound sleep
till morning.
Night passed away and the sun rose, bringing morning with its abundant
light. Dermat started up, refreshed after his long sleep, and, repairing
to the forest, he slew another deer, and fixed it on hazel spits to
roast at the fire as before. For Dermat had this custom, that he would
never eat of any food left from a former meal.
And after he had eaten of the deer's flesh and drunk from the horn, he
went towards the well. But though his visit was early, he found the
wizard-champion there before him, standing beside the pillar-stone,
fully armed as before, and looking now more wrathful than ever. Dermat
was much surprised; but before he had time to speak the wizard-champion
addressed him--
"Dermat O'Dyna, you have now put the cap on all your evil deeds. It was
not enough that you took my drinking-horn and drank from my well: you
have done much worse than this, for you have hunted on my grounds, and
have killed some of my speckled deer. Surely there are many
hunting-grounds in Erin of the green plains, with plenty of deer in
them; and you need not have come hither to commit these robberies on me.
But now for a certainty you shall not go from this spot till I have
taken revenge for all these misdeeds."
And again the two champions attacked each other, and fought during the
long day, from morning till evening. And when the dusk began to fall,
the wizard-champion leaped into the well, and disappeared down through
it, even as he had done the day before.
The selfsame thing happened on the third day. And each day, morning and
evening, Dermat killed a deer, and ate of its flesh, and drank of the
water of the well from the drinking-horn.
On the fourth morning, Dermat found the wizard-champion standing as
usual by the pillar-stone near the well. And as each morning he looked
more angry than on the morning before, so now he scowled in a way that
would have terrified any one but Dermat O'Dyna.
And they fought during the day till the dusk of evening. But now Dermat
watched his foe narrowly; and when he saw him about to spring into the
well, he closed on him and threw his arms round him. The wizard-champion
struggled to free himself, moving all the time nearer and nearer to the
brink; but Dermat held on, till at last both fell into the well. Down
they went, clinging to each other, Dermat and the wizard-champion; down,
down, deeper and deeper they went; and Dermat tried to look round, but
nothing could he see save darkness and dim shadows. At length there was
a glimmer of light; then the bright day burst suddenly upon them; and
presently they came to the solid ground, gently and without the least
shock.
FOOTNOTES:
[CIV.] See note, page 302.