he is wiping from his sword!
_Fintain._ Whose blood? Whose blood?
_Cuchullain._ That young champion’s.
_Fintain._ He that came out of Aoife’s country?
_Cuchullain._ The Kings are standing round his body.
_Fintain._ Did he fight long?
_Cuchullain._ He thought to have saved himself with witchcraft.
_Barach._ That blind man there said he would kill you. He came from
Aoife’s country to kill you. That blind man said they had taught him
every kind of weapon that he might do it. But I always knew that you
would kill him.
_Cuchullain._ [_To the blind man._] You knew him, then?
_Fintain._ I saw him when I had my eyes, in Aoife’s country.
_Cuchullain._ You were in Aoife’s country?
_Fintain._ I knew him and his mother there.
_Cuchullain._ He was about to speak of her when he died.
_Fintain._ He was a Queen’s son.
_Cuchullain._ What Queen, what Queen? [_He seizes the blind man._] Was
it Scathach? There were many Queens. All the rulers were Queens.
_Fintain._ No, not Scathach.
_Cuchullain._ It was Uathach, then. Speak, speak!
_Fintain._ I cannot speak, you are clutching me too tightly.
[_CUCHULLAIN lets him go._] I cannot remember who it was. I am not
certain. It was some Queen.
_Barach._ He said a while ago that the young man was Aoife’s son.
_Cuchullain._ She? No, no, she had no son when I was there.
_Barach._ That blind man there said that she owned him for her son.
_Cuchullain._ I had rather he had been some other woman’s son. What
father had he? A soldier out of Alba? She was an amorous woman, a proud,
pale amorous woman.
_Fintain._ None knew whose son he was.
_Cuchullain._ None knew? Did you know, old listener at doors?
_Fintain._ No, no, I knew nothing.
_Barach._ He said a while ago that he heard Aoife boast that she’d never
but the one lover, and he the only man that had overcome her in battle.
[_A pause._
_Fintain._ Somebody is trembling. Why are you trembling, fool? the bench
is shaking, why are you trembling? Is Cuchullain going to hurt us? It
was not I who told you, Cuchullain.
_Barach._ It is Cuchullain who is trembling. He is shaking the bench
with his knees.
_Cuchullain._ He was my son, and I have killed my son.
[_A pause._
’Twas they that did it, the pale windy people,
Where, where, where? My sword against the thunder.
But no, for they have always been my friends;
And though they love to blow a smoking coal
Till it’s all flame, the wars they blow aflame
Are full of glory, and heart uplifting pride,
And not like this; the wars they love awaken
Old fingers and the sleepy strings of harps.
Who did it then? Are you afraid; speak out,
For I have put you under my protection
And will reward you well. Dubthach the Chafer.
He had an old grudge. No, for he is with Maeve.
Laegaire did it. Why do you not speak?
What is this house? [_A pause._] Now I remember all.
_Fintain._ He will kill us. O, I am afraid!
_Cuchullain._ [_Who is before CONCOBAR’S chair._]
’Twas you who did it, you who sat up there
With that old branch of silver, like a magpie
Nursing a stolen spoon. Magpie, magpie,
A maggot that is eating up the earth!
[_Begins hacking at the chair with his sword._
No, but a magpie, for he’s flown away.
Where did he fly to?
_Fintain._ He is outside the door.
_Cuchullain._ Outside the door?
_Fintain._ He is under Baile’s yew-tree.
_Cuchullain._ Concobar, Concobar, the sword into your heart.
[_He goes out. A pause. The fool goes to the great door at back and
looks out after him._
_Barach._ He is going up to King Concobar; they are all under the tree.
No, no, he is standing still. There is a great wave going to break and
he is looking at it. Ah! now he is running down to the sea, but he is
holding up his sword as if he were going into a fight. [_A pause._] Well
struck, well struck!
_Fintain._ What is he doing now?
_Barach._ Oh! he is fighting the waves.
_Fintain._ He sees King Concobar’s crown on every one of them.
_Barach._ There, he has struck at a big one. He has struck the crown off
it, he has made the foam fly. There again another big one.
[_Shouting without._
_Fintain._ Where are the Kings? What are the Kings doing?
_Barach._ They are shouting and running down to the shore, and the
people are running out of the houses, they are all running.
_Fintain._ You say they are running out of the houses, there will be
nobody left in the houses. Listen, fool.
_Barach._ There, he is down! He is up again! He is going out into the
deep water.
_Fintain._ Come here, fool; come here, I say.
_Barach._ [_Coming towards him but looking backward towards the door._]
What is it?
_Fintain._ There will be nobody in the houses. Come this way, come
quickly; the ovens will be full; we will put our hands into the ovens.
[_They go out._
[Illustration]
CHISWICK PRESS: CHARLES WHITTINGHAM AND CO.
TOOKS COURT, CHANCERY LANE, LONDON.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Note:
Punctuation has been standardised. Spelling and hyphenation have been
preserved as printed.