Conan Maol said, "Let some one go against him, ask who he is and what he
wants."
"I never give an account of myself to any man," said ConlAin, "till I get
an account from him."
"There is no man among us," said Conan, "bound in that way but Cuculin."
They called on Cuculin; he came up and the two fought. ConlAin knew by
the description his mother had given that Cuculin was his father, but
Cuculin did not know his son. Every time ConlAin aimed his spear he threw
it so as to strike the ground in front of Cuculin's toe, but Cuculin
aimed straight at him.
They were at one another three days and three nights. The son always
sparing the father, the father never sparing the son.
Conan Maol came to them the fourth morning. "Cuculin," said he, "I
didn't expect to see any man standing against you three days, and you
such a champion."
When ConlAin heard Conan Maol urging the father to kill him, he gave a
bitter look at Conan, and forgot his guard. Cuculin's spear went through
his head that minute, and he fell. "I die of that blow from my father,"
said he.
"Are you my son?" said Cuculin.
"I am," said ConlAin.
Cuculin took his sword and cut the head off him sooner than leave him in
the punishment and pain he was in. Then he faced all the people, and Fin
was looking on.
"There's trouble on Cuculin," said Fin. "Chew your thumb," said Conan
Maol, "to know what's on him."
Fin chewed his thumb, and said, "Cuculin is after killing his own son,
and if I and all my men were to face him before his passion cools, at
the end of seven days, he'd destroy every man of us."
"Go now," said Conan, "and bind him to go down to Bale strand and give
seven days' fighting against the waves of the sea, rather than kill us
all."
So Fin bound him to go down. When he went to Bale strand Cuculin found a
great white stone. He grasped his sword in his right hand and cried out:
"If I had the head of the woman who sent her son into peril of death at
my hand, I'd split it as I split this stone," and he made four quarters
of the stone. Then he strove with the waves seven days and nights till
he fell from hunger and weakness, and the waves went over him.