It is then that Medb went with a third of the host with her to Cuib
to seek the Bull; and Cuchulainn went after her. Now on the road of
Midluachair she had gone to harry Ulster and Cruthne as far as Dun
Sobairche. Cuchulainn saw something: Bude Mac Bain from Sliab
Culinn with the Bull, and fifteen heifers round him; and his force
was sixty men of Ailill's household, with a cloak folded round
every man. Cuchulainn comes to them.
'Whence have you brought the cattle?' said Cuchulainn.
'From the mountain yonder,' said the man.'
'Where are their cow-herds?' said Cuchulainn.
'He is as we found him,' said the man.
Cuchulainn made three leaps after them to seek speech with them as
far as the ford. It is there he said to the leader:
'What is your name?' said he.
'One who fears you not(?) and loves you not; Bude Mac Bain,' said
he.
'This spear at Bude!' said Cuchulainn. He hurls at him the javelin,
so that it went through his armpits, and one of the livers broke in
two before the spear. He kills him on his ford; hence is Ath Bude.
The Bull is brought into the camp then. They considered then that
it would not be difficult to deal with Cuchulainn, provided his
javelin were got from him.
_The Death of Redg the Satirist_
It is then that Redg, Ailill's satirist, went to him on an errand
to seek the javelin, that is, Cuchulainn's spear.
'Give me your spear,' said the satirist.
'Not so,' said Cuchulainn; 'but I will give you treasure.'
'I will not take it,' said the satirist.
Then Cuchulainn wounded the satirist, because he would not accept
from him what he offered him, and the satirist said he would take
away his honour unless he got the javelin. Then Cuchulainn threw
the javelin at him, and it went right through his head.
'This gift is overpowering (?),' said the satirist. Hence is Ath
Tolam Set.
There was now a ford east of it, where the copper of the javelin
rested; Humarrith, then, is the name of that ford. It is there that
Cuchulainn killed all those that we have mentioned in Cuib; i.e.
Nathcoirpthe at his trees; Cruthen on his ford; the sons of the
Herd at their cairn; Marc on his hill; Meille on his hill; Bodb in
his tower; Bogaine in his marsh (?).
Cuchulainn turned back to Mag Murthemne; he liked better to defend
his own home. After he went, he killed the men of Crocen (or
Cronech), i.e. Focherd; twenty men of Focherd. He overtook them
taking camp: ten cup-bearers and ten fighting-men.
Medb turned back from the north when she had remained a fortnight
ravaging the province, and when she had fought a battle against
Findmor, wife of Celtchar Mac Uthidir. And after taking Dun
Sobairche upon her, she brought fifty women into the province of
Dalriada. Wherever Medb placed a horse-switch in Cuib its name is
Bile Medba [Note: i.e. Tree of Medb]; every ford and every hill by
which she slept, its name is Ath Medba and Dindgna Medba.
They all meet then at Focherd, both Ailill and Medb and the troop
that drove the Bull. But their herd took their Bull from them, and
they drove him across into a narrow gap with their spear-shafts on
their shields(?). [Note: A very doubtful rendering.] So that the
feet of the cattle drove him [Note, i.e. Forgemen.] through the
ground. Forgemen was the herd's name. He is there afterwards, so
that that is the name of the hill, Forgemen. There was no annoyance
to them that night, provided a man were got toward off Cuchulainn
on the ford.
'Let a sword-truce be asked by us from Cuchulainn,' said Ailill.
'Let Lugaid go for it,' said every one.
Lugaid goes then to speak to him.
'How am I now with the host?' said Cuchulainn.
'Great indeed is the mockery that you asked of them,' said Lugaid,
'that is, your women and your maidens and half your cattle. And
they think it heavier than anything to be killed and to provide you
with food.'
A man fell there by Cuchulainn every day to the end of a week.
Fair-play is broken with Cuchulainn: twenty are sent to attack him
at one time; and he killed them all.
'Go to him, O Fergus,' said Ailill, 'that he may allow us a change
of place.'
They go then to Cronech. This is what fell by him in single combat
at this place: two Roths, two Luans, two female horse messengers,
[Note: Or 'female stealers.' (O'Davoren.)] ten fools, ten
cup-bearers, ten Ferguses, six Fedelms, six Fiachras. These then
were all killed by him in single combat. When they pitched their
tents in Cronech, they considered what they should do against
Cuchulainn.
'I know,' said Medb, 'what is good in this case: let a message be
sent from us to ask him that we may have a sword-truce from him
towards the host, and he shall have half the cattle that are here.'
This message is taken to him.
'I will do this,' said Cuchulainn, 'provided the compact is not
broken by you.'
_The Meeting of Cuchulainn and Findabair_
'Let an offer go to him,' said Ailill, 'that Findabair will be
given to him on condition that he keeps away from the hosts.'
Mane Athramail goes to him. He goes first to Loeg.
'Whose man are you?' said he.
Loeg does not speak to him. Mane spoke to him thrice in this way.
'Cuchulainn's man,' said he, 'and do not disturb me, lest I strike
your head off.'
'This man is fierce,' said Mane, turning from him. He goes then to
speak to Cuchulainn. Now Cuchulainn had taken off his tunic, and
the snow was round him up to his waist as he sat, and the snow
melted round him a cubit for the greatness of the heat of the hero.