Finn’s dearest friend and constant companion, during his later years,
was Dermot. This young man was most loyal to his chief, and because he
was such a true friend, so strong in the fight, so swift of foot and so
keen of sight, Finn depended greatly upon him. Where Finn went you were
sure to find Dermot, and if Dermot was off on an adventure, Finn was
pretty sure to be with him.
On the day of our story the two were out hunting with some friends. We
find these Fenians on the hunt a great deal of the time. The reason is a
simple one. From November to May the men of the army lived at the
expense of the High King and the people; from May to November they had
to get their food and clothing by hunting. Naturally, many of the
adventures start on a hunting trip.
As this particular morning advanced, the party decided to stop in a
little sheltered spot near the shore for their meal. It was while the
men were getting the game cooked that Finn and Dermot strolled along the
beach and sat down on a ledge of rock. While they were there a ship
sailed into the little harbor.
It was a small vessel, handsome in every line, with sails full as if in
a strong breeze. This was remarkable because no air was stirring at that
time. The ship neared the shore and stopped. The sails dropped loosely.
Finn and Dermot looked in vain for the crew, but there was no one
visible except a lone woman, who sat on the deck.
“It is a wonder to me that one woman should be able to sail a ship alone
and come into a harbor at full speed with no wind blowing,” said Finn.
Dermot was looking with interest toward the ship.
“You shall not wonder long,” said Dermot. “I will go down and bring you
word.”
Finn detained him with a laugh. “No, Dermot,” he said. “This time we
will take into consideration the heart of the lady. I shall see for
myself.”
Finn went down to the shore, placed the point of his sword upon a rock
and sprang lightly to the deck of the vessel.
He was amazed at the beauty of it all. The deck was as clean as a deck
could be with trimmings of silver and gold. At the end, on a seat of the
finest tapestry, sat a beautiful woman. She smiled engagingly and held
out her hand toward Finn.
“Come here,” she said. “I wish you would tell me where I have landed.”
“You are in the harbor of Erin,” said Finn.
“And could you tell me where I am to find the home of a man named Finn
MacCool?” she asked.
“You will not need to find his home, for I am Finn himself,” he
answered.
“Then I am indeed lucky,” said the woman. “I have come to play a game
with Finn. I have heard that he never refuses to play for a sentence,
and that he honorably lives up to his agreements.”
It flattered Finn to be praised by a beautiful woman. Like most of the
heroes of history his wisdom deserted him when dealing with a woman. It
was true that he and the other Fenians took great delight in playing a
game for a wager. These wagers were usually in the form of sentences.
That is, they would play a game and at the end the winner would set a
task for the loser to perform. Sometimes these tasks required years of
labor and much suffering, but no Fenian ever refused to carry out a
sentence imposed upon him.
“I would willingly play if I had my board and chessmen,” said Finn.
“I have them as good as your own,” answered the woman. To prove it she
pulled out a beautiful board and a set of silver and gold chessmen. She
had Finn sit on the seat near her to play. At the end of the first game
Finn was the winner.
“You have beaten me,” she said with a dazzling smile. “What is the
sentence you are to pronounce?”
Now Finn had not quite made up his mind as to what manner of woman it
was who was playing with him. She looked and dressed like a king’s
daughter, but an enchantress could assume that appearance. To prove it
he made a sentence that would prove very difficult for anyone not able
to use the arts of magic.
“I put you under bonds,” he said, “not to eat twice in the same place or
sleep twice in the same bed until you have brought me a white horse with
a saddle and bridle of red leather for myself and each of the Fenians
with me today.”
The woman smiled again. “Look behind you,” she said.
Finn looked toward the shore. There were the beautiful steeds he had
ordered, handsome in their saddles and bridles of red leather. In the
lead was one much finer than the others.
Finn knew then that he was playing with an enchantress. He wished he was
well out of his bargain, but he could not refuse to play the second game
without violating the honor of a Fenian. He felt sure that the woman
would win the next game.
The second game was short. As Finn imagined, the woman, by the aid of
her powers, proved an easy winner. He was anxious to know what was in
store for him.
“Let me know my sentence at once,” he demanded.
“Perhaps you will be sorry for your impatience when you hear it,” said
the lady.
“No trouble was ever made lighter by putting it off,” declared Finn.
“Pronounce your sentence immediately.”
“Very well,” she answered. “I put you under bonds to go with me and obey
me in what I ask until some one throws upon you the amount of seven
shovelfuls of earth. You will be under my enchantment until that
happens.”
Finn did not show his dismay when he heard this hard sentence.
“It is your right to demand it,” he said. “Wait here until I give the
steeds to my men and leave orders for them to follow during my absence.”
When he turned to look for the horses they had vanished. She saw his
look of astonishment.
“You put me under bonds to bring the steeds, but I was not obliged to
leave them there,” said the enchantress.
“It is true,” said Finn. “Now, since you have taken advantage of the
wording of my sentence, I shall try to evade yours. You have put me
under bonds to go with you, but you did not mention that I was not to
try to escape from them.”
She nodded. “Of course, as a man of honor you cannot tell anyone what
will release you,” she said. “If you free yourself otherwise, I shall be
to blame.”
Finn went ashore to tell his men of his wager and sentence. He gave
orders as to the conduct of the Fenians during his absence, then took
Dermot to the top of a hill near the shore.
“Your eyes and ears are best in all Erin,” said Finn. “You will remain
here to watch and listen. If you hear my horn, it will mean that I am
not able to release myself by my own efforts.”
“I will not leave until you are back or my body turns to dust and the
wind carries it away,” declared Dermot.
Then Finn went down to the ship and sprang aboard. The watchers saw the
sails fill and the boat move swiftly out of sight over the waves.