As soon as they had gone, Finn began preparations to go to their rescue.
He asked Fergus for advice as to where they might find a suitable ship.
Fergus replied that there was one about five miles distant. Finn called
Dermot and a small body of the bravest of his men together and told them
that they were to accompany him. All were delighted to go upon such an
adventure.
The party had gone but a short distance when they met two handsome young
men, dressed in green garments and without any weapons of war. One
carried a light wand in his hand.
“We crave to enter thy service, O Finn,” said the elder of the two.
“Very well,” answered Finn. “We are on a difficult errand and need only
men of experience, but you may join the Fenians in our rear.”
“It is to go with you that we seek service,” said the stranger.
“Have you any special talents that would be of value to us on a
difficult adventure?” asked Finn.
“I can be of great service, if your adventure takes you upon the sea,”
replied the elder. “I am called Quick-Builder. If you cover your heads
for the space of a minute I can cause the harbor to be filled with ships
of every description. After you have selected the one you wish, all the
others will disappear.”
“That would be a great help to us now,” said Finn. “And what can you
do?” he asked the younger.
“I am called Keen-Sight,” the boy replied. “I can follow any track on
land, air or water. I can trace the eagle to her nest or the fish upon
his journey.”
“Such a talent will be of great assistance,” said Finn. “I take you both
into my service. Quick-Builder, produce your ships.”
The Fenians obeyed the command to cover their heads. They heard the
sound of the young man’s wand strike on wood. Then they looked when he
bade them. They were greatly astonished to find that he had done what he
claimed. Finn chose the boat which suited his needs. He ordered his men
to get on board and take the oars. No sooner were they on this ship than
every other one disappeared.
Then the lad, Keen-Sight, took his place in the prow of the boat and
called directions to the steersman. They sped on over the ocean until
they were stopped by a high precipice of rock, seemingly the edge of a
great island.
“Here ends the track,” announced Keen-Sight.
“No horse could have climbed that cliff,” declared Fergus.
“No,” answered Finn. “But a horse could pass under it. Noted you not the
way the waves parted for the giant and his horse? I greatly believe that
we are dealing with the subjects of King Under the Waves.”
“If that is so, it would seem to be our duty to get on shore and see
where we may go,” said Fergus.
“If any man can climb that cliff it is Dermot,” declared Finn.
Dermot looked at the face of the precipice and noted a rocky shelf about
half way up. From that on there seemed to be footholds.
“I think I can scale it,” he said.
He had the Fenians clear off the length of the deck. Then taking his
sword and holding it in front of him like a pole, he ran from stern to
prow. He used the sword as a lever and sprang lightly to the rocky
shelf. The Fenians set up a cheer at the splendid feat. Dermot waved to
them and soon disappeared from view.
Once over the rocks he found himself in a pleasant country of trees and
little brooks. He could see neither houses nor people. He walked on and
on without seeing a living thing. At last, tired and thirsty, he stopped
to drink from a well of clear water beside the road. As he touched his
lips to the water a man appeared beside him.
“How dare you drink from my well?” he demanded.
“I could see no harm in taking a drink from an open well,” said Dermot.
“Then you are little better than a thief,” declared the newcomer.
“You are very uncivil to say so,” answered Dermot. “I shall not leave
this place until I have had satisfaction for that insult.”
He grappled with the man and wrestled with him for a decision. When it
seemed that he must win the victory, the man rolled into the well and
disappeared.
The next day the same thing happened. The same man appeared, the same
struggle was gone through with, and once more he disappeared in the
waters of the well. Dermot had no intention of leaving until he had
beaten this fellow. On the third day, when the time for disappearance
came, Dermot clung to him and went into the water with him.
Judge to his surprise to find himself not in a well at all, but in a
beautiful country with wealth and plenty on every side. Dermot did not
have to guess where he was. Every Fenian had heard of this land, but no
mortal had ever entered it before. He was in the Land Under the Waves.
The well had been the entrance.
When Dermot released his hold on the man with whom he had been
struggling, the fellow lost no time in getting away. With the start he
got by his quickness he soon disappeared among the trees. Dermot had to
go on alone. Before long he found himself before a beautiful castle. At
the gate was a guard of seven warriors on either side. The Fenian had
only time to draw his sword before they all set upon him.
But these under-sea champions were no match for him either in strength
or quickness. He quickly defeated the fourteen guards and many others
who came out of the castle to their aid. In the evening, tired from his
struggle with the man at the well, and his fighting at the castle gate,
he went into the woods and was soon sound asleep.
He was awakened by the touch of a hand on his shoulder. He quickly
sprang to his feet, his hand on his sword, to face this newcomer. It was
a knight in armor, fully equipped with weapons, but the smile on his
face showed that he had not come for fighting.
“Do not draw your sword, for I am a friend,” he said. “Come with me so
that you may have food and a better and more comfortable bed.”
“I would be foolish did I refuse such an offer,” replied Dermot. “Lead
the way and I will follow.”
The knight led him into a small castle some distance away and took him
into the banquet hall, where plenty of food and drink was still on the
table. Thirty other knights rested on their beds in the room, and some
rose on the entrance of the Fenian. One was the man who had wrestled
with Dermot.
“You may be a friend, but you have brought me to an enemy,” he said to
his guide.
“He is not your enemy,” replied the knight. “This man was the messenger
I sent to bring you here.”
Dermot thought back over the three days of wrestling and of the way the
man had left him to face the guards of the castle.
“I should say that your messenger had some rather rough and
unsatisfactory methods,” said Dermot. “If he was to lead me here, why
did he not tell me so?”
The knight smiled. “I understand your surprise. It was necessary for him
to do just as he did, for it is only possible to enter the Land Under
the Sea in the manner in which you came. But sit down and eat. I shall
explain as you satisfy your hunger.”
Dermot needed no second invitation. The knight sat down at the table
with him while the others went back to their couches.
“I am known as the Knight of Valor,” his host began. “And I am the
rightful ruler of this land. By a trick my brother has seized the
kingdom and is reigning in my stead. All he has left me is this small
castle and the thirty knights whom you see about you. When I heard that
Dermot of the Fenians had landed on the island, I determined to enlist
your help. I sent one of my men to the well to wait for you. The result
you know.”
“If I was to be brought here to help you, why was I left alone to face
that castle guard?” asked Dermot.
“That is a fair question,” answered the knight. “You see, I had heard
great tales of your strength, but I did not know if it was greater than
that of the men of our land. That castle is the stronghold of my
brother, and those were his men. Your combat with them showed me that if
you will help us, we can wrest the kingdom from his wicked hands. My
people are suffering from my brother’s rule; will you help me to free
them?”
“You have been fair with me,” answered Dermot. “I will help you. I will
not hold it against you that your guide deserted me before the castle,
since that combat leaves us fewer men to meet tomorrow.”
“Your willingness affords me great pleasure,” said the knight. “I am
sure that tomorrow night will see me once more upon my rightful throne.”
Dermot finished his meal and then was shown a bed where he spent the
night.
With the first streaks of morning light, the little castle became a
scene of busy preparations. Each of the thirty knights buckled on his
armor, took up his shield and announced himself willing to follow
Dermot’s orders. The Knight of Valor, fully armed, took his place at
Dermot’s side, and the little army went forth to battle. When they
approached the castle of the false king, Dermot called out:
“Come forth, false king, and fight me for your kingdom!”
This the usurper was afraid to do. He knew better than to risk his life
against such a hero. For answer he sent out all his forces and only
appeared when his warriors formed a protecting wall between him and his
enemies. There he remained in safety. Dermot placed his men in the form
of a wedge with himself in the lead and went into battle.
Now, the army of the false king was only loyal to him because he had
paid them to place him upon the throne. Then, too, they feared this
terrible Fenian, who had faced them the night before. On the other hand,
the Knight of Valor and his men, cheered by having such a fighter on
their side, fought as they had never fought before. In a short time the
wedge went through the opposing forces, leaving the wicked brother
unprotected.
This man did not wait any longer. He turned and ran into the palace for
safety, closing the gate behind him. His forces would not keep up the
struggle after their leader left them. They threw down their weapons in
token that they were through.
Dermot determined to get hold of this brother. He did not stop for the
gate, but used his sword as a lever and jumped over the wall just as he
had gone up the cliff. He caught the pretender before he could get
across the courtyard, and brought him out where his men could see him.
There Dermot released him and once more asked him if he was ready to
fight for the right to retain the kingdom.
The wicked fellow’s knees shook to the rapid beating of his heart. They
trembled so he had to get down on them to make them support him at all.
“Spare me! Spare me!” he cried.
“Are you willing to give up the throne to your brother, the rightful
king?” asked Dermot.
“I am if my men are satisfied,” answered the man, still on his knees.
For an answer his men gave a cheer for the Knight of Valor. Then Dermot
picked out thirty men for the false king.
“You shall have what you gave your brother,” he said. “Now, get up and
lead your men to the castle you set apart for him. That shall be your
kingdom.”
Then the Knight of Valor led his new friend into the castle. They were
served by the happy people, happy in the return of their own kind ruler.
A joyous celebration was held in Dermot’s honor, but that hero cut it
short by saying:
“Now that I have helped you, you can show your gratitude by giving me
some assistance. I would find the giant with the bony horse who took
away fifteen of the Fenians. Also, I would get back to Finn with what
information you can give me.”
“I suppose you mean the man who calls himself the Worthless Servant?”
asked the Knight of Valor.
Dermot nodded his head.
“Then I can help you. That man was no giant, but a friend of mine, who
took that shape to get some of the Fenians to come over and help him. He
is about to be attacked by Donn, High King of the World, and needs all
the help he can command. Tomorrow you and I shall go at the head of my
army to give him assistance. You will find Finn and your companions
already there. You see, we worked together. Keen-Sight and Quick-Builder
are our men, whom we sent to bring you here. Tomorrow you shall see them
all.”