The years sped by with no sign of the attack by the High King of the
World. One less wise than Finn would have decided that Donn had given up
his revenge. But Finn was not fooled. He knew that the attack would
come, and that each year of delay meant a greater force against him. He
used the time to build up a stronger defense.
He placed a guard on a hill overlooking every harbor of Erin. These men
were supposed never to leave their posts without placing some one to
watch in their stead. At the important harbors, the watch was strictly
kept, year after year. But the guards of the small and unimportant ports
grew careless and spent much of their time asleep or in the nearby
villages.
So it happened that when the great fleet finally came, there was no one
to give warning. The harbor of Ventry Strand was the one picked out by
Donn for his landing. He chose this harbor because it was small and
unimportant. He was guided by a traitor who had been expelled from the
ranks of the Fenians, a man who knew the placing of the forces and who
knew that the guards of the small harbors like Ventry Strand had become
very careless.
When the guard on the hill awoke he was horrified to see the water black
with ships, and hundreds of men landing on the shore. He could see what
a tremendous force the High King had gathered. There were the banners of
the Kings of France, of Spain, of Norway, of Denmark, and many others he
did not recognize.
The guard was terrified at the results of his neglect of duty. He was
afraid to face Finn and admit that he had not been faithful to his
charge. He did the next best thing. He sent a messenger to his chief
telling him of the arrival of the enemy. Then he went down to meet the
hosts alone, and died fighting bravely as was the duty of a Fenian.
But this guard was not the only one to show his bravery that day. All
through history we find records of small bodies of devoted men who held
back great armies while their comrades prepared for the fight. The
battle of Ventry Strand was no exception. This time, however, it was not
men, but boys who sacrificed themselves to hold back the enemy until the
Fenians could arrive.
In many of our stories you have read of the requirements of strength
necessary to become a Fenian. No doubt you have wondered if there was
not some training school for boys who would be eligible, if they could
pass the test. There was such a training. It was called the Boys’ Corps.
All boys could join this group when old enough to begin their training.
They remained in it until they were able to join the Fenians or had
failed to pass the entrance test. Here they began their training about
the age of twelve, though some of the great heroes enrolled and became
leaders at a much younger age. Finn, you remember, defeated the giant
Midna at the age of ten, but he had proved himself a leader of the Boys’
Corps long before that.
These groups had teachers who instructed their pupils in the Twelve
Books of Poetry, and gave them training in the use of the weapons of the
chase and of warfare. The boys did not live at home, but camped with the
others of the group and lived on what they could kill, just as did the
Fenians. Their training was much the same as that described in stories
of the Spartan boys in Greece.
One of these training groups was in the hills of Ventry when the forces
of Donn were landing. Their leader, a boy of sixteen, who had proven
himself the most expert in his training, saw the situation and thus
addressed his companions:
“Behold, an enemy has landed upon the shores of Erin, and there is no
one to stay them. It will take Finn and his men all day to reach here.
In the meantime, there are two courses open to us. We can seek safety in
the hills and let the foreigner pillage our country, or we can go down
and die fighting in its defense. It is for you to choose. If we hide we
may grow up to become Fenians. But can we look Finn in the face and tell
him that we proved our worth by hiding?“
[Illustration:
The messenger told Finn that the enemy had landed at Ventry Strand
From Battle of Ventry Strand]
He drew a line on the ground and stepped over it.
“I, for one, prefer to show these men what sort of boys grow up to be
the men of Erin. Those who will follow me to the strand to die bravely
fighting for our country, will step across the line.”
With a shout every boy jumped over the line to the side of their leader.
Then, with shields in front and weapons ready, the Boys’ Corps marched
down to meet the invaders.
“Ho! Ho!” laughed one of the soldiers. “Have the men of Erin hidden in
their holes and sent the children to greet us?”
“Better gain what glory you can before the men of Erin arrive to cut
short your boasting,” cried the boy leader, dashing at the man who had
mocked them.
Soon the whole boy force was engaged in the unequal struggle against an
overwhelming number of men hardened to battle. But though they were boys
and knew that they must die in the end, there was no one but showed the
fighting blood of his fathers. One after another they went down, but all
that day they held the forces of the High King on the shore. When the
Fenians arrived that evening the enemy was still on his ships and at the
water’s edge. But where were the heroic boys? Not one was left. Only the
peasants, who had watched the fight from the hillsides, could tell the
story of that noble stand.
When Finn came up and saw the forces against him, he realized that the
battle would be long and hard. His only hope was to use small bodies of
his fighters against the foe, and trust to the bravery of his men to
wear down the forces of the enemy.
“Shall we attack in force and drive them into the sea?” asked Gaul.
“Every Fenian should be able to account for ten of the enemy.”
“They will have to do more than that,” declared Finn. “We must send out
two hundred of our men each day and let them make what headway they can.
Only in that way can we reduce their number enough to make possible
their defeat. The Fenians need room to fight and must have strong odds
against them to make them do their best. Who will lead the first two
hundred?”
“I will lead them,” cried Gaul.
“I, too, will go,” declared Ossian.
“I will be in the first two hundred,” said Oscar.
“So be it,” said Finn. “May you spread terror into the hearts of the
enemy.”
Next morning the two hundred charged into the foe. By nightfall the
forces of the High King were cut to pieces. But of the Fenians there was
left but Gaul, Ossian and Oscar. Gaul was so badly wounded that he had
to be carried back to the camp.
More men landed from the ships and rallied around three men, swordsmiths
of the High King, who had led the forces that day, and who had stood
against the Fenian heroes until night closed the battle.
The next day Ossian and Oscar led out two hundred fresh men from the
Fenian army. They were met by the three smiths and a great force from
the army of the High King. All day the battle continued. Each Fenian did
great deeds of valor and proved worthy of his name. Toward the close of
the day but three smiths and Ossian and Oscar were left to carry on the
battle. Oscar, the best swordsman of the Fenians, was holding two of the
opposing champions. The third was pressing hard against his father and
forcing him backward.
Finn was greatly alarmed for the safety of his son. Of course, under
their rules of warfare, no more men could come into the battle after it
had started. Finn did the only thing left for him to do. He sent his
poet, Fergus, to stand behind Ossian and to sing to him of the great
deeds he had done in the past. This encouragement was what Ossian
needed. A great strength rose up within him. He forced back his opponent
and took his head. Oscar, at the same time, conquered the two, who stood
against him.
The victory that day rested with the Fenians. But it was dearly bought.
At the end of his combat Oscar sank to the ground, fainting from his
many wounds. His father had to carry him back to the camp of the
Fenians. It was many months before he was strong enough to again take
part in the fighting.