by Irish Myths
weight of horsemen on him as the weight of the big man."
On that thirteen men of the Fianna went up behind Conan,
and the horse lay down with them and rose up again. "I think
DIARMUID
3 1 1
that you are mocking at my horse and at myself," said the big
man; .. and it is a pity for me to be spending the rest of the year
with you, after all the humbugging I saw in you to-day, Finn. And
I know well," he said, "that all I heard about you was nothing but
lies, and there was no cause for the great name you have through
the world. And I will quit you now, Finn," he said.
With that he went from them , slow and weak, draggi ng
himself along till he had put a little hill between himself and
the Fianna. And as soon as he was on the other side of it, he
tucked up his cloak to his waist, and away with him, as if with the
quickness of a swallow or a deer, and the rush of his going was
like a blast of loud wind going over plains and mountains in
spring-time.
When the horse saw his master going from him, he could not
bear with it, but great as his load was he set out at full gallop following after him. And when Finn and the Fianna saw the thirteen men behind Conan, son of Morna, on the horse, and he starting
off, they shouted with mocking laughter.
And when Conan found that he was not able to come down
off the horse, he screeched and shouted to them not to let him be
brought away with the big man they knew nothing of, and he
began abusing and reproaching them. "A cloud of death over
water on you, Finn," he said, "and that some son of a slave or a
robber of the bad blood, one that is a worse son of a father and
mother even than yourself, may take all that might protect your
life, and your head along with that, unless you follow us to whatever place or island the big man will carry us to, and unless you bring us back to Ireland again. "
Finn and the Fianna rose up then, and they followed the Gilla
Decair over every bald hill, and through every alley and every
river, on to pleasant Slieve Luachra, into the borders of Corea
Duibhne; and the big man, that was up on the horse then along
with Conan and the rest, faced towards the deep sea. And Liagan
Luath of Luachar took hold of the horse's tail with his two hands,
thinking to drag him back by the hair of it; but the horse gave a
3 1 2
IRISH MYTHS AND LEGENDS
great tug, and away with him over the sea, and Liagan along with
him, holding on to his tail.
It was a heavy care to Finn, those fourteen men of his people
to be brought away from him, and he himself under bonds to
bring them back. "What can we do now? " Oisin asked him.
"What should we do, but to follow our people to whatever place
or island the big man has brought them, and, whatever way we
do it, to bring them back to Ireland again. " "What can we do,
having neither a ship or any kind of boat?" said Oisin. "We have
this," said Finn, "the Tuatha de Danaan left as a gift to the children of Gael, that whoever might have to leave Ireland for a while, had but to go to Beinn Edair, and however many would go
along with him, they would find a ship that would hold them all."
Finn looked towards the sea then, and he saw two strong armed
men coming towards him. The first one had on his back a shield
ribbed and of many colours, having shapes of strange, wonderful
beasts engraved on it, and a heavy sword at his side, and two
thick spears on his shoulders; a cloak of lasting crimson about
him, with a gold brooch on the breast; a band of whtte bronze on
his head, gold under each of his feet; and the other was dressed in
the same way. They made no delay till they came to where Finn
was, and they bowed their heads and bent their knees before him,
and Finn raised his hand over their heads, and bade them to give
an account of themselves. "We are sons of the King of the Eastern
World," they said, "and we are come to Ireland asking to be taken
into the service of Finn; for we heard there was not a man in all
Ireland," they said, "would be better than yourself to judge of the
skill we have." "What is your name, and what skill is that? " said
Finn. "My name is Feradach, the Very Brave," he said; "and I have
a carpenter's axe and a sling, and if there were so many as thirty
hundred of the men of Ireland along with me in one spot, with
three blows of the axe on the sling-stick I could get a ship that
would hold them all. And I would ask no more help of them," he
said, "than to bow down their heads while I was striking those
three blows." "That is a good art," said Finn. "And tell me now,"
DlARMUID
3 1 3
he said, "what can the other man of?" "I can do this," he said, " I
can follow the track o f the teal over nine ridges and nine furrows
until I come on her in her bed; and it is the same to me to do it on
sea as on land," he said. "That is a good art," said Finn; "and it
would be a good help to us if you would come following a track
with us now. " "What is gone from you?" said one of the men.
Finn told them then the whole story of the Hard Servant.
Then Feradach, the Very Brave, struck three blows on his
sling-stick with the axe that he had, and the whole of the Fianna
bowed their heads, and on the moment the whole of the bay and
of the harbour was filled with ships and with fast boats. "What ·
will we do with that many ships? " said Finn. "We will do away
with all you make no use of," he said.
Caoilte rose up then and let out three great shouts, and all the
Fianna of Ireland, in whatever places they were, heard them, and
they thought Finn and his people to be in some kind of danger
from men from beyond the sea.
They came then in small companies as they chanced to be, till
they came to the stepping-stones of the Cat's Head in the western
part of Corea Duibhne. And they asked news of Finn, what had
happened that he called them away from their hunting, and Finn
told them all that had happened. Then Finn and Oisin went into
council together, and it is what they agreed; that as but fifteen of
his people were brought away from Finn, he himself with fifteen
others would go on their track; Oisin to be left at the head of the
Fianna to guard Ireland.
And they said farewell to one another, and a grand ship was
made ready for Finn and his people, and there was food put in it
for using and gold for giving away. The young men and the
heroes took to their seats then, and took hold of the oars, and they
set out over the restless hills and the dark valleys of the great sea.
And the sea rose up and bellowed, and there was madness on the
broken green waters; but to Finn and his people it was a call in the
morning and a sleepy time at night to be listening to the roaring and
the crooning that was ever and always about the sides of the ship.
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IRISH MYTHS AND LEGENDS
They went on like that for three days and three nights and saw
no country or island. But at the end of that time a man of them
/>
went up into the head of the ship, and he saw out before them a
great, rough grey cliff. They went on towards it then, and they
saw on the edge of the cliff a high rock, round-shaped, having
sides more slippery than an eel's back. And they found the track
of the Hard Servant as far as to the foot of the rock.
Fergus of the True Lips said then to Diarmuid: "It is no brave
thing you are doing, Diarmuid, grandson of Duibhne, to hold back
like this, for it was with Manannan the Powerful, son of Lir, you
were reared and got your learning, in the Land of Promise and in
the coasts of the harbours, and with Angus Og, the Dagda's son.
And are you without any share of their skill and their daring now,"
he said, "that would bring Finn and his people up this rock?"
Diarmuid's face reddened when he heard those words, and he
took hold of Manannan's staves of power that were with him, and
he reddened again, and he rose on the staves and gave a leap, and
got a standing-place for his two feet on the overhanging rock. He
looked down from that on Finn and his people, but whatever wish
he had to bring them up to where he was, he was not able to do it.
He left the rock behind him then, and he was not gone far
when he saw a wild tangled place before him, with thick woods
that were of all he had ever walked the most leafy and the fullest
of the sounds of wind and streams and birds, and of the humming
of bees.
He went on walking the plain, and as he was looking about
him, he saw a great tree with many twigs and branches, and a
rock beside it, and a smooth-pointed drinking-horn on it, and a
beautiful fresh well at its foot. And there was a great drouth on
Diarmuid after the sea-journey, and he had a mind to drink a
hornful of the water. But when he stooped to it he heard a great
noise coming towards him, and he knew then there was enchantment in the water.
"I will drink my fill of it for all that," he said. And it was not long
after that till he saw a Man of Enchannnents coming towards him
DIARMUID
3 1 5
armed, having no friendly look. And it was in no friendly way he
spoke to Diarmuid when he came up to him, but he gave him great
abuse. "It is no right thing," he said, "to be walking through my
thickets and to be drinking up my share of water. " With that they
faced one another angrily, and they fought till the end of the day.
The Enchanter thought it well to leave off fighting then, and
he made a leap into the bottom of the well away from him, but
there was vexation on Diarmuid to be left like that.
He looked around him then, and he saw a herd of deer coming
through the scrub, and he went towards them, and threw a spear
that went through the nearest stag and drove the bowels out of
him. He kindled a fire then, and he cut thin bits of the flesh and
put them on spits of white hazel, and that night he had his fill of
meat and of the water of the well.
He rose up early on the morrow, and he found the Enchanter
at the well before him. "It seems to me, Grandson of Duibhne,"
he said, "that it is not enough for you to be walking my scrub and
my woods without killing my deer as well." With that they started
again, giving one another blow for blow, thrust for thrust, and
wound for wound till the end of the day came on them. And
Diarmuid killed another great deer that night, and in the morning
the fight began again. But in the evening, when the Enchanter
was making his leap into the well, Diarmuid threw his arms about
his neck, thinking to stop him, but it is what happened, he fell in
himself. And when he was at the bottom of the well the Enchanter left him.
Diarmuid went then following after the Enchanter, and he
found before him a beautiful wide flowery plain, and a comely
royal city in the plain, and on the green before the dun he saw a
great army; and when they saw Diarmuid following after the
Enchanter, they left a way and a royal road for the Enchanter to
pass through till he got inside the dun. And then they shut the
gates, and the whole army turned on Diarmuid.
But that put no fear or cowardice on him, but he went through
them and over them like a hawk would go through little birds, or
3 1 6
IRISH MITHS AND LEGENDS
a wild dog through a flock of sheep, killing all before him, till
some of them made away to the woods and wastes, and another
share of them through the gates of the dun, and they shut them,
and the gates of the city after them. And Diarmuid, all full of
hurts and wounds after the hard fight, lay down on the plain. A
very strong daring champion came then and kicked at him from
behind, and at that Diarmuid roused himself up, and put out his
brave ready hand for his weapons.
"Wait a while , Grandson of Duibhne," the champion said
then; "it is not to do you any hurt or harm I am come, but to say
to you it is a bad sleeping-place for you to have, and it on your illwisher's lawn. And come now with me," he said, "and I will give you a better resting-place."
Diarmuid followed him then, and they went a long, long way
from that, till they came to a high-topped city, and three times fifty
brave champions in it, three times fifty modest women, and another
young woman on a bench, with blushes in her cheeks, and delicate hands, and having a silken cloak about her, and a dress sewed with gold threads, and on her head the flowing veil of a queen.
There was a good welcome before Diarmuid for his own sake
and the sake of his people, and he was put in a house of healing
that was in the city, and good herbs were put to his hurts till he
was smooth and sound again.
And a feast was made then, and the tables and the benches
were set, and no high person was put in the place of the mean, or
mean in the place of the high, but every one in his own place,
according to his nobility, or his descent, or his art. Plenty of good
food was brought to them then, and well-tasting strong drinks,
and they spent the first part of the night in drinking, and the second part with music and delight and rejoicing of the mind, and the third part in sound sleep that lasted till the sun rose over the
heavy sodded earth on the morrow.
Three days and three nights Diarmuid stopped in that city, and
the best feast he ever found was given to him all through. And at
the end of that time he asked what was the place he was in, and
DIARMUID
3 1 7
who was head of it. And the champion that brought him there
told him it was Land-Under-Wave , and that the man that had
fought with him was its king. "And he is an enemy of the Red
Hand to me," he said. "And as to myself," he said, "I was one time
getting wages from Finn, son of Cumhal, in Ireland, and I never
put a year over me that pleased me better. And tell me now," he
said, "what is the journey or the work that is before you?"
And Diarmuid told him the story of the Hard Servant then
from beginning to end.
Now, as to Finn and his people, when they thought Diarmuid
was t
oo long away from them, they made ladders of the cords of
the ship and put them against the rock, looking for him.
And after a while they found the leavings of the meat he had
eaten, for Diarmuid never ate meat without leaving some after him.
Finn looked then on every side, and he saw a rider coming
towards him over the plain on a dark-coloured beautiful horse,
having a bridle of red gold. Finn saluted him when he came up,
and the rider stooped his head and gave Finn three kisses, and
asked him to go with him. They went on a long way till they
came to a wide, large dwelling-place full of arms, and a great
troop of armed men on the green before the fort. Three nights and
three days Finn and his people stopped in the dun, and the best
feast they ever got was served out to them.
At the end of that time Finn asked what country was he in,
and the man that brought him there told him it was the land of
Sorcha, and that he himself was the king. "And I was with yourself one time, Finn, son of Cumhal," he said, "taking your wages through the length of a year in Ireland. "
Then Finn and the King o f Sorcha called a great gathering of
the people and a great meeting. And when it was going on they
saw a woman-messenger coming to them through the crowd, and
the king asked news of her. "I have news indeed," she said; "the
whole of the bay and the harbour is full of ships and of boats, and
there are armies all through the country robbing all before them."
"I know well," said the king, "it is the High King of Greece is in it,
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IRISH MITHS AND LEGENDS
for he has a mind to put the entire world under him, and to get
hold of this country like every other." The King of Sorcha looked
at Finn then, and Finn understood it was help from him he was
asking, and it is what he said: "I take the protection of this country
on myself so long as I am in it." He and his people rose up then,
and the King of Sorcha along with them, and they went looking
for the strange army. And when they came up with it they made
great slaughter of its champions, and those they did not kill ran
before them, and made no better stand than a flock of frightened
birds, till there were hardly enough of them left to tell the story.
The High King spoke then, and it is what he said: "Who is it