Gods and Fighting Men, Lady I. A Gregory [best e books to read TXT] 📗

and they made

a hard fight; but after a while Lir was getting the worst of it. "It is

a pity the way Lir is," said Bodb Dearg; "and let some of you rise up

and help him," he said. Then Ilbrec, son of Manannan, went to his help;

but if he did, he got a wound himself and could do nothing. Then Sigmal,

grandson of Midhir, went to his help, and after him the five sons of

Finnaistucan, and others of the Men of Dea, but they were all driven off

by the King of the Dog-Heads. But at that time Abarthach had made an end

of the King of the Cat-Heads, and he rose on his spear, and made a leap,

and came down between Lir and his enemy. "Leave off now and look on at

the fight," he said to Lir, "and leave it to me and the foreigner." With

that he took his sword in his left hand and made a thrust with his spear

in through the king's armour. And as the king was raising up his shield,

he struck at him with the sword that was in his left hand, and cut off

both his legs at the knees, and the king let fall his shield then, and

Abarthach struck off his head. And the two kings being dead, their

people broke away and ran, but the Men of Dea followed them and made an

end of them all; but if they did, they lost a good many of their own

men.

 

CHAPTER VI. (THE MARCH OF THE FIANNA)

Ana Finn and the Fianna were at the house of Credhe yet, and they saw

Taistellach coming towards them. It was the custom, now, with Finn when

he sent any one looking for news, that it was to himself it was to be

told first, the way that if he got bad news he would let on not to mind

it; and if it was good news he got, he would have the satisfaction of

telling it himself. So Taistellach told him how the foreigners were come

to the harbour of the White Strand.

 

Then Finn turned to his chief men, and he said: "Fianna of Ireland,

there never came harm or danger to Ireland to be put aside this great

danger that is come against us now. And you get great tribute and great

service from the chief men of Ireland," he said, "and if you take that

from them it is right for you to defend them now."

 

And the Fianna all said they would not go back one step from the defence

of Ireland. And as to Credhe, she gave every one of them a battle dress,

and they were taking leave of her, and Finn said: "Let the woman come

along with us till we know is it good or bad the end of this journey

will be." So she came with them, bringing a great herd of cattle; and

through the whole length of the battle, that lasted a year and a day,

she had new milk for them, and it was to her house the wounded were

brought for healing.

 

Then the Fianna set out, and they went to the borders of Ciarraighe

Luachra and across by the shores of the Bannlid with their left hand to

Slieve Mis, and they made shelters for themselves that night, and

kindled fires.

 

But Caoilte and Oisin and Lugaidh's Son said to one another they would

go on to the harbour, the way they would have time to redden their hands

in the blood of the foreigners before the rest of the Fianna would come.

 

And at that time the King of the World bade some of his chief men to go

on shore and to bring him back some spoils. So they went to land and

they gave out a great shout, and the people of the ships gave out a

great shout at the same time. "I swear by the oath my people swear by,"

said Caoilte, "I have gone round the whole world, but I never heard so

many voices together in the one place." And with that he himself and

Oisin and Lugaidh's Son made an attack on the strangers, and struck

great blows at them. And when Conn Crither and Glas, son of Bremen,

heard the noise of those blows, they knew they were struck by some of

the Fianna of Ireland, and they came and joined with them, and did great

destruction on the strangers, till there was not one left of all that

had come to land.

 

CHAPTER VII. (THE FIRST FIGHTERS)

And in the morning they saw Finn and all his people coming to the rath

that is above the harbour. "My father Finn," said Oisin than, "let us

fight now with the whole of the foreigners altogether." "That is not my

advice," said Finn, "for the number of their armies is too great for us,

and we could not stand against them. But we will send out every day,"

he said, "some son of a king or of a leader against some king of the

kings of the world that is equal in blood to ourselves. And let none of

you redden your arms," he said, "but against a king or a chief man at

first, for when a king is fallen, his people will be more inclined to

give way. And who will give out a challenge of battle from me now?" he

said. "I will do that," said the son of Cuban, leader of the Fianna of

Munster. "Do not go, my son," said Finn, "for it is not showed to me

that you will have good luck in the battle, and I never sent out any man

to fight without I knew he would come back safe to me." "Do not say

that," said Cuban's son, "for I would not for the treasure of the whole

world go back from a fight on account of a bad foretelling. And as it is

my own country they have done their robbery in first," he said, "I will

defend it for you." "It is sorrowful I am for that," said Finn, "for

whichever of the kings of the world will meet you to-day, yourself and

himself will fall together."

 

Then Glas, son of Dremen, gave out a challenge of fight from Cuban's

son, and the King of Greece answered it. And the two fought hand to

hand, and the King of Greece made a great cast of his thick spear at

Cuban's son, that went through his body and broke his back in two. But

he did not take that blow as a gift, but he paid for it with a strong

cast of his own golden spear that went through the ringed armour of the

King of Greece. And those two fell together, sole to sole, and lip to

lip. "There is grief on me, Cuban's son to have fallen," said Finn, "for

no one ever went from his house unsatisfied; and a man that I would not

keep, or the High King of Ireland would not keep for a week, he would

keep him in his house through the length of a year. And let Follamain,

his son, be called to me now," he said, "and I will give him his

father's name and place."

 

They stopped there then till the next morning. "Who will go and fight

to-day?" said Finn then. "I will do that," said Goll Garb, son of the

King of Alban and of the daughter of Goll, son of Morna.

 

So he put on his battle dress, and there came against him the three

kings from the rising of the sun in the east, and their three battalions

with them. And Goll Garb rushed among their men, and wounded and maimed

and destroyed them, and blinded their eyes for ever, so that their wits

went from them, and they called to him to stop his deadly sword for a

while. So he did that; and it is what they agreed to take their three

kings and to give them over to Goll Garb that he might stop doing

destruction with his sword.

 

"Who will go out and fight to-day?" said Finn, on the morning of the

morrow. "I will go," said Oisin, "and the chief men of the sons of

Baiscne with me; for we get the best share of all the pleasant things of

Ireland, and we should be first to defend her." "I will answer that

challenge," said the King of France, "for it is against Finn I am come

to Ireland, on account of my wife that he brought away from me; and

these men will fall by me now," he said, "and Finn himself at the last;

for when the branches of a tree are cut off, it is not hard to cut down

the tree itself."

 

So the King of France and Oisin met one another at the eastern end of

the strand, and they struck their banners of soft silk into the green

hill, and bared their swords and made a quick attack on one another. And

at one time the king struck such a great blow that he knocked a groan

out of Oisin. But for all that he was worsted in the end, and great fear

came on him, like the fear of a hundred horses at the sound of thunder,

and he ran from Oisin, and he rose like a swallow, that his feet never

touched the earth at all; and he never stopped till he came to Gleann

na-n Gealt, the Valley of Wild Men. And ever since that time, people

that have lost their wits make for that valley; and every mad person in

Ireland, if he had his way, would go there within twenty-four hours.

 

And there rose great cries of lamentation from the armies of the World

when they saw him going from them, and the Fianna of Ireland raised

great shouts of joy.

 

And when the night was coming on, it is what Finn said: "It is sad and

gloomy the King of the World is to-night; and it is likely he will make

an attack on us. And which of you will keep watch over the harbour

through the night?" he said. "I will," said Oisin, "with the same number

that was fighting along with me to-day; for it is not too much for you

to fight for the Fianna of Ireland through a day and a night," he said.

 

So they went down to the harbour, and it was just at that time the King

of the World was saying, "It seems to me, men of the World, that our

luck of battle was not good to-day. And let a share of you rise up now,"

he said, "and make an attack on the Fianna of Ireland." Then there rose

up the nine sons of Garb, King of the Sea of Icht, that were smiths, and

sixteen hundred of their people along with them, and they all went on

shore but Dolar Durba that was the eldest of them. And the sons of

Baiscne were ready for them, and they fought a great battle till the

early light of the morrow.