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

in that strait; for there is no labouring man

dares touch a pig or a deer or a salmon if he finds it dead before him

on account of the Fianna; and there is no man but is in dread to go from

one place to another without leave from Finn, or to take a wife till he

knows if she has a sweetheart among the Fianna of Ireland. And it is

often Finn has given bad judgments against us," he said, "and it would

be better for us the foreigners to gain the day than himself."

 

Then Fergus went out to the lawn where the High King's son was playing

at ball. "It is no good help you are giving to Ireland," said Fergus

then, "to be playing a game without lasting profit, and strangers taking

away your country from you." And he was urging him and blaming him, and

great shame came on the young man, and he threw away the stick and went

through the people of Teamhair and brought together all the young men, a

thousand and twenty of them that were in it. And they asked no leave and

no advice from the High King, but they set out and went on till they

came to Finntraigh. And Fergus went to where Finn was, and told him the

son of the High King of Ireland was come with him; and all the Fianna

rose up before the young man and bade him welcome. And Finn said: "Young

man," he said, "we would sooner see you coming at a time when there

would be musicians and singers and poets and high-up women to make

pleasure for you than at the time we are in the straits of battle the

way we are now." "It is not for playing I am come," said the young man,

"but to give you my service in battle." "I never brought a lad new to

the work into the breast of battle," said Finn, "for it is often a lad

coming like that finds his death, and I would not wish him to fall

through me." "I give my word," said the young man, "I will do battle

with them on my own account if I may not do it on yours." Then Fergus of

the Fair Lips went out to give a challenge of battle from the son of the

High King of Ireland to the King of the World.

 

"Who will answer the King of Ireland's son for me?" said the King of the

World. "I will go against him," said Sligech, King of the Men of Cepda;

and he went on shore, and his three red battalions with him. And the

High King's son went against them, and his comrades were near him, and

they were saying to him: "Take a good heart now into the fight, for the

Fianna will be no better pleased if it goes well with you than if it

goes well with the foreigner." And when the High King's son heard that,

he made a rush through the army of the foreigners, and began killing and

overthrowing them, till their chief men were all made an end of. Then

Sligech their king came to meet him, very angry and destroying, and

they struck at one another and made a great fight, but at the last the

King of Ireland's son got the upper hand, and he killed the King of the

Men of Cepda and struck off his head.

 

CHAPTER X. (THE KING OF LOCHLANN AND HIS SONS)

And the fighting went on from day to day, and at last Finn said to

Fergus of the Sweet Lips: "Go out, Fergus, and see how many of the

Fianna are left for the fight to-day." And Fergus counted them, and he

said: "There is one battalion only of the Fianna left in good order; but

there are some of the men of it," he said, "are able to fight against

three, and some that are able to fight against nine or thirty or a

hundred." "If that is so," said Finn, "rise up and go to where the King

of the World is, and bid him to come out to the great battle."

 

So Fergus went to the King of the World, and it is the way he was, on

his bed listening to the music of harps and pipes. "King of the World,"

said Fergus, "it is long you are in that sleep; and that is no shame for

you," he said, "for it will be your last sleep. And the whole of the

Fianna are gone out to their place of battle," he said, "and let you go

out and answer them." "In my opinion," said the King of the World,

"there is not a man of them is able to fight against me; and how many

are there left of the Fianna of Ireland?" "One battalion only that is in

good order," said Fergus. "And how many of the armies of the World are

there left?" he said. "Thirty battalions came with me to Ireland; and

there are twenty of them fallen by the Fianna, and what is left of them

is ten red battalions in good order. And there are eight good fighters

of them," he said, "that would put down the men of the whole world if

they were against me; that is, myself, and Conmail my son, and Ogarmach,

the daughter of the King of Greece, that is the best hand in battle of

the whole world after myself, and Finnachta of the Teeth, the chief of

my household, and the King of Lochlann, Caisel Clumach of the Feathers,

and his three sons, Tocha, and Forne of the Broad Shoulders, and Mongach

of the Sea."

 

"I swear by the oath of my people," said the King of Lochlann then, "if

any man of the armies goes out against the Fianna before myself and my

three sons, we will not go at all, for we would not get the satisfaction

we are used to, unless our swords get their fill of blood." "I will go

out against them alone," said Forne, the youngest son of the King of

Lochlann. With that he put on his battle suit, and he went among the

Fianna of Ireland, and a red-edged sword in each of his hands. And he

destroyed those of their young men that were sent against him, and he

made the strand narrow with their bodies.

 

And Finn saw that, and it was torment to his heart, and danger of death

and loss of wits to him, and he was encouraging the men of Ireland

against Forne. And Fergus of the True Lips stood up, and it is what he

said: "Fianna of Ireland," he said, "it is a pity the way you are under

hardship and you defending Ireland. And one man is taking her from you

to-day," he said, "and you are like no other thing but a flock of little

birds looking for shelter in a bush from a hawk that is after them. And

it is going into the shelter of Finn and Oisin and Caoilte you are," he

said; "and not one of you is better than another, and none of you sets

his face against the foreigner." "By my oath," said Oisin, "all that is

true, and no one of us tries to do better than another keeping him off."

"There is not one of you is better than another," said Fergus. Then

Oisin gave out a great shout against the King of Lochlann's son. "Stop

here with me, king's son," he said, "until I fight with you for the

Fianna." "I give my word it is short the delay will be," said Forne.

 

Then he himself and Oisin made an attack on one another, and it seemed

for a while that the battle was going against Oisin. "By my word, Man of

Poetry," said Finn then to Fergus of the True Lips, "it is a pity the

way you sent my son against the foreigner. And rise up and praise him

and hearten him now," he said. So Fergus went down to where the fight

was, and he said: "There is great shame on the Fianna, Oisin, seeing you

so low in this fight; and there is many a foot messenger and many a

horsemen from the daughters of the kings and princes of Ireland looking

at you now," he said. And great courage rose in Oisin then, and he drove

his spear through the body of Forne, the King of Lochlann's son. And he

himself came back to the Fianna of Ireland.

 

Then the armies of the World gave out a great cry, keening Forne; and

there was anger and not fear on his brothers, for they thought it no

right thing he to have fallen by a man of the Fianna. And Tocha, the

second son of the King of Lochlann, went on shore to avenge his brother.

And he went straight into the middle of the Fianna, and gave his sword

good feeding on their bodies, till they broke away before him and made

no stand till Lugaidh's Son turned round against him. And those two

fought a great fight, till their swords were bent and their spears

crumbled away, and they lost their golden shields. And at the last

Lugaidh's Son made a stroke of his sword that cut through the

foreigner's sword, and then he made another stroke that cut his heart

in two halves. And he came back high and proud to the Fianna.

 

Then the third son of the King of Lochlann, Mongach of the Sea, rose up,

and all the armies rose up along with him. "Stop here, Men of the

World," he said, "for it is not you but myself that has to go and ask

satisfaction for the bodies of my brothers." So he went on shore; and it

is the way he was, with a strong iron flail in his hand having seven

balls of pure iron on it, and fifty iron chains, and fifty apples on

every chain, and fifty deadly thorns on every apple. And he made a rush

through the Fianna to break them up entirely and to tear them into

strings, and they gave way before him. And great shame came on Fidach,

son of the King of the Bretons, and he said: "Come here and praise me,

Fergus of the True Lips, till I go out and fight with the foreigner."

"It is easy to praise you, son," said Fergus, and he was praising him

for a long time.

 

Then the two looked at one another and used fierce, proud words. And

then Mongach of the Sea raised his iron flail and made a great blow at

the King of the Bretons' son. But he made a quick leap to one side and

gave him a blow of his sword that cut off his two hands at the joint;

and he did not stop at that, but made a blow at his middle that cut him

into two halves. But as he fell, an apple of the flail with its deadly

thorns went into Fidach's comely mouth and through his brain, and it was

foot to foot those two fell, and lip to lip.

 

And the next that came to fight on the strand was the King of Lochlann

himself, Caisel of the Feathers. And he came to the battle having his

shield on his arm; and it is the way the shield was, that was made for

him by the smith of the Fomor, there were red flames coming from it; and

if it was put under the sea itself, not one of its flames would stop

blazing. And when he had that shield on his arm no man could come near

him.

 

And there was never such destruction done on the men of Ireland as on

that day, for the flames of fire that he sent from his shield went

through the bodies of men till