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

they blazed up like a splinter of oak

that was after hanging through the length of a year in the smoke of a

chimney; and any one that would touch the man that was burning would

catch fire himself. And every other harm that ever came into Ireland

before was small beside this.

 

Then Finn said: "Lift up your hands, Fianna of Ireland, and give three

shouts of blessing to whoever will hinder this foreigner." And the

Fianna gave those three shouts; and the King of Lochlann gave a great

laugh when he heard them. And Druimderg, grandson of the Head of the

Fianna of Ulster, was near him, and he had with him a deadly spear, the

Croderg, the Red-Socketed, that came down from one to another of the

sons of Rudraighe. And he looked at the King of Lochlann, and he could

see no part of him without armour but his mouth that was opened wide,

and he laughing at the Fianna. Then Druimderg made a cast with the

Croderg that hit him in the open mouth, and he fell, and his shield fell

along with its master, and its flame went out. And Druimderg struck the

head from his body, and made great boasts of the things he had done.

 

CHAPTER XI. (LABRAN'S JOURNEY)

It is then Fergus of the True Lips set out again and went through the

length of Ireland till he came to the house of Tadg, son of Nuada, that

was grandfather to Finn.

 

And there was great grief on Muirne, Finn's mother, and on Labran of the

Long Hand her brother, and on all her people, when they knew the great

danger he was in. And Tadg asked his wife who did she think would escape

with their lives from the great fighting at the White Strand. "It is a

pity the way they are there," said she; "for if all the living men of

the world were on one side, Daire Donn, the King of the World, would put

them all down; for there are no weapons in the world that will ever be

reddened on him. And on the night he was born, the smith of the Fomor

made a shield and a sword, and it is in the prophecy that he will fall

by no other arms but those. And it is to the King of the Country of the

Fair Men he gave them to keep, and it is with him they are now." "If

that is so," said Tadg, "you might be able to get help for Finn, son of

Cumhal, the only son of your daughter. And bid Labran Lamfada to go and

ask those weapons of him," he said. "Do not be asking me," said she, "to

go against Daire Donn that was brought up in my father's house." But

after they had talked for a while, they went out on the lawn, and they

sent Labran looking for the weapons in the shape of a great eagle.

 

And he went on from sea to sea, till at noon on the morrow he came to

the dun of the King of the Country of the Fair Men; and he went in his

own shape to the dun and saluted the king, and the king bade him

welcome, and asked him to stop with him for a while. "There is a thing I

want more than that," said Labran, "for the wife of a champion of the

Fianna has given me her love, and I cannot get her without fighting for

her; and it is the loan of that sword and that shield you have in your

keeping I am come asking now," he said.

 

There were seven rooms, now, in the king's house that opened into one

another, and on the first door was one lock, and on the second two

locks, and so on to the door of the last room that had seven locks; and

it was in that the sword and the shield that were made by the smith of

the Fomor were kept. And they were brought out and were given to Labran,

and stalks of luck were put with them, and they were bound together with

shield straps.

 

Then Labran of the Long Hand went back across the seas again, and he

reached his father's dun between the crowing of the cock and the full

light of day; and the weakness of death came on him. "It is a good

message you are after doing, my son," said Tadg, "and no one ever went

that far in so short a time as yourself." "It is little profit that is

to me," said Labran, "for I am not able to bring them to Finn in time

for the fight to-morrow."

 

But just at that time one of Tadg's people saw Aedh, son of Aebinn, that

was as quick as the wind over a plain till the middle of every day, and

after that, there was no man quicker than he was. "You are come at a

good time," said Tadg. And with that he gave him the sword and the

shield to bring to Finn for the battle.

 

So Aedh, son of Aebinn, went with the swiftness of a hare or of a fawn

or a swallow, till at the rising of the day on the morrow he came to the

White Strand. And just at that time Fergus of the True Lips was rousing

up the Fianna for the great fight, and it is what he said: "Fianna of

Ireland," he said, "if there was the length of seven days in one day,

you would have work to fill it now; for there never was and there never

will be done in Ireland a day's work like the work of to-day."

 

Then the Fianna of Ireland rose up, and they saw Aedh, son of Aebinn,

coming towards them with his quick running, and Finn asked news from

him. "It is from the dun of Tadg, son of Nuada, I am come," he said,

"and it is to yourself I am sent, to ask how it is you did not redden

your weapons yet upon the King of the World." "I swear by the oath of my

people," said Finn, "if I do not redden my weapons on him, I will crush

his body within his armour." "I have here for you, King of the Fianna,"

said Aedh then, "the deadly weapons that will bring him to his death;

and it was Labran of the Long Hand got them for you through his Druid

arts." He put them in Finn's hand then, and Finn took the coverings off

them, and there rose from them flashes of fire and deadly bubbles; and

not one of the Fianna could stay looking at them, but it put great

courage into them to know they were with Finn. "Rise up now," said Finn

to Fergus of the True Lips, "and go where the King of the World is, and

bid him to come out to the place of the great fight."

 

CHAPTER XII. (THE GREAT FIGHT)

Then the King of the World came to the strand, and all his armies with

him; and all that were left of the Fianna went out against them, and

they were like thick woods meeting one another, and they made great

strokes, and there were swords crashing against bones, and bodies that

were hacked, and eyes that were blinded, and many a mother was left

without her son, and many a comely wife without her comrade.

 

Then the creatures of the high air answered to the battle, foretelling

the destruction that would be done that day; and the sea chattered of

the losses, and the waves gave heavy shouts keening them, and the

water-beasts roared to one another, and the rough hills creaked with the

danger of the battle, and the woods trembled mourning the heroes, and

the grey stones cried out at their deeds, and the wind sobbed telling

them, and the earth shook, foretelling the slaughter; and the cries of

the grey armies put a blue cloak over the sun, and the clouds were dark;

and the hounds and the whelps and the crows, and the witches of the

valley, and the powers of the air, and the wolves of the forests, howled

from every quarter and on every side of the armies, urging them against

one another.

 

It was then Conan, son of Morna, brought to mind that himself and his

kindred had done great harm to the sons of Baiscne, and he had a wish to

do some good thing for them on account of that, and he raised up his

sword and did great deeds.

 

And Finn was over the battle, encouraging the Fianna; and the King of

the World was on the other side encouraging the foreigners. "Rise up

now, Fergus," said Finn, "and praise Conan for me that his courage may

be the greater, for it is good work he is doing on my enemies." So

Fergus went where Conan was, and at that time he was heated with the

dust of the fight, and he was gone outside to let the wind go about him.

 

"It is well you remember the old quarrel between the sons of Morna and

the sons of Baiscne, Conan," said Fergus; "and you would be ready to go

to your own death if it would bring harm on the sons of Baiscne," he

said. "For the love of your good name, Man of Poetry," said Conan, "do

not be speaking against me without cause, and I will do good work on the

foreigners when I get to the battle again." "By my word," said Fergus,

"that would be a good thing for you to do." He sang a verse of praise

for him then, and Conan went back into the battle, and his deeds were

not worse this time than they were before. And Fergus went back to where

Finn was.

 

"Who is best in the battle now?" said Finn. "Duban, son of Cas, a

champion of your own people," said Fergus, "for he never gives but the

one stroke to any man, and no man escapes with his life from that

stroke, and three times nine and eighty men have fallen by him up to

this time." And Duban Donn, great-grandson of the King of Tuathmumhain,

was there listening to him, and it is what he said: "By my oath,

Fergus," he said, "all you are saying is true, for there is not a son of

a king or of a lord is better in the battle than Duban, son of Cas; and

I will go to my own death if I do not go beyond him." With that he went

rushing through the battle like flames over a high hill that is thick

with furze. Nine times he made a round of the battle, and he killed nine

times nine in every round.

 

"Who is best in the battle now?" said Finn, after a while. "It is Duban

Donn that is after going from us," said Fergus. "For there has been no

one ahead of him since he was in his seventh year, and there is no one

ahead of him now." "Rise up and