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

strength and the

strength of his hands was not come to him yet, and he said: "It is many

a rough battle and many a hard fight I went into, and now there is not

enough strength in me so much as to go out along with the rest," and he

cried tears down.

 

And the others came back to him then, and he asked news of them. "What

was that sound of music we heard?" he said. "It was Uaine out of the

hill of the Sidhe, at the Wave of Cliodna in the south," said they; "and

with her the birds of the Land of Promise; and she is musician to the

whole of that country. And every year she goes to visit one of the hills

of the Sidhe, and it is our turn this time." Then the woman from the

Land of Promise came into the house, and the birds came in along with

her, and they pitched on the pillars and the beams, and thirty of them

came in where Caoilte was, began singing together. And Cascorach took

his harp, and whatever he would play, the birds would sing to it. "It is

much music I have heard," said Caoilte, "but music so good as that I

never heard before."

 

And after that Caoilte asked to have the healing of his thigh done, and

the daughter of Elcmar gave herself to that, and all that was bad was

sucked from the wound by her serving people till it was healed. And

Caoilte stopped on where he was for three nights after that.

 

And then the people of the hill rose up and went into the stream to

swim. And Caoilte said: "What ails me now not to go swim, since my

health has come back to me?" And with that he went into the water. And

afterwards they went back into the hill, and there was a great feast

made that night.

 

And Caoilte bade them farewell after that, and Cascorach, but Fermaise

stopped with them for a while. And the people of the hill gave good

gifts to Caoilte; a fringed crimson cloak of wool from the seven sheep

of the Land of Promise; and a fish-hook that was called Aicil mac Mogha,

and that could not be set in any river or inver but it would take fish;

and along with that they gave him a drink of remembrance, and after that

drink there would be no place he ever saw, or no battle or fight he ever

was in, but it would stay in his memory. "That is a good help from

kinsmen and from friends," said Caoilte.

 

Then Caoilte and Cascorach went out from the hill, and the people of it

made a great lamentation after them.

 

CHAPTER VIII. (THE CAVE OF CRUACHAN)

CAOLITE was one time at Cruachan of Connacht, and Cascorach was with

him, and there he saw sitting on a heap of stones a man with very rough

grey hair, having a dark brown cloak fastened with a pin of bronze, and

a long stick of white hazel in his hand; and there was a herd of cattle

before him in a fenced field.

 

Caoilte asked news of him. "I am steward to the King of Ireland," said

the old man, "and it is from him I hold this land. And we have great

troubles on us in this district," he said. "What troubles are those?"

said Caoilte. "I have many herds of cattle," he said, "and every year at

Samhain time, a woman comes out of the hill of the Sidhe of Cruachan and

brings away nine of the best out of every herd. And as to my name, I am

Bairnech, son of Carbh of Collamair of Bregia."

 

"Who was the best man that ever came out of Collamair?" said Caoilte. "I

know, and the men of Ireland and of Alban know," said he, "it was

Caoilte, son of Ronan. And do you know where is that man now?" he said.

"I myself am that man and your own kinsman," said Caoilte.

 

When Bairnech heard that, he gave him a great welcome, and Caoilte gave

him three kisses. "It seems to me that to-night is Samhain night," said

Caoilte. "If that is so, it is to-night the woman will come to rob us,"

said Bernech. "Let me go to-night to the door of the hill of the Sidhe,"

said Cascorach. "You may do that, and bring your arms with you," said

Caoilte.

 

So Cascorach went then, and it was not long till he saw the girl going

past him out of the hill of Cruachan, having a beautiful cloak of one

colour about her; a gown of yellow silk tied up with a knot between her

thighs, two spears in her hands, and she not in dread of anything before

her or after her.

 

Then Cascorach blew a blast against her, and put his finger into the

thong of his spear, and made a cast at the girl that went through her,

and that is the way she was made an end of by Cascorach of the Music.

 

And then Bernech said to Caoilte: "Caoilte," he said, "do you know the

other oppression that is on me in this place?" "What oppression is

that?" said Caoilte. "Three she-wolves that come out of the Cave of

Cruachan every year and destroy our sheep and our wethers, and we can do

nothing against them, and they go back into the cave again. And it will

be a good friend that will rid us of them," he said. "Well, Cascorach,"

said Caoilte, "do you know what are the three wolves that are robbing

this man?" "I know well," said Cascorach, "they are the three daughters

of Airetach, of the last of the people of oppression of the Cave of

Cruachan, and it is easier for them to do their robbery as wolves than

as women." "And will they come near to any one?" said Caoilte. "They

will only come near to one sort," said Cascorach; "if they see the

world's men having harps for music, they will come near to them." "And

how would it be for me," he said, "to go to-morrow to the cairn beyond,

and to bring my harp with me?"

 

So in the morning he rose up and went to the cairn and stopped on it,

playing his harp till the coming of the mists of the evening. And while

he was there he saw the three wolves coming towards him, and they lay

down before him, listening to the music. But Cascerach found no way to

make an attack on them, and they went back into the cave at the end of

the day.

 

Cascorach went back then to Caoilte and told him what had happened. "Go

up to-morrow to the same place," said Caoilte, "and say to them it would

be better for them to be in the shape of women for listening to music

than in the shape of wolves."

 

So on the morrow Cascorach went out to the same cairn, and set his

people about it, and the wolves came there and stretched themselves to

listen to the music. And Cascorach was saying to them: "If you were ever

women," he said, "it would be better for you to be listening to the

music as women than as wolves." And they heard that, and they threw off

the dark trailing coverings that were about them, for they liked well

the sweet music of the Sidhe.

 

And when Caoilte saw them there side by side, and elbow by elbow, he

made a cast of his spear, and it went through the three women, that they

were like a skein of thread drawn together on the spear. And that is the

way he made an end of the strange, unknown three. And that place got the

name of the Valley of the Shapes of the Wolves.

 

CHAPTER IX. (THE WEDDING AT CEANN SLIEVE)

Finn and the Fianna made a great hunting one time on the hill of Torc

that is over Loch Lein and Feara Mor. And they went on with their

hunting till they came to pleasant green Slieve Echtge, and from that it

spread over other green-topped hills, and through thick tangled woods,

and rough red-headed hills, and over the wide plains of the country. And

every chief man among them chose the place that was to his liking, and

the gap of danger he was used to before. And the shouts they gave in the

turns of the hunt were heard in the woods all around, so that they

started the deer in the wood, and sent the foxes wandering, and the

little red beasts climbing rocks, and badgers from their holes, and

birds flying, and fawns running their best. Then they let out their

angry small-headed hounds and set them hunting. And it is red the hands

of the Fianna were that day, and it is proud they were of their hounds

that were torn and wounded before evening.

 

It happened that day no one stopped with Finn but only Diorraing, son of

Domhar. "Well, Diorraing," said Finn, "let you watch for me while I go

asleep, for it is early I rose to-day, and it is an early rising a man

makes when he cannot see the shadow of his five fingers between himself

and the light of day, or know the leaves of the hazel from the leaves of

the oak." With that he fell into a quiet sleep that lasted till the

yellow light of the evening. And the rest of the Fianna, not knowing

where he was gone, gave over the hunt.

 

And the time was long to Diorraing while Finn was asleep, and he roused

him and told him the Fianna must have given up the hunt, for he could

not hear a cry or a whistle from them. "The end of day is come," said

Finn then, "and we will not follow them to-night. And go now to the

wood," he said, "and bring timber and dead branches for a shelter, and I

will go looking for food for the night." So Diorraing went to the wood,

but he was not gone far till he saw a fine well-lighted house of the

Sidhe before him on the edge of the wood near at hand, and he went back

to Finn with the news. "Let us go to it," said Finn, "for we ought not

to be working in this place, and people living so near at hand." They

went then to the door of the house and knocked at it, and the

door-keeper came to it. "Whose house is this?" said Diorraing. "It

belongs to Conan of Ceann Slieve," said the door-keeper. "Tell him,"

said Diorraing, "there are two of the Fianna of the Gael at the door."

 

The door-keeper went in then and told Conan there were two men of the

Fianna at the door. "The one of them," he said, "is young and strong,

and quiet and fair-haired, and more beautiful than the rest of the men

of the world, and he has in his hand a small-headed, white-breasted

hound, having a collar of rubbed gold and a chain of old silver. And the

other of them," he