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

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.

 

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 Enchantments coming towards him 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 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 ill-wisher'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 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 too 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 its 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 of 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, 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 has done

this great slaughter of my people? And I never heard before," he said,

"any talk of the courage or of the doings of the men of Ireland either

at this time or in the old times. But from this out," he said, "I will

banish the Sons of the Gael for ever to the very ends of the earth."

 

But Finn and the King of Sorcha raised a green tent in view of the ships

of the Greeks.

 

The King of the Greeks called then for help against Finn and the King of

Sorcha, to get satisfaction for the shame that was put on his people.

And the sons of kings of the eastern and southern world came to his

help, but they could make no stand against Finn and Osgar and Oisin and

Goll, son of Morna. And at the last the King of Greece brought all his

people back home, the way no more of them would be put an end to.

 

And then Finn and the King of Sorcha called another great gathering. And

while it was going on, they saw coming towards them a great troop of

champions, bearing flags of many-coloured silk, and grey swords at

their sides and high spears reared up over their heads. And in the front

of them was Diarmuid, grandson of Duibhne.

 

When Finn saw him, he sent Fergus of the True Lips to ask news of him,

and they told one another all that had happened.

 

And it would take too long to tell, and it would tire the hearers, how

Finn made the Hard Servant bring home his fifteen men that he had

brought away. And when he had brought