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

and he asked them were Diarmuid and Grania in

the wood? "Diarmuid is in it," they said, "and there is some woman with

him, but we knew Diarmuid, and we do not know Grania." "May no good come

to the friends of Diarmuid for his sake," said Finn, "and he will not

quit that wood till he has given me satisfaction for everything he has

done to me."

 

"It is jealousy has put you astray, Finn," said Oisin; "you to think

Diarmuid would stop here on the plain of Maen Mhagh, and no close place

in it but Doire-da-Bhoth, and you following after him." "Saying that

will do you no good," said Finn, "for I knew well when I heard the three

shouts Caoilte's serving-man gave out, it was you sent them to Diarmuid

as a warning. And another thing," he said, "it was you sent my own

hound Bran to him. But none of those things you have done will serve

you, for he will not leave Doire-da-Bhoth till he gives me satisfaction

for everything he has done to me, and every disgrace he has put on me."

"It is great foolishness for you, Finn," said Osgar then, "to be

thinking Diarmuid would stop in the middle of this plain and you waiting

here to strike the head off him." "Who but himself cut the wood this

way," said Finn, "and made this close sheltered place with seven woven

narrow doors to it. And O Diarmuid," he said out then, "which of us is

the truth with, myself or Oisin?" "You never failed from your good

judgment, Finn," said Diarmuid, "and indeed I myself and Grania are

here." Then Finn called to his men to go around Diarmuid and Grania, and

to take them.

 

Now it was shown at this time to Angus Og, at Brugh na Boinne, the great

danger Diarmuid was in, that was his pupil at one time, and his dear

foster-son. He set out then with the clear cold wind, and did not stop

in any place till he came to Doire-da-Bhoth. And he went unknown to Finn

or the Fianna into the place where Diarmuid and Grania were, and he

spoke kind words to Diarmuid, and he said: "What is the thing you have

done, grandson of Duibhne?" "It is," said Diarmuid, "the daughter of the

King of Ireland that has made her escape with me from her father and

from Finn, and it is not by my will she came." "Let each of you come

under a border of my cloak, so," said Angus, "and I will bring you out

of the place where you are without knowledge of Finn or his people."

"Bring Grania with you," said Diarmuid, "but I will never go with you;

but if I am alive I will follow you before long. And if I do not," he

said, "give Grania to her father, and he will do well or ill to her."

 

With that Angus put Grania under the border of his cloak, and brought

her out unknown to Finn or the Fianna, and there is no news told of them

till they came to Ros-da-Shoileach, the Headland of the Two Sallows.

 

And as to Diarmuid, after Angus and Grania going from him, he stood up

as straight as a pillar and put on his armour and his arms, and after

that he went to a door of the seven doors he had made, and he asked who

was at it. "There is no enemy to you here," they said, "for there are

here Oisin and Osgar and the best men of the sons of Baiscne along with

And come out to us now, and no one will have the daring to do any

harm or hurt on you." "I will not go out to you," said Diarmuid, "till I

see at what door Finn himself is." He went then to another door of the

seven and asked who was at it. "Caoilte, son of Ronan, and the rest of

the sons of Ronan along with him; and come out to us now, and we will

give ourselves for your sake." "I will not go out to you," said

Diarmuid, "for I will not put you under Finn's anger for any well-doing

to myself." He went on to another door then and asked who was at it.

"There is Conan, son of Morna, and the rest of the sons of Morna along

with him; and it is enemies to Finn we are, and you are a great deal

more to us than he is, and you may come out and no one will dare lay a

hand on you." "I will not indeed," said Diarmuid, "for Finn would be

better pleased to see the death of every one of you than to let me

escape." He went then to another door and asked who was at it. "A friend

and a comrade of your own, Fionn, son of Cuadan, head of the Fianna of

Munster, and his men along with him; and we are of the one country and

the one soil, and we will give our bodies and our lives for your sake."

"I will not go out to you," said Diarmuid, "for I would not like Finn to

have a grudge against you for any good you did to me." He went then to

another door and asked who was at it. "It is Fionn, son of Glor, head

of the Fianna of Ulster, and his men along him; and come out now to us

and there is no one will dare hurt or harm you." "I will not go out to

you," said Diarmuid, "for you are a friend to me, and your father along

with you, and I would not like the unfriendliness of Finn to be put on

you for my sake." He went then to another door, and he asked who was at

"There is no friend of yours here," they said, "for there is here

Aodh Beag the Little from Eamhuin, and Aodh Fada the Long from Eamhuin,

and Caol Crodha the Fierce, and Goineach the Wounder, and Gothan the

White-fingered, and Aoife his daughter, and Cuadan the Tracker from

Eamhuin; and we are unfriendly people to you, and if you come out to us

we will not spare you at all, but will make an end of you." "It is a bad

troop is in it," said Diarmuid; "you of the lies and of the tracking and

of the one shoe, and it is not fear of your hands is upon me, but

because I am your enemy I will not go out."

 

He went then to the last of the seven doors and asked who was at it. "No

friend of yours," they said, "but it is Finn, son of Cumhal, and four

hundred paid fighting men along with him; and if you will come out to us

we will make opened marrow of you." "I give you my word, Finn," said

Diarmuid, "that the door you are at yourself is the first door I will

pass out of."

 

When Finn heard that, he warned his battalions on pain of lasting death

not to let Diarmuid past them unknown. But when Diarmuid heard what he

said, he rose on the staves of his spears and he went with a very high,

light leap on far beyond Finn and his people, without their knowledge.

He looked back at them then, and called out that he had gone past them,

and he put his shield on his back and went straight on towards the west,

and it was not long before he was out of sight of Finn and the Fianna.

Then when he did not see any one coming after him, he turned back to

where he saw Angus and Grania going out of the wood, and he followed on

their track till he came to Ros-da-Shoileach.

 

He found Angus and Grania there in a sheltered, well-lighted cabin, and

a great blazing fire kindled in it, and the half of a wild boar on

spits. Diarmuid greeted them, and the life of Grania all to went out of

her with joy before him.

 

Diarmuid told them his news from beginning to end, and they ate their

share that night, and they went to sleep till the coming of the day and

of the full light on the morrow. And Angus rose up early, and he said to

Diarmuid: "I am going from you now, grandson of Duibhne; and I leave

this advice with you," he said, "not to go into a tree with one trunk,

and you flying before Finn, and not to be going into a cave of the earth

that has but one door, and not to be going to an island of the sea that

has but one harbour. And in whatever place you cook your share of food,"

he said, "do not eat it there; and in whatever place you eat it, do not

lie down there; and in whatever place you lie down, do not rise up there

on the morrow." He said farewell to them after that, and went his way.

CHAPTER III. (THE GREEN CHAMPIONS)

Then Diarmuid and Grania went along the right bank of the Sionnan

westward till they came to Garbh-abha-na-Fiann, the rough river of the

Fianna. And Diarmuid killed a salmon on the brink of the river, and put

it to the fire on a spit. Then he himself and Grania went across the

stream to eat it, as Angus bade them; and then they went westward to

sleep.

 

They rose up early on the morrow, and they travelled straight westward

till they came to the marsh of Finnliath.

 

And on the marsh they met with a young man, having a good shape and

appearance, but without fitting dress or arms. Diarmuid greeted the

young man, and asked news of him. "A fighting lad I am, looking for a

master," he said, "and Muadhan is my name." "What would you do for me,

young man?" said Diarmuid. "I would be a servant to you in the day, and

watch for you in the night," he said. "I tell you to keep that young

man," said Grania, "for you cannot be always without people."

 

Then they made an agreement with him, and bound one another, and they

went on together westward till they reached the Carrthach river. And

then Muadhan bade Diarmuid and Grania to go up on his back till he would

carry them over the stream.

 

"That would be a big load for you," said Grania. But he put them upon

his back and carried them over. Then they went on till they came to the

Beith, and Muadhan brought them over on his back the same way. And they

went into a cave at the side of Currach Cinn Adhmuid, the Woody Headland

of the Bog, over Tonn Toime, and Muadhan made ready beds of soft rushes

and tops of the birch for them in the far end of the cave. And he went

himself into the scrub that was near, and took a straight long rod of a

quicken-tree, and he put a hair and a hook on the rod, and a holly berry

on the hook, and he went up the stream, and he took a salmon with the

first cast. Then he put on a second berry and killed another fish, and

he put on a third berry and killed the third fish. Then he put the hook

and the hair under his belt, and struck the rod into the earth, and he

brought the three salmon where Diarmuid and Grania were, and put them on

spits. When they were done, Muadhan said: "I give the dividing of the

fish to you, Diarmuid." "I would sooner you to divide it than myself,"

said Diarmuid. "I will give the dividing of the fish to you, so,

Grania," said he. "I am better satisfied you to divide it," said Grania.

"If it was you that divided the fish, Diarmuid,"