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

some of

the berries he will be eating from morning to night," he said.

 

And when the big man had tasted the berries, he said: "I will go and

guard all the trees of the wood to get those berries."

 

And his name was the Searbhan Lochlannach, the Surly One of Lochlann.

Very black and ugly he was, having crooked teeth, and one eye only in

the middle of his forehead. And he had a thick collar of iron around his

body, and it was in the prophecy that he would never die till there

would be three strokes of the iron club he had, struck upon himself. And

he slept in the tree by night and stopped near it in the daytime, and he

made a wilderness of the whole district about him, and none of the

Fianna dared go hunt there because of the dread of him that was on them.

 

But when Diarmuid came to the wood of Dubhros, he went into it to where

the Surly One was, and he made bonds of agreement with him, and got

leave from him to go hunting in the wood, so long as he would not touch

the berries of the tree. And he made a cabin then for himself and for

Grania in the wood.

 

As for Finn and his people, they were not long at Almhuin till they saw

fifty armed men coming towards them, and two that were taller and

handsomer than the rest in the front of them. Finn asked did any of his

people know them. "We do not know them," they said, "but maybe you

yourself know them, Finn." "I do not," he said; "but it seems to be they

are enemies to myself." The troop of armed men came up to them then and

they greeted him, and Finn asked news of them, and from what country

they came. "I am Aonghus, son of Art Og of the children of Morna," one

of them said, "and this is Aodh, son of Andela; and we are enemies of

your own, and our fathers were at the killing of your father, and they

themselves died for that deed. And it is to ask peace we are come now to

you," they said. "Where were you the time my father was killed?" "In our

mothers' wombs," said they; "and our mothers were two women of the

Tuatha de Danaan, and it is time for us now to get our father's place

among the Fianna." "I will give you that," said Finn, "but I must put a

fine on you first in satisfaction for my father's death." "We have

neither gold or silver or goods or cattle to give you, Finn," said they.

"Do not put a fine on them, Finn," said Oisin, "beyond the death of

their fathers for your father." "It is what I think," said Finn, "if any

one killed myself, Oisin, it would be easy to pay the fine you would

ask. And there will no one come among the Fianna," he said, "without

giving what I ask in satisfaction for my father's death." "What is it

you are asking of us?" said Aonghus, son of Art Og. "I am asking but the

head of a champion, or the full of a fist of the berries of the

quicken-tree at Dubhros." "I will give you a good advice, children of

Morna," said Oisin, "to go back to the place you were reared, and not to

ask peace of Finn through the length of your lives. For it is not an

easy thing Finn is asking of you; and do you know whose head he is

asking you to bring him?" "We do not," said they. "The head of Diarmuid,

grandson of Duibhne, is the head he is asking of you. And if you were

twenty hundred men in their full strength, Diarmuid would not let you

take that head." "And what are the berries Finn is asking of us?" they

said then. "There is nothing is harder for you to get than those

berries," said Oisin.

 

He told them then the whole story of the tree, and of the Searbhan, the

Surly One of Lochlann, that was put to mind it by the Tuatha de Danaan.

But Aodh, son of Andela, spoke then, and it is what he said, that he

would sooner get his death looking for those berries than to go home

again to his mother's country. And he said to Oisin to care his people

till he would come back again, and if anything should happen himself and

his brother in their journey, to send them back again to the Land of

Promise. And the two said farewell then to Oisin and to the chief men of

the Fianna, and they went forward till they reached Dubhros. And they

went along the wood till they found a track, and they followed it to

the door of the hunting-cabin where Diarmuid and Grania were.

 

Diarmuid heard them coming, and he put his hand on his weapons and asked

who was at the door. "We are of the children of Morna," they said,

"Aodh, son of Andela, and Aonghus, son of Art Og." "What brings you to

this wood?" said Diarmuid. "Finn, son of Cumhal, that put us looking for

your head, if you are Diarmuid, grandson of Duibhne," said they. "I am

indeed," said Diarmuid. "If that is so," they said, "Finn will take

nothing from us but your head, or a fistful of the berries of the

quicken-tree of Dubhros as satisfaction for the death of his father."

"It is not easy for you to get either of those things," said Diarmuid,

"and it is a pity for any one to be under the power of that man. And

besides that," he said, "I know it was he himself made an end of your

fathers, and that was enough satisfaction for him to get; and if you do

bring him what he asks, it is likely he will not make peace with you in

the end." "Is it not enough for you," said Aodh, "to have brought his

wife away from Finn without speaking ill of him?" "It is not for the

sake of speaking ill of him I said that," said Diarmuid, "but to save

yourselves from the danger he has sent you into."

 

"What are those berries Finn is asking?" said Grania, "that they cannot

be got for him?"

 

Diarmuid told her then the whole story of the berry the Tuatha de Danaan

had lost, and of the tree that had sprung up from it, and of the man of

Lochlann that was keeping the tree. "And at the time Finn sent me hiding

here and became my enemy," he said, "I got leave from the Surly One to

hunt, but he bade me never to meddle with the berries. And now, sons of

Morna," he said, "there is your choice, to fight with me for my head, or

to go asking the berries of the Surly One." "I swear by the blood of my

people," said each of them, "I will fight with yourself first."

 

With that the two young men made ready for the fight. And it is what

they chose, to fight with the strength of their hands alone. And

Diarmuid put them down and bound the two of them there and then. "That

is a good fight you made," said Grania. "But, by my word," she said,

"although the children of Morna do not go looking for those berries, I

will not lie in a bed for ever till I get a share of them; and I will

not live if I do not get them," she said. "Do not make me break my peace

with the Surly One," said Diarmuid, "for he will not let me take them."

"Loose these tyings from us," said the two young men, "and we will go

with you, and we will give ourselves for your sake." "You must not come

with me," said Diarmuid; "for if you got the full of your eyes of that

terrible one, you would be more likely to die than to live." "Well, do

us this kindness," they said then; "loosen these bonds on us, and give

us time to go by ourselves and see the fight before you strike off our

heads." So Diarmuid did that for them.

 

Then Diarmuid went to the Surly One, and he chanced to be asleep before

him, and he gave him a stroke of his foot the way he lifted his head and

looked up at him, and he said: "Have you a mind to break our peace,

Grandson of Duibhne?" "That is not what I want," said Diarmuid; "but it

is Grania, daughter of the High King," he said, "has a desire to taste

those berries, and it is to ask a handful of them I am come." "I give my

word," said he, "if she is to die for it, she will never taste a berry

of those berries." "I would not do treachery on you," said Diarmuid;

"and so I tell you, willing or unwilling, I will take those berries from

you."

 

When the Surly One heard that, he rose up on his feet and lifted his

club and struck three great blows on Diarmuid, that gave him some

little hurt in spite of his shield. But when Diarmuid saw him not

minding himself, he threw down his weapons, and made a great leap and

took hold of the club with his two hands. And when he had a hold of the

club he struck three great blows on him that put his brains out through

his head. And the two young men of the sons of Morna were looking at the

whole fight; and when they saw the Surly One was killed they came out.

And Diarmuid sat down, for he was spent with the dint of the fight, and

he bid the young men to bury the body under the thickets of the wood,

the way Grania would not see it. "And after that," he said, "let you go

back to her and bring her here." So they dragged away the body and

buried it, and they went then for Grania and brought her to Diarmuid.

 

"There are the berries you were asking, Grania," he said, "and you may

take what you like of them now." "I give my word," said Grania, "I will

not taste a berry of those berries but the one your own hand will pluck,

Diarmuid." Diarmuid rose up then and plucked the berries for Grania, and

for the children of Morna, and they ate their fill of them. And he said

then to the young men: "Take all you can of these berries, and bring

them with you to Finn, and tell him it was yourselves made an end of the

Surly One of Lochlann." "We give you our word," said they, "we begrudge

giving any of them to Finn."

 

But Diarmuid plucked a load of the berries for them, and they gave him

great thanks for all he had done; and they went back to where Finn was

with the Fianna. And Diarmuid and Grania went up into the top of the

tree where the bed of the Surly One was. And the berries below were but

bitter berries beside the ones above in the tree. And when the two young

men came to Finn, he asked news of them. "We have killed the Surly One

of Lochlann," they said; "and we have brought you berries from the

quicken-tree of Dubhros, in satisfaction for your father, that we may

get peace from you." They gave the berries then into Finn's hand, and he

knew them, and he said to the young men: "I give you my word," he said,

"it was Diarmuid himself plucked those berries, for I know the smell of

his hand on them; and I know well it was he killed the Surly One, and I

will go now and see is he himself alive at the quicken-tree."

 

After that he called for the seven battalions of the Fianna, and he set

out and went forward to Dubhros. And they followed the track of Diarmuid

to the foot of the quicken-tree, and they found the berries without

protection, so they ate their fill of them. And the great heat of the

day came on them, and Finn said they would stop where they were till the

heat would be past; "for I know well," he said, "Diarmuid is up in the

quicken-tree." "It is a great sign of jealousy in you, Finn," said

Oisin, "to think that Diarmuid would stop there up in the quicken-tree

and he knowing you are wanting to kill him."

 

Finn asked for a chess-board after that, and he said to Oisin: "I will

play