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

VII. (FIGHTING AND PEACE)

And after a while Finn bade his people to make his ship ready, and to

put a store of food and of drink in it. They did that, and he himself

and a thousand of his men went into the ship; and they were nine days

between sailing and rowing till they came to harbour in the north of

Alban.

 

They bound the ship to the posts of the harbour then, and Finn with five

of his people went to the dun of the King of Alban, and Finn struck a

blow with the hand-wood on the door, and the door-keeper asked who was

in it, and they told him it was Finn, son of Cumhal. "Let him in," said

the king.

 

Then Finn and his people went in, and the king made them welcome, and he

bade Finn to sit down in his own place, and they were given strong

pleasant drinks, and the king sent for the rest of Finn's people and

bade them welcome to the dun.

 

Then Finn told what it was brought him there, and that it was to ask

help and advice against the grandson of Duibhne he was come.

 

"And you have a right to give me your help," he said, "for it was he

that killed your father and your two brothers, and many of your best men

along with them."

 

"That is true," said the king; "and I will give you my own two sons and

a thousand men with each of them." Finn was glad when he heard that, and

he and his men took leave of the king and of his household, and left

wishes for life and health with them, and the king did the same by them.

 

And it was near Brugh na Boinne Finn and his people came to land, and

Finn sent messengers to the house of Angus to give out a challenge of

battle against Diarmuid, grandson of Duibhne.

 

"What should I do about this, Osgar?" said Diarmuid.

 

"We will both go out and make a stand against them, and we will not let

a serving-man of them escape, but we will make an end of them all," said

Osgar.

 

So they rose up on the morning of the morrow and they put their suits of

battle on their comely bodies; and it would be a pity for those, be they

many or few, that would meet those two men, and their anger on them. And

they bound the rims of their shields together the way they would not be

parted from one another in the right. And the sons of the King of Alban

said that they themselves and their people would go first to meet them.

So they came to shore, and made a rush to meet Diarmuid and Osgar. But

the two fought so well that they beat them back and scattered them, and

made a great slaughter, and put great terror on them, so that at the

last there was not a man left to stand against them.

 

And after that, Finn went out again on the sea, and his people with him,

and there is no word of them till they came to the Land of Promise where

Finn's nurse was. And when she saw Finn coming she was very joyful

before him. And Finn told her the whole story from beginning to end, and

the cause of his quarrel with Diarmuid; and he said it was to ask an

advice from her he was come, and that it was not possible to put him

down by any strength of an army, unless enchantment would put him down.

"I will go with you," said the old woman, "and I will do enchantment on

him." Finn was very glad when he heard that, and he stopped there that

night, and they set out for Ireland on the morrow.

 

And when they came to Brugh na Boinne, the nurse put a Druid mist around

Finn and the Fianna, the way no one could know they were there. Now the

day before that, Osgar had parted from Diarmuid, and Diarmuid was out

hunting by himself. That was shown to the hag, and she took a drowned

leaf having a hole in it, like the quern of a mill, and she rose with

that by her enchantments on a blast of Druid wind over Diarmuid, and

began to aim at him through the hole with deadly spears, till she had

done him great harm, for all his arms and his clothing, and he could not

make away he was so hard pressed. And every danger he was ever in was

little beside that danger. And it is what he thought, that unless he

could strike the old woman through the hole that was in the leaf, she

would give him his death there and then. And he lay down on his back,

and the Gae Dearg, the Red Spear, in his hand, and he made a great cast

of the spear, that it went through the hole, and the hag fell dead on

the spot. And he struck off her head and brought it back with him to

Angus Og.

 

And the next morning early, Angus rose up, and he went where Finn was,

and he asked would he make peace with Diarmuid, and Finn said he would.

And then he went to the King of Ireland to ask peace for Diarmuid, and

he said he would agree to it.

 

And then he went back to where Diarmuid and Grania were, and asked him

would he make peace with the High King and with Finn. "I am willing,"

said Diarmuid, "if they will give the conditions I will ask." "What

conditions are those?" said Angus.

 

"The district my father had," said Diarmuid, "that is, the district of

Ui Duibhne, without right of hunting to Finn, and without rent or

tribute to the King of Ireland, and with that the district of Dumhais in

Leinster, for they are the best in Ireland, and the district of Ceis

Corainn from the King of Ireland as a marriage portion with his

daughter; and those are the conditions on which I will make peace with

them." "Would you be peaceable if you got those conditions?" said Angus.

"It would go easier with me to make peace if I got them," said Diarmuid.

 

Then Angus went with that news to where the King of Ireland was with

Finn. And they gave him all those conditions, and they forgave him all

he had done through the whole of the time he had been in his hiding,

that was sixteen years.

 

And the place Diarmuid and Grania settled in was Rath Grania, in the

district of Ceis Corainn, far away from Finn and from Teamhair. And

Grania bore him children there, four sons and one daughter. And they

lived there in peace, and the people used to be saying there was not a

man living at the same time was richer as to gold and to silver, as to

cattle and to sheep, than Diarmuid.

 

CHAPTER VIII. (THE BOAR OF BEINN GULBAIN)

But at last one day Grania spoke to Diarmuid, and it is what she said,

that it was a shame on them, with all the people and the household they

had, and all their riches, the two best men in Ireland never to have

come to the house, the High King, her father, and Finn, son of Cumhal.

"Why do you say that, Grania," said Diarmuid, "and they being enemies to

me?"

 

"It is what I would wish," said Grania, "to give them a feast, the way

you would get their affection." "I give leave for that," said Diarmuid.

 

So Grania was making ready a great feast through the length of a year,

and messengers were sent for the High King of Ireland, and for Finn and

the seven battalions of the Fianna; and they came, and they were using

the feast from day to day through the length of a year.

 

And on the last night of the year, Diarmuid was in his sleep at Rath

Grania; and in the night he heard the voice of hounds through his sleep,

and he started up, and Grania caught him and put her two arms about him,

and asked what had startled him. "The voice of a hound I heard," said

he; "and it is a wonder to me to hear that in the night." "Safe keeping

on you," said Grania, "for it is the Tuatha de Danaan are doing that on

you, on account of Angus of Brugh na Boinn, and lie down on the bed

again." But for all that no sleep came to him, and he heard the voice of

the hound again, and he started up a second time to follow after it. But

Grania caught hold of him the second time and bade him to lie down, and

she said it was no fitting thing to go after the voice of a hound in the

night. So he lay down again, and he fell asleep, but the voice of the

hound awakened him the third time. And the day was come with its full

light that time, and he said: "I will go after the voice of the hound

now, since the day is here." "If that is so," said Grania, "bring the

Mor-alltach, the Great Fierce One, the sword of Manannan, with you, and

the Gae Dearg." "I will not," he said; "but I will take the

Beag-alltach, the Little Fierce One, and the Gae Buidhe in the one hand,

and the hound Mac an Chuill, the Son of the Hazel, in the other hand."

 

Then Diarmuid went out of Rath Grania, and made no delay till he came to

the top of Beinn Gulbain, and he found Finn before him there, without

any one at all in his company. Diarmuid gave him no greeting, but asked

him was it he was making that hunt. Finn said it was not a hunt he was

making, but that he and some of the Fianna had gone out after midnight;

"and one of our hounds that was loose beside us, came on the track of a

wild boar," he said, "and they were not able to bring him back yet. And

there is no use following that boar he is after," he said, "for it is

many a time the Fianna hunted him, and he went away from them every time

till now, and he has killed thirty of them this morning. And he is

coming up the mountain towards us," he said, "and let us leave this hill

to him now."

 

"I will not leave the hill through fear of him," said Diarmuid. "It

would be best for you, Diarmuid," said Finn, "for it is the earless

Green Boar of Beinn Gulbain is in it, and it is by him you will come to

your death, and Angus knew that well when he put bonds on you not to go

hunting pigs." "I never knew of those bonds," said Diarmuid; "but

however it is, I will not quit this through fear of him. And let you

leave Bran with me now," he said, "along with Mac an Chuill." "I will

not," said Finn, "for it is often he met this boar before and could do

nothing against him." He went away then and left Diarmuid alone on the

top of the hill. "I give my word," said Diarmuid, "you made this hunt

for my death, Finn; and if it is here I am to find my death," he said,

"I have no use in going aside from it now."

 

The boar came up the face of the mountain then, and the Fianna after

him. Diarmuid loosed Mac an Chuill from his leash then, but that did not

serve him, for he did not