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

whole of the Fianna to death; and then Daire played a tune

of heavy shouts of lamentation. And then at Finn's bidding he played the

music of sweet strings for the Fianna.

 

They were kept, now, a long time in that prison, and they got very hard

treatment; and sometimes Ailne's brother would come in and strike the

heads off some of them, for none of them could rise up from the seats

they were sitting on through his enchantments. But one time he was going

to strike the bald head off Conan, and Conan made a great leap from the

seat; but if he did, he left strips of his skin hanging to it, that his

back was left bare. And then he came round the Grey Man with his pitiful

words: "Stop your hand now," he said, "for that is enough for this time;

and do not send me to my death yet awhile, and heal me of my wounds

first," he said, "before you make an end of me." And the reason he said

that was because he knew Ailne to have an enchanted cup in the dun, that

had cured Glanluadh.

 

And the Grey Man took pity on his case, and he brought him out and bade

Ailne to bring the cup to him and to cure his wounds. "I will not bring

it," said Ailne, "for it would be best give no time at all to him or to

the Fianna, but to make an end of them." "It is not to be saved from

death I am asking, bright-faced Ailne," said Conan, "but only not to go

to my death stripped bare the way I am." When Ailne heard that, she

brought a sheepskin and she put it on Conan's back, and it fitted and

grew to him, and covered his wounds. "I will not put you to death,

Conan," said the Grey Man then, "but you can stop with myself to the end

of your life." "You will never be without grief and danger and the fear

of treachery if you keep him with you," said Ailne; "for there is

treachery in his heart the same as there is in the rest of them." "There

is no fear of that," said her brother, "or I will make no delay until I

put the whole of the Fianna to death." And with that he brought Conan to

where the enchanted cup was, and he put it in his hand. And just at that

moment they heard Daire playing very sweet sorrowful music, and the Grey

Man went to listen to it, very quick and proud. And Conan followed him

there, and after a while the Grey Man asked him what did he do with the

enchanted cup. "I left it where I found it, full of power," said Conan.

 

The Grey Man hurried back then to the place where the treasures of the

dun were. But no sooner was he gone than Conan took out the cup that he

had hidden, and he gave a drink from it to Finn and to Osgar and to the

rest of the Fianna. And they that were withered and shaking, without

strength, without courage, got back their own appearance and their

strength again on the moment.

 

And when the Grey Man came back from looking for the cup, and saw what

had happened, he took his sword and made a stroke at Conan. But Conan

called to Osgar to defend him, and Osgar attacked the Grey Man, and it

was not long till he made him acquainted with death.

 

And when Ailne saw that, with the grief and the dread that came on her,

she fell dead then and there.

 

Then all the Fianna made a feast with what they found of food and of

drink, and they were very joyful and merry. But when they rose up in the

morning, there was no trace or tidings of the dun, but it was on the

bare grass they were lying.

 

But as to Conan, the sheepskin never left him; and the wool used to grow

on it every year, the same as it would on any other skin.

 

BOOK NINE: THE WEARING AWAY OF THE FIANNA. CHAPTER I. (THE QUARREL WITH THE SONS OF MORNA)

 

One time when the Fianna were gone here and there hunting, Black

Garraidh and Caoilte were sitting beside Finn, and they were talking of

the battle where Finn's father was killed. And Finn said then to

Garraidh: "Tell me now, since you were there yourself, what way was it

you brought my father Cumhal to his death?" "I will tell you that since

you ask me," said Garraidh; "it was my own hand and the hands of the

rest of the sons of Morna that made an end of him." "That is cold

friendship from my followers the sons of Morna," said Finn. "If it is

cold friendship," said Garraidh, "put away the liking you are letting on

to have for us, and show us the hatred you have for us all the while."

"If I were to lift my hand against you now, sons of Morna," said Finn,

"I would be well able for you all without the help of any man." "It was

by his arts Cumhal got the upper hand of us," said Garraidh; "and when

he got power over us," he said, "he banished us to every far country; a

share of us he sent to Alban, and a share of us to dark Lochlann, and a

share of us to bright Greece, parting us from one another; and for

sixteen years we were away from Ireland, and it was no small thing to us

to be without seeing one another through that time. And the first day we

came back to Ireland," he said, "we killed sixteen hundred men, and no

lie in it, and not a man of them but would be keened by a hundred. And

we took their duns after that," he said, "and we went on till we were

all around one house in Munster of the red walls. But so great was the

bravery of the man in that house, that was your father, that it was

easier to find him than to kill him. And we killed all that were of his

race out on the hill, and then we made a quick rush at the house where

Cumhal was, and every man of us made a wound on his body with his spear.

And I myself was in it, and it was I gave him the first wound. And

avenge it on me now, Finn, if you have a mind to," he said.

 

       *       *       *       *       *

 

It was not long after that, Finn gave a feast at Almhuin for all his

chief men, and there came to it two sons of the King of Alban, and sons

of the kings of the great world. And when they were all sitting at the

feast, the serving-men rose up and took drinking-horns worked by skilled

men, and having shining stones in them, and they poured out strong drink

for the champions; and it is then mirth rose up in their young men, and

courage in their fighting men, and kindness and gentleness in their

women, and knowledge and foreknowledge in their poets.

 

And then a crier rose up and shook a rough iron chain to silence the

clowns and the common lads and idlers, and then he shook a chain of old

silver to silence the high lords and chief men of the Fianna, and the

learned men, and they all listened and were silent.

 

And Fergus of the True Lips rose up and sang before Finn the songs and

the good poems of his forefathers; and Finn and Oisin and Lugaidh's Son

rewarded him with every good thing. And then he went on to Goll, son of

Morna, and told the fights and the destructions and the cattle-drivings

and the courtings of his fathers; and it is well-pleased and high-minded

the sons of Morna were, listening to that.

 

And Goll said then: "Where is my woman-messenger?" "I am here, King of

the Fianna," said she. "Have you brought me my hand-tribute from the men

of Lochlann?" "I have brought it surely," said she. And with that she

rose up and laid on the floor of the hall before Goll a load of pure

gold, the size of a good pig, and that would be a heavy load for a

strong man. And Goll loosened the covering that was about it, and he

gave Fergus a good reward from it as he was used to do; for there never

was a wise, sharp-worded poet, or a sweet harp-player, or any learned

man of Ireland or of Alban, but Goll would give him gold or silver or

some good thing.

 

And when Finn saw that, he said: "How long is it, Goll, you have this

rent on the men of Lochlann, and my own rent being on them always with

it, and one of my own men, Ciaran son of Latharne, and ten hundred men

of his household, guarding it and guarding my right of hunting?" And

Goll saw there was anger on Finn, and he said: "It is a long time, Finn,

I have that rent on the men of Lochlann, from the time your father put

war and quarrels on me, and the King of Ireland joined with him, and I

was made to quit Ireland by them. And I went into Britain," he said,

"and I took the country and killed the king himself and did destruction

on his people, but Cumhal put me out of it; and from that I went to

Fionnlochlann, and the king fell by me, and his household, and Cumhal

put me out of it; and I went from that to the country of the Saxons, and

the king and his household fell by me, and Cumhal put me out of it. But

I came back then to Ireland, and I fought a battle against your father,

and he fell by me there. And it was at that time I put this rent upon

the men of Lochlann. And, Finn," he said, "it is not a rent of the

strong hand you have put on them, but it is a tribute for having the

protection of the Fianna of Ireland, and I do not lessen that. And you

need not begrudge that tribute to me," he said, "for if I had more than

that again, it is to you and to the men of Ireland I would give it."

 

There was great anger on Finn then, and he said: "You tell me, Goll," he

said, "by your own story, that you came from the city of Beirbhe to

fight against my father, and that you killed him in the battle; and it

is a bold thing you to tell that to me." "By your own hand," said Goll,

"if you were to give me the same treatment your father gave me, I would

pay you the same way as I paid him." "It would be hard for you to do

that," said Finn, "for there are a hundred men in my household against

every man there is in your household." "That was the same with your

father," said Goll, "and I avenged my disgrace on him; and I would do

the same on yourself if you earned it," he said.

 

Then Cairell of the White Skin, son of Finn, said: "It is many a man of

Finn's household you have put down, Goll!" And Bald Conan when he heard

that said: "I swear by my arms, Goll was never without having a hundred

men in his household, every one of them able to get the better of

yourself." "And is it to them you belong, crooked-speaking, bare-headed

Conan?" said Cairell. "It is to them I belong, you black, feeble,

nail-scratching, rough-skinned Cairell; and I will make you know it was

Finn was in the