THE BATTLE OF VENTRY, 25 



cleasa goili 7 gaiscid d' foghlaim [fo. 5b. 2.] uaibh-si 7 da m-befdis macaim 6ga 

 uaisli mar sinne fa xi x'\ an domhain, dob' ail linne, a rffeinidh, ar coimlin fdn do 

 dingmhail did-sa dib, 6 nach aiseach sinn re comrac primlaech.' ' Mochean-sa 

 bar tacht 7 bar torrachtain,' ar Finn. '7 gidh eadh,' ar sd 'do badh scel mor dnmac 

 h' athar-sa do leigean docum na n-allmurach 7 gan adhbhar righ d'Ulltachaib445 

 acht se.' 



Is ann sin do leig an t-allmurach a ghuth miled a n-uachtar a chinn do coim- 

 grennugud na fefne. ' Cred an laech ud adchim?' ar mac righ Ulad. ' Laech 

 sud ac iaraidh comhlaind ced' ar Conan mac Morna. ' Cred dober gan comlann 

 efnfir d' fagail do?' ar an macamh. ' Truagh sin,' ar Conan 'uair do thuiteadar^so 

 cuic ced laech don fein re cuic la a n-diaidh a cheili leis 7 ni fagar uathad r.o 

 sochaighi an6is da freagra.' ' Ingnad an clu ata oruibh-si,' ar an macamh '7 enlaech 

 'sa domhan d' era um comhlann daibh. ^rachad-sa cuici' ar mac righ Ulad. ' Na 

 habair aris sin,' ar Conan ' uair dar ar m-breithir na cuic ced torcair leis do dinge- 

 bad gach enfer dibh thu-sa.' ' Nir aithnedh dam-sa an fian roim aniubh,' ar an 455 

 macamh ' 7 dar lium is tu-sa fear mfblais 7 miurrlabra na feine, a Conain mac 

 Morna.' ' Is rim raitir ' ar Conan mac Morna. ' Is briathar dam-sa,' ar mac righ 

 Ulad ' da m-beithea-sa 7 an laech ud 7 na cuic ced sin d' entaibh, nach berainn-si 

 cefm ar cul romaibh uili.' 7 eirghis an macamh d' innsaighidh an allmuraig. 



every day, and we were desirous to learn feats of valour and bravery from you, and if 

 there were young noble boys like us accompanying the king of the world, we should like, 

 O king of the fiann, to ward off from thee an equal number of them, as we are not of a 

 proper age for the combat of choice heroes.' ' Welcome is your coming and your 

 arrival,' said Finn. ' Howbeit, it would be a great thing to let the only son of thy 

 father go against the foreigners, there being no royal heir for the men of Ulster but he.' 

 Just then the foreigner let forth his warrior's voice at the top of his head to defy the 

 fiann. ' What is yon warrior that I see ? ' said the son of the king of Ulster. ' That 

 is a warrior challenging one hundred to fight,' said Conan the son of Morna. ' What 

 causes it that he does not obtain single combat ? ' said the boy. ' That is a sad thing,' 

 said Conan, ' for five hundred warriors of the fiann have fallen by him during five days 

 one after the other, and now there are not found a few or many to answer his challenge.* 

 ' Wonderful is the fame that is on you,' said the youth, ' whilst a single warrior in the 

 world is refused combat by you. And I will encounter him,' said the son of the king of 

 Ulster. ' Do not say that again,' said Conan, ' for, by our word, the five hundred that 

 fell by him, every one of them would be a match for thee.' * I did not know the fiann 

 till now,' said the youth, ' and I think that thou, O Conan son of Morna, art the man of 

 bad manners and bad language among the fiann.' * It is of me that is said,' said Conan. 

 ' I pledge my word,' said the son of the king of Ulster, ' that if thou and yon warrior 

 and those five hundred were on one side, I should not move back one step before you 

 all.' And the boy rose to meet the foreigner. 



