ment. Our enemies, countless as the sands, are in the island fort, and a detachment is coming to slay us. Who is in your company " "Your foster son, Innse of the Chase." "Let Innse depart in safety, but you hasten to the pass of the ford, and defend it till aid comes at dawn." "Let my right hand wither!" said Innse, "if I desert my chief and foster-father in his need. Fiachna and myself will do what skill and valour can." As they came to the pass, said Fiachna, "I will proceed to the island to see the state and the strength of the foe. You guard the pass. Innse was not long on his post when he perceived a Grecian chief approaching at the head of fifty men. "What seek you?" said he. We go to fetch the head of Fion, son of Cumhail, to lay it at the feet of the King of the World. And who of the noble or ignoble people of the earth are you, standing there with arms and armour "I am Innse of the Chase, foster-son of Fion, son of Cumhail, aud if you attempt to cross the ford your flesh shall be a feast for the wolves and ravens." Then rushed onwards the soldiers; and as corn before the reaper, so fell their bodies before the keen-cutting glaive of Innse, till not a man remained in life except their chief. Now came he on in strength and fury, and after a stern struggle, Innse, exhausted by wielding his heavy arms, and weakened with wounds, was felled to the earth, and his noble head severed from his white and powerful body. Fiachua returning from his quest, met the Grecian chief bearing the head of Innse. "Whose is that trophy you bear 1" said he. "It is the head of Innse, foster-son of Fion, chief of the warriors of Erinn. He slew fifty of my warriors, but perished by my hand. I am going to lay it at the feet of the King of the World." "Yours or mine must bear it company," said Fiachna, and with his heavy blade he struck his foeman on the helm, and brought him to his knee. Furious, but short, was the deadly struggle, and when it ceased Fiachna was bearing two heads as he passed to the ford. There, finding the body of Iunse, he made a grave, and many times kissing the head of his foster-brother, and shedding bitter tears, he laid both it and the body in the grave, and covered it with tender care. He approached the castle, and many were the questions and answers that followed. Fion sorely bewailed the fate of his foster-son, and blessed the brave Fiachna for avenging his death. "Go now, my son,' said he, "and, while strength is left you, defend the pass till succour comes." In the island, Mogach became anxious about the fate of the fifty that had gone towards the Quickbeam Castle. Taking sweets and fine meats to torment Conan the Greedy, before putting all to death, he came with filty men to the ford; and dismay fell on his heart when he beheld the pile of dead warriors. "Who are you and who were these warriors when life was in their veins, and arms in their hands." "I am Fiachna, son of Fion, and these the allies of the treacherous Mogach, prince of Lochlanu. Send forward your soldiers till their slain corses enlarge the pile!" Onwards came the fighting men of Lochlann, and Fiachna "rushed through them, and over them, and under them, as a wolf through a flock of sheep, or a hawk through a flight of small birds,"* till there was not a man of the fifty on whom the doom of desolation had not come. Then came, in fresh arms and in untired strength, Mogach, and fell on Fiachna, who returned blow for blow, and reply to the demand, though weak with fatigue and much loss of blood. Oisin remained still on the Hill of Truth, and was surprised that Fiachna and Innse had not returned. "I go," said Diarmuidh of the Ball Seircet (Beauty Spot), “to find out what has happened; perhaps the feast is too delicious for them to quit it." "I go with you," said Falia, grandson of Coun. When they drew near the ford they heard the clang of the glaives on the helins and shields and loricas An often-repeated image in the old heroic tales. The reader will please keep a former remark in mind concerning the uniform hard sound of c and G, and the pronunciation of the finale in Celtic words. of Fiachna and Mogach, and the groans of the dying warriors. "That is the war-shout of Fiachna," said Diarmulah; "weak and faint it seems." On they ran, and there, on the farther side, was Fiachna, beaten behind his shield. "Thousand woes" said Diarmuidh. "If I cross this heap he will be slain before my sword reach his foe. It I cast my spear, it is he, perhaps, whom it wil pierce." "Never yet," said Fara, “did you cast the lance in vain." Switter than the wind it went whistling, and the length of a warrior's arm beyond the body of Mogach it went, first breaking the buckler and the strong coat of mail. Though the shades of death were on his eyes, and the force failing from his arm, with a final thrust he freed the soul of Fischna, and in the next moment his own head was shorn from his shomaders by the blade of the son of Da Lne, as a tuft of dry grass by the scythe of the mower. **H-1 I found you dead,” said Diarnual, “when I crossed the ford, your head and body she did not have ben spitated. Now I take your Lead to Fion as eric for the death of lis s. 11.” powerless as caillachs spinning in the sun. "Great is my misery, O Diarmuidh," cried Conan. “Cold as the coldest icicle is my body. My hunger is as that of the famished wolf ; still more unbearable is my thrist. Rich are the meats and delicious the drinks at the tables of the kings in the island fortress. I lay you under obligations, O Diarmuidh, to bring me thence food and drink." "Misfortune on the tongue that said the wish!" said Diarmuidh. "Are the chiefs of the Chianna Baoigne and the Channa Morna to be left at the mercy of their foes, while I seek in peril food and drink for Conan the Bald?" "Ah, son of Duinne, if a dark or golden-haired young maiden had made the request, no complaint would be heard. "I go; but if evil befall the Fianna, may your grave be left without dallan or eremicch !”• As he passed the ford, and mentioned his errand to Fala, “By the hand of Fion,” said he, “I would not like to imperil so many lives to satisfy foul mouthed Conan's appetite. Take him food and drink from this store, brought by Megach.” "If I did," said Diarmuigh, "be would say it was the refuse of the eommon fighting men; and though I would easily survive a stroke of his sword, I dread his evil tongue.” Leaving Faha to watch the pass, he Lastened to the Quick beam Castle, in 1 caned cut to the curandne to let }. . in. "That is the voice of Diar#ach," said Fion. *Alas, alas' we cannot stir from our mats. What were those cries and clang of arms th have been coming to our cars." They were the cries of the foes of Enn, that have fallen by the strong hard of Faita, but your note ▶nies on his shield, Lieze ** So chuma ! my noba son' Who has tasen his lite ! Is kin slayer stid under arms, and what name does he Fear *** *M, toll, son of C. an (your thankees Datha, was he ca, ed. His ingless bly in - at the ford. I wak ng him he passed on to the bear his head by the long jobden – Quick beam Castle, and cried, “Here Many times have you gone is food and drink, O Coran. Hat a service, O men of Duit. Tias, door as firmly closed, how shail I your last, is the greatest. Continue convey it to you 1* “None of the to watch till dawn til cứ Cijanna Bacisgne equs's Diarmuch arrive, O Darmanin. We in strength and agility,' said Conan, So he passed on, and entered the hali where the king of the world and his son Borb sat at table. Carrying Lis naked glaive under his left arm. he advanced to the table; and taking bread and meat and a flagon of mead from off it, he turned and quitted the hall. Eyes of warriors and common fighting men glared on him. Bat the master of the feast made no signal of offence, nor spoke word† Returning by the tord, he found Fala asierp, but ** withent prope. are as The 'except Osgur, son of Oisin. It would be to his disgrace to seek from any one help or advice." Diarmuidh stepped back to the ford, and returning with a war-mace on his shoulder, with a powerful sweep he struck the thick wall of mighty planks, opposite the head of Conan. A heavy splinter from the strong boards dashing against his head caused him to utter such a cry as shook the building. Take, O Conan," said Diarmuidh, "the provisions. May you get from them the full benefit you deserve!" He then returned to the ford, where Faha still slept. By this time the kings of the Islands of the Floods had learned the fate of Mogach, whom they blamed for having gone to the Quick-beam Castle. They had brought the enchantment on the Curaidhe, and they only should be allowed to come and slay them. They now proceeded to the ford, each leading fifty men; and there, mighty in stature, and terrible in his arms and armour, stood the heroic son of O'Duinne. "Art thou Diarmuidh of the Beauty Spot?" said the kings. "Be certain of it," said he. "That gladdens us," they replied. You and we received our military education at the same college. No secret of fight or management of warriors known by one is unknown to the others. By our former brotherhood in arms we request you to stand aside, nor bar our march to the Quick-beam Castle." "Evil you intend, Fion, and Goll, and the rest; so here I remain to oppose you while I can wield spear, glaive, and buckler. At dawn my duty ceases, for then four battalions of Fion will be on the plain." "Perish in your rashness cried the kings of the Islands of the Floods, and the rush was as that of wild boars, or wolves, or furious stags. Vain was their strength and fury. Invulnerable he stood; and arms, heads, and limbs, were lopped away, as dry boughs under the axe of the woodman. With the clang and the outery went the sleep of Faha, and right on Diarmuidh he ran with level led javelin for not arousing him before. Diarmuidh stepped aside, and full on the foreign soldiers rushed the chief, and armed and valiant men fell before him as weak grass. "Right," said Diarmuidh. "When the foes have perished to a man, then avenge your wrongs on me." Diarmuidh was engaged by the three kings, and terrible was the strife; for all the skill in stroke and ward, that was ever known to warrior of Erin or Lochlann, was possessed by every one of the four. But one by one they sunk under his crushing blows, and of their force of thrice fifty swordsmen, not one was left to bear back the news to the island fortress. Then proceeded Diarmuidh and Faha to the castle, and joyfully they greeted the enchanted warriors. Again was Diarmuidh about to wield the war-mace, and force an entrance; but Fion cried, "The blood of the island kings applied to the door will open it wide, and applied to our persons will restore us to liberty." It was done, and soon every laoch had sprung to his feet, and was rejoicing in his freedom and strength like an unchained eagle. Conan was the last thought of, and when his turn came the magic blood was spent. Great were the lamentations of the troublesome man; but Diarmuidh and Faha came to the rescue. Taking him by the arms they tore him from his icy seat, in spite of his fierce outeries, and long it was before he could walk, chase the deer, or stand in battle line.* News came to the Monarch of the World of the loss of his skilful and brave allies; and at dawn of day he issued forth on the plain, and with his warlike son, Borb, marshalled his host numerous as the forest leaves. By this time, Oisin, and those who had remained with him, and the four battalions of the Fianna arrived, and were formed in battle-array by Fion. In front of the first battalion were the agile, and strong, and strife-loving chiefs of the Chlanna Baoisgne. Before the second, towered Goll, son of Morna, and the Conacht laochis. •We have been obliged to omit, among other matters, the grateful expressions used by Fion to Diarmuidh. Trust not in princes! Diarmuidh, on the point of death, which could have been averted by Fion, reminded him of the service rendered him at this "Castle Perilous,' but in vain. The swift ani slaughtering sons of Smolled the third; and the fourth was commanded by the petuous sons of Nimhneach. Before every chief was borne his banner of sk and gold; and when the Dordtion biew the battle signal, the onset was as the waves of the ocean meeting a mountain river, or as two clouds charged with thunder meeting in the sky. Foot opposed foot, blow met blow, and the war cries and the clang of the arms rose louder than the roar of ten thousand buils, or the stormdriven waves flung back to ocean from the rocks of Rinkan Bearrs. Stern was the strife wazed by the Avage Borb with the stubborn Goil, son of Morna; but at the end he lay powerless on the bloody turf. Many were the strong titing men of the Fianna who perished by the sword of the King of the World, till he came before Osgur the peericss, the invincible. Awful was the strife of the heroes, and the weapons of the surrounding warriors were lowered, while they gaze 1 on the fierce combat. After a long strite, the eurized son of Ossi in, seizing his pan terous glaive with both hands, and rising, in his might, discharged an irresisti de blow on the shoulder of his foeman. Shield and lorica gave way before the crushing stroke, and with a disini clang of arms the misty chet fel baward on the red turf. The strife was soon over; flight was taken to the bay, and all who perished not by the swords, and axes, and javns of the Fianna, weat sorrowin ly in their galleys to the land of the winte strangers. We now present one of the old Listorte romances, of which the realer may see an er specimen in the Archeological Sentvis series, entitled the battle of M-ih Rith The Field by the Fort, Moyra. Some of our m»lern romancers, taking a historical subjet as base, make the pers nages of our scivol books te Calet characters the plot, and as every one knows their fortunes already, any deep interest in the sky is out of the question. In Celtic E.5ton romance the concoctor set work in a different manner. חו the veriest skeleton of fact, he wound over and round it wreaths of flowers, combined with ribbons and streamers of it paper. Something of the shape of the subject was evident, but not an indication of its true features, nor natural colour, nor expression, nor appropriate motion. All that the reader can receive of this romance as true, or probably true, is that Cumhail, chief of the inilitia of the country, himself belonging to the Leinster knights, assumed too much authority; and that the reigning monarch deposing him, and appointing Goll Mac Morna, of the Conacht divi sion in his place, and meeting him near Castle Knoc, probably in the west side of the Phoenix Park, defeated his forces and slew him. The names of several historical personages are quoted through the piece. The Eghan mentioned there afterwards defeated Conn, and obliged him to divide the kingdom with him. THE FIGHT OF CASTLE KNOC.• After the death of Cahir Mhor Charles the Great, sinin by Conn of the Hundred Battics, the people of Leinster remained without a king, without prosperity, without tribute. Conn, now supreme ruler in Ireland, bestowed on his sage councilor, the yellow haired Criomthan, son of Megh Corb, the rule of the province of Gainan S. Leinster, and the district of the gently flowing Latte, which authority he long and happily enjoyed. At this time the great chief of the Fanna of Einn was the no ie Cumhail, son of T,enmor, son of Baðisgte, and whde the battle was fon.ht wich made Conn Ard Rah at Teamor, he was among the isies, towards the Sea of Lellinn, Lunting and B...ving deer, and wolves, and wid bears. Turce fifty of the unconqueed Fianra of Leinster were in lies mpany. When the news reached Lim of the death of Calir Mior he prepared to return and assume the sovereignty of Leinster, and be and his people embarked in their highco, nered, Eng beited, broad sated Fiquem While the wind ting tha fwing sans behind, at 1 Using prows cut the yielding to and the white foam scattered on either side, and the long and level wakes lay still in the rear, they left headland and level shore behind, and soon arrived at Inver Colpa.* There Cumhail, son of Trenmor, set up his standard, and the province of Leinster owned him as king; and long and happy would have been his rule, but pride and ambition seized on his heart, and he was already in wish and desire the Ard-Righ of Erinn. So he fostered the sons of Cathoir Mhor, and they and his other tributary chiefs made raids on Munster, and on the level plain of Bregia,† and on Meath, and drove away herds of cattle, and took spoils of cloaks, and loricas, and bucklers, and women slaves, and men slaves. So a general outery arose against Cumhail, and messengers were sent to Teamor of kings, and they said "We are impoverished and slaughtered by Cuinhail, son of Trenmor, son of Baoisgue, and if you cannot protect our raths, and the houses and the stables of our Brughaids, and our bodachs from this terrible chief, even let him sit on your throne, and then he will not suffer us, his own proper subjects, to be despoiled and evilly treated." So swift messengers came from Teamor to Naas of the Kings, and said --"Cumhail, son of, &c., &c., Chief of Leinster; Conn, son of &c., Ard Righ of Erin, greets thee, and gives invitation to the Court at Teamor, to meet sundry chiefs of Munster, Conaght, and Uladh, and there treat of things pertaining to the wellbeing of the whole island, but chiefly of Meath and Bregia." "By the hand of your king, honoured guests and heralds, I will neither proceed to Teamor, nor hold council there with petty or supreme sovereign." "Whence proceeds your hatred to the Ard-Righ, and your ravages on Munster, Meath, and Bregia ?" "They proceed from my determined will to avenge the death of my lamented king, Cahir Mhor, slain by Conn, and by Conal, son of Aongus, and Chief of the Chlanna Morna; also from the annoyance my people receive from the tribute-gatherers of your Ard-Righ, all selected from the Conacht tribes, and bearing off the fruits of our labour to the high court at Teamor." When the messengers delivered Cumhail's answer to the justice-loving, gentle-spoken King Conn, he was much incensed, and sent the same messengers, trusty and swift of foot, to Conal, son of Aongus, where he kept state at Cruachan,‡ and informed him of the proud doings of Cumhail, chief of the Chlanna Baoisgne. Then assembled the champions of Cruachan, and of Magh Aoi (Mayo), and the other warriors of Conacht, and they proceeded in one body to Teamor. When all were seated in the Mid Cuarta of the royal rath, Conn publicly announced the insolent bearing of Cumhail, and sought the counsel of the chiefs; and the counsel given by Conal was this. "If pride and injustice have got such hold on the rebellious chief of the militia of Erin, let the office be removed, and given to the loyal and valiant Goll, son of Morna, as yet unconquered in war, and marked by all the good qualities that should distinguish a perfect warrior, a loyal subject, and a lover of his land. Now Goll, son of Morna, was foster-brother to Conn, and when Conal told him at Cruachan that he was appointed commander-in-chief, he gladly led his forces to Teamor, and was there joined by the son of Conal, and Achy the one-eyed, the son of Carthan, both foster-brothers Conn, and Fiacha, son of Cletie, King of Bregia, and the yellow-haired Criomthan, son of Mogh Corb, the instructor of Conn. of Then they began to speak of the force and prowess of Cumbail; and Goll said that few men exceeded the son of Trenmor in activity, in the knowledge of arms, in strength, in wisdom, and in ruling a battle, "but "Colpa's Harbour, now Drogheda. It derives the more ancient of its names from the circumstance of Colpa, one of the captains in the Milesian invasion, having been drowned there on attempting to land. The level plain extending from Meath, the coast line of Fingal and the base of the Dublin Mountains being its eastern and south-eastern limits. Bray still retains the ancient name. See the "Cromlech on Howth," by S. Ferguson, M. R.I.A. Now Rath-Croghan, county Roscommon. |