There he saw great, white-speckled
birds, of unusual size and colour and beauty. He pursues then until his
horses were tired. The birds would go a spearcast before him, and would
not go any further. He alighted, and takes his sling for them out of the
chariot. He goes after them until he was at the sea. The birds betake
themselves to the wave. He went to them and overcame them. The birds
quit their birdskins, and turn upon him with spears and swords. One of
them protects him, and addressed him, saying: "I am Nemglan, king of thy
father's birds; and thou hast been forbidden to cast at birds, for here
there is no one that should not be dear to thee because of his father
or mother."
"Till to-day," says Conaire, "I knew not this."
"Go to Tara tonight," says Nemglan; "'tis fittest for thee. A bull-feast
is there, and through it thou shalt be king. A man stark-naked, who
shall go at the end of the night along one of the roads of Tara, having
a stone and a sling--'tis he that shall be king.
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