So they all went out from Almhuin, Finn and the Fianna to one part, and
the Lad of the Skins to another part, and they hunted through the day.
And when they came back at evening, the Lad of the Skins had killed more
than Finn and all his men together.
When Finn saw that, he was glad to have so good a servant. But Conan
said to him: "The Lad of the Skins will destroy ourselves and the whole
of the Fianna of Ireland unless you will find some way to rid yourself
of him." "I never had a good man with me yet, Conan," said Finn, "but
you wanted me to put him away; and how could I put away a man like
that?" he said. "The way to put him away," said Conan, "is to send him
to the King of the Floods to take from him the great cauldron that is
never without meat, but that has always enough in it to feed the whole
world. And let him bring that cauldron back here with him to Almhuin,"
he said.
So Finn called to the Lad of the Skins, and he said: "Go from me now to
the King of the Floods and get the great cauldron that is never empty
from him, and bring it here to me." "So long as I am in your service I
must do your work," said the Lad of the Skins. With that he set out,
leaping over the hills and valleys till he came to the shore of the sea.
And then he took up two sticks and put one of them across the other, and
a great ship rose out of the two sticks. The Lad of the Skins went into
the ship then, and put up the sails and set out over the sea, and he
heard nothing but the whistling of eels in the sea and the calling of
gulls in the air till he came to the house of the King of the Floods.
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