But the Lad of the Skins made for them and overthrew them,
and he went into the king's dun, and Finn with him, and they overcame
him and brought away again the cauldron that was never empty.
But as they were going back to Ireland, they saw a great ship coming
towards them. And when the Lad of the Skins looked at the ship, he said:
"I think it is an old enemy of my own is in that ship, that is trying to
bring me to my death, because of my wife that refused him her love." And
when the ship came alongside, the man that was in it called out: "I know
you well, and it is not by your dress I know you, son of the King of the
Hills." And with that he made a leap on to the ship, and the two fought
a great battle together, and they took every shape; they began young
like two little boys, and fought till they were two old men; they fought
from being two young pups until they were two old dogs; from being two
young horses till they were two old horses. And then they began to fight
in the shape of birds, and it is in that shape they killed one another
at the last. And Finn threw the one bird into the water, but the other,
that was the Lad of the Skins, he brought with him in the ship. And when
he came in sight of Ireland, he raised a red flag as he had promised the
woman.
And when he came to the strand, she was there before him, and when she
saw Finn, she said: "It is dead you have brought him back to me." And
Finn gave her the bird, and she asked was that what she was to get in
the place of her husband.
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