" With
that he took his sword in his left hand and made a thrust with his spear
in through the king's armour. And as the king was raising up his shield,
he struck at him with the sword that was in his left hand, and cut off
both his legs at the knees, and the king let fall his shield then, and
Abarthach struck off his head. And the two kings being dead, their
people broke away and ran, but the Men of Dea followed them and made an
end of them all; but if they did, they lost a good many of their own
men.
CHAPTER VI. THE MARCH OF THE FIANNA
Ana Finn and the Fianna were at the house of Credhe yet, and they saw
Taistellach coming towards them. It was the custom, now, with Finn when
he sent any one looking for news, that it was to himself it was to be
told first, the way that if he got bad news he would let on not to mind
it; and if it was good news he got, he would have the satisfaction of
telling it himself. So Taistellach told him how the foreigners were come
to the harbour of the White Strand.
Then Finn turned to his chief men, and he said: "Fianna of Ireland,
there never came harm or danger to Ireland to be put aside this great
danger that is come against us now. And you get great tribute and great
service from the chief men of Ireland," he said, "and if you take that
from them it is right for you to defend them now."
And the Fianna all said they would not go back one step from the defence
of Ireland. And as to Credhe, she gave every one of them a battle dress,
and they were taking leave of her, and Finn said: "Let the woman come
along with us till we know is it good or bad the end of this journey
will be.
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