And there is fire coming from the edges of their swords," he
said, "and blood is raining down like a shower on a day of harvest; and
there were never so many leaves torn by the wind from a great forest as
there are locks of long golden hair, and of black curled hair, cut off
by sharp weapons, blowing into the clouds at this time. And there is no
person could tell one man from another, now," he said, "unless it might
be by their voices." With that he went into the very middle of the fight
to praise and to hearten the men of the Fianna.
"Who is first in the battle now, Fergus?" said Finn, when he came back
to him. "By my oath, it is no friend of your own is first in it," said
Fergus, "for it is Daire Donn, the King of the World; and it is for you
he is searching through the battle," he said, "and three times fifty of
his own people were with him. But two of the men of your Fianna fell on
them," he said, "Cairell the Battle Striker, and Aelchinn of Cruachan,
and made an end of them. But they were not able to wound the King of the
World," he said, "but the two of them fell together by him."
Then the King of the World came towards Finn, and there was no one near
him but Arcallach of the Black Axe, the first that ever brought a wide
axe into Ireland. "I give my word," said Arcallach, "I would never let
Finn go before me into any battle." He rose up then and made a terrible
great blow of his axe at the king, that went through his royal crown to
the hair of his head, but that did not take a drop of blood out of him,
for the edge of the axe turned and there went balls of fire over the
plain from that blow.
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