" "It is little heed I give to
yourself or your share of men," said the Red Woman; "and if my three
sons were here, they would stand up against you." "Indeed it will be a
bad day," said Finn, "when the threat of a woman will put fear on myself
or on the Fianna of Ireland." With that he sounded his horn, and he
said: "Let us all follow now, men and dogs, after that beast that we
saw."
He had no sooner said that word than the woman made a great water-worm
of herself, and made an attack on Finn, and she would have killed him
then and there but for Bran being with him. Bran took a grip of the worm
and shook it, and then it wound itself round Bran's body, and would
have crushed the life out of her, but Finn thrust his sharp sword into
its throat. "Keep back your hand," said the worm then, "and you will not
have the curse of a lonely woman upon you." "It is what I think," said
Finn, "that you would not leave me my life if you could take it from me;
but go out of my sight now," he said, "and that I may never see you
again."
Then she made herself into a Red Woman again, and went away into the
wood.
All the Fianna were gone on the track of the beast while Finn was
talking and fighting with the Red Woman; and he did not know in what
place they were, but he went following after them, himself and Bran. It
was late in the evening when he came up with a share of them, and they
still on the track of the beast. The darkness of the night was coming
on, but the two moons in the sides of the beast gave a bright light, and
they never lost it from sight.
Pages:
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363