Three days and three nights Diarmuid stopped in that city, and the best
feast he ever found was given to him all through. And at the end of that
time he asked what was the place he was in, and who was head of it. And
the champion that brought him there told him it was Land-Under-Wave, and
that the man that had fought with him was its king. "And he is an enemy
of the Red Hand to me," he said. "And as to myself," he said, "I was
one time getting wages from Finn, son of Cumhal, in Ireland, and I never
put a year over me that pleased me better. And tell me now," he said,
"what is the journey or the work that is before you?"
And Diarmuid told him the story of the Hard Servant then from beginning
to end.
Now, as to Finn and his people, when they thought Diarmuid was too long
away from them, they made ladders of the cords of the ship and put them
against the rock, looking for him.
And after a while they found the leavings of the meat he had eaten, for
Diarmuid never ate meat without leaving some after him.
Finn looked then on every side, and he saw a rider coming towards him
over the plain on a dark-coloured beautiful horse, having a bridle of
red gold. Finn saluted him when he came up, and the rider stooped his
head and gave Finn three kisses, and asked him to go with him. They went
on a long way till they came to a wide, large dwelling-place full of
arms, and a great troop of armed men on the green before the fort. Three
nights and three days Finn and his people stopped in the dun, and the
best feast they ever got was served out to them.
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