At the end of that time Finn asked what country was he in, and the man
that brought him there told him it was the land of Sorcha, and that he
himself was its king. "And I was with yourself one time, Finn, son of
Cumhal," he said, "taking your wages through the length of a year in
Ireland."
Then Finn and the King of Sorcha called a great gathering of the people
and a great meeting. And when it was going on they saw a woman-messenger
coming to them through the crowd, and the king asked news of her. "I
have news indeed," she said; "the whole of the bay and the harbour is
full of ships and of boats, and there are armies all through the country
robbing all before them." "I know well," said the king, "it is the High
King of Greece is in it, for he has a mind to put the entire world under
him, and to get hold of this country like every other." The King of
Sorcha looked at Finn then, and Finn understood it was help from him he
was asking, and it is what he said: "I take the protection of this
country on myself so long as I am in it." He and his people rose up
then, and the King of Sorcha along with them, and they went looking for
the strange army. And when they came up with it they made great
slaughter of its champions, and those they did not kill ran before them,
and made no better stand than a flock of frightened birds, till there
were hardly enough of them left to tell the story.
The High King spoke then, and it is what he said: "Who is it has done
this great slaughter of my people? And I never heard before," he said,
"any talk of the courage or of the doings of the men of Ireland either
at this time or in the old times.
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