The Scottish Celtic review

—"The MuUeartach. 129They met, and commenced at each other. All the Lochlinnerswere killed, and the " Cup of Victory " was recovered. Manuswas bound, and put under oaths. It was then that Conan '"said" Let me to Manus of the swords,That I may separate his head from his body."Manus then said—" A little blow again.st thee. Fin,I repent me of what I have done to you."He went home bare and empty handed. His foster-mothera.sked for his men ; and he said they were lost. " King ! " shesaid, "that ever I gave the juice of my side to you when youcould not kill Fin, seeing he is only a halfman" (i.e. one of twins).""I shall go now; and as many men as you have lost I shall takefrom the Fians in twenty-four hours." " I shall raise," said Manus," my ships and go with you." She would not hear of this, butthat the Smith should go with her. He was good at tellingstories, and would tell everything to Manus, when they camehome. The Smith was not willing to go, though he had onlyheard of Fin ; but she caught him, and threw him into the boat.They took their sea journey. A little gentle breeze came afterthem from the lower part of the hills and from the heights of thetrees, that would take foliage from a hill, and willows from a tree,and little young rushes from their base and roots. They beganto throw the sea aside, flashing, flapping, foaming, against theblackness of the old stone, and the pitch-blackness of the boulderstones, the biggest beast eating the smallest beast, and the smallestbeast doing as best it could; the little sea-birds betaking themselvesto i-est and shelter in the wisp of the main-mast. She (the boat)would cut the hard .slender stalks of oats with her very stem, for thegreat excellency of her steersman.'^ "Look up," .she said to theOcean Smith, " and try and see land." When he looked all roundabout him, he saw land and said, " If it be land it is small, andif it be a crow it is large." " That is true, my good fellow," shesaid, " we have not the boat at its proper speed." They put outthe small broad-bladed, ridged oars, and every time theystretched their backs, they took in water over the gunwale of theboat. For all the evils and tossings they got, they reached landand drew up the boat above the beach (lit. "in the top of theshore "), where the boys of the town could not make sport or