’To tell you the warrior who comes against you in battle and combat to-morrow morning,’ said he.

‘Let us find it out and let us hear it from you then,’ said Cuchulainn.

‘Your own foster-brother, Fer Diad Mac Damain.’

’On our word, we think it not best that it should be he we come to meet,’said Cuchulainn, ’and it is not for fear of him but for the greatness of our love for him.’

‘It is fitting to fear him,’ said Fergus, ’for he has a skin of horn in battle against a man, so that neither weapon nor edge will pierce it.’

‘Do not say that at all,’ said Cuchulainn, ’for I swear the oath that my people swear, that every joint and every limb of him will be as pliant as a pliant rush in the midst of a stream under the point of my sword, if he shows himself once to me on the ford.’

It is thus they were speaking, and they made a song: 

        ‘O Cuchulainn, a bright meeting,’ etc.

After that, ‘Why have you come, O my friend, O Fergus?’ said Cuchulainn.

‘That is my purpose,’ said Fergus.

‘Good luck and profit,’ said Cuchulainn, ’that no other of the men of Ireland has come for this purpose, unless the four provinces of Ireland all met at one time.  I think nothing of a warning before a single warrior.’

Then Fergus went to his tent.

As regards the charioteer and Cuchulainn: 

‘What shall you do to-night?’ said Loeg.

‘What indeed?’ said Cuchulainn.

’It is thus that Fer Diad will come to seek you, with new beauty of plaiting and haircutting, and washing and bathing, and the four provinces of Ireland with him to look at the fight.  It would please me if you went to the place where you will get the same adorning for yourself, to the place where is Emer of the Beautiful Hair, to Cairthend of Cluan Da Dam in Sliab Fuait.’

So Cuchulainn went thither that night, and spent the night with his own wife.  His adventures from this time are not discussed here now.  As to Fer Diad, he came to his tent; it was gloomy and weary that Fer Diad’s tent-servants were that night.  They thought it certain that where the two pillars of the battle of the world should meet, that both would fall; or the issue of it would be, that it would be their own lord who would fall there.  For it was not easy to fight with Cuchulainn on the Foray.

There were great cares on Fer Diad’s mind that night, so that they did not let him sleep.  One of his great anxieties was that he should let pass from him all the treasures that had been offered to him, and the maiden, by reason of combat with one man.  If he did not fight with that one man, he must fight with the six warriors on the morrow.  His care that was greater than this was that if he should show himself once on the ford to Cuchulainn, he was certain that he himself would not have power of his head or life thereafter; and Fer Diad arose early on the morrow.