’The charioteer of the chariot is worthy of him in his presence:  curly hair very black has he, broad-cut along his head.  A cowl-dress is on him open; two very fine golden leaf-shaped switches in his hand, and a light grey mantle round him, and a goad of white silver in his hand, plying the goad on the horses, whichever way the champion of great deeds goes who was at hand in the chariot.

’He is veteran of his land (?):  he and his servant think little of Ireland.’

‘Go, O fellow,’ said he, said Fer Diad; ’you praise too much altogether; and prepare the arms in the ford against his coming.’

’If I turned my face backwards, it seems to me the chariot would come through the back of my neck.’

‘O fellow,’ said he, ’too greatly do you praise Cuchulainn, for it is not a reward for praising he has given you’; and it is thus he was giving his description, and he said: 

        ‘The help is timely,’ etc.

It is not long afterwards that they met in the middle of the ford, and Fer Diad said to Cuchulainn: 

‘Whence come you, O Cua?’ said he (for [Note:  An interpolation.] cua was the name of squinting in old Gaelic; and there were seven pupils in Cuchulainn’s royal eye, and two of these pupils were squinting, and the ugliness of it is no greater than its beauty on him; and if there had been a greater blemish on Cuchulainn, it is that with which he reproached him; and he was proclaiming it); and he made a song, and Cuchulainn answered: 

        ‘Whence art thou come, O Hound,’ etc.

Then Cuchulainn said to his charioteer that he was to taunt him when he was overcome, and that he was to praise him when he was victorious, in the combat against Fer Diad.  Then the charioteer said to him: 

’The man goes over thee as the tail over a cat; he washes thee as foam is washed in water, he squeezes (?) thee as a loving mother her son.’

Then they took to the ford-play.  Scathach’s ——­ (?)came to them both.  Fer Diad and Cuchulainn performed marvellous feats.  Cuchulainn went and leapt into Fer Diad’s shield; Fer Diad hurled him from him thrice into the ford; so that the charioteer taunted him again ——­ and he swelled like breath in a bag.

His size increased till he was greater than Fer Diad.

‘Give heed to the Gae bolga,’ said the charioteer; he sent it to him along the stream.

Cuchulainn seized it between his toes, and wielded it on Fer Diad, into his body’s armour.  It advances like one spear, so that it became twenty-four points.  Then Fer Diad turned the shield below.  Cuchulainn thrust at him with the spear over the shield, so that it broke the shaft of his ribs and went through Fer Diad’s heart.

[Fer Diad:] ’Strong is the ash from thy right hand!  The ——­ rib breaks, my heart is blood.  Well hast thou given battle!  I fall, O Hound.’