The thunder and the din and the noise(?) that you heard, was the whistling of the swords and of the ivory-hilted weapons, the clatter of arms, the creaking of the chariots, the beating of the hoofs of the horses, the strength of the warriors, the roar of the fighting-men, the noise of the soldiers, the great rage and anger and fierceness of the heroes going in madness to the battle, for the greatness of the rage and of the fury(?).  They would think they would not reach it at all,’ said Fergus.

‘We will await them,’ said Ailill; ‘we have warriors for them.’

‘You will need that,’ said Fergus, ’for there will not be found in all Ireland, nor in the west of the world, from Greece and Scythia westward to the Orkneys and to the Pillars of Hercules and to the Tower of Bregon and to the island of Gades, any one who shall endure the Ulstermen in their fury and in their rage,’ said Fergus.

Then Mac Roth went again to look at the march of the men of Ulster, so that he was in their camp at Slemon Midi, and Fergus; and he told them certain tidings, and Mac Roth said in describing them: 

’A great company has come, of great fury, mighty, fierce, to the hill at Slemon Midi,’ said Mac Roth.  ’I think there is a cantred therein; they took off their clothing at once, and dug a mound of sods under their leader’s seat.  A warrior fair and tall and long and high, beautiful, the fairest of kings his form, in the front of the company.  Hair white-yellow has he, and it curly, neat, bushy (?), ridged, reaching to the hollow of his shoulders.  A tunic curly, purple, folded round him; a brooch excellent, of red-gold, in his cloak on his breast; eyes very grey, very fair, in his head; a face proper, purple, has he, and it narrow below and broad above:  a beard forked, very curly, gold-yellow he has; a shirt white, hooded, with red ornamentation, round about him; a sword gold-hilted on his shoulders; a white shield with rivets(?) of gold; abroad grey spear-head on a slender shaft in his hand.  The fairest of the princes of the world his march, both in host and rage and form and dress, both in face and terror and battle and triumph, both in prowess and horror and dignity.

‘Another company has come there,’ said Mac Roth; ’it is next to the other in number and quarrelling and dress and terror and horror.  A fair warrior, heroic, is in the front of this company.  A green cloak folded round him; a brooch of gold over his arm; hair curly and yellow:  an ivory-hilted sword with a hilt of ivory at his left.  A shirt with ——­ to his knee; a wound-giving shield with engraved edge; the candle of a palace [Note:  i.e. spear.] in his hand; a ring of silver about it, and it runs round along the shaft forward to the point, and again it runs to the grip.  And that troop sat down on the left hand of the leader of the first troop, and it is thus they sat down, with their knees to the ground, and the rims of their shields against their chins.  And I thought there was stammering in the speech of the great fierce warrior who is the leader of that company.