So Tuiren went out with her, and when they were away from the house the woman of the Sidhe took out her dark Druid rod from under her cloak and gave her a blow of it that changed her into a hound, the most beautiful that was ever seen.  And then she went on, bringing the hound with her, to the house of Fergus Fionnliath, king of the harbour of Gallimh.  And it is the way Fergus was, he was the most unfriendly man to dogs in the whole world, and he would not let one stop in the same house with him.  But it is what Uchtdealb said to him:  “Finn wishes you life and health, Fergus, and he says to you to take good care of his hound till he comes himself; and mind her well,” she said, “for she is with young, and do not let her go hunting when her time is near, or Finn will be no way thankful to you.”  “I wonder at that message,” said Fergus, “for Finn knows well there is not in the world a man has less liking for dogs than myself.  But for all that,” he said, “I will not refuse Finn the first time he sent a hound to me.”

And when he brought the hound out to try her, she was the best he ever knew, and she never saw the wild creature she would not run down; and Fergus took a great liking for hounds from that out.

And when her time came near, they did not let her go hunting any more, and she gave birth to two whelps.

And as to Finn, when he heard his mother’s sister was not living with Iollan Eachtach, he called to him for the fulfilment of the pledge that was given to the Fianna.  And Iollan asked time to go looking for Tuiren, and he gave his word that if he did not find her, he would give himself up in satisfaction for her.  So they agreed to that, and Iollan went to the hill where Uchtdealb was, his sweetheart of the Sidhe, and told her the way things were with him, and the promise he had made to give himself up to the Fianna.  “If that is so,” said she, “and if you will give me your pledge to keep me as your sweetheart to the end of your life, I will free you from that danger.”  So Iollan gave her his promise, and she went to the house of Fergus Fionnliath, and she brought Tuiren away and put her own shape on her again, and gave her up to Finn.  And Finn gave her to Lugaidh Lamha that asked her in marriage.

And as to the two whelps, they stopped always with Finn, and the names he gave them were Bran and Sceolan.

CHAPTER IV.  OISIN’S MOTHER.

It happened one time Finn and his men were coming back from the hunting, a beautiful fawn started up before them, and they followed after it, men and dogs, till at last they were all tired and fell back, all but Finn himself and Bran and Sceolan.  And suddenly as they were going through a valley, the fawn stopped and lay down on the smooth grass, and Bran and Sceolan came up with it, and they did not harm it at all, but went playing about it, licking its neck and its face.