“There is a vat there of royal bronze; the juice of pleasant malt is running from it; over the vat is an apple-tree with its heavy fruit; when Credhe’s horn is filled from the vat, four apples fall into it together.

“She that owns all these things both at low water and at flood, Credhe from the Hill of the Three Peaks, she is beyond all the women of Ireland by the length of a spear-cast.

“Here is this song for her, it is no sudden bride-gift it is, no hurried asking; I bring it to Credhe of the beautiful shape, that my coming may be very bright to her.”

Then Credhe took him for her husband, and the wedding-feast was made, and the whole of the Fianna stopped there through seven days, at drinking and pleasure, and having every good thing.

CHAPTER III.  CONN CRITHER

Finn now, when he had turned from his road to go to Credhe’s house, had sent out watchmen to every landing-place to give warning when the ships of the strangers would be in sight.  And the man that was keeping watch at the White Strand was Conn Crither, son of Bran, from Teamhair Luachra.

And after he had been a long time watching, he was one night west from the Round Hill of the Fianna that is called Cruachan Adrann, and there he fell asleep.  And while he was in his sleep the ships came; and what roused him was the noise of the breaking of shields and the clashing of swords and of spears, and the cries of women and children and of dogs and horses that were under flames, and that the strangers were making an attack on.

Conn Crither started up when he heard that, and he said:  “It is great trouble has come on the people through my sleep; and I will not stay living after this,” he said, “for Finn and the Fianna of Ireland to see me, but I will rush into the middle of the strangers,” he said, “and they will fall by me till I fall by them.”

He put on his suit of battle then and ran down towards the strand.  And on the way he saw three women dressed in battle clothes before him, and fast as he ran he could not overtake them.  He took his spear then to make a cast of it at the woman was nearest him, but she stopped on the moment, and she said:  “Hold your hand and do not harm us, for we are not come to harm you but to help you.”  “Who are you yourselves?” said Conn Crither.  “We are three sisters,” she said, “and we are come from Tir nan Og, the Country of the Young, and we have all three given you our love, and no one of us loves you less than the other, and it is to give you our help we are come.”  “What way will you help me?” said Conn.  “We will give you good help,” she said, “for we will make Druid armies about you from stalks of grass and from the tops of the watercress, and they will cry out to the strangers and will strike their arms from their hands, and take from them their strength and their eyesight.  And we will put a Druid mist about you now,” she said, “that will hide