He went back then to where the king was, and the king asked him which of the men of the Fianna was in it.  “It is a kinsman of my own is in it, High King,” said Glas; “and it is weak my heart is, he to be alone, and I have a great desire to go and help him.”  “If you go,” said the King of the World, “it is what I ask you, to come and to tell me every day how many of the Fianna of Ireland have fallen by me; and if a few of my own men should fall,” he said, “come and tell me who it was they fell by.”  “It is what I ask you,” said Glas, “not to let your armies land till the Fianna come to us, but to let one man only come to fight with each of us until that time,” he said.

So two of the strangers were sent against them that day, and they got their death by Glas and by Conn Crither.  Then they asked to have two men sent against each of them, and that was done; and three times nine fell by them before night.  And Conn Crither was covered with wounds after the day, and he said to Glas:  “Three women came to me from the Country of the Young, and they promised to put me in a well of healing for my wounds.  And let you watch the harbour to-night,” he said, “and I will go look for them.”  So he went to them, and they bathed him in the well of healing, and he was whole of his wounds.

And as to Glas, son of Dremen, he went down to the harbour, and he said:  “O King of the World,” he said, “there is a friend of mine in the ships, Madan of the Bent Neck, son of the King of the Marshes; and it is what he said in the great world in the east, that he himself would be enough to take Ireland for you, and that he would bring it under tribute to you by one way or another.  And I ask you to let him come alone against me to-night, till we see which of us will fight best for Ireland.”

So Madan came to the land, and the two attacked one another, and made a very hard fight; but as it was not in the prophecy that Glas would find his death there, it was the son of the King of the Marshes that got his death by him.

And not long after that Conn Crither came back to Glas, and he gave Glas great praise for all he had done.

CHAPTER V. THE HELP OF THE MEN OF DEA

Then Taistellach that was one of Finn’s messengers came to the White Strand asking news; and Conn bade him go back to where Finn was and tell him the way things were.  But Taistellach would not go until he had wetted his sword in the blood of one of the enemies of Ireland, the same as the others had done.  And he sent a challenge to the ships, and Coimhleathan, a champion that was very big and tall, came and fought with him on the strand, and took him in his arms to bring him back living to the ship of the High King; but Taistellach struck his head off in the sea and brought it back to land.

“Victory and blessing be with you!” said Conn Crither.  “And go now to-night,” he said, “to the house of Bran, son of Febal my father at Teamhair Luachra, and bid him to gather all the Tuatha de Danaan to help us; and go on to-morrow to the Fianna of Ireland.”  So Taistellach went on to Bran’s house, and he told him the whole story and gave him the message.