But a while after that, in a great battle at Beinn Edair, Osgar got so heavy a wound that Finn and the Fianna were as if they had lost their wits.  And when Etain of the Fair Hair came to the bed where Osgar was lying, and saw the way he was, and that the great kinglike shape he had was gone from him, greyness and darkness came on her, and she raised pitiful cries, and she went to her bed and her heart broke in her like a nut; and she died of grief for her husband and her first love.

But it was not at that time Osgar got his death, but afterwards in the battle of Gabhra.

BOOK SIX:  DIARMUID.

CHAPTER I. BIRTH OF DIARMUID

Diarmuid, now, was son of Bonn, son of Duibhne of the Fianna, and his mother was Crochnuit, that was near in blood to Finn.  And at the time he was born, Bonn was banished from the Fianna because of some quarrel they had with him, and Angus Og took the child from him to rear him up at Brugh na Boinne.

And after a while Crochnuit bore another son to Roc Diocain, that was Head Steward to Angus.  Roc Diocain went then to Donn, and asked would he rear up his son for him, the way Angus was rearing Donn’s son.  But Donn said he would not take the son of a common man into his house, and it would be best for Angus to take him.  So Angus took the child into Brugh na Boinne, and he and Diarmuid were reared up together.

And one day Finn was on the great Hill at Almhuin of Leinster, and no one with him but Donn and a few of the poets and learned men of the Fianna, and their hounds and dogs, and Bran Beag came in and asked did he remember there were bonds on him, not to stop in Almhuin for ten nights together.  Finn asked the people about him then where would he go and be entertained for that night, and Donn said:  “I will bring you to the house of Angus, son of the Dagda, where my young son is being reared.”

So they went together to the house of Angus at Brugh na Boinne, and the child Diarmuid was there, and it is great love Angus had for him.  And the Steward’s son was with him that night, and the people of the household made as much of him as Angus made of Diarmuid; and there was great vexation on Donn when he saw that.  It chanced after a while a great fight rose between two of Finn’s hounds about some broken meat that was thrown to them; and the women and the common people of the place ran from them, and the others rose up to part them from one another.  And in running away, the Steward’s child ran between the knees of Donn, and Donn gave the child a strong squeeze between his two knees that killed him on the moment, and he threw him under the feet of the hounds.  And when the Steward came after that and found his son dead, he gave a long very pitiful cry, and he said to Finn:  “There is not a man in the house to-night has suffered more than myself from this uproar, for I had but one son only, and he has been killed; and what satisfaction will I get from you for that, Finn?” he said.  “Try can you find the mark of a tooth or of a nail of one of the hounds on him,” said Finn, “and if you can, I will give you satisfaction for him.”