Laeg slackened the pace, and as they went Cuculain leaped lightly from his seat and as lightly bounded back again, holding a great pebble in his hand, such as a man using all his strength could with difficulty raise from the ground, and sat still, rejoicing in his purpose, and grasping the pebble with his five fingers.

Conall and Ide came up to them after that, and Conall, as the senior and the best man amongst the Ultonians, clamorously called to them to turn back straightway, or he would hough their horses, or draw the linch-pins of their wheels, or in some other manner bring their foray to naught.  Cuculain thereupon stood upright in the car, and so standing, with feet apart to steady him in his throwing and in his aim, dashed the stone upon the yoke of Conall’s chariot between the heads of the horses and broke the yoke, so that the pole fell to the ground and the chariot tilted forward violently.  Then the charioteer fell amongst the horses, and Conall Carna, the beauty of the Ultonians the battle-winning and ever-victorious son of Amargin, was shot out in front upon the road, and fell there upon his left shoulder, and his beautiful raiment was defiled with dust; and when he arose his left hand hung by his side, for the shoulder-bone was driven from the socket, owing to the violence of the fall.

“I swear by all my gods,” he cried, “that if a step would save thy head from the hands of the men of Meath, I would not take it.”

Cuculain laughed and replied, “Good, O Conall, and who asked thee to take it, or craved of thee any succour or countenance?  Was it a straight shot?  Are there the materials of a fighter in me at all, dost thou think?  Thou art in my debt now too, O Conall.  I have saved thee a broken vow, for it is one of the oaths of our Order not to enter hostile territory with brittle chariot-gear!”

Then the boys laughed at him again, and Laeg let go the steeds, and very soon they were out of sight.  Conall returned slowly with his broken chariot to Ath-na-Forairey and sent for Fingin of Slieve Fuad, who was the most cunning physician and most expert of bone-setters amongst the Ultonians.  Conall’s messengers experienced no difficulty in finding the house of the leech, which was very recognisable on account of its shape and appearance, and because it had wide open doors, four in number, affording a liberal ingress and free thoroughfare to all the winds.  Also a stream of pure water ran through the house, derived from a well of healing properties, which sprang from the side of the uninhabited hill.  Such were the signs that showed the house of a leech.

When they drew nigh they heard the voice of one man talking and of another who laughed.  It happened that that day there had been borne thither a champion, in whose body there was not one small bone unbroken or uninjured.  The man’s bruises and fractures had been dressed and set by Fingin and his intelligent and deft-handed apprentices, and he lay now in his bed of healing listening joyfully to the conversation of the leech, who was beyond all others eloquent and of most agreeable discourse.