So the high king shouted, and his voice rang through the vast and high dun and rolled along the galleries and far-stretching corridors, and was heard by the women of Ulla in their secluded chambers.  And at the same time the watchman from the watch-tower cried out.  Then the women held council together, and they said: 

“Moats and ramparts and strong doors will not repel Cuculain.  He will surely o’erleap the moat and burst through the doors and slay many.”

And as they debated together they said that they alone would save the city and defeat the war-demons who had Cuculain in their power.  For they said—­“His virginity is with him, and his beautiful shamefastness, and his humility and reverence for women, whether they be old or young, and whether they be comely or not comely.  And this was his way always, and now more than formerly since young love hath descended upon him in the form of Emer, daughter of Fargal Manach, King of Lusk in the south.”

Then the women of the Ultonians did a great and memorable deed, and such as was not known to have been done at any time in Erin.

They bade all the men retire into the dun after they had lowered the bridge; and when that was done three tens of them, such as were the most illustrious in rank and famous for accomplishments, and they all in the prime of their youth and beauty, and clad only in the pure raiment of their womanhood, came forth out of the quarters of the women, and in that order, in spite of shame they went to meet him.  When Cuculain saw them advancing towards him in lowly wise, with exposed bosom and hands crossed on their breasts, his weapons fell from his hands and the war-demons fled out of him, and low in the chariot he bent down his noble head.  By them he was conducted into the dun, into a chamber which they had prepared for him, and they drew water and filled his kieve, and there Laeg ministered to him.  He was like one fiery glowing mass—­ like iron plucked red out of the furnace.

When he had entered his bath the water boiled around him.  After he had bathed and when he became calm and cool Laeg put upon him his beautiful banqueting attire, and he came into the great hall lowly and blushing.  All were acclaiming and praising him, and he passed up the great hall and made a reverence to the King, and he sat down at the King’s footstool.  All who saw him marvelled then more at his beauty than at his deeds.  He was sick after that, and came very near to death, but in the end he fell into a very deep sleep from which he awoke whole and refreshed, though it was the opinion of many that he would surely die.  Cuculain was seventeen years of age when he did these feats.

*** End of the project gutenberg EBOOK, the coming of Cuculain ***

This file should be named cucul10.txt or cucul10.zip Corrected editions of our eBooks get a new number, cucul11.txt versions based on separate sources get new letter, cucul10a.txt