“Thus then shall it be,” said Ailill.

“’Tis a fair test,” said Conor in assent; “we have here a plenty of lads in this house who have done battle on the borders.”

“Thou shalt lose thy lads to-night, Conor,” said Senlaech the charioteer, who came from rushy Conalad in the West; “often have they left a fat steer for me to harry, as they sprawled on their backs upon the road that leadeth to the rushes of Dedah.”

“Fatter was the steer that thou hadst to leave to us,” said Munremur,[FN#12] the son of Gerrcind; “even thine own brother, Cruachniu, son of Ruadlam; and it was from Conalad of Cruachan that he came.”

“He was no better,” cried Lugaid the son of Curoi of Munster, “than Loth the Great, the son of Fergus Mac Lete; and Echbel the son of Dedad left him lying in Tara Luachra."[FN#13]

[FN#11] Pronounced Brik-roo.

[FN#12] Pronounced Moon-raymer.

[FN#13] Pronounced Looch-ra.

“What sort of a man was he whom ye boast of?” cried Celtchar of Ulster. 
 “I myself slew that horny-skinned son of Dedad, I cut the head from
his shoulders.”

At the last it fell out that one man raised himself above all the men of Ireland; he was Ket, the son of Mata, he came from the land of Connaught.  He hung up his weapons at a greater height than the weapons of any one else who was there, he took a knife in his hand, and he placed himself at the side of the Boar.

“Find ye now,” said he, “one man among the men of Ireland who can equal my renown, or else leave the division of the Boar to me.”

All of the Ulstermen were thrown into amazement.  “Seest thou that, O
Laegaire?"[FN#14] said Conor.

[FN#14] Pronounced Leary.

“Never shall it be,” said Laegaire the Triumphant, “that Ket should have the division of this Boar in the face of us all.”

“Softly now, O Laegaire!” said Ket; “let me hold speech with thee.  With you men of Ulster it hath for long been a custom that each lad among you who takes the arms of a warrior should play first with us the game of war:  thou, O Laegaire, like to the others didst come to the border, and we rode against one another.  And thou didst leave thy charioteer, and thy chariot and thy horses behind thee, and thou didst fly pierced through with a spear.  Not with such a record as that shalt thou obtain the Boar;” and Laegaire sat himself down.

“It shall never come to pass,” said a great fair-haired warrior, stepping forward from the bench whereon he had sat, “that the division of the Boar shall be left to Ket before our very eyes.”

“To whom then appertains it?” asked Ket.

“To one who is a better warrior than thou,” he said, “even to Angus, the son of Lama Gabaid (Hand-in-danger) of the men of Ulster.”

“Why namest thou thy father ’Hand-in-danger?” said Ket.

“Why indeed, I know not,” he said.

“Ah! but I know it!” said Ket.  “Long ago I went upon a journey in the east, a war-cry was raised against me, all men attacked me, and Lama Gabaid was among them.  He made a cast of a great spear against me, I hurled the same spear back upon him, and the spear cut his hand from him so that it lay upon the ground.  How dares the son of that man to measure his renown with mine?” and Angus went back to his place.