“For too long now have we thus waited,” said Ferdia; “tell me now O Cuchulain! to what weapons shall we resort?” “Thou hast the choice of the weapons till the night,” said Cuchulain, “because thou wert the first to reach the Ford.”  “Hast thou any remembrance,” said Ferdia, “of the weapons for casting, that we were accustomed to practise the use of when we were with Scathach, with Uathach, and with Aife?” “I do indeed remember them,” said Cuchulain.”  “If thou rememberest them, let us resort to them now,” said Ferdia.  Then they resorted to their weapons used for the casting.  They took up two shields for defence, with devices emblazoned upon them, and their eight shields with sharp edges such that they could hurl, and their eight javelins, and their eight ivory-hilted dirks, and their eight little darts for the fight.  To and fro from one to the other, like bees upon a sunny day, flew the weapons, and there was no cast that they threw that did not hit.  Each of them then continued to shoot at the other with their weapons for casting, from the dawn of the morning to the full middle of the day, until all of their weapons had been blunted against the faces and the bosses of their shields; and although their casting was most excellent, yet so good was the defence that neither of them wounded the other nor drew the other’s blood during all that time.  “Cease now from these feats, O Cuchulain!” said Ferdia, “for it is not by means of these that the struggle between us shall come.”  “Let us cease indeed,” said Cuchulain, “if the time for ceasing hath arrived.”  And they ceased from their casting, and they threw the weapons they had used for it into the hands of their charioteers.

“To what weapons shall we next resort, O Cuchulain?” said Ferdia.

“Thou hast the choice of weapons until the night,” said Cuchulain, “because thou wert the first to reach the Ford.”  “Then,” said Ferdia, “let us turn to our straight, well-trimmed, hard, and polished casting-spears with tough cords of flax upon them.”  “Let us do so indeed,” said Cuchulain.  Then they took two stout shields of defence, and they turned to their straight, well-trimmed, hard, and polished casting-spears with the tough cords of flax upon them, and each of them continued to hurl his spears at the other from the middle of midday until the ninth hour of the evening:  and though the defence was most excellent that each of them made, yet so good was the casting of the spears that each of them wounded the other at that time, and drew red blood from him.  “Let us desist from this now, O Cuchulain!” said Ferdia.  “Let us desist indeed,” said Cuchulain, “if the time has come.”