very even-fall
by leaping into the well and disappearing down through it. But on the
fourth evening Dermat closed with the wizard when about to spring into
the water, and fell with him into the well.

On reaching the bottom the wizard wrested himself away and started
running, and Dermat found himself in a strangely beautiful country with
a royal palace hard by, in front of which armed knights were engaged in
warlike exercises. Through them the wizard ran, but, when Dermat
attempted to follow, his way was barred by their threatening weapons.
Nothing daunted, he fell upon them in all his battle fury, and routed
them so entirely that they fled and shut themselves up in the castle or
took refuge in distant woods.

Overcome with his battle toil (and smarting all over with wounds) Dermat
fell into a dead sleep, from which he was wakened by a friendly blow
from the flat of a sword held by a young, golden-haired hero, who proved
to be the brother of the Knight of Valour, King of that country of
Tir-fa-tonn, whom in the guise of the Knight of the Fountain, Dermat had
fought and chased away.

A part of the kingdom belonging to him had been seized by his wizard
brother, and he now seeks and obtains Dermat's aid to win it back for
him.

When Dermat at last meets Finn and the other Feni who had gone in
pursuit of him into the Kingdom of Sorca, at the summit of the great
rock, he is able to relate how he headed the men of the Knight of Valour
against the Wizard King, and slew him and defeated his army.

"And now," continued he, bringing forth the Knight of Valour from among
the strange host, "this is he who was formerly called the Knight of
Valour, but who is now the King of Tir-fa-tonn. Moreover, this King has
told me, having himself found it out by his druidical art, that it was
Avarta the Dedannan (the son of Illahan of the Many-coloured Raiment)
who took the form of the Gilla Dacker, and who brought the sixteen Feni
away to the Land of Promise, where he now holds them in bondage."

Then Foltlebar at once found the tracks of the Gilla Dacker and his
horse. He traced them from the very edge of the rock across the plain to
the sea at the other side; and they brought round their ship and began
their voyage. But this time Foltlebar found it very hard to keep on the
track; for the Gilla Dacker, knowing that there were not in the world
men more skilled in following up a quest than the Feni, took great pains
to hide all traces of