at it
reached over the soft lower part of his soft shirt, so that it
would shelter (?) fifty warriors to be under the heavy ---- of the
warrior's beard, on a day of storm and rain. A round shield, white,
variegated, many-coloured on him, with three chains ----, so that
there would be room from front to back for four troops of ten men
behind the leather of the shield which is upon the ---- of the
warrior. A sword, long, hard-edged, red-broad in the sheath, woven
and twisted of white silver, over the skin of the bold-in-battle. A
spear, strong, three-ridged, with a winding and with bands of white
silver all white by him across the chariot.'

'Not hard the recognition,' said Cuchulainn; 'my friend Fergus
comes there, with a warning and with compassion to me before all
the four provinces.'

Fergus reached them and sprang from his chariot and Cuchulainn
greeted him.

'Welcome your coming, O my friend, O Fergus,' said Cuchulainn.

'I believe your welcome,' said Fergus.

'You may believe it,' said Cuchulainn; 'if a flock of birds come to
the plain, you shall have a duck with half of another; if fish come
to the estuaries, you shall have a salmon with half of another; a
sprig of watercress, and a sprig of marshwort, and a sprig of
seaweed, and a drink of cold sandy water after it.'

'That portion is that of an outlaw,' said Fergus.

'That is true, it is an outlaw's portion that I have,' said
Cuchulainn, 'for I have been from the Monday after Samain to this
time, and I have not gone for a night's entertainment, through
strongly obstructing the men of Ireland on the Cattle-Foray of
Cualnge at this time.'

'If it were for this we came,' said Fergus, 'we should have thought
it the better to leave it; and it is not for this that we have
come.'

'Why else have you come to me?' said Cuchulainn.

'To tell you the warrior who comes against you in battle and combat
to-morrow morning,' said he.

'Let us find it out and let us hear it from you then,' said
Cuchulainn.

'Your own foster-brother, Fer Diad Mac Damain.'

'On our word, we think it not best that it should be he we come to
meet,'said Cuchulainn, 'and it is not for fear of him but for the
greatness of our love for him.'

'It is fitting to fear him,' said Fergus, 'for he has a skin of
horn in battle against a man, so that neither weapon nor edge will
pierce it.'

'Do not say that at all,' said Cuchulainn, 'for I swear the oath
that my people swear, that every