cut (?), in the front of this chariot. There is
round him a blue mantle, red-purple. A spear with wings (?), and it
red, furious; in his clenched fist, red-flaming. The appearance of
three heads of hair on him, i.e. dark hair against the skin of his
head, hair blood-red in the middle, a crown of gold covers the
third hair.

'A fair arrangement of the hair so that it makes three circles
round about his shoulders down behind. I think it like gold thread,
after its colour has been made over the edge of the anvil; or like
the yellow of bees on which the sun shines in a summer day, is the
shining of each single hair of his hair. Seven toes on each of his
feet, and seven fingers on each of his hands, and the shining of a
very great fire round his eye, ---- (?) and the hoofs of his
horses; a hero's ---- in his hands.

'The charioteer of the chariot is worthy of him in his presence:
curly hair very black has he, broad-cut along his head. A cowl-dress
is on him open; two very fine golden leaf-shaped switches in his
hand, and a light grey mantle round him, and a goad of white silver
in his hand, plying the goad on the horses, whichever way the
champion of great deeds goes who was at hand in the chariot.

'He is veteran of his land (?): he and his servant think little of
Ireland.'

'Go, O fellow,' said he, said Fer Diad; 'you praise too much
altogether; and prepare the arms in the ford against his coming.'

'If I turned my face backwards, it seems to me the chariot would
come through the back of my neck.'

'O fellow,' said he, 'too greatly do you praise Cuchulainn, for it
is not a reward for praising he has given you'; and it is thus he
was giving his description, and he said:

'The help is timely,' etc.

It is not long afterwards that they met in the middle of the ford,
and Fer Diad said to Cuchulainn:

'Whence come you, O Cua?' said he (for [Note: An interpolation.]
_cua_ was the name of squinting in old Gaelic; and there were seven
pupils in Cuchulainn's royal eye, and two of these pupils were
squinting, and the ugliness of it is no greater than its beauty on
him; and if there had been a greater blemish on Cuchulainn, it is
that with which he reproached him; and he was proclaiming it); and
he made a song, and Cuchulainn answered:

'Whence art thou come, O Hound,' etc.

Then Cuchulainn said to his charioteer that he was to taunt him
when he was overcome, and that he was to praise him when he was
v