Erin's overking, Conaire, son of Eterscel."

"Question, what sawest thou in the champion's high seat of the house,
facing the King, on the opposite side?"

THE ROOM OF CORMAC CONDLONGAS

"I saw there," says Ingcel, "a man of noble countenance, large, with a
clear and sparkling eye, an even set of teeth, a face narrow below,
broad above. Fair, flaxen, golden hair upon him, and a proper fillet
around it. A brooch of silver in his mantle, and in his hand a
gold-hilted sword. A shield with five golden circles upon it: a
five-barbed javelin in his hand. A visage just, fair, ruddy he hath: he
is also beardless. Modest-minded is that man!"

"And after that, whom sawest thou there?"

THE ROOM OF CORMAC'S NINE COMRADES

"There I saw three men to the west of Cormac, and three to the east of
him, and three in front of the same man. Thou wouldst deem that the nine
of them had one mother and one father. They are of the same age, equally
goodly, equally beautiful, all alike. Thin rods of gold in their
mantles. Bent shields of bronze they bear. Ribbed javelins above them.
An ivory-hilted sword in the hand of each. An unique feat they have, to
wit, each of them takes his sword's point between his two fingers, and
they twirl the swords round their fingers, and the swords afterwards
extend themselves by themselves. Liken thou _that_, O Fer rogain,"
says Ingcel.

"Easy," says Fer rogain, "for me to liken them. It is Conchobar's son,
Cormac Condlongas, the best hero behind a shield in the land of Erin. Of
modest mind is that boy! Evil is what he dreads tonight. He is a
champion of valour for feats of arms; he is an hospitaller for
householding. These are yon nine who surround him, the three Dungusses,
and the three Doelgusses, and the three Dangusses, the nine comrades of
Cormac Condlongas, son of Conchobar. They have never slain men on
account of their misery, and they never spared them on account of their
prosperity. Good is the hero who is among them, even Cormac Condlongas.
I swear what my tribe swears, nine times ten will fall by Cormac in his
first onset, and nine times ten will fall by his people, besides a man
for each of their weapons, and a man for each of themselves. And Cormac
will share prowess with any man before the Hostel, and he will boast of
victory over a king or crown-prince or noble of the reavers; and he
himself will chance to escape, though all his people be wounded."

"Woe to him who shall wreak this Destru