t woman.[1] Therefore, it is not right for thee
to come to fight and combat with me; for when we were with Scathach and
with Uathach and with Aife, [2]we were together in practice of valour and
arms of the world, and[2] it was together we were used to seek out every
battle and every battle-field, every combat and every contest, every wood
and every desert, every covert and every recess." And thus he spake and he
uttered these words:--

Cuchulain: "We were heart-companions once;
We were comrades in the woods;
We were men that shared a bed,
When we slept the heavy sleep,
After hard and weary fights.
Into many lands, so strange,
Side by side we sallied forth,
And we ranged the woodlands through,
When with Scathach we learned arms!"

Ferdiad: "O Cuchulain, rich in feats,
Hard the trade we both have learned;
Treason hath o'ercome our love;
Thy first wounding hath been bought;
Think not of our friendship more,
Cua, it avails thee not!"

[1-1] Stowe, and, similarly, Eg. 106 and Eg. 209.

[2-2] Stowe, and, similarly, Eg. 106 and Eg. 209.

"Too long are we now in this way," quoth Ferdiad; "and what arms shall we
resort to to-day, O Cuchulain?" "With thee is thy choice of weapons this
day till night time," answered Cuchulain, "for thou art he that first didst
reach the ford." "Rememberest thou at all," asked Ferdiad, "the choice
deeds of arms we were wont to practise with Scathach and with Uathach and
with Aife?" "Indeed, and I do remember," answered Cuchulain. "If thou
rememberest, let us begin [3]with them."[3]

[3-3] Stowe.

[W.3555.] They betook them to their choicest deeds of arms. They took upon
them two equally-matched shields for feats, and their eight-edged targes
for feats, and their eight small darts, and their eight straightswords with
ornaments of walrus-tooth and their eight lesser, ivoried spears which flew
from them and to them like bees [LL.fo.84b.] on a day of fine weather.

They cast no weapon that struck not. Each of them was busy casting at
the other with those missiles from morning's early twilight till noon at
mid-day, the while they overcame their various feats with the bosses and
hollows of their feat-shields. However great the excellence of the throwing
on either si