downcast look. "Where is the flower of Almhuin, beautiful gentle
Sadbh?" he asked them. And it is what they said: "While you were away
fighting, your likeness, and the likeness of Bran and of Sceolan
appeared before the dun, and we thought we heard the sweet call of the
Dord Fiann. And Sadbh, that was so good and so beautiful, came out of
the house," they said, "and she went out of the gates, and she would not
listen to us, and we could not stop her." "Let me go meet my love," she
said, "my husband, the father of the child that is not born." And with
that she went running out towards the shadow of yourself that was before
her, and that had its arms stretched out to her. But no sooner did she
touch it than she gave a great cry, and the shadow lifted up a hazel
rod, and on the moment it was a fawn was standing on the grass. Three
times she turned and made for the gate of the dun, but the two hounds
the shadow had with him went after her and took her by the throat and
dragged her back to him. "And by your hand of valour, Finn," they said,
"we ourselves made no delay till we went out on the plain after her. But
it is our grief, they had all vanished, and there was not to be seen
woman, or fawn or Druid, but we could hear the quick tread of feet on
the hard plain, and the howling of dogs. And if you would ask every one
of us in what quarter he heard those sounds, he would tell you a
different one."

When Finn heard that, he said no word at all, but he struck his breast
over and over again with his shut hands. And he went then to his own
inside room, and his people saw him no more for that day, or till the
sun rose over Magh Life on the morrow.

And through the length of seven years from that time, whenever he was
not out fighting against the enemies of Ireland, he went searching and
ever searching in every far corner for beautiful Sadbh. And there was
great trouble on him all the time, unless he might throw it off for a
while in hunting or in battle. And through all that time he never
brought out to any hunting but the five hounds he had most trust in,
Bran and Sceolan and Lomaire and Brod and Lomluath, the way there would
be no danger for Sadbh if ever he came on her track.

But after the end of seven years, Finn and some of his chief men were
hunting on the sides of Beinn Gulbain, and they heard a great outcry
among the hounds, that were gone into some narrow place. And when they
followed them there, they saw the five h