said Glas, "not to let your armies land till the
Fianna come to us, but to let one man only come to fight with each of us
until that time," he said.

So two of the strangers were sent against them that day, and they got
their death by Glas and by Conn Crither. Then they asked to have two men
sent against each of them, and that was done; and three times nine fell
by them before night. And Conn Crither was covered with wounds after
the day, and he said to Glas: "Three women came to me from the Country
of the Young, and they promised to put me in a well of healing for my
wounds. And let you watch the harbour to-night," he said, "and I will go
look for them." So he went to them, and they bathed him in the well of
healing, and he was whole of his wounds.

And as to Glas, son of Dremen, he went down to the harbour, and he said:
"O King of the World," he said, "there is a friend of mine in the ships,
Madan of the Bent Neck, son of the King of the Marshes; and it is what
he said in the great world in the east, that he himself would be enough
to take Ireland for you, and that he would bring it under tribute to you
by one way or another. And I ask you to let him come alone against me
to-night, till we see which of us will fight best for Ireland."

So Madan came to the land, and the two attacked one another, and made a
very hard fight; but as it was not in the prophecy that Glas would find
his death there, it was the son of the King of the Marshes that got his
death by him.

And not long after that Conn Crither came back to Glas, and he gave Glas
great praise for all he had done.

CHAPTER V. THE HELP OF THE MEN OF DEA

Then Taistellach that was one of Finn's messengers came to the White
Strand asking news; and Conn bade him go back to where Finn was and tell
him the way things were. But Taistellach would not go until he had
wetted his sword in the blood of one of the enemies of Ireland, the same
as the others had done. And he sent a challenge to the ships, and
Coimhleathan, a champion that was very big and tall, came and fought
with him on the strand, and took him in his arms to bring him back
living to the ship of the High King; but Taistellach struck his head off
in the sea and brought it back to land.

"Victory and blessing be with you!" said Conn Crither. "And go now
to-night," he said, "to the house of Bran, son of Febal my father at
Teamhair Luachra, and bid him to gather all the Tuatha de Danaan to help
us;