s I did to every other one." Then
those two attacked one another like as if there had risen to smother
one another the flooded wave of Cliodna, and the seeking wave of Tuaigh,
and the big brave wave of Rudraighe. And though the woman-warrior fought
for a long time, a blow from Finn reached to her at last and cut through
the royal crown, and with a second blow he struck her head off. And then
he fell himself in his bed of blood, and was the same as dead, but that
he rose again.

And the armies of the World and the Fianna of Ireland were fallen side
by side there, and there were none left fit to stand but Cael, son of
Crimthan of the Harbours, and the chief man of the household of the King
of the World, Finnachta of the Teeth. And Finnachta went among the dead
bodies and lifted up the body of the King of the World and brought it
with him to his ship, and he said: "Fianna of Ireland," he said,
"although it is bad this battle was for the armies of the World, it was
worse for yourselves; and I am going back to tell that in the East of
the World," he said. Finn heard him saying that, and he lying on the
ground in his blood, and the best men of the sons of Baiscne about him,
and he said: "It is a pity I not to have found death before I heard the
foreigner saying those words. And nothing I myself have done, or the
Fianna of Ireland, is worth anything since there is left a man of the
foreigners alive to go back into the great world again to tell that
story. And is there any one left living near me?" he said. "I am," said
Fergus of the True Lips. "What way is the battle now?" said Finn. "It is
a pity the way it is," said Fergus, "for, by my word," he said, "since
the armies met together to-day, no man of the foreigners or of the men
of Ireland took a step backward from one another till they all fell foot
to foot, and sole to sole. And there is not so much as a blade of grass
or a grain of sand to be seen," he said, "with the bodies of fighting
men that are stretched on them; and there is no man of the two armies
that is not stretched in that bed of blood, but only the chief man of
the household of the King of the World, and your own foster-son, Cael,
son of Crimthan of the Harbours." "Rise up and go to him," said Finn. So
Fergus went where Cael was, and asked what way was he. "It is a pity the
way I am," said Cael, "for I swear by my word that if my helmet and my
armour were taken from me, there is no part of my body but would fal