n into the lighted house and their shields and
their arms with them. And they sat down on the edge of a seat, and a
girl having yellow hair came and brought them to a shining seat in the
middle of the house, and the newest of every food, and the oldest of
every drink was put before them. And when the sharpness of their hunger
and their thirst was lessened, Finn said: "Which of you can I question?"
"Question whoever you have a mind to," said the tallest of the men that
was near him. "Who are you yourself then?" said Finn, "for I did not
think there were so many champions in Ireland, and I not knowing them."

"Those eight-and-twenty armed men you see beyond," said the tall man,
"had the one father and mother with myself; and we are the sons of
Midhir of the Yellow Hair, and our mother is Fionnchaem, the fair,
beautiful daughter of the King of the Sidhe of Monaid in the east. And
at one time the Tuatha de Danaan had a gathering, and gave the kingship
to Bodb Dearg, son of the Dagda, at his bright hospitable place, and he
began to ask hostages of myself and of my brothers; but we said that
till all the rest of the Men of Dea had given them, we would not give
them. Bodb Dearg said then to our father: 'Unless you will put away your
sons, we will wall up your dwelling-place on you.' So the
eight-and-twenty brothers of us came out to look for a place for
ourselves; and we searched all Ireland till we found this secret hidden
place, and we are here ever since. And my own name," he said, "is Donn,
son of Midhir. And we had every one of us ten hundred armed men
belonging to himself, but they are all worn away now, and only the
eight-and-twenty of us left." "What is it is wearing you away?" said
Finn. "The Men of Dea," said Donn, "that come three times in every year
to give battle to us on the green outside." "What is the long new grave
we saw on the green outside?" said Finn. "It is the grave of Diangalach,
a man of enchantments of the Men of Dea; and that is the greatest loss
came on them yet," said Donn; "and it was I myself killed him," he
said. "What loss came next to that?" said Finn. "All the Tuatha de
Danaan had of jewels and riches and treasures, horns and vessels and
cups of pale gold, we took from them at the one time." "What was the
third greatest loss they had?" said Finn. "It was Fethnaid, daughter of
Feclach, the woman-harper of the Tuatha de Danaan, their music and the
delight of their minds," said Donn.

"And to-m