ed in one of the battles; and as to the
Fianna, there were so many wounds on them that the clothing was held
off from their bodies with bent hazel sticks, and they lying in their
beds, and two of them were like to die. And Finn and Caoilte and
Lugaidh's Son went out on the green, and Caoilte said: "It was a bad
journey we made coming to this hill, to leave two of our comrades after
us." "It is a pity for whoever will face the Fianna of Ireland," said
Lugaidh's Son, "and he after leaving his comrades after him." "Whoever
will go back and leave them, it will not be myself," said Finn. Then
Bonn, son of Midhir, came to them. "Good Donn," said Finn, "have you
knowledge of any physician that can cure our men?" "I only know one
physician could do that," said Donn; "a physician the Tuatha de Danaan
have with them. And unless a wounded man has the marrow of his back cut
through, he will get relief from that physician, the way he will be
sound at the end of nine days." "How can we bring that man here," said
Finn, "for those he is with are no good friends to us?" "He goes out
every morning at break of day," said Donn, "to gather healing herbs
while the dew is on them." "Find some one, Donn," said Caoilte, "that
will show me that physician, and, living or dead, I will bring him with
me."

Then Aedh and Flann, two of the sons of Midhir, rose up. "Come with us,
Caoilte," they said, and they went on before him to a green lawn with
the dew on it; and when they came to it they saw a strong young man
armed and having a cloak of the wool of the seven sheep of the Land of
Promise, and it full of herbs of healing he was after gathering for the
Men of Dea that were wounded in the battle. "Who is that man?" said
Caoilte. "That is the man we came looking for," said Aedh. "And mind him
well now," he said, "that he will not make his escape from us back to
his own people."

They ran at him together then, and Caoilte took him by the shoulders
and they brought him away with them to the ford of the Slaine in the
great plain of Leinster, where the most of the Fianna were at that time;
and a Druid mist rose up about them that they could not be seen.

And they went up on a little hill over the ford, and they saw before
them four young men having crimson fringed cloaks and swords with gold
hilts, and four good hunting hounds along with them. And the young man
could not see them because of the mist, but Caoilte saw they were his
own two sons, Colla a