y house be given to every one of them," said the king; "and let her
stop there and her women with her, and let provision be given to her for
a month and a quarter and a year till we have knowledge if Finn is alive
or dead."

Then the king stood up, and a smooth drinking-horn in his hand, and he
said: "It would be a good thing, men of Ireland, if any one among you
could get us news of Finn in hills or in secret places, or in rivers or
invers, or in any house of the Sidhe in Ireland or in Alban."

With that Berngal, the cow-owner from the borders of Slieve Fuad, that
was divider to the King of Ireland, said: "The day Finn came out from
the north, following after a deer of the Sidhe, and his five comrades
with him, he put a sharp spear having a shining head in my hand, and a
hound's collar along with it, and he bade me to keep them till he would
meet me again in the same place." Berngal showed the spear and the
collar then to the king and to Goll, and they looked at them and the
king said: "It is a great loss to the men of Ireland the man is that
owned this collar and this spear. And were his hounds along with him?"
he said. "They were," said Berngal; "Bran and Sceolan were with Finn,
and Breac and Lainbhui with Caoilte, and Conuall and Comrith with
Lugaidh's Son."

The High King called then for Fergus of the True Lips, and he said: "Do
you know how long is Finn away from us?" "I know that well," said
Fergus; "it is a month and a quarter and a year since we lost him. And
indeed it is a great loss he is to the Fianna of Ireland," he
said, "himself and the men that were with him." "It is a great loss
indeed," said the king, "and I have no hope at all of finding those six
that were the best men of Ireland or of Alban."

And then he called to Cithruadh, the Druid, and he said: "It is much
riches and many treasures Finn gave you, and tell us now is he living or
is he dead?" "He is living," said Cithruadh then. "But as to where he
is, I will give no news of that," he said, "for he himself would not
like me to give news of it." There was great joy among them when they
heard that, for everything Cithruadh had ever foretold had come true.
"Tell us when will he come back?" said the king. "Before the Feast of
Teamhair is over," said the Druid, "you will see the Leader of the
Fianna drinking at it."

And as to Finn and his men, they stopped in the House of the Two Birds
till they had taken hostages for Donn, son of Midhir, from t