blow you have struck, you never struck a better one than this."

They went back then to the lawn before Conan's dun, and there they found
the whole company of the Tuatha de Danaan, that had put the Druid mist
off them. "It seems to me, Caoilte," said Finn, "that we are come into
the middle of our enemies."

With that they turned their backs to one another, and they were attacked
on all sides till groans of weakness from the unequal fight were forced
from Finn. And when Goll, that was in the house, heard that, he said:
"It is a pity the Tuatha de Danaan to have enticed Finn and Caoilte away
from us; and let us go to their help and make no delay," he said.

Then he rushed out, and all that were there of the Fianna with him, and
Conan of Ceann Slieve and his sons. And great anger came on Goll, that
he looked like a tall mountain under his grey shield in the battle. And
he broke through the Tuatha de Danaan till he reached to Fionnbhar their
leader, and they attacked one another, cutting and wounding, till at the
last Fionnbhar of Magh Feabhail fell by the strokes of Goll. And a great
many others fell in that battle, and there never was a harder battle
fought in Ireland, for there was no man on one side or the other had a
mind to go back one step before whoever he was fighting against. For
they were the two hardest fighting troops to be found in the four parts
of the world, the strong, hardy Fianna of the Gael, and the beautiful
Men of Dea; and they went near to being all destroyed in that battle.

But after a while they saw the rest of the Fianna that were not in the
battle coming from all parts of Ireland. And when the Tuatha de Danaan
saw them coming, they put the Druid mist about themselves again and made
away. And clouds of weakness came on Finn himself, and on them that were
with him, with the dint of the fight. And there were many men of the
Fianna lost in that battle; and as to the rest, it is a long time they
stopped in Almhuin of Leinster, till their wounds were entirely healed.

CHAPTER X. THE SHADOWY ONE

And indeed Finn had no great luck in going to look for a wife that time;
and he had no better luck another time he asked a wife from among the
Sidhe. And this is the way that happened.

It was on the mountain of Bearnas Mor he was hunting, and a great wild
pig turned on the hounds of the Fianna and killed the most of them, but
Bran made an attack on it then and got the best of it. And the pig began