to scream, and with that a very tall man came out of the hill and he
asked Finn to let the pig go free. And when he agreed to that, the man
brought them into the hill of the Sidhe at Glandeirgdeis; and when they
came to the door of the house he struck the pig with his Druid rod, and
on the moment it changed into a beautiful young woman, and the name he
called her by was Scathach, the Shadowy One.

And he made a great feast for the Fianna, and Finn asked the young girl
in marriage, and the tall man, her father, said he would give her to him
on that very night.

But when night came on, Scathach asked the loan of a harp, and it was
brought to her. One string it had of iron, and one of bronze, and one of
silver. And when the iron string would be played, it would set all the
hosts of the world crying and ever crying; and when the bright bronze
string would be played, it would set them all laughing from the one day
to the same hour on the morrow; and when the silver string would be
played, all the men of the whole world would fall into a long sleep.

And it is the sleepy silver string the Shadowy One played upon, till
Finn and Bran and all his people were in their heavy sleep.

And when they awoke at the rising of the sun on the morrow, it is
outside on the mountain of Bearnas they were, where they first saw the
wild pig.

CHAPTER XI. FINN'S MADNESS

One time Finn and the Fianna were come to a ford of the Slaine, and they
sat down for a while. And as they were sitting there they saw on the
round rock up over the ford a young woman, having a dress of silk and a
green cloak about her, and a golden brooch in the cloak, and the golden
crown that is the sign of a queen on her head. "Fianna of Ireland," she
said, "let one of you come now and speak with me."

Then Sciathbreac, of the Speckled Shield, went towards her. "Who is it
you are wanting?" he said, "Finn, son of Cumhal," said she. Finn went
over then to talk with her. "Who are you?" he said, "and what is it you
are wanting?" "I am Daireann, daughter of Bodb Dearg, son of the Dagda,"
she said; "and I am come to be your wife if you will give me the
bride-gift I ask." "What bride-gift is that?" said Finn. "It is your
promise," said she, "I to be your only wife through the length of a
year, and to have the half of your time after that." "I will not give
that promise," said Finn, "to any woman of the world, and I will not
give it to you," he said.

On that the you