horse, and away with him to
Traigh Liath and over the Plain of Health to the Old Yew of the Old
Valley, and to the inver of the Flesc and the inver of the Lemain to
Loch Lein, till he came to the hill of Bairnech, and Caoilte and Oisin
after him.

"Night is coming on us," said Finn then; "and go look for some place
where we can sleep," he said. He looked round then at the rocks on his
left hand and he saw a house, and a fire shining out from it in the
valley below. "I never knew of a house in this valley," he said.

"It is best for us to go see it," said Caoilte, "for there are many
things we have no knowledge of."

The three went on then to the house, and they heard screams and crying
from it; and when they came to the house, the people of it were very
fierce and rough; and a big grey man took hold of their horses and
brought them in and shut the door of the house with iron hooks. "My
welcome to you, Finn of the great name," he said then; "it is a long
time you were in coming here."

They sat down then on the hard boards of a bed, and the grey man kindled
a fire, and he threw logs of elder-wood on it, till they went near being
smothered with the smoke. They saw a hag in the house then having three
heads on her lean neck; and there was on the other side a man without a
head, having one eye, and it in his breast. "Rise up, you that are in
the house, and make music for the King of the Fianna," said the grey man
then.

With that nine bodies rose up out of the corner nearest the Fianna, and
nine heads rose up on the other side of the bed, and they raised nine
harsh screeches together, that no one would like to be listening to. And
then the hag answered to them, and the headless man answered; and if all
of that music was harsh, there was none of it that you would not wish to
hear sooner than the music of the one-eyed man. And the music that was
sung went near to breaking the bones of their heads; and indeed it is no
sweet music that was.

Then the big grey man rose up and took the axe that was for cutting
logs, and he began striking at the horses, flaying and destroying them.
Then there were brought fifty pointed spits of the rowan-tree, and he
put a piece of the horse's flesh on each one of the spits, and settled
them on the hearth. But when he took the spits from the fire and put
them before Finn, it is raw the flesh was on them yet. "Take your food
away," said Finn then, "for I have never eaten meat that was raw, a