body, and weak in the legs, and he leading it with a rough iron halter;
and it was a great wonder the head was not pulled from the horse's body,
or the arms pulled out of his owner, with the sudden stands and stops
and the jerks it made. And the big man was striking blows on the horse
with an iron cudgel to try and knock some going out of him, and the
sound of the blows was like the breaking of strong waves.

And when Finnbane saw all that, he thought to himself it would not be
right to let the like of that stranger go up unknown to Finn and the
Fianna, and he ran back in haste to where they were and told them all he
had seen.

And when he had told his story, they saw the big man coming towards
them; but as short as he was from them he was long in coming, from the
badness of his walk and his going.

And when he came into Finn's presence he saluted him, and bowed his head
and bent his knee, making signs of humility.

Finn raised his hand over his head then, and asked news of him, and if
he was of the noble or of the mean blood of the great world. He answered
that he had no knowledge who he came from, but only that he was a man of
the Fomor, travelling in search of wages to the kings of the earth, "and
I heard," he said, "that Finn never refused wages to any man." "I never
did indeed," said Finn, "and I will not refuse you. But why is it," he
said, "you are without a boy to mind your horse?" "I have a good reason
for that," said the big man; "there is nothing in the world is worse to
me than a boy to be with me; for it is a hundred men's share of food,"
he said, "that serves me for one day, and it is little enough I think
it, and I would begrudge a boy to be sharing it with me." "What is the
name you have?" said Finn. "The name I have is the Gilla Decair, the
Hard Servant," said he. "Why did you get that name?" said Finn. "There
is a good reason for that," said the big man, "for there is nothing in
the world is harder to me than to do anything at all for my master, or
whatever person I am with. And tell me this, Conan, son of Morna," he
said, "who gets the best wages, a horseman or a man afoot?" "A horseman
gets twice as much," said Conan. "Then I call you to witness, Conan," he
said, "that I am a horseman, and that it was as a horseman I came to the
Fianna. And give me your guarantee now, Finn, son of Cumhal, and the
guarantee of the Fianna, and I will turn out my horse with your horses."
"Let him out then," said Fin