ock beside it, and a
smooth-pointed drinking-horn on it, and a beautiful fresh well at its
foot. And there was a great drouth on Diarmuid after the sea-journey,
and he had a mind to drink a hornful of the water. But when he stooped
to it he heard a great noise coming towards him, and he knew then there
was enchantment in the water.

"I will drink my fill of it for all that," he said. And it was not long
after that till he saw a Man of Enchantments coming towards him armed,
having no friendly look. And it was in no friendly way he spoke to
Diarmuid when he came up to him, but he gave him great abuse. "It is no
right thing," he said, "to be walking through my thickets and to be
drinking up my share of water." With that they faced one another
angrily, and they fought till the end of the day.

The Enchanter thought it well to leave off fighting then, and he made a
leap into the bottom of the well away from him, but there was vexation
on Diarmuid to be left like that.

He looked around him then, and he saw a herd of deer coming through the
scrub, and he went towards them, and threw a spear that went through the
nearest stag and drove the bowels out of him. He kindled a fire then,
and he cut thin bits of the flesh and put them on spits of white hazel,
and that night he had his fill of meat and of the water of the well.

He rose up early on the morrow, and he found the Enchanter at the well
before him. "It seems to me, Grandson of Duibhne," he said, "that it is
not enough for you to be walking my scrub and my woods without killing
my deer as well." With that they started again, giving one another blow
for blow, thrust for thrust, and wound for wound till the end of the day
came on them. And Diarmuid killed another great deer that night, and in
the morning the fight began again. But in the evening, when the
Enchanter was making his leap into the well, Diarmuid threw his arms
about his neck, thinking to stop him, but it is what happened, he fell
in himself. And when he was at the bottom of the well the Enchanter left
him.

Diarmuid went then following after the Enchanter, and he found before
him a beautiful wide flowery plain, and a comely royal city in the
plain, and on the green before the dun he saw a great army; and when
they saw Diarmuid following after the Enchanter, they left a way and a
royal road for the Enchanter to pass through till he got inside the dun.
And then they shut the gates, and the whole army turned on