u were asking, Grania," he said, "and you may
take what you like of them now." "I give my word," said Grania, "I will
not taste a berry of those berries but the one your own hand will pluck,
Diarmuid." Diarmuid rose up then and plucked the berries for Grania, and
for the children of Morna, and they ate their fill of them. And he said
then to the young men: "Take all you can of these berries, and bring
them with you to Finn, and tell him it was yourselves made an end of the
Surly One of Lochlann." "We give you our word," said they, "we begrudge
giving any of them to Finn."

But Diarmuid plucked a load of the berries for them, and they gave him
great thanks for all he had done; and they went back to where Finn was
with the Fianna. And Diarmuid and Grania went up into the top of the
tree where the bed of the Surly One was. And the berries below were but
bitter berries beside the ones above in the tree. And when the two young
men came to Finn, he asked news of them. "We have killed the Surly One
of Lochlann," they said; "and we have brought you berries from the
quicken-tree of Dubhros, in satisfaction for your father, that we may
get peace from you." They gave the berries then into Finn's hand, and he
knew them, and he said to the young men: "I give you my word," he said,
"it was Diarmuid himself plucked those berries, for I know the smell of
his hand on them; and I know well it was he killed the Surly One, and I
will go now and see is he himself alive at the quicken-tree."

After that he called for the seven battalions of the Fianna, and he set
out and went forward to Dubhros. And they followed the track of Diarmuid
to the foot of the quicken-tree, and they found the berries without
protection, so they ate their fill of them. And the great heat of the
day came on them, and Finn said they would stop where they were till the
heat would be past; "for I know well," he said, "Diarmuid is up in the
quicken-tree." "It is a great sign of jealousy in you, Finn," said
Oisin, "to think that Diarmuid would stop there up in the quicken-tree
and he knowing you are wanting to kill him."

Finn asked for a chess-board after that, and he said to Oisin: "I will
play a game with you now on this." They sat down then, Oisin and Osgar
and Lugaidh's Son and Diorraing on the one side of the board, and Finn
on the other side.

And they were playing that game with great skill and knowledge, and Finn
pressed Oisin so hard that he had no move to ma