, cold to-night is the wide plain of Lurg; the snow is higher
than the mountains, the deer cannot get at their share of food.

"Cold for ever; the storm is spread over all; every furrow on the
hillside is a river, every ford is a full pool, every full loch is a
great sea; every pool is a full loch; horses cannot go through the ford
of Ross any more than a man on his two feet.

"The fishes of Inisfail are going astray; there is no strand or no pen
against the waves; there are no dwellings in the country, there is no
bell heard, no crane is calling.

"The hounds of the wood of Cuan find no rest or no sleep in their
dwelling-place; the little wren cannot find shelter in her nest on the
slope of Lon.

"A sharp wind and cold ice have come on the little company of birds; the
blackbird cannot get a ridge to her liking or shelter for her side in
the woods of Cuan.

"It is steady our great pot hangs from its hook; it is broken the cabin
is on the slope of Lon; the snow has made the woods smooth, it is hard
to climb to the ridge of Bennait Bo.

"The ancient bird of Glen Ride gets grief from the bitter wind; it is
great is her misery and her pain, the ice will be in her mouth.

"Mind well not to rise up from coverings and from down, mind this well;
there would be no good sense in it. Ice is heaped up in every ford; it
is for that I am saying and ever saying 'Cold.'"

The old woman went out after that, and when she was gone, Grania took
hold of the cloak she had left there and she put her tongue to it, and
found the taste of salt water on it. "My grief, Diarmuid," she said
then, "the old woman has betrayed us. And rise up now," she said, "and
put your fighting suit upon you."

So Diarmuid did that, and he went out, and Grania along with him. And no
sooner were they outside than they saw Finn and the Fianna of Ireland
coming towards them. Then Diarmuid looked around him and he saw a little
boat at hand in the shelter of the harbour, and he himself and Grania
went into it. And there was a man before them in the boat having
beautiful clothes on him, and a wide embroidered golden-yellow cloak
over his shoulders behind. And they knew it was Angus was in it, that
had come again to help them to escape from Finn, and they went back with
him for a while to Brugh na Boinne, and Osgar came to them there.

CHAPTER VII. FIGHTING AND PEACE

And after a while Finn bade his people to make his ship ready, and to
put a store of