d three hundred of his men with him. And on the way they saw a woman
of the Sidhe washing clothes at a river, and there was the colour of
blood on the water where she was washing them. And Osgar said to her:
"There is red on the clothes you are washing; and it is for the dead you
are washing them." And the woman answered him, and it is what she said:
"It is not long till the ravens will be croaking over your own head
after the battle." "Is there any weakness in our eyes," said Osgar,
"that a little story like that would set us crying? And do another
foretelling for us now," he said, "and tell us will any man of our
enemies fall by us before we ourselves are made an end of?"

"There will nine hundred fall by yourself," she said; "and the High
King himself will get his death-wound from you."

Osgar and his men went on then to the king's house at Teamhair, and they
got good treatment, and the feast was made ready, and they were three
days at pleasure and at drinking.

And on the last day of the drinking, the High King called out with a
loud voice, and he asked Osgar would he make an exchange of spears with
him. "Why do you ask that exchange," said Osgar, "when I myself and my
spear were often with yourself in time of battle? And you would not ask
it of me," he said, "if Finn and the Fianna were with me now." "I would
ask it from any fighting man among you," said the king, "and for rent
and tribute along with it." "Any gold or any treasure you might ask of
us, we would give it to you," said Osgar, "but it is not right for you
to ask my spear." There were very high words between them then, and they
threatened one another, and at the last the High King said: "I will put
my spear of the seven spells out through your body." "And I give my word
against that," said Osgar, "I will put my spear of the nine spells
between the meeting of your hair and your beard."

With that he and his men rose up and went out of Teamhair, and they
stopped to rest beside a river, and there they heard the sound of a very
sorrowful tune, that was like keening, played on a harp. And there was
great anger on Osgar when he heard that, and he rose up and took his
arms and roused his people, and they went on again to where Finn was.
And there came after them a messenger from the High King, and the
message he brought was this, that he never would pay tribute to the
Fianna or bear with them at all from that time.

And when Finn heard that, he sent a chall