us acknowledge the killing of his father to him," said
Iuchar and Iucharba. "I am in dread," said Brian, "that it is wanting an
acknowledgment from us he is, in the presence of all the rest, and that
he will not let us off with a fine afterwards." "It is best to
acknowledge it," said the others; "and let you speak it out since you
are the eldest."

Then Brian, son of Tuireann, said: "It is at us you are speaking, Lugh,
for you are thinking we went against the sons of Cainte before now; and
we did not kill your father," he said, "but we will pay the fine for him
the same as if we did kill him." "I will take a fine from you that you
do not think of," said Lugh, "and I will say here what it is, and if it
is too much for you, I will let you off a share of it." "Let us hear it
from you," said they. "Here it is," said Lugh; "three apples, and the
skin of a pig, and a spear, and two horses, and a chariot, and seven
pigs, and a dog's whelp, and a cooking-spit, and three shouts on a hill.
That is the fine I am asking," he said; "and if it is too much for you,
a part of it will be taken off you presently, and if you do not think it
too much, then pay it"

"It is not too much," said Brian, "or a hundred times of it would not be
too much. And we think it likely," he said, "because of its smallness
that you have some treachery towards us behind it." "I do not think it
too little of a fine," said Lugh; "and I give you the guarantee of the
Tuatha de Danaan I will ask no other thing, and I will be faithful to
you, and let you give the same pledge to me." "It is a pity you to ask
that," said Brian, "for our own pledge is as good as any pledge in the
world." "Your own pledge is not enough," said Lugh, "for it is often the
like of you promised to pay a fine in this way, and would try to back
out of it after."

So then the sons of Tuireann bound themselves by the King of Ireland,
and by Bodb Dearg, son of the Dagda, and by the chief men of the Tuatha
de Danaan, that they would pay that fine to Lugh.

"It would be well for me now," said Lugh, "to give you better knowledge
of the fine." "It would be well indeed," said they.

"This is the way of it then," said Lugh. "The three apples I asked of
you are the three apples from the Garden in the East of the World, and
no other apples will do but these, for they are the most beautiful and
have most virtue in them of the apples of the whole world. And it is
what they are like, they are of the