can't climb a tree," said the man in the branch above the king
warningly.

"Praise be to the gods!" said the man who was above him.

"Amen!" said the warrior who was higher up than that. And the man in the
next tree said:

"Don't move a hand or a foot until the dog chokes himself to death on
the dead meat."

The dog, however, did not eat a bit of the meat. He trotted to his
master, and Mananna'n took him up and wrapped him in his cloak.

"Now you can come down," said he.

"I wish that dog was dead!" said the king.

But he swung himself out of the tree all the same, for he did not wish
to seem frightened before Mananna'n. "You can go now and beat the men
of Lochlann," said Mananna'n. "You will be King of Lochlann before
nightfall."

"I wouldn't mind that," said the king. "It's no threat," said Mananna'n.

The son of Lir turned then and went away in the direction of Ireland to
take up his one-day rights, and Fiachna continued his battle with the
Lochlannachs.

He beat them before nightfall, and by that victory he became King of
Lochlann and King of the Saxons and the Britons.

He gave the Black Hag seven castles with their territories, and he gave
her one hundred of every sort of cattle that he had captured. She was
satisfied.

Then he went back to Ireland, and after he had been there for some time
his wife gave birth to a son.

CHAPTER VIII

"You have not told me one word about Duv Laca," said the Flame Lady
reproachfully.

"I am coming to that," replied Mongan.

He motioned towards one of the great vats, and wine was brought to him,
of which he drank so joyously and so deeply that all people wondered at
his thirst, his capacity, and his jovial spirits.

"Now, I will begin again."

Said Mongan: There was an attendant in Fiachna Finn's palace who was
called An Da'v, and the same night that Fiachna's wife bore a son, the
wife of An Da'v gave birth to a son also. This latter child was called
mac an Da'v, but the son of Fiachna's wife was named Mongan.

"Ah!" murmured the Flame Lady.

The queen was angry. She said it was unjust and presumptuous that the
servant should get a child at the same time that she got one herself,
but there was no help for it, because the child was there and could not
be obliterated.

Now this also must be told.

There was a neighbouring prince called Fiachna Duv, and he was the ruler
of the Dal Fiatach. For a long time he had been at enmity and spiteful
warfare w