court had entered Bricriu's house at Dundrum,
and were sitting at the feast, Bricriu was forced by his sureties to
leave the hall, for men feared his malicious tongue, and as he went to
his watch-tower he turned and cried:

"The Champion's Portion at my feast is worth having; let it be given
to the best hero in Ulster."

The carving and distribution of the viands began, and when the
Champion's Portion was brought forward it was claimed by three
chariot-drivers, Laegaire's, Conall's, and Cuchulain's, each on
behalf of his master; and when no decision was made by King Conor the
three heroes claimed it, each for himself. But Laegaire and Conall
united in defying Cuchulain and ridiculing his claim, and a great
fight began in the hall, till all men shook for fear; and at last King
Conor intervened, before any man had been wounded.

"Put up your swords," he said. "The Champion's Portion at this feast
shall be divided among the three, and we will ask King Ailill and
Queen Meave of Connaught to say who is the greatest champion." This
plan pleased every one but Bricriu, who saw his hopes of fomenting
strife disappear.

The Women's Quarrel

Just at that moment the women rose and quitted the hall to breathe the
fresh air, and Bricriu spied his opportunity. Going down from his
watch-tower, he met Fedelm, the wife of Laegaire, with her fifty
maidens, and said to her:

"All good be with you to-night, Fedelm of the Fresh Heart! Truly in
beauty, in birth, in dignity, no woman in Ulster is your equal. If you
enter my hall first to-night, you will be queen of the Ulster women."

Fedelm walked on merrily enough, but determined that she would soon
re-enter the hall, and certainly before any other woman. Bricriu next
met Lendabair the Favourite, Conall's wife, and gave her similar
flattery and a similar prophecy, and Lendabair also determined to be
first back at the house and first to enter the hall.

Then Bricriu waited till he saw Emer, Cuchulain's fair wife. "Health
be with you, Emer, wife of the best man in Ireland! As the sun
outshines the stars, so do you outshine all other women! You should
of right enter the house first, for whoever does so will be queen of
the women of Ulster, and none has a better claim to be their queen
than Cuchulain's wife, Forgall's fair daughter."

The Husbands Intervene

The three fair women, each with her train of fifty maidens, watched
one another carefully, and when one turned back toward