r, for she longed to
possess them. But Lairgnen would not ask them of Mochaovog. Then Deoca
set out homeward again, and vowed that she would never return to
Lairgnen till she had the swans; and she came as far as the church of
Dalua, which is now called Kildaloe, in Clare. Then Lairgnen sent
messengers for the birds to Mochaovog, but he would not give them up.

At this Lairgnen was very wroth, and he went himself to Mochaovog, and
he found the cleric and the four birds at the altar. But Lairgnen
seized upon the birds by their silver chains, two in each hand dragged
them away to the place where Deoca was; and Mochaovog followed them.
But when they came to Deoca and she had laid her hands upon the
birds, behold, their covering of feathers fell off and in their places
were three shrunken and feeble old men and one lean and withered old
woman, fleshless and bloodless from extreme old age. And Lairgnen was
struck with amazement and fear, and went out from that place.

Then Fionnuala said to Mochaovog, "Come now and baptize us quickly,
for our end is near. And if you are grieved at parting from us, know
that also to us it is a grief. Do thou make our grave when we are
dead, and place Conn at my right side and Fiachra at my left, and Hugh
before my face, for thus they were wont to be when I sheltered them on
many a winter night by the tides of Moyle."

So Mochaovog baptized the three brethren and their sister; and shortly
afterwards they found peace and death, and they were buried even as
Fionnuala had said. And over their tomb a stone was raised, and their
names and lineage graved on it in branching Ogham[13]; and lamentation
and prayers were made for them, and their souls won to heaven.

[13] See p. 133, _note_.

But Mochaovog was sorrowful, and grieved after them so long as he
lived on earth.

CHAPTER II

The Quest of the Sons of Turenn

Long ago, when the people of Dana yet held lordship in Erinn, they
were sorely afflicted by hordes of sea-rovers named Fomorians who used
to harry the country and carry off youths and maidens into captivity.
They also imposed cruel and extortionate taxes upon the people, for
every kneading trough, and every quern for grinding corn, and every
flagstone for baking bread had to pay its tax. And an ounce of gold
was paid as a poll-tax for every man, and if any man would not or
could not pay, his nose was cut off. Under this tyranny the whole
country groaned, but they had