as a concubine with Cuchulain"; gloss in LU. and
YBL. 222 and Eg. 1782.

[1-1] Eg. 1782.

[2-2] Stowe and Add.

Sualtaim departed with warnings to the men of Ulster. Cuchulain strode
into the wood, and there, with a single blow, he lopped the prime sapling
of an oak, root and top, and with only one foot and one hand and one eye he
exerted himself; and he made a twig-ring thereof and set an ogam[b] script
on the plug of the ring, and set the ring round the narrow part of the
pillar-stone on Ard ('the Height') of Cuillenn. He forced the ring till it
reached the thick of the pillar-stone. Thereafter Cuchulain went his way to
his tryst with the woman.

[b] The old kind of writing of the Irish.

Touching the men of Erin, the account follows here: They came up to the
pillar-stone at Ard Cuillenn, [3]which is called Crossa Coil to-day,[3] and
they began looking out upon the province that was unknown to them, the
province of Ulster. And two of Medb's people went always before them in the
van of the host, at every camp and on every march, at every ford and every
river [LL.fo.58b.] and every gap. They were wont to do so [4]that they
might save the brooches and cushions and cloaks of the host, so that the
dust of the multitude might not soil them[4] and that no stain might come
on the princes' raiment in the crowd or the crush of the hosts or the
throng;--these were the two sons of Nera, who was the son of Nuathar,
[W.575.] son of Tacan, two sons of the house-stewards of Cruachan, Err and
Innell, to wit. Fraech and Fochnam were the names of their charioteers.

[3-3] Eg. 1782.

[4-4] LU. and YBL. 245-246.

The nobles of Erin arrived at the pillar-stone and they there beheld the
signs of the browsing of the horses, cropping around the pillar, and they
looked close at the rude hoop which the royal hero had left behind about
the pillar-stone. [1]Then sat they down to wait till the army should come,
the while their musicians played to them.[1] And Ailill took the withy in
his hand and placed it in Fergus' hand, and Fergus read the ogam script
graven on the plug of the withy, and made known to the men of Erin what was
the meaning of the ogam writing that was on it. [2]When Medb came, she
asked, "Why wait ye here?" "Because of yonder withy we wait," Fergus made
answer; "there is an ogam writing on its binding and this is what it saith:
'Let no one go past here till a man be found to throw a withy like unt