for I
will not be going through Ireland and these men following after me, till
I find who are the strongest, themselves or ourselves."

So the Fianna made little raths for themselves all about Slieve Mis, and
they stopped there through a month and a quarter and a year. And through
all that time the three red bald-headed men were doing every sort of
hurt and harm upon them.

But the three sons of the King of Iruath came to speak with Finn, and it
is what they said: "It is our wish, Finn, to send the hound that is with
us to go around you three times in every day, and however many may be
trying to hurt or to rob you, they will not have power to do it after
that. But let there be neither fire nor arms nor any other dog in the
house he goes into," they said. "I will let none of these things go into
the one house with him," said Finn, "and he will go safe back to you."
So every day the hound would be sent to Finn, having his chain of ridges
of red gold around his neck, and he would go three times around Finn,
and three times he would put his tongue upon him. And to the people that
were nearest to the hound when he came into the house it would seem like
as if a vat of mead was being strained, and to others there would come
the sweet smell of an apple garden.

And every harm and sickness the three sons of Uar would bring on the
Fianna, the three sons of the King of Iruath would take it off them
with their herbs and their help and their healing.

And after a while the High King of Ireland came to Slieve Mis with a
great, troop of his men, to join with Finn and the Fianna. And they told
the High King the whole story, and how the sons of Uar were destroying
them, and the three sons of the King of Iruath were helping them against
them. "Why would not the men that can do all that find some good spell
that would drive the sons of Uar out of Ireland?" said the High King.

With that Caoilte went looking for the three young men from Iruath and
brought them to the High King. "These are comely men," said the High
King, "good in their shape and having a good name. And could you find
any charm, my sons," he said, "that will drive out these three enemies
that are destroying the Fianna of Ireland?" "We would do that if we
could find those men near us," said they; "and it is where they are
now," they said, "at Daire's Cairn at the end of the raths." "Where are
Garb-Cronan, the Rough Buzzing One, and Saltran of the Long Heel?" said
Finn.