a sword and shield left broken, and many a dead
body lying on the ground, and many a fighting man left with a foolish
smile on his face.

And the great name that was on the armies of the World went from them to
the Fianna of Ireland; and they took the ships and the gold and the
silver and all the spoils of the armies of the World. And from that time
the Fianna had charge of the whole of Ireland, to keep it from the Fomor
and from any that might come against it.

And they never lost power from that time until the time of their last
battle, the sorrowful battle of Gabhra.

BOOK FOUR: HUNTINGS AND ENCHANTMENTS.

CHAPTER I. THE KING OF BRITAIN'S SON

Arthur, son of the King of Britain, came one time to take service with
Finn, and three times nine men along with him. And they went hunting one
day on Beinn Edair, and Finn took his place on the Cairn of the Fianna
between the hill and the sea, and Arthur took his stand between the hunt
and the sea, the way the deer would not escape by swimming.

And while Arthur was there he took notice of three of Finn's hounds,
Bran, and Sceolan and Adhnuall, and he made a plan in his mind to go
away across the sea, himself and his three nines, bringing those three
hounds along with him. So he did that, and he himself and his men
brought away the hounds and crossed the sea, and the place where they
landed was Inver Mara Gamiach on the coast of Britain. And after they
landed, they went to the mountain of Lodan, son of Lir, to hunt on it.

And as to the Fianna, after their hunting was done they gathered
together on the hill; and as the custom was, all Finn's hounds were
counted. Three hundred full-grown hounds he had, and two hundred whelps;
and it is what the poets used to say, that to be counting them was like
counting the branches on a tree.

Now on this day when they were counted, Bran and Sceolan and Adhnuall
were missing; and that was told to Finn. He bade his people to search
again through the three battalions of the Fianna, but search as they
would, the hounds were not to be found.

Then Finn sent for a long-shaped basin of pale gold, and water in it,
and he put his face in the water, and his hand over his face, and it was
showed him what had happened, and he said: "The King of Britain's son
has brought away the hound. And let nine men be chosen out to follow
after them," he said. So nine men were chosen out, Diarmuid, grandson of
Duibhne; Goll, son of Morna; Oisin, s