horses of them, and I will wait in this place till you
come to me again."

Diarmuid went back then for the horses, and we have no knowledge of
their journey till they reached to the ford on the Sionnan, that is
called now Ath-luain.

And Diarmuid said then to Grania: "It is easier to Finn to follow our
track, the horses being with us." "If that is so," said Grania: "leave
the horses here, and I will go on foot from this out."

Diarmuid went down to the river then, and he brought a horse with him
over the ford, and left the other horse the far side of the river. And
he himself and Grania went a good way with the stream westward, and they
went to land at the side of the province of Connacht. And wherever they
went, Diarmuid left unbroken bread after him, as a sign to Finn he had
kept his faith with him.

And from that they went on to Doire-da-Bhoth, the Wood of the Two Huts.
And Diarmuid cut down the wood round about them, and he made a fence
having seven doors of woven twigs, and he set out a bed of soft rushes
and of the tops of the birch-tree for Grania in the very middle of the
wood.

CHAPTER II. THE PURSUIT

And as to Finn, son of Cumhal, I will tell out his story now.

All that were in Teamhair rose up early in the morning of the morrow,
and they found Diarmuid and Grania were wanting from them, and there
came a scorching jealousy and a weakness on Finn. He sent out his
trackers then on the plain, and bade them to follow Diarmuid and Grania.
And they followed the track as far as the ford on the Sionnan, and Finn
and the Fianna followed after them, but they were not able to carry the
track across the ford. And Finn gave them his word that unless they
would find the track again without delay, he would hang them on each
side of the ford.

Then the sons of Neamhuin went up against the stream, and they found a
horse on each side of it, and then they went on with the stream
westward, and they found the track going along the side of the Province
of Connacht, and Finn and the Fianna of Ireland followed it on. And Finn
said: "I know well where we will find Diarmuid and Grania now; it is in
Doire-da-Bhoth they are." Oisin and Osgar and Caoilte and Diorraing were
listening when Finn said those words. And Osgar spoke to the others, and
it is what he said: "There is danger they might be there, and it would
be right for us to give them some warning; and look now, Osgar, where is
Bran the hound, for Finn himself