Matheson Collection > Fianaigecht

THE CHASE OF SID NA MBAN FINN 67
the evil it had done except himself. Great was the fear and
fright caused by the boar upon the hosts, and great was the
dread and horror upon Oscar. However, he could not avoid it once lie
had beheld it. And when Oscar had come on to the spot, a wide
passage was made for him towards that red-mouthed beast, which
was like a furious bear and a phantom of destruction and a conglomera-
tion of battle and ruin. And like unto the foam of a mighty waterfall
was each blood-red, saffron-yellow flake of foam that came over its
mouth and over its rough, grinding jaws as it was gnashing its teeth
at the noble warrior. And it raised the mane of its back on high, so
that a plump, wild apple would have stuck on each of its rough Ijorrid
bristles. And Oscar brandished the sharp, mettlesome battle-spear in his
hand and made a straight cast at the pig, and that was not a sliot that
missed its aim, — and he sent the spear into the very front of its chest
so that it looked as though the spear would pierce it through and
through ; but the spear glanced off it up into the air as though it had
struck a rock or horn. Oscar strode up to it and dealt it a furious
blow with his sword, so that the sword broke upon its shoulder. The
\Ág advanced towards Oscar, and Oscar broke his shield upon it and
took hold of its rough mane. And the pig rose upon its huge hind-
legs to crush the kingly warrior from above. Oscar stretched his
mighty stout arms across the pig from below and gave it a fierce
sudden twist, so that he brought the mane of its back to the ground.
He thrust his knee into it below, his hands seizing its jaw and palate
above, so that in that manner the bands of warriors of the^an pulled its
entrails and bowels out behind. So thus fell that huge swine by Oscar in
the confines of tlie combat. And the graves and tombs of thej^iaw-chiefs
and common warriors ivho had been killed by the pig were dug there.
13. Finn came and stood above those graves and uttered the lay :
* Here now is the grave of Fer-taichim who dealt sorrow to
many, — it was a prodigious story, it was a bitter deed — having been
killed by the great boar.
' The boar that killed Fer-taichim killed many of our nobles until it
fell by Oscar, — it was the chase of a hero, it was speedy triumph.
* He had killed three others of our host, the mighty strong boar,
Daelgus, Diangus, stout Lughaidh, — arise and dig their graves!
' It has fallen by noble Oscar, the mighty fierce boar, he granted it
neither fairplay nor right, so tliat its last resting-place is on the moor.*