Ossian Collection > Reliquiae Celticae > Volume 2

THE TALE OF DEIRURE. 445
appearance remain to Deirdre ?" And he asked tlie same (thing)
thrice, and no one answered him. It was then that Conchobar
said to Trendorn, " Trendorn,i who slew thy father and thy
brother ?" " I know," said he, " that it Avas Naesi the son of
I'isnech that slew them." " Then,- Trendorn," said Conchobar,
" go thou to ascertain if her own form remains to Deirdre."
Trendorn went forward to thv door of tlie dwelling ; and he found
the windows and doors shut. And i'viiv seized upon him, and he
said, " I ought not to approach the sous of Uisnech, for great wrath
is upon them." And he discovered a window of the dwelling that
was left open by mistake, and he began to look at Naesi through
the window. And Deirdre noticed that, and told Naesi. And
Naesi looked and saw the man's eye. And it happened that he
had a dead chess-man in his hand, and he gave it a well-
aitned throw, so that he put it into the fellow's eye.
And he came to where Conchobar was in that state, having
only one eye. " T give my word," said he, " Conchobar, that
Naesi, the son of Uisnech, is meet to be King of Erin, and Deirdre
has the best form and appearance of all the women in the world."
It was then that Conchobar said, " Arise, ye Ulstermen, surround
the house, and set it in red ilames " (of fire). Thereupon the rest
rose up together, and sent forth three great shouts round the
house, and they set it on fire. When the sons of Fergus heard
those loud shouts round the dwelling, they asked who were there.
"Conchobar and the Ulstermen," replied they. "Sad is that,"
said Illann the Fail*, "if it is Fergus' guaranty you wish to break."
" Upon my word," said Conchobar, " it is a greater wrong for the
sons of Uisnech to have my wife than that." " Ucli, alas ! sons of
Uisnech, ye have been betrayed," said Deirdre. " Upon my word,"
asiid Buinne Borbruadh, the son of Fergus, " if ye have been
betrayed, we will not betray j^ou ;" and thereupon he seized his
arms, and came forth and slew three hundred of the Ulstermen in
that onset; and he put out the fires, and threw the troops into
confusion. Conchobar then said, ''Who hath caused this routing
of the ti'oops V " I have," said Buinne Borbruadh, the son of
Fergus. " I will give thee great bribes,^ Buinne," said Conchobar,
"and forsake the sons of Uisnech." "What are these bribes'?"
said Buinne. " I will give thee a cantred of land, my confidence,
^ i.e., Stroiig-fist. - Lit., " If it was." ^ Lit. " Great briljes " [oi- i-ewards],
"from me to thee, Buinne.'