Ossian Collection > Waifs and strays of Celtic tradition > Volume 4

20 The Fians.
place, and in doing so he burnt himself, and put his
finger in his mouth. This made him acquainted with
his wisdom tooth {deud fios), which is so frequently
mentioned in popular lore. This tooth, when pressed
by his finger, gave him knowledge that made him a
solver of questions. On this occasion he acquired the
knowledge that Dark Arky (Arcai Diibh lasgair^ was
the one who had slain his father ; and when Arky came
to where he was, he asked him what was the death
of Cumhal. Black Arky told him : " He roared like a
yearling calf, and broke wind like a gelding when my'
spear went slanting through his back" (^' Ciod bu bJias do
Chtimhail ?" " Raoiceadh e mar ghamhuin 's . . . e mar
ghearran 's mo sJdeagh siar troimh fheaman").
A fuller account is : Fionn then went home, and hunger
was tormenting and pinching him severely {ga gJmaladh
's ^ga ghreadadh). He came where Black Arky {Arcai
diibh lasgair) was fishing on a rock, and asked him to
make a cast for his benefit {air mo sJiealbhaicJi). He did
so, and caught a salmon {bradan), which is a royal fish
{iasg rlgk), and refused to give it up. This occurred
three times. The fourth fish was given to Fionn, but
Arcai told him that, when roasting it, if he allowed a
spot to rise upon it his head would be made a foot and
shinty ball of {ma tJiig ball loisgte air 'se do cheann is ball
cois is iomanachd dhomh). Fionn kindled a fire, and as
he roasted the salmon a spot {balldonii) began to rise on
the fish. He was hungry, and he put his finger on the
spot to keep it under, burnt himself, and put his finger
in his mouth. He then found out how Black Arky
killed his father, and said, " That is just the death I am
going to give you" {^^ Sin direach am has bheir mise
dhiiitsa"), and taking Arky's fishing-rod, broke it against
his knee ; with this piece of the rod he knocked down
Arky, and then killed him. Being free to shift for
himself by means of the knowledge to be gained through