while he holds by _Saer_ stock tenure or by _Daer_ stock tenure.’[211] And in the _Cain Aigillne_ or law of _Daer_ stock tenure we read, ‘The law does not require of a man to accept of _Daer_ stock from his own chief or from an extern chief, or from his own king or from an extern king, but the law requires of him to take _Saer_ stock from his own king. If he takes _Daer_ stock, it should be from his own king.’[212] This power which the _Ri Tuath_ possessed of forcing the members of the tribe to become his dependants in _Saer_ stock tenure, and of retaining them permanently, enabled him to increase his dependants to any extent; and besides the _Ceile_ whom he thus gathered around him he likewise settled _Fuidhir_ or stranger septs upon his waste land in proportion to the extent of his territory and the amount of his wealth. He thus not only occupied the position of _Ri Tuath_ or king of the tribe, with all its rights and privileges, but was likewise the _Flath_ or chief of the most powerful sept within it. The _Flath Geilfiné_ or _Geilfiné_ chief was likewise the chief of an entire _Finé_ or sept. This is implied in a passage in the tract ‘Of the judgment of every crime,’ where we are told that ‘the reason why the crime goes upon the _Deirbhfiné_ and the _Iarfiné_ before it goes upon the _Flath_ or chief, is because it is one chief that is over them, the _Flath Geilfiné_, and he is chief of four _Finés_ or groups.’ Another passage in the Book of Aicill also shows that he was next in rank and power to the king, for it apportions the fines for injuring the roads of a _Tuath_ between the _Ri_ or king and the _Flath Geilfiné_, and adds, ‘What is the reason that there is more due to the _Ri Tuath_ for injuring his principal road than his by-road, and that there is more due to the _Geilfiné_ chief for injuring his by-road than his principal road? The reason is, the principal road is more the peculiar property of the _Ri Tuath_ than the by-road, and the by-road is more the peculiar property of the _Flath Geilfiné_ than the principal road.’[213]