"Why namest thou thy father 'Hand-in-danger?" said Ket.
"Why indeed, I know not," he said.
"Ah! but I know it!" said Ket. "Long ago I went upon a journey in the
east, a war-cry was raised against me, all men attacked me, and Lama
Gabaid was among them. He made a cast of a great spear against me, I
hurled the same spear back upon him, and the spear cut his hand from
him so that it lay upon the ground. How dares the son of that man to
measure his renown with mine?" and Angus went back to his place.
"Come, and claim a renown to match mine," said Ket; "else let me divide
this Boar."
"It shall never be thy part to be the first to divide it," said a great
fair-haired warrior of the men of Ulster.
"Who then is this?" said Ket.
"'Tis Eogan, son of Durthacht,"[FN#15] said they all; "Eogan, the lord
of Fernmay."
"I have seen him upon an earlier day," said Ket.
"Where hast thou seen me?" said Eogan.
"It was before thine own house," said Ket. "As I was driving away thy
cattle, a cry of war was raised in the lands about me; and thou didst
come out at that cry. Thou didst hurl thy spear against me, and it was
fixed in my shield; but I hurled the same spear back against thee, and
it tore out one of thy two eyes. All the men of Ireland can see that
thou art one-eyed; here is the man that struck thine other eye out of
thy head," and he also sat down.
"Make ye ready again for the strife for renown, O ye men of Ulster!"
cried Ket. "Thou hast not yet gained the right to divide the Boar,"
said Munremur, Gerrcind's son.
"Is that Munremur?" cried Ket; "I have but one short word for thee, O
Munremur! Not yet hath the third day passed since I smote the heads
off three warriors who came from your lands, and the midmost of the
three was the head of thy firstborn son!" and Munremur also sat down.
"Come to the strife for renown!" cried Ket.
"That strife will I give to thee," said Mend the son of Salcholcam (the
Sword-heeled).
"Who is this?" asked Ket.
"'Tis Mend," said all who were there.
"Hey there!" cried Ket. "The son of the man with the nickname comes to
measure his renown with mine! Why, Mend, it was by me that the
nickname of thy father came; 'twas I who cut the heel from him with my
sword so that he hopped away from me upon one leg! How shall the son of
that one-legged man measure his renown with mine?" and he also sat down.
[FN#15] Pronounced Yeogan, son of Doorha.
"Come to the strife for renown!" cried Ket.
"That warfare shalt thou have from me!" said an Ulster warrior, tall,
grey, and more terrible than the rest.
"Who is this?" asked Ket.
"'Tis Celtchar, the son of Uitechar," cried all.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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