"What manner of gift is it that thou desirest?" said Eocho. "Nothing
less than a gift of milking-kine," said Ailill. "There is no
superfluity of these in my land," said Eocho; "I have forty
fosterlings, sons of the kings of Munster, to bring them up (to
manhood); they are here in my company, there are forty cows to supply
the needs of these, to supply my own needs are seven times twenty
milch-cows [there are fifty men for this cause watching over them].
"Let me have from thee," said Ailill, "one cow from each farmer who is
under thy lordship as my share; moreover I will yield thee assistance
if at any time thou art oppressed by superior might." "Thus let it be
as thou sayest," said Eocho; "moreover, they shall come to thee this
very day."
For three days and three nights they were hospitably entertained by
Ailill and Medb, and then they departed homewards, till they met the
sons of Glaschu, who came from Irross Donnan (the peninsula of Donnan,
now Mayo); the number of those who met them was seven times twenty men,
and they set themselves to attack each other, and to strive with each
other in combat, and [at the island of O'Conchada (Inse Ua Conchada)]
they fought together. In that place fell the forty sons of kings round
Eocho Bec, and that news was spread abroad over all the land of
Ireland, so that four times twenty kings' sons, of the youths of
Munster, died, sorrowing for the deaths of these princes.
On another night, as Ailill lay in his sleep, upon his bed, he saw some
thing, a young man and a woman, the fairest that could be found in
Ireland. "Who are ye?" said Ailill. "Victory and Defeat are our
names," she said. "Victory indeed is welcome to me, but not so
Defeat," said Ailill. "Victory shall be thine in each form!" said she.
["What is the next thing after this that awaits us?" said Ailill.
"Not hard to tell thee," said she] "let men march out from thy palace
in the morning, that thou mayest win for thyself the cattle of Dartaid,
the daughter of Eocho. Forty is the number of her milch-cows, it is
thine own son, Orlam mac Ailill, whom she loves. Let Orlam prepare for
his journey with a stately troop of valiant men, also forty sons of
those kings who dwell in the land of Connaught; and by me shall be
given to them the same equipment that the other youths had who fell in
yon fight, bridles and garments and brooches; [early in the morning
shall count of the treasure be made, and now we go to our own land,"
said she].
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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