For by men shall fall men in this palace to-night:
Welcome, Ket![FN#17]


[FN#16] Pronounced Finn-hoom.

[FN#17] The short lines of this rhetoric have the metre of the
original Irish.


"Rise thou, and depart from this Boar," said Conall.

"What claim wilt thou bring why I should do this?" said Ket.

"'Tis true indeed," said Conall, "thou art contending in renown with
me. I will give thee one claim only, O Ket! I swear by the oath of my
tribe that since the day that I first received a spear into my hand I
have seldom slept without the head of a slain man of Connaught as my
pillow; and I have not let pass a day or a night in which a man of
Connaught hath not fallen by my hand."

"'Tis true indeed," said Ket, "thou art a better warrior than I. Were
but Anluan here, he could battle with thee in another fashion; shame
upon us that he is not in this house!"

"Aye, but Anluan is here! "cried Conall, and therewith he plucked
Anluan's head from his belt. And he threw the head towards Ket, so
that it smote him upon the chest, and a gulp of the blood was dashed
over his lips. And Ket came away from the Boar, and Conall placed
himself beside it.