once a young lad, and my father had much land, and he had parks of
year-old cows, and one of them had just calved, and my father told
me to bring her home. I found the cow, and took her with us. There
fell a shower of snow. We went into the herd's bothy, and we took
the cow and the calf in with us, and we were letting the shower pass
from us. Who should come in but one cat and ten, and one great one-
eyed fox-coloured cat as head bard over them. When they came in, in
very deed I myself had no liking for their company. 'Strike up with
you,' said the head bard, 'why should we be still? and sing a cronan
to Conall Yellowclaw.' I was amazed that my name was known to the
cats themselves. When they had sung the cronan, said the head bard,
'Now, O Conall, pay the reward of the cronan that the cats have sung
to thee.' 'Well then,' said I myself, 'I have no reward whatsoever
for you, unless you should go down and take that calf.' No sooner
said I the word than the two cats and ten went down to attack the
calf, and in very deed, he did not last them long. 'Play up with
you, why should you be silent? Make a cronan to Conall Yellowclaw,'
said the head bard. Certainly I had no liking at all for the cronan,
but up came the one cat and ten, and if they did not sing me a
cronan then and there! 'Pay them now their reward,' said the great
fox-coloured cat. 'I am tired myself of yourselves and your
rewards,' said I. 'I have no reward for you unless you take that cow
down there.' They betook themselves to the cow, and indeed she did
not last them long.

"'Why will you be silent? Go up and sing a cronan to Conall
Yellowclaw,' said the head bard. And surely, oh king, I had no care
for them or for their cronan, for I began to see that they were not
good comrades. When they had sung me the cronan they betook
themselves down where the head bard was. 'Pay now their reward, said