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 upon," interrupted Conan mac Morna, "and care should be taken that nothing evil happens to it. It must be a queer country that produced both you and that extraordinary animal at the same time."

The big man glared with one eye at Conan, at the same time turning the other eye round to look at his horse, which was snapping away with its long teeth at his back. Then he continued:

"I am a descendant of the Fomorians, and I have come to you for employment, Fionn mac Cumall, because I have heard that in the matter of payment you are not at all mean, and never yet denied to any man what he was worth."

"I have not," said Fionn, "nor will I now. But I wonder you travel without a boy to attend to your horse, which seems rather troublesome."

"Nothing would worry me more than to have a boy with me," said the man. "Every day I need as much food as would serve a hundred men, and even that I count very little for myself. If I had a boy he would