Page:Heroes of the dawn.djvu/35

 courteous in deed and speech—he left them and wandered hither and thither through the land, serving the kings and chiefs of whatever province he chanced to be in. During this period he had many adventures, and gained great fame as a warrior, though he was still a lad in years, and unknown as the son of Cumall. Finally he came to the old poet Finnegas, to learn the art of poetry and all that was known of the past history of his country.

For seven years Finnegas had lived on the Boyne, watching for an old prophecy to be fulfilled; and this prophecy was that one day there would appear up the Boyne a mysterious fish known as the "Salmon of Knowledge," and that whoever caught and partook of that fish first would know all things, both past and present. It was furthermore predicted that one named Fionn should capture this fish, and the old poet, believing that to him the prophecy applied, waited patiently year after year for its fulfilment.

So Fionn had his dwelling with Finnegas, but the old poet knew him only by his name of Deimne. Day after day, as the old man