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 Then he stripped the sheath from the spearhead, and held the shining blade to the centre of his forehead; as he did so the enchantment fell from him, and the strange power hidden in the blade filled him with a new fearlessness and strength.

Now within the dún there was silence; listening to the soft, delicate music one after another of the warriors and kings had slipped from their seats and lay on the floor, wrapped in a deep slumber. Even the Druids were powerless to resist that sleep-compelling melody. Their symbols of power dropped from their hands as they, too, fell to the floor. In all that great rath there was not one soul awake, except the young champion who kept watch; even warriors, wounded almost to death and racked with pain, slumbered peacefully.

Nearer and nearer the music came, then ceased; but Fionn, gazing steadily before him, became aware of a gigantic figure standing some distance away, like a darker blot on the starlit darkness of the night. The boy gripped his spear with his brave right hand, holding his