Page:Kuno Meyer - Cath Finntrága.djvu/36

 8 blue-headed red-socketed spears, and dealt black close hard insufferable wounds to each other, until the wounding rose high, and the shafts of their spears were broken, and they clove their shields, and they ripped open completely their hauberks, and they bared their purple-flaring broad-edged sword-blades, and prepared their deaths. And they were in this fight for a long time and while of the day, until Conncrithir struck a furious counter-blow (?) against the joint of the helmet and of the beautiful hauberk of the king of Spain, so that he smote his head off his body. And Conncrithir lifted up the head and boasted of the deed, and this is what he said: 'By my word, forsooth,' he said, 'I shall not let myself be separated from this head, unless I am killed, until some few or a great number of the fianns of Erinn come to me.' The king of the world heard that, and this is what he said: 'Great is that word which the warrior speaks,' said he,' and rise thou and see who he is, O Glas son of Dreman, whether it is Oscar of the noble deeds whom I have heard of, of the fianns of Erinn, that speaks this word.'

Then Glas went on shore and went near Conncrithir. 'O warrior,' said he, 'great is that word thou hast spoken, and what is thy name and thy family?' 'I am Conncrithir the son of Bran, the son of Febal, from Temair Luachra,' he said. 'If it is thou,' said Glas, thy blood and thy family are nearly related to me, for I am Glas the son of Dreman, from Temair Luachra,' he said. 'The less does it behove thee to come to fight against me from those foreigners,' said Conncrithir. 'It is sad,' said Glas, 'for the treasures of