Page:The courtship of Ferb (Leahy).djvu/57

Rh Also there joined with him three men of renown who came of the race of the Fomorians—famous were they for their cruelty—namely, Siabarchenn, the son of Suilremar, and Berngal the Freckled, and Buri of the Cruel Speech. Thither came also Facen, the son of Dublongsech, who was of the race of the men who of old time dwelled in the land of Ulster, and Fabric, called Fabric of the venomous tooth, who came from the Greater Asia, and Foras, the slayer of his brother, who dwelt in the island of Man. And Conor marched away, three times fifty warriors who surrounded these chiefs being with him, and he took none of the Ulstermen with him, save himself only, and Brod his charioteer, and Imrinn the Druid, who was the son of Cathba. And none of these warriors had a servant with him save that servant of Conor only, but they had their shields on their backs, and their bright green spears in their hands, and their heavy hard-striking swords at their belts. Yet they were not to be despised on account of their numbers, the pride of their souls was great. And when they had come to such place that the castle of Gerg could be seen by them, they saw a vast and heavy cloud that brooded over the castle. The one end of the cloud was black as coal, and its middle was red and the other end was green. Whereupon Conor spoke to Imrinn the Druid.

"Tell me, O Imrinn," said he, "what omen signifieth that cloud that we see over the castle."