Page:The courtship of Ferb (Leahy).djvu/91

 Then came to the side of Conor his two sons, even Niall and Feradach. And Maev drew nigh till she was in sight of the field of battle, and seven hundred warriors was the following that she had with her. She formed her troops into a compact and stubborn band, and she raised weapons fit for the battle before her; and she made straight for Conor to take vengeance on him for the death of her son and of the people that were with him. And although Conor was full of wounds and of hurts, yet he was not minded to give way and to retire before Maev, but he advanced eagerly to seek her out till those two stood face to face. Each then commenced to deal out blows and mutilation and destruction, and to hew down and to crush and to slay; and the "Piercer of the ranks of War" was by Maev carried into the battle host of Ulster, so that five men fell at her hand besides the two sons of Conor, even Niall the fair-headed and Feradach of the long hand. And on the other side Conor began to rend asunder the remaining part of her host, and to tear and to slay like a wrathful wounded lioness among swine, so that quickly had he found his healing from his wounds, after which, as it were, great pieces of flesh, full of blood, fell from him in the greatness of the wrath that had seized him after his two sons had been slain.

Then Maev was defeated; and three times fifty mightily valiant warriors of her people fell in the fight,