The Hound of Ulster Read Online Free PDF Page B

who stood out from his fellows by the great height of him and the fair hair in the moonlight, and already his hand was on the hilt of the hunting knife in his belt. ‘It can be done, you see, Ferdia Son of Daman,’ he said. ‘And in Ulster we do not jibe at the newcomer in our midst. It seems that Connacht needs a lesson in courtesy.’ And to the rest, ‘Stand back and give us room!’
    But Ferdia sat himself down on a rocky outcrop, and smiled up at him in the white moonlight, his knife untouched in his belt.
    â€˜Up!’ Cuchulain said. ‘Get up, Ferdia of Connacht! You are so big and strong, you cannot be afraid of a little lap dog, even though it has teeth!’ He drew nearer, and stood over Ferdia with his knife in his hand, while the rest stood silent in their circle, watching.
    And Ferdia, who had been sitting as still as the rock beneath him, came to life with the swiftness of a bowstring released, and dived straight for his knees.
    Cuchulain was spent with his desperate leap, and off his guard. His feet whipped from under him and he went down with a thud that drove the wind from his body. And next instant Ferdia was lying on top of him with his long legs twisted round Cuchulain’s, and his big hand pinioning Cuchulain’s dagger wrist to the grass. And the circle of young warriors drew inward a little. Still crowing for breath, Cuchulain shut his teeth and struggled to get free; and then suddenly he felt an odd shaking in the body of his adversary, and knew that of all unlikely things, the big fair Connachtman was laughing. ‘Lie still!’ said the choking voice of Ferdia, ‘Lie still, little black fighting-cock. My mother loves me and I am too young and beautiful to die.’
    And in his surprise, Cuchulain lay still. ‘Those who do not wish to die should take better care who they choose to jest with,’ he said.
    â€˜I .know, I know, but think before you slay me.’ Ferdia whispered the last words with his mouth against Cuchulain’s ear. ‘Three times the bridge threw you back, and if I had not made you angry, would you have found that last extra feather-thrust of strength to make the leap, after all?’
    And Cuchulain grew suddenly thoughtful, lying there in the cliff-top grasses, and let his fingers uncurl from the hilt of his knife; and then he began to laugh too. And in a little they got up and walked back towards the bothies, each with a hand on the other’s shoulder, and heedless of the rest of Skatha’s pupils who jostled and thrust behind them, demanding to know what the jest might be.

4. The Princess Aifa
    IN THE MONTHS that followed, Cuchulain learned from the woman Skatha all that she had to teach, save that she did not yet deem him ready to learn the Hero’s Salmon Leap, nor the use of the Gae Bolg, the dreaded Belly Spear.
    When Cuchulain had been half a year in the Land of Shadows, there came war between Skatha and the Princess Aifa, who, for all her youth, was almost as great a warrior as Skatha herself and had many and many more chariots and fighting men to follow her. For a long while past, Aifa had cast eager eyes towards the rich cattle runs of Skatha under the mountains, and begun to loose her young men in ever-growing cattle raids across the border. And when word was brought into the Land of Shadows by a runaway slave that Aifa was gathering her war host, Skatha knew that her strongest chance lay in carrying the war into her enemy’s country before the other chieftainess could be ready to receive her. And as soon as the harvest was got in, she gathered her own warriors and made ready her chariots. She did not call upon the younglings of the War School to follow her, but they caught up their weapons to come all the same, with Ferdia and Cuchulain at the head of them.
    But Skatha was by no means sure of victory, knowing only that she and her people must fight or be enslaved, and though she seemed to accept