Chapter XVI

The Champion’s Covenant.

§ 91. Once upon a time as the Ultonians were in Emain, fatigued afterthe gathering and the games, Conchobar and Fergus mac Rôig, withUltonia’s nobles as well, proceeded from the sporting field outside andgat seated in the Royal Court (lit. Red Branch) of Conchobar. NeitherCuchulainn nor Conall the Victorious nor Loigaire the Triumphant werethere that night. But the hosts of Ultonia’s valiant heroes were there. Asthey were seated, it being eventide, and the day drawing towards theclose, they saw a big uncouth fellow of exceeding ugliness drawing nighthem into the hall. To them it seemed as if none of the Ultonians wouldreach half his height. Horrible and ugly was the carle’s guise. Next hisskin he wore an old hide with a dark dun mantle around him, and overhim a great spreading club-tree (branch) the size of a winter-shed, underwhich thirty bullocks could find shelter. Ravenous yellow eyes he had,protruding from his head, each of the twain the size of an ox-vat. Eachfinger as thick as another person’s wrist. In his left hand a stock, aburden for twenty yoke of oxen. In his right hand an axe weighing thricefifty glowing molten masses [of metal]. Its handle would require aplough-team (a yoke of six) to move it. Its sharpness such that it wouldlop off hairs, the wind blowing them against its edge.§ 92. In that guise he went and stood by the fork-beam beside thefire. “Is the hall lacking in room for you,” quoth Duach of the ChaferTongue to the uncouth clodhopper, “that ye find no other place than bythe fork-beam, unless ye wish to be domestic luminary?—only soonerwill a blaze be to the house than brightness to the household.” “Whatproperty soever may be mine, sooth ye will agree, no matter how big Iam, that the household as a whole will be enlightened, while the hall willnot be burnt.§ 93. “That, however, is not my sole function; I have others as well.But neither in Erin nor in Alba nor in Europe nor in Africa nor in Asia,including Greece, Scythia, the Isles of Gades, the Pillars of Hercules, andBregon’s Tower (Brigantium), have I found the quest on which I havecome, nor a man to do me fairplay regarding it. Since ye Ultonians haveexcelled all the folks of those lands in strength, prowess, valour; in rank,magnanimity, dignity; in truth, generosity and worth, get ye one amongyou to give me the boon I crave.”§ 94. “In sooth it is not just that the honour of a province be carriedoff,” quoth Fergus mac Rôich, “because of one man who fails in keepinghis word of honour. Death, certainly, is not a whit nearer to him than toyou.” “Not that I shun it,” quoth he. “Make thy quest known to us then,”quoth Fergus mac Rôich. “If but fairplay be vouchsafed me, I will tell it.”“It is right also to give fairplay,” quoth Sencha, son of Ailill, “for itbeseemeth not a great clannish folk to break a mutual covenant over anyunknown individual. To us too it seemeth likely, if at long last you findsuch a person, you will find here one worthy of you.” “Conchobar I putaside,” he quoth, “for sake of his sovranty, and Fergus mac Rôich also onaccount of his like privilege. These two excepted, come whosoever of youthat may venture, that I may [23]cut off his head to-night, he mineto-morrow night.”§ 95. “Sure then there is no warrior here,” quoth Duach, “after thesetwo.” “By my troth there will be this moment,” quoth Fat-Neck, son ofShort Head, as he sprang on to the floor of the hall. The strength then ofyon Fat Neck was as the strength of a hundred warriors, each armhaving the might of a hundred “centaurs.” “Bend down, bachlach,”quoth Fat-Neck, “that I may cut your head off to night, you to cut offmine to-morrow night.” “Were that my quest, I could have got itanywhere,” quoth the bachlach. “Let us act according to our covenant,”he quoth, “I to cut off your head to-night, you to avenge it to morrownight.” “By my people’s god,” quoth Duach of the Chafer Tongue, “deathis thus for thee no pleasant prospect should the man killed to-night attackthee on the morrow. [24] It is given to you alone if you have the power,being killed night after night (lit. to be killed every night), to avenge itnext day.” “Truly I will carry out what you all as a body agree upon byway of counsel,[25] strange as it may seem to you,” quoth the bachlach. Hethen pledged the other to keep his troth in this contention as to fulfillinghis tryst on the morrow.§ 96. With that Fat-Neck took the axe from out of the bachlach’s hand.Seven feet apart were its two angles. Then did the bachlach put his neckacross the block. Fat-Neck dealt a blow across it with the axe till it stuckin the block underneath, cutting off the head till it lay by the base of thefork-beam, the house being filled with the blood. Straightway thebachlach rose, recovered himself, clasped his head, block and axe to hisbreast, thus made his exit from the hall with blood streaming from hisneck. It filled the Red Branch on every side. Great was the folk’s horror,wondering at the marvel that had appeared to them. “By my people’sgod,” quoth Duach of the Chafer Tongue, “if the bachlach, having beenkilled to-night, come back tomorrow, he will not leave a man alive inUltonia.” The following night, however, he returned, and Fat-Neckshirked him. Then began the bachlach to urge his pact with Fat-Neck.“Sooth it is not right for Fat-Neck not to fulfil his covenant with me.”§ 97. That night, however, Loigaire the Triumphant was present.“Who of the warriors that contest Ultonia’s Champion’s Portion willcarry out a covenant to-night with me? Where is Loigaire theTriumphant?” quoth he. “Here,” said Loigaire. He pledged him too, yetLoigaire kept not his tryst. The bachlach returned on the morrow andsimilarly pledged Conall Cernach, who came not as he had sworn.§ 98. The fourth night the bachlach returned, and fierce and furiouswas he. All the ladies of Ultonia came that night to see the strangemarvel that had come into the Red Branch. That night Cuchulainn wasthere also. Then the fellow began to upbraid them. “Ye men of Ultonia,your valour and your prowess are gone. Your warriors greatly covet theChampion’s Portion, yet are unable to contest it. Where is yon poor madwight that is hight Cuchulainn? Fain would I know if his word be betterthan the others’.” “No covenant do I desire with you,” quoth Cuchulainn.“Likely is that, you wretched fly;[26] greatly thou dost fear to die.”Whereupon Cuchulainn sprang towards him and dealt him a blow withthe axe, hurling his head to the top rafter of the Red Branch till the wholehall shook. Cuchulainn again caught up the head and gave it a blow withthe axe and smashed it. Thereafter the bachlach rose up.§ 99. On the morrow the Ultonians were watching Cuchulainn to seewhether he would shirk the bachlach as the other heroes had done. AsCuchulainn was awaiting the bachlach, they saw that great dejectionseized him. It had been fitting had they sung his dirge. They felt sure hislife would last only till the bachlach came. Then quoth Cuchulainn withshame to Conchobar:[27]“Thou shall not go until my pledge to thebachlach is fulfilled; for death awaits me, and I would rather have deathwith honour.”§ 100. They were there as the day was closing when they saw thebachlach approaching. “Where is Cuchulainn?” he quoth. “Here am I,” heanswered. “You’re dull of speech to-night, unhappy one; greatly you fearto die. Yet, though great your fear, death you have not shirked.”Thereafter Cuchulainn went up to him and stretched his neck across theblock, which was of such size that his neck reached but half-way. “Stretchout your neck, you wretch,” the bachlach quoth. “You keep me intorment,” quoth Cuchulainn. “Despatch me quickly; last night, by mytroth, I tormented you not. Verily I swear if you torment me, I shallmake myself as long as a crane above you.” “I cannot slay you,” quoththe bachlach, “what with the size of the block and the shortness of yourneck and of your side” (sic!).§ 101. Then Cuchulainn stretched out his neck so that a warrior’sfull-grown foot would have fitted between any two of his ribs; his neckhe distended till it reached the other side of the block. The bachlachraised his axe till it reached the roof-tree of the hall. The creaking of theold hide that was about the fellow and the crashing of the axe—both hisarms being raised aloft with all his might—were as the loud noise of awood tempest-tossed in a night of storm. Down it came then ... on hisneck, its blunt side below,—all the nobles of Ultonia gazing upon them.§ 102. “O Cuchulainn, arise! ... Of the warriors of Ultonia and Erin, nomatter their mettle, none is found to be compared with thee in valour,bravery and truthfulness. The sovranty of the heroes of Erin to thee fromthis hour forth and the Champion’s Portion undisputed, and to thy ladythe precedence alway of the ladies of Ultonia in the Mead Hall. Andwhosoever shall lay wager against thee from now, as my folks swear Iswear, while on life he will be in [sore scathe].” Then the bachlachvanished. It was Curoi mac Dairi who in that guise had come to fulfil thepromise he had given to Cuchulainn.

And thus henceforth the Champion’s Portion of Emain

And the Ulster Women’s War of WordsAnd the Champion’s Wager in EmainAnd the Hosting of the UltoniansTo Cruachan.

FINIT.