Legendary fictions of the Irish Celts

236 Fictions of tJic Irish Celts.
kill so beautiful and gentle a beast under the circumstances
was out of the question. She followed him
home, playing with the hounds, and was housed in
Almuin that night.
AVhen Fion was left alone late on that evening, a
woman of fair features and rich dress presented herself
before him, and declared herself the hunted fawn of that
day. " For refusing the love of the Danaan Druid,
Fear Doirche," said she, " I have for three years endured
the nature and the dangers of a wild deer's life in a far
district of Erinn, which dread ' Geasach' prevents me
from naming. A pitying slave of the Druid at last
revealed to me, that if I were once within any fortress
owned by the Fians of Erinn, his power over me would
be at an end. I flew with untiring limbs for a day,
until I came into the territory of the chief of Almuin,
and ceased not my flight till Brann and Sceoluing of
human intellect were the only pursuers on my track.
With them my life was safe ; they knew lue to be of a
nature like to their own."
Some months passed away, during which Fion went
forth neither to the fight nor to the chase, so lost was he
to all his former amusements and pursuits, through his
deep love for the rescued princess. But at last the Loch-
Leatmac/i (the Scandina\-ians) were in the bay of the Hill
of Oaks (Howth). Seven days were the Fians absent, and
on the eighth the chief was crossing the plain of Almuin
with rapid strides, and wondering that his sweet flower
was not looking towards him from the top of the mound.
The dwellers of the fort rushed out in joy to greet their
chief; but sadness sat on their faces. "Where is the
flower of Almuin, the beauteous, the tender Saav?"
" Blame not her nor us, O father of your people ! While
the white strangers were falling beneath your axe of war,
your likeness and the likenesses of Brann and Sceoluing
appeared before the dun, and we thought we heard the
sweet-sounding Dord Fionn blow from your lips the
music that makes wounded men and women in travail