Myths and Legends of the Celtic Race - Knowledge Rush

CHAPTER V: TALES OF THE ULTONIAN CYCLE 207to him: “Thy fast hath been long, Mesroda, though good food isby thee in plenty; and at night thou turnest thy face to the wall,and well I know thou dost not sleep. What is the cause of thytrouble?”“There is a saying,” replied Mac Datho, “'Trust not a thrallwith money, nor a woman with a secret.'”“When should a man talk to a woman,” said his wife, “butwhen something were amiss? What thy mind cannot solveperchance another's may.”Then mac Datho told his wife of the request for his houndboth from Ulster and from Connacht at one and the same time.“And whichever of them I deny,” he said, “they will harry mycattle and slay my people.”“Then hear my counsel,” said the woman. “Give it to bothof them, and bid them come and fetch it; and if there be anyharrying to be done, let them even harry each other; but in noway mayest thou keep the hound.”Mac Datho followed this wise counsel, and bade both Ulsterand Connacht to a great feast on the same day, saying to each ofthem that they could have the hound afterwards.So on the appointed day Conor of Ulster, and Maev, and theirretinues of princes and mighty men assembled at the dūn of macDatho. There they found a great feast set forth, and to providethe chief dish mac Datho had killed his famous boar, a beast of [243]enormous size. The question now arose as to who should havethe honourable task of carving it, and Bricriu of the PoisonedTongue characteristically, for the sake of the strife which heloved, suggested that the warriors of Ulster and Connacht shouldcompare their principal deeds of arms, and give the carving of theboar to him who seemed to have done best in the border-fightingwhich was always going on between the provinces. After muchbandying of words and of taunts Ket son of Maga arises andstands over the boar, knife in hand, challenging each of theUlster lords to match his deeds of valour. One after another