The Battle At The Ford

The men of Ireland settled it that Ferdiad and Cuchulain should fight
the next day. But when they sent messengers to fetch Ferdiad he would
not come, for he learned that they wanted him to fight against his
friend Cuchulain.

Then Maeve, the Queen, sent the Druids after him, who by their hurtful
poems about Ferdiad should raise three blisters on his face--the
blisters of Shame, Blemish, and Reproach.

So Ferdiad had to come to answer the Queen, Maeve. She offered him
great riches if he would fight against his friend Cuchulain--speckled
satins and silver and gold, with lands, horses, and bridles.

But to Maeve Ferdiad replied, "If you offered me land and sea I would
not take them without the sun and moon."

For he loved his friend Cuchulain so that there was no wealth which
could tempt Ferdiad to go out against him to wound him.

"But," said Maeve, "you shall have your fill of the jewels of the
earth. Here is my brooch with its hooked pin and my daughter,
Findabair."

"Nay," answered Ferdiad, "these things and all things like unto them
shall remain yours, for there is nothing I would take to go into battle
against my friend Cuchulain. Nothing shall come between him and me--he
who is the half of my heart without fault, and I the half of his own
heart. By my spear, were Cuchulain killed, I would be buried in his
grave--the one grave for the two of us! Misfortune on you, Maeve,
misfortune on you for trying to put your face between us!"

Then Maeve considered how she should stir him up and thus get her own
ends.

Aloud she said to her people, "Is it a true word Cuchulain spoke?"

"What word was that?" asked Ferdiad, sharply.

"He said," answered Maeve, "that there would be no wonder in it did you
fall in the first trial of arms against him."

Then was Ferdiad angry. "That had Cuchulain no right to say! If it be
true he said this thing, then will I fight with him to-morrow!"

At that Fergus left Ferdiad and Maeve, and went out in his chariot to
tell Cuchulain what had happened.

"I give my word," exclaimed Cuchulain, "for my friend to come against
me is not my wish!"

"Ferdiad's anger is stirred up," said Fergus, "and he has no fear of
you."

"Be quiet," replied Cuchulain, "for I can stand against him anywhere!"

"It will go hard with you getting the better of him," answered Fergus,
"for he has the strength of a hundred."

"My word and oath," said Cuchulain, "it is I who will be victorious
over Ferdiad."

Then went Fergus joyfully back to the encampment. But Ferdiad, gloomy
and heavy-hearted, slept only through the early part of the night.
Toward the end of night he told his driver to harness his horses.

"Ferdiad," said the driver, "it would be better for you to stop here,
for grief will come of that meeting with Cuchulain."

Yet the chariot was yoked and they went forward to the ford, and day
and its full light came upon them there. Then Ferdiad slept while he
waited for the coming of Cuchulain.

With the full light of day Cuchulain himself rose up, and said to his
driver, "Laeg, yoke the chariot, for the man who comes to meet us
to-day is an early riser."

"The horses are harnessed," answered Laeg.

With that Cuchulain leaped into the chariot, and about him shouted the
people of the gods of Dana, and the witches and the fairies.

Then Ferdiad's driver heard them coming, the straining of the harness,
the creaking of the chariot, the ringing of the armor and the shields,
and the thunder of the horses' hoofs.

"Good Ferdiad," said the driver, laying his hand upon his master, "rise
up. Cuchulain comes, and he is coming not slowly, but quick as the wind
or as water from a high cliff or like swift thunder."

And they saw Cuchulain coming, swooping down on them like a hawk from a
cliff on a day of hard wind. Cuchulain drew up on the north side of the
ford.

"I am happy at your coming," said Ferdiad.

"Till this day would I have been glad to hear that welcome," answered
Cuchulain; "but now it is no longer the welcome of a friend."

Then each spoke unfriendly words and each began to boast.

"Before the setting of the sun to-night," said Ferdiad, "you will be
fighting as with a mountain, and it is not white that battle will be."

"You are fallen into a gap of danger," answered Cuchulain, "and the end
of your life has come."

"Leave off your boasting," shouted Ferdiad, "you heart of a bird in a
cage, you giggling fellow."

But to this Cuchulain replied, "You were my heart companion, you were
my people, you were my family--I never found one who was dearer."

"What is the use of this talk?" asked Ferdiad.

"Good Ferdiad," answered Cuchulain, "it is not right for you to come
out against me through the meddling of Maeve. Do not break your
oath not to fight with me. Do not break friendship. We were heart
companions, comrades, and sharing one bed."

And Ferdiad answered: "Do not be remembering our companionship, for it
will not protect you this day. It is I will give you your first wounds."

Then began they with their casting weapons--their round-handled spears
and their little quill spears and their ivory-hilted knives and their
ivory-hafted spears, and these weapons were flying to and fro like
bees on the wing on a summer's day. Yet good as the throwing was, the
defense was better, and neither hurt the other. There was no cast that
did not hit the protecting shields, and by noon their weapons were all
blunted against the faces and bosses of the shields.

So they left these weapons and took to their straight spears. And from
the middle of midday till the fall of evening each threw spears at the
other. But good as the defense was, in that time each wounded the other.

"Let us leave this, now," said Ferdiad.

Then each came to the other and put his hands around the neck of the
other and gave him three kisses. And that night one inclosure held
their horses and at one fire sat their chariot-drivers. And of every
healing herb that was put on Cuchulain's wounds Cuchulain sent an equal
share westward across the ford for the wounds of Ferdiad. And of food
and drink Ferdiad sent a fair share northward to Cuchulain and his men.

And in the morning they rose up and came to the ford of battle.

"What weapons shall we use to-day?" asked Cuchulain.

"To-day is your choice, for I made the choice yesterday," answered
Ferdiad.

"Then let us take our great broad spears, for so by the end of evening
shall we be nearer the end of the fight."

From the twilight of the early morning till the fall of evening each
cut at and wounded the other, till, were it the custom of birds in
their flight to pass through the bodies of men, they might have done so
on this day.

"Let us stop from this, now," said Cuchulain, "for our horses and men
are tired and down-hearted. Let us put the quarrel away for a while."

So they threw their spears into the hands of their chariot-drivers,
and each put his hand around the neck of the other and gave him three
kisses. And that night they slept on wounded men's pillows their
chariot-drivers had made for them. A full share of every charm and
spell used to cure the wounds of Cuchulain was sent to Ferdiad. And of
food Ferdiad sent a share.

Again early on the morrow they came to the ford of battle, and there
was a dark look on Ferdiad that day.

"It is bad you are looking to-day," said Cuchulain.

"It is not from fear or dread of you I am looking this way," answered
Ferdiad.

"No one has ever put food to his lips, Ferdiad, and no one has ever
been born for whose sake I would have hurt you."

"Cuchulain," cried Ferdiad, "it was not you, but Maeve, who has
betrayed us, and now my word and my name will be worth nothing if I go
back without doing battle with you."

And that day they fought with their swords, and each hacked at the
other from dawn till evening. When they threw their swords from them
into the hands of their chariot-drivers, their parting that night was
sad and down-hearted.

Early the next morning Ferdiad rose up and went by himself to the ford,
and there clad himself in his shirt of striped silk with its border
of speckled gold, over that a coat of brown leather, and on his head
a crested helmet of battle. Taking his strong spear in his right hand
and sword in his left, he began to show off very cunningly, wonderful
feats that were made up that day by himself against Cuchulain.

But when Cuchulain came to the ford, it was his turn to choose the
weapons for the day. And they fought all the morning. By midday the
anger of each was hot upon him, and Cuchulain leaped up onto the bosses
of Ferdiad's shield, but Ferdiad tossed him from him like a bird on
the brink of the ford, or as foam is thrown from a wave. Then did
Cuchulain leap with the quickness of the wind and the lightness of a
swallow, and lit on the boss of Ferdiad's shield. But Ferdiad shook his
shield and cast Cuchulain from him. Cuchulain's anger came on him like
flame; and so close was the fight that their shields were broken and
loosened, that their spears were bent from their points to their hilts;
and so close was the fight that they drove the river from its bed, and
that their horses broke away in fear and madness.

Then Ferdiad gave Cuchulain a stroke of the sword and hid it in his
body. And Cuchulain took his spear, Gae Bulg, cast it at Ferdiad, and
it passed through his body so that the point could be seen.

"O Cuchulain," cried Ferdiad, when Gae Bulg pierced him, "it was not
right that I should fall by your hand! My end is come, my ribs will not
hold my heart. I have not done well in the battle."

Then Cuchulain ran toward him and put his two arms about him, and laid
him by the ford northward. And he began to keen and lament: "What are
joy and shouting to me now? It is to madness I am driven after the
thing I have done. O Ferdiad, there will never be born among the men of
Connaught who will do deeds equal to yours!

"O Ferdiad, you were betrayed to your death! You to die, I to be
living. Our parting for ever is a grief for ever! We gave our word
that to the end of time we would not go against each other.

"Dear to me was your beautiful ruddiness, dear to me your comely form,
dear to me your clear gray eye, dear your wisdom and your talk, and
dear to me our friendship!

"It was not right you to fall by my hand; it was not a friendly ending.
My grief! I loved the friend to whom I have given a drink of red blood.
O Ferdiad, this thing will hang over me for ever! Yesterday you were
strong as a mountain. And now there is nothing but a shadow!"