Fians are, and whether they are engaged in battle or the chase?'
"They regarded me with amazement and fear—why they feared me I do not know, for I never harmed any one except in rightful battle or dispute. Then, as no one answered me, I repeated my question again, saying that when the Fians asked questions it was not their wont to be kept waiting for answers. One of the men, in a very weak and trembling voice, then spoke:
"'Great lord,' he said, 'our bards sing of a mighty hero, Fionn, who lived long ages ago, and of the deeds of him and his Fians, who were the bravest warriors the world has ever seen. They sing, too, of Oisin his son, who score upon score of years ago followed a faery maiden to the Land of the Ever-Young, and from that country he has never returned. Some of the old stories say that Fionn died of grief because his son had gone from him. But one thing is certain, that it is many generations since the noble Fionn and his Fians lived and died.'
"I was silent. I could not imagine that my
