The knight looked around, and saw his eye in the hole of the chimney, and as much soot on it as would manure land under two stone of seed-potatoes.
“Look at my eye,” said the knight.
Dyeermud looked. Then the king put the eye in the head of the knight, who could see with it better than when he had it before.
Out they went now from the king, safe and sound, and never stopped till they reached the knight’s castle for dinner. When dinner was over, Dyeermud, the gruagach, and the small chief hastened on to the gruagach’s castle, and slept there.
Next day Dyeermud and the small chief went home. On the following morning, Dyeermud went to the king, told him the Rueful Knight’s story, and said, “Now I must have battle, or a sight of Fin MacCool.”
“Battle I’ll not give you,” said the king; “and a sight of Fin MacCool you’ll not have till you tell me what happened to the Lad of True Tales.”
“I am sorry,” said Dyeermud, “that this was not said by you sooner. It is late for me now to be tearing my shoes on strange roads, and tiring my feet in a foreign land.” With that he sprang at the king, brought him down by the throat from the window to the ground, and there broke every bone in his body. Then he put the castle foundation upward, looking for Fin, and destroying all that he met, but could not find Fin till he met the old little woman.
“O Dyeermud,” said she, “spare my head. I am more than a hundred years old. I have been faithful to Fin since he came here. I have never refused to do what he asked of me.”
“Your head shall be spared,” replied Dyeermud, “though old life is as dear to you as it is to young people; and take me now to where Fin is.”
Dyeermud went with the old little woman to the door of Fin’s chamber, and knocked. Fin knew the knock, and cried out, “Reach me your sword.”