"I know not," said the fellow, "of what blood I am, gentle or simple, but only this, that I am a wight from oversea looking for service and wages.
And as I have heard of thee, O Finn, that thou art not wont to refuse any man, I came to take service with thee if thou wilt have me." "Neither shall I refuse thee," said Finn; "but what brings thee here with a horse and no horseboy ?" "Good enough reason," said the stranger.

"I have much ado to get meat for my own belly, seeing that I eat for a hundred men; and I will not have any horseboy meddling with my ration." "And what name dost thou bear ?" "I am called the Gilla Dacar (the Hard Gillie)," replied he.
"Why was that name given thee ?" asked Finn.
"Good enough reason for that also," spake the stranger, "for of all the lads in the world there is none harder than I am for a lord to get any service and obedience from." Then turning to Conan the Bald he said, "Whether among the Fianna is a horseman's pay or a footman's the highest ?" "A horseman's surely," said Conan, "seeing that he gets twice the pay of a footman." "Then I am a horseman in thy service, Finn," said the gillie.

"I call thee to observe that I have here a horse, and moreover that as a horseman I came among the Fianna.

Have I thy authority," he went on, "to turn out my steed among thine ?" "Turn her out," quoth Finn.
Then the big man flung his mare the rope and immediately she galloped off to where the Fian horses were grazing.

Here she fell to biting and kicking them, knocking out the eye of one and snapping off another's ear and breaking the leg of another with a kick.
"Take away thy mare, big man," cried Conan then, "or by Heaven and Earth were it not that Finn told thee to let her loose I would let loose her brains.