Many a bad bargain has Finn made but never a worse than thou." "By Heaven and Earth," said the gillie, "that I never will, for I have no horseboy, and I will do no horseboy's work." Then Conan mac Morna took the iron halter and laid it on the stranger's horse and brought the beast back to Finn and held it there.
Said Finn to Conan, "I have never seen thee do horseboy's service even to far better men than this gillie.

How now if thou wert to leap on the brute's back and gallop her to death over hill and dale in payment for the mischief she hath wrought among our steeds ?" At this word Conan clambered up on the back of the big man's mare, and with all his might he smote his two heels into her, but the mare never stirred.
"I perceive what ails her," said Finn.

"She will never stir till she has a weight of men on her equal to that of her own rider." Then thirteen men of the Fianna scrambled up laughing behind Conan, and the mare lay down under them, and then got up again, they still clinging to her.

At this the big man said, "It appears that you are making a sport and mockery of my mare, and that even I myself do not escape from it.

It is well for me that I have not spent the rest of the year in your company, seeing what a jest ye have made of me the very first day; and I perceive, O Finn, that thou art very unlike the report that is made of thee.