And into the ship came the fifteen valiant men, and gripped their oars, while Finn steered; and soon the sea whitened around their oarblades, and over the restless, rolling masses of the many-hued and voiceful billows, the ship clove her way to the West.

And the Fians, who were wont to be wakened by the twittering of birds over their hunting booths in the greenwood, now delighted to hear, day after day as they roused themselves at morn, the lapping of the wide waters of the world against their vessel's bows, or the thunder of pounding surges when the wind blew hard.
At length after many days the sharpest-eyed of the men of Finn saw far-off what seemed a mountain rising from the sea, and to it they shaped their course.

When they had come to that land they found themselves under the shadow of a great grey cliff, and beneath it slippery rocks covered with seaweed.
Then Dermot, who was the most active of the company, was bidden to mount the cliff and to procure means of drawing up the rest of the party, but of what land might lie on the top of that wall of rock none of them could discover anything.

Dermot, descending from the ship, then climbed with difficulty up the face of the cliff, while the others made fast their ship among the rocks.

But Dermot having arrived at the top saw no habitation of man, and could compass no way of helping his companions to mount.