1.
Great Men
‘Three spears at least,’ said Laegaire, stomping past CúChulainn and laying down the bundle of bound willow shafts on a workbench beside his chariot.
‘Knowing yourself you’ll need a thrower, a spiker and one for taking the eyes out of lads who’d look at you wrongly,’ he continued, turning his head and giving the younger man a conspiratorial wink.
CúChulainn appreciated Laegaire’s humour. He’d heard tell that the man had endured a rough past before coming to Eamhain Mhacha and taking his position as the king’s charioteer, but he and the Hound had instantly built a rapport based on easy jest and an almost constant, witful fencing of words; for this reason, no occasion had ever arisen for him to enquire about ancient tragedies. And that, CúChulainn surmised, was how Laegaire
