“The rules are simple on Inis Eala. Your tutors will explain them again later, but here’s the gist of it. If you break the codes of behavior we observe here, you’ll not only be sent home straightaway, but so will the rest of your group. We don’t ask any more of you than we ask of our own men and women. The first rule is respect. That goes for all of us, all the time: put it into practice in word and deed, every moment of every day. The second rule is that nobody leaves the island without my permission. Our boats go across to the mainland every few days, and there may be reason for one or two of you to go with them on occasion. Don’t even think of expeditions of your own.

“The third rule is honesty. If you make an error, face up to it, come out with it. The last rule is this: we don’t let the sun set on our anger. Likely there’ll be disputes as we go along. We’re none of us beyond annoyance, jealousy, the feelings that arise when we’re working hard and getting tired and bruised, and something happens to cause offense. Settle your grievances quickly, and if you can’t, bring them to me after supper on the same day and I’ll help you sort things out. If you feel a need to use your fists to resolve a problem, do it properly, out in the open with a third man as arbiter, and once the bout’s done, let that be an end of it.” Johnny looked around as if to include each of the Connacht men in his speech. “You’ll have questions. We’ll make time for them when today’s bouts are over. We’re going to show you some new swords fashioned by our expert smith here. Stand up, Sam, so everyone can see you.”

Sam rose to his full, imposing height, his buttercup hair bright in the sunlight. He gave a genial grin.

“The new weapons are lighter, easier to handle, in every way an improvement on the heavy swords most of us have been using,” Johnny went on. “We’ll be training you in their use—skill with the traditional broadsword won’t make you an expert with these—and we’ll ask for your comments, too. If your chieftain wants to make use of such weapons in future he’ll need to have a smith trained in their manufacture. We can provide that training.”

We watched Spider and Otter testing Sam’s new blades. They looked ill-matched, one tall and thin, the other sturdy and barrel-chested. But neither easily gained the advantage. The bout had them moving light-footed across the open space, their agility and strength belying the fact that each had seen more than forty summers.