Page 108 - The snake's pass

96 — the snake's pass.
We must keep him employed here, or we may get a spill
going home."
The object of his solicitude came and sat on a rock
beside us, and looked on. Presently he came over, and
said to Dick :
Sure, if ye
" Yer 'an'r, can I help ye in yer wurrk ?
only want wan hand to help ye, mayhap mine id do.
An' thin his 'an'r here might hop up to the top iv the
mountain there's a mighty purty view there intirely,
;
an' he could enjoy it, though ye can't get up wid yer
lame fut."
" Good idea!" said Dick. "You go up on top, Art. This
is very dull work, and Andy can hold the tape for me as
well as you or anyone else. You can tell me all about it
when you come down."
" Do, yer 'an'r. Tell him all ye see!" said Andy, as I
prepared to ascend. " If ye go up soft be the shady parts,
mayhap ye'd shtrike another bit of bog be the way."
I had grown so suspicious of Andy's double entente,
that I looked at him keenly, to see if there was any fresh
joke on ; but his face was immovably grave, and he was
seemingly intent on the steel tape which he was holding.
I proceeded up the mountain. It was a very pleasant
one to climb, or rather to ascend, for it was nearly all
covered with grass. Here and there, on the lower half, were
clumps of stunted trees, all warped eastwards by the pre-
vailing westerly wind—alders, mountain-ash, and thorn.
Higher up these disappeared, but there was still a plea-
sant sprinkling of hedgerows. As the verdure grew on the