Page 293 - The snake's pass

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A MIDNIGHT TREASURE HUNT. 281
speak pretty loud in order to be heard through the
sound of the growing storm. The rain fell in torrents,
and the men passed down the boreen stumbling and
slipping. I followed on the other side of the hedge,
and I can tell you I felt grateful to the original
Mackintosh, or Golosh, or whatever was the name of
the Johnny who invented waterproof. When they had
reached the foot of the hill, they went on the road which
curves round by the south-east, and I managed to
scramble through the fir wood without losing sight of
them. When they came to the bridge over the stream,
where it runs out on the north side of the Peninsula,
they turned up on the far bank. I slipped over the bridge
behind them, and got on the far side of the fringe of
alders. Here they stopped and sheltered for a while,
and as I was but a few feet from them I heard every
word which passed. Murdock began by saying to
Moynahan :
"
' Now, keep yer wits about ye, if ye can. Ye' 11
get lashins iv dhrink whin we get back, but remimber
ye promised to go over the ground where yer father
showed ye that the Frinchmin wint wid the gun car-
riage an' the horses. Where was it now that he tuk
ye ? ' Moynahan evidently made an effort to think and

" ' It was just about this shpot wheer he seen thim
first. They crast over the sthrame—there wor no bridge
thin nigher nor Galway—an' wint up the side iv the hill
sthraight up.'