Page 296 - The snake's pass

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284 THE snake's pass. — ' — '
" * Not me ! ' said Murdock, and as he spoke T saw
him stoop—for as I was at the time lying on the ground
I could see his outline against the dark sky. He was
looking away from me, and as I looked too I could see
him start as he whispered to himself :
" Be God ! but it's thrue ! there's the gun carriage !
'
There it was ! Art, true enough before my eyes, not ten
feet away on the edge of the bog ! Moynahan went on :
'
" Me father tould me that the mountain was different
at that time ; the bog only kem down about as low as
this. Musha! but its the quare lot it has shifted since
!
thin ' There was a pause, broken by Murdock, who
spoke in a hoarse, hard voice :
" ' An' where did he see them nixt ? ' Moynahan
seemed to be getting drunker and drunker, as was
manifest in his later speech; his dose of whiskey had
no doubt been a good one.
11 ' He seen them next to the north beyant—higher up
towards Murdock' s house.'
"* Towards Murdock's house!
Ye mane Joyce's?'
" No, I mane Black Murdock's ; the wan he had be-
*
fore he robbed Joyce. But begor ! he done himself ! It's
on Joyce's ground the money is ! He's a nagur, any-
how—Black Murdock the Gombeen—bloody end to him !
and he relapsed into silence. I could hear Murdock grind
his teeth ; then after a pause he spoke as the bottle
popped again.
" ' Have a sup Moynahan
; it'll kape out the cowld.'
took the bottle.