Page 305 - The snake's pass

A MIDNIGHT TREASURE HUNT. 293
a govermint shtool for me ! Here's the masther wouldn't
let any girrul sit on any wan's knee. Begor! not
even the quality nor the fairies ! All right, yer 'an'r,
the mare's quite ready. Good-bye, Mrs. Dempsey. Don't
forgit the shtool—an' wan too for Biddy! Gee up, ye
ould corncrake ! " and so we resumed our journey.
As we went along Dick gave me all details regarding
the property which he and Mr. Caicy had bought for me.
Although I had signed deeds and papers without num-
ber, and was owner in the present or in future of the
whole hill, I had not the least idea of either the size or
disposition of the estate. Dick had been all over it, and
was able to supply me with every detail. As he went on
he grew quite enthusiastic—everything seemed to be even
more favourable than he had at first supposed. There
was plenty of clay^; and he Suspected that in two or three
places there was pottery clay, such as is found chiefly in
Cornwall. There was any amount of water ; and when we
should be able to control the whole hill and regulate
matters as we wished, the supply would enable us to do
anything in the way of either irrigation or ornamental
development. The only thing we lacked, he said, was
limestone, and he had a suspicion that limestone was to
be found somewhere on the hill.
" I cannot but think," said he, " that there must be a
streak of limestone somewhere. I cannot otherwise ac-
count for the subsidence of the lake on the top of the
hill. I almost begin to think that that formation of
rock to which the Snake's Pass is due runs right through