Page 354 - The snake's pass

342 THE snake's pass. —
Next Joyce took up the running, and told us how he
had been working on the top of the mountain when he
saw the signs of the storm coming so fast that he
thought it would be well to look after the sheep and
cattle, and see them in some kind of shelter before the
morning. He had driven all the cattle which were up
high on the hill into the shelter where I had found them,
and then had gone down the southern shoulder of the
hill, placing all the sheep and cattle in places of shelter
as well as he could, until he had come across the
wounded one, which he took on his shoulders to bring
it home, but which had since been carried away in the
bursting of the bog. He finished by reminding me
jocularly that I owed him something for his night's
work, for the stock was now all mine.
" No ! " said I, " not for another day. My purchase of
your ground and stock was only to take effect from after
noon of the 28th, and we are now only at the early
morning of that day ; but at any rate I must thank you
for the others," for I had a number of sheep and cattle
which Dick had taken over from the other farmers
whose land I had bought.
Then I told over again all that had happened to me. I
had to touch on the blow which Norah had received,
but I did so as lightly as I could ; and when I said " Grod
forgive him ! " they all added softly, " Amen ! "
Then Dick put in a word about poor old Moynahan :
" Poor old fellow, he is gone also. He was a drunkard,
but he wasn't all bad. Perhaps he saved Norah last