Irish Wonders: The Ghosts, Giants, Pooka, Demons, Leprechawns, Banshees, Fairies, Witches, Widows, Old Maids, and other Marvels of the Emerald IsleMcAnally, D. R. (David Russell)
General
Irish Wonders: The Ghosts, Giants, Pooka, Demons, Leprechawns, Banshees, Fairies, Witches, Widows, Old Maids, and other Marvels of the Emerald Isle
"So the three av thim mounted on the wan horse, Lord Robert in the saddle,
the divil behind, an’ the witch in front av him, an’ away like the wind to
the cave. Whin they got to the turn o’ the hill, they got aff an’ hid in
the bushes bechune the cave an’ the shpring, bekase, as Satan axplained to
Lord Robert, ivery night, just at midnight, the saint wint to get him a
dhrink av wather, bein’ dhry wid the devotions, an’ ’ud bring the full av
a bucket back wid him.
"’We’ll shtop him be the shpring,’ says the divil, ’wid the witch, an’ you
an’ me’ull shtale the girl while he’s talkin’.
"So while the clock was shtrikin’ fur twilve, out come the saint wid the
wather-bucket an’ shtarted to the shpring. Whin he got there an’ was
takin’ his dhrink, up comes the witch an’ begins tellin’ him av a son she
had (she was purtindin’, ye ondhershtand, an’ lyin’ to him) that was as
lazy as a câr-horse an’ as much in the way as a sore thumb, an’ axin’ the
saint’s advice phat to do wid him, while Satan an’ Lord Robert ran into
the cave. The divil picked up Kathleen in his arrums, but he darn’t have
done that same, only she was on the other side av the cave an’ away from
the althar, but Tim was shtandin’ by it, an’ shtarted out wid her kickin’
an’ schraichin’. Tim ran to grip him, but Satan tossed him back like a
ball an’ he fell on the flure.
"’Howld on till I shtick him,’ says Lord Robert, pullin’ out his soord.
"’Come on, ye bosthoon,’ says Satan to him. ’Sure the saint ’ull be on us
if we don’t get away quick,’ an’ bedad, as he said thim words, the dure
opened, an’ in come Saint Tigernach wid a bucket av wather on his arrum
an’ in a hurry, fur he misthrusted something.
"’God’s presince be about us,’ says the blessed saint, whin he saw the
divil, an’ the turkey-bumps begun to raise on his blessed back an’ the
shweat a-comin’ on his face, fur he knewn Satan well enough, an’ consaved
the owld felly had come fur himself be razon av a bit o’ mate he ate that
day, it bein’ av a Friday; axceptin’ he didn’t ate the mate but only
tasted it an’ then spit it out agin to settle a quarl bechune a butcher
an’ a woman that bought the mate an’ said it was bad, only he was afeared
Satan didn’t see him when he sput it out agin. ’God’s presince be about
us,’ says the saint, a-crossin’ himself as fast as he cud. In a minnit
though, he seen it wasn’t him, but Kathleen, that was in it, an’ let go
the wather an’ caught the blessed crass that was hangin’ on him wid his
right hand an’ gripped Satan be the throat wid his lift, a-pushin’ the
crass in his face.
"The divil dhropped Kathleen like it was a bag av male she was, an’ she
rolled over an’ over on the flure like a worrum till she raiched the
althar an’ stuck to it as tight as the bark on a tree. An’ a fine thing it
was to see the inimy av our sowls a-lyin’ there trimblin’, wid the saint’s
fut on his neck.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account