English fiction -- 19th century; Ireland -- Fiction; Short stories, English
“I will follow you to death’s doors,” said Jack; “but I would not fire
at the banshee for a million of worlds.”
Moya seized Harry by the skirts. “Don’t go out,” she cried; “let her
alone while she lets you alone, for an hour’s luck never shone on any
one that ever molested the banshee.”
“Psha, woman!” said Harry, and he pushed away poor Moya contemptuously.
The two men now sallied forth; the wild cry still continued, and it
seemed to issue from amongst some stacks in the hay-yard behind the
house. They went round and paused; again they heard the cry, and Harry
elevated his blunderbuss.
“Don’t fire,” said Jack.
Harry replied not; he looked scornfully at Jack, then put his finger on
the trigger, and--bang--away it exploded with a thundering sound. An
extraordinary scream was now heard, ten times louder and more terrific
than they heard before. Their hair stood erect on their heads, and huge,
round drops of sweat ran down their faces in quick succession. A glare
of reddish-blue fight shone around the stacks; the rumbling of the
dead-coach was again heard coming; it drove up to the house, drawn by
six headless sable horses, and the figure of a withered old hag,
encircled with blue flame, was seen running nimbly across the hay-yard.
She entered the ominous carriage, and it drove away with a horrible
sound. It swept through the tall bushes which surrounded the house; and
as it disappeared the old hag cast a thrilling scowl at the two men, and
waved her fleshless arms at them vengefully. It was soon lost to sight;
but the unearthly creaking of the wheels, the tramping of the horses,
and the appalling cries of the banshee continued to assail their ears
for a considerable time after all had vanished.
The brave fellows now returned to the house; they again made fast the
door, and reloaded their arms. Nothing, however, came to disturb them
that night, nor from that time forward; and the arrival of the dead
man’s brother from London, in a few days after, relieved them from their
irksome task.
Old Moya did not live long after; she declined from that remarkable
night, and her remains were decently interred in the churchyard
adjoining the last earthly tenement of the loved family to which she had
been so long and so faithfully attached.
The insulted banshee has never since returned; and although several
members of that family have since closed their mortal career, still the
warning cry was never given; and it is supposed that the injured spirit
will never visit her ancient haunts until every one of the existing
generation shall have “slept with their fathers.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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