The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-01 00:00:00

like a well-whipped -cur, and -would have put his tail
betwane his legs, only he couldn't.
" Ho ! ye re here, are ye ?' says the praste.
" Not a word did the divil reply.
" The divil's in it, but we 'll find manes to make ye
spake !' and says he, Mike, be afther givin' me some
wather and Make gave his riverince the wather, and
his riverince blessed it, and turned it to holy wather
intirely, and thin his riverince dipped his hand into it,
gave the divil a taste o' it ; and didn't it go into him
like scaldin' broth ; be dad, but it did ; and how he
roared, and how he groaned, while Mike and the praste
larfed outright, and well they might.
" 'Now, thin, ye brimstone-stinkin' baste ! what have
ye got to say for yersilf ?'
" The unfortunate divil could only groan. Wid that
the praste give him a taste more of the wather.
" Spike, and be damned !' cried he. 'lt 's yerself
that shall remimber comin' to Ballyhaugh.'
" The poor divil managed to squake out,--' Let me
go ! let me go ! arid I 'II be on my oath niver to come
widin fifty miles of yer riverince
"' Ye will?' said his riverince; yes, I dare say ye
will; but, do yer think I'm such a faol as to take a
divil's oath? not I. I'll have yer bond; yes, yer bond,
Misther Divl, and brake it if yer dare.'
" The divil signified his willingness to comply wid
any tarms to get free. Mike wanted to try the effects
of the shillelagh on his skull, but the praste would'nt
have it all; he had no objection to taze, but he didn't
like committin' murther ; besides, his riverince had an
eye to business, for he knew that rootin' out the divil,
like oder ill wades, made work.

" Mike, by the praste's desire, produced a skin, and
his riverince sat himself down to write, and he wrote an
agramint as long as a homily. He tied the divil down
in all sorts of ways niver ag'in to show his nose in
Ballyhaugh; there was all sorts of curses and anathemis,
and the like; and he made the divil promise to ate him-
silf up if iver he broke his bond. The like of this
writin' ye won't often meet wid. When it was finished,
he gave it to the divil to sign, and what should he do to
make the barg'in more bindin', but open a vein, and
write his divilish name wid his blood.

" And now,' said he, to be sure, kind sir, ye'll be
afther lettin' me go? Come, undo the halter, for I
assure you it begins to make me fale rather -oncom-
fortable.

"' To be sure! to be sure!' says the praste, and
wid that he wint behind him, pertindin' to undo the
halter; but, faix! he took up his chopper, and wid one
clane blow cut of the tip of the diva's tail. Sathan gave
a bellow that would have quieted a thousand big roarin'
guns, and widout so much as sayin' good night to ye,
bounced through the winder. The noise the divil made
drove Mike against the wall, and quite stunned the poor
lad, but nothin' the baste could do-had any effect on his
blessed riverince, who cried out, ;as the divil flew away,
" Hal ha! me boy, there ye go wid yer tail off; but
niver mind, there's plenty o' places where they retail
bad spirits,' and wid that his riverince picked up the
tail, and he and Mike made thimselves comfortable, and
ate their suppers quite well.'
" Now, then," continued Tim, " I've only to tell yer
honours that the blessed jewel that ye've been favoured
wid a sight of, is the very tail that the devil wore whin
he visited Mike Leary on the night o' the famous storm.
And, can yer honours concave anythin' m•re precious
and beautiful. Here it is, and here it shall be as long
as the world stands.
" I'll just conclude by tellin' yer honours what became
of Mike, and the praste, and the other paple. To begin
wid the halter; by express desire, it was sent to his
holiness at Rome, and his holiness was so delighted wid
it, and so sure that it would put him into the right road,
that he hung himself wid it. What became of the divil
I have niver exactly larnt, but 'tits quite sartin that
since that night he has'nt been so free wid his personal
visits, and much more particular in the company he
kapes."