The Irish standard., 1915-05-29
people. he held a sea service and cele-

| people. He held a sea service and cele-
DRAFTED mass upon the water in the midst
OF great flotilla of boats for the ban
ishment of the monster. After that he
forbade the people even to speak of the
piast, not even to mention her as thing
OF the past, an old time plague upon
this coast, and such was his influence,
according to Crohoor, that for two gen
erations only the vaguest ideas circulat-
ed among the people concerning the rep
tile. Since the taking away of Mr..
John Freeman from Dhu- Corrig 1.-The
old people had been talking" and why
shouldn't they" he added, when it's
plain that the piast is alive and strong
and at her old bloody work again?'
What is the appearance of the piast, ~
l asked, land where does she live?''
"Tll tell you about that, SIR" he
said. He proceeded then to relate the
following story, with regard to which l
may add that l am very conscious that
my English does not adequately express
the power and picturesqueness of Gro
hoor's Gaelic:
"These things happened before my
fathers time and before my GRANDPA
theirs. but they are as true as that you
are sitting in that chair. Two men and
a gossoon went in a boat from Lau-beg,
which lies little westward from Lau-
wohr-but your honor knows the island
to buy flour III Dun Beacon, for little
is the grain grown there in Lau-b beg by
reason of the stony floor of the island.
The wind was from the south ard, so
they hoisted sail, and it wasn't long be-
fore they made the basin and grounded
their boat there. When they bought
the flour and put the bags III the boat,
it was the Judgment Of one of the men
that they should run down the boat,
hoist sail and return to Lau-beg imme-
diately, SO that the daylight might be
with them in their returning
None of your nonsense, says the
other. 1T isn't once in six months
come to the city, and won't leave it
till warm myself we'll with water of
life.'
Water of death, says the other.
''Tis unlucky to be passing the square
hole after dark any time and in especial
on this night
1.-THE night, your honor, w,is All Hal
lows eve, and tits a night when all the
id things in the world from the
devil down have great power, be the
reason what it may.
The piast be d----d!' says the
other. Il hold by no such foolishness. ,
THE man who said this word was
called Teigue Rue. He had red hair and
was the biggest and strongest man in
the little island and ~ terror to the
peaceab)y inclined. By the same token,
too, he had gone away to be sailor
when he was a slip, and he went to
many outlandish parts before he came
home and settled himself down with
his kin for good and all in Lau-bcg.
And though he used to pretend to laugh
at the old stories of tho people he him
self had custom CT talking of cave sea
devil or piast that he called Davy and
sometimes Davy with another name
that the old people did not remember.
And so now all that his co,nrade could
say was no use, but back he would 70 to
the public house, taking his conrade
with him, who was a weak man, and
then they We're diverting themselves to
the going down of the sun. The COM
rade's name was Shaun. He was an
O'Flaherty by nation. Well, Teigue
Rue. though he laughed at the notion of
the piast, had too much sense to get
drunk and he about to go out on the salt
water in sailboat, or to allow Shaun
O'Flaherty to get drunk either, though
the people there said afterward that
Shaun, in spite of his desire for an early
return. was then all for more drink and
another song.
They pushed down the boat after
.hat and stepped the mast and hoisted
the sail. with the night upon them, and
the moon rising, three-quarter, over
the Ballyhowrahan hills there in the
east. Teigue Rue took the battling can
and dipped it in the tide and poured the
salt water ON his head to cool himself
} after the liquor and make his intellects
more steady and considerate, and he
made Shaun do the same. The gossoon
also was warm and pleasant in himself;
he was with them all through. The
stars came out. but though tho night
was bright and firm the wind blew
strong still from the southland.
well, sir, the boat was Just opposite
your own coos-called Coos an -dorcha
by reason of the high black rocks around
it and the shadow that is there always
when tho wind scanted of sudden
in an unreasonable manner and the sail
began to flap.
1T would be better to go back, says
Shaun.
"'It would he better to do no such
thing, says Teigue Rue. Handle
your oar, man, and let the gossoon take
the helm, and we won't be long in max :
ing Lau-beg, for the sea is like goose
pond. The tide is against us here, but
it won't he against us mile farther on,
and we can get home from that without
Inconvenience.
well, they rowed on in that manner
till they came opposite the square hole
in the big, straight cleft"
What hole is thati" said Samuel
Watkins, at your service.
'I'm surprised your honor hasn't
noticed it,, replied Crohoor, "but in
| 6oa1 ,1u1osa IL xuaa noinfa1 <,,,f IN him n