The Irish standard., 1915-05-29

that runs up back from u-Corrig, and
the men stopped their fighting and
looked where the boy was locking, and
that was up at the big gray cliff.
Then, God and all his holy saints
preserve us, they saw something that
was enough to kill them all at once
| with the fright! From Cooree's window
the piast was coming out, and first she
raised her head up along the cliff side,
stretching herself like serpent or a
huge black eel, and the head continued
going up till it passed beyond the cliff
top so that they could see the head of
the piast against tho sky and the stars.
and her body all the time working slow
| ly out of the cave. She was named like
a horse and had ears like horse, and
| her eyes were like two red fires in her
head. In that manner she raised her
head up among the stars. and then max
ing an arch with her neck turned her
eyes downward. and at first she did not
see them. but stretched her head along
| the cliff shore to Dhu- Corlig and then
backward along the coast as far as
Coos-an-dorcha and into the COOS, wind
ing her head and neck round the rock
at the mouth of the COOS. After that she
raises her head again, but not 80 high
as before, and in the bright water she
sees the black boat, and without hurry
comes down upon it, tho two men sit
ting there without Il word, as silent and
| as steady as stones, with faces like white
paper. Then with her long tongue she
reaps them into her mouth, they still
without a word or a noise, and chcws
them very deliberately. The cracking
of their bones in the mouth of tho piast.
that boy used tosay afterwarl, was like
the cracking of brush in fire, and
the shower of blood that fell from
her jaws along the hairs of her mouth,
every hair as long as an oar, was like
the sound of hail upon water. And aft
or that she raised up her head to swal.
low them more conveniently after the
manner of birds when they drink"
"Then the boy escaped" said.
"Yes, sir; the boy escaped. When
she raised her head in that manner.
God gave him courage so that he slip
, ped over the gunwale of the boat upon
the seward side and sheltered himself
SO. 1t was not long before the piast
came down again. Tho boy did not see
her on account of the place where he
| was, but hs heard her breathing and
smelt the breath OF her like seaweed,
only very strong, aud indeed it is aston
fishing how he contrived to keep himself
afloat, considering the great fear that
was upon him. She returned to the
boat twice nfter that, for no doubt she
smelt him, and he knew her coming on
each occasion by reason of the breath
ing and of the very strong smell In
the end he heard II loud noise, and he
said to himself that it was the noise of
the hinder part; tho piast falling into
the water, and that now he would hc
safer in the boat than in the sea Ac-
cordingly, though with very great diff
Guilty. owing to the fear that was upon
him, he climbed over the gunwale and
gathered the sail around him and lay
down in tho bottom of the boat.
"The boat was picked up next morn
ing by tho Coos-bcg men, for she was
carried eastward by the tide. and when
they unrolled the sail the boy was an
idiot, and he continued in that state,
and languishing besides, till tho eve
of st. Johns day in the next year,
when he died. saving only that for nine
days before his death his understanding
returned to him, and he told the story
many times to different people"
lis it yonr opinion, tEen," said,
that the piast has taken the two young
gentlemen, my neighbors1'
God alone" said Crohoor, knows
that, with whom is tho knowledge of
all things. But if it be SO and tho piast
has them, Almighty God and his only
Son be our defense, for tho power of
man and the mind Of man furnish no
protection against tho like Of her.
But, Crohoor, you said IL short time
ago that man beat that reptile in bat
tie and banished her into the rocks and
the sea"
$50 l said, sir. but it is thought that
the man who did it was more than Il
man, and that though he lived before
the coming of st. Patrick, yet the power
of tho Almighty was in him.
Such, my friend, is the explanation
OF the disappcarnnccs offered by Gro.
hoor-beg. OBricn "by nntion," who
stands 9 feet 80 in his stockings and is
OF a size and bulk corresponding, II poo,
fisherman and cottier Of the island called
Lau-wohr. who can't speak English and
never read line in any printed book
but who, verify believe, is not only a
nObler and better but wiser man, too.
than most of the professional men with
whom l am acquainted. And though
his theory, being grounded on an in,
credible superstition, is to DO rejected,
1t is not mt all more irrational than sew
eral which l have heard soberly nd
vanced by educated persons.
| SAMUEL. WATKINS