“‘Here, take a sup of this, ould man. It’s chilled we both are, an’ cramped wid cowld. Take a good dhraw, ye must want it if ye’re as bad as I am!’ The gurgle that followed showed that he had obeyed orders; this was confirmed within an incredibly short time by his voice as he spoke again.
“‘Me father hid there beyant. Come on!’ We all, each in his own way, moved down to the Shleenanaher, and stood there. Moynahan spoke first.
“‘From here, he seen them jist over the ridge iv the hill. I can go there now; come on!’ He hurried up the slope, Murdock holding on to him. I followed, now crouching low, for there was but little shelter here. Moynahan stopped and said:—
“‘It was just here!’
“‘How do ye know?’ asked Murdock doubtfully.
“‘How do I know! Hasn’t me father been over the shpot wid me a score iv times; aye, an’ a hundhred times afore that be himself. It was here, I tell ye, that he seen the min wid the gun carriage for the last time. Do ye want to arguey it?’
“‘Not me!’ said Murdock, and as he spoke I saw him stoop—for as I was at the time lying on the ground I could see his outline against the dark sky. He was looking away from me, and as I looked too I could see him start as he whispered to himself:—
“‘Be God! but it’s thrue! there’s the gun carriage!’ There it was! Art, true enough before my eyes, not ten feet away on the edge of the bog! Moynahan went on:—
“‘Me father tould me that the mountain was different at that time; the bog only kem down about as low as this. Musha! but its the quare lot it has shifted since thin!’ There was a pause, broken by Murdock, who spoke in a hoarse, hard voice:—
“‘An’ where did he see them nixt?’ Moynahan seemed to be getting drunker and drunker, as was manifest in his later speech; his dose of whiskey had no doubt been a good one.