Page:Beside the Fire - Douglas Hyde.djvu/215

 Rh to the red man, and he kept another half himself. The red man bade him farewell, and he went. He was walking away for a while. He returned back. "I am here back again," said the red man, "I took another thought, to leave all your share of money with yourself. You yourself were open-handed. Do you mind the day you were going by past the churchyard. There were four inside in the churchyard, and a body with them in a coffin. There were a pair of them seeking to bury the body. There were debts on the body (i.e., it owed debts). The two men who had the debts on it (i.e., to whom it owed the debts), they were not satisfied for the body to be buried. They were arguing. You were listening to them. You went in. You asked how much they had on the body (i.e., how were they owed by the body). The two men said that they had a pound on the body, and that they were not willing the body to be buried, until the people who were carrying it would promise to pay a portion of the debts. You said, 'I have ten shillings, and I'll give it to ye, and let the body be buried.' You gave the ten shillings, and the corpse was buried. It's I who was in the coffin that day. When I saw you going a-doctoring, I knew that you would not do the business. When I saw you in a hobble, I came to you to save you. I bestow the money on you all entirely. You shall not see me until the last day, go home now. Don't do a single day's doctoring as long as you'll be alive. It's short you'll walk until you get your share of cattle and your garrawn."

Neil went, drawing towards home. Not far did he walk till his share of cattle and his nag met him. He went home and the whole with him. There is not a single day since that himself and his wife are not thriving on it.

I got the ford, they the stepping stones. They were drowned, and I came safe.