Page:Riders to the Sea.djvu/27

 hanging by the boards (Bartley takes the rope). It will be wanting in this place, I’m telling you, if Michael is washed up to-morrow morning, or the next morning, or any morning in the week, for it’s a deep grave we’ll make him by the grace of God.

Beginning to work with the rope.

I’ve no halter the way I can ride down on the mare, and I must go now quickly. This is the one boat going for two weeks or beyond it, and the fair will be a good fair for horses I heard them saying below.

It’s a hard thing they’ll be saying below if the body is washed up and there’s no man in it to make the coffin, and I after giving a big price for the finest white boards you’d find in Connemara.

She looks round at the boards.

How would it be washed up, and we after looking each day for nine days, and a strong wind blowing a while back from the west and south?