Page:Shiana - Peadar Ua Laoghaire.djvu/42

28 touch the ground, but that he was sailing along near the ground like a hawk.

At that moment there rose a wild shout from the place to the north-east for which the horses were making. The shout was taken up all round the fair, Shiana had to put his fingers in his ears, or his head would have been split. Everybody was running and everybody was shouting. Shiana ran and shouted with them, and he did not know why.

When the running and the shouting ceased, Shiana saw opposite him six or seven gentlemen, with fleshy heads and big stomachs, and dressed in suits ol broadcloth, talking together and looking at the black horse.

"How much would you sell him for?" said one of them to the rider.

"For a thousand pounds," said the rider.

When Shiana heard that, he turned on his heel, saying in his own mind, "I would have no business with him. He'd kill me."

Who should be behind him but the thimble-rigger.

"He would kill you, would he?" said the thimble-rigger. "Why, confound you, you little yellow shoemaker with the malvogue, of the race of the brown leather patches and thick awls and smelly shoes, if you haven't presumption, to be coming here to buy a horse, and without a penny in your pocket!"

When Shiana heard that, he turned away. He slipped his hand down into his pocket. On my word it was empty! He searched another pocket—empty also! He put his hand into his bosom, to look for the purse. There was no sign of it there. He gave a side-look at the thimble-man. The man was minding