Gob. Tá do ṁáṫair ag gaḃáíl aníos an ṗáirc, a Ṗeg.
Peg. Tar i leiṫ, a Ṡíle, ⁊ suiḋ annseo im uċt.
Síle. O! O! cad ḋéanfad, cad ḋéanfad! O! O!
Máire. Cad é seo ar siuḃal annso agaiḃ? Cad do ċuir ag dul ṫu, a Ṡíle, a laoiġ.
Síle. Ṁaise, ní ḟeadar, a ṁam. Is aṁlaiḋ ṫáinig sgannraḋ orm, ⁊ ċeapas go ḃfeaca fear na n-aḋarc.
Máire. Fear na n-aḋarc! Airiú cia hé sin?
Síle. Fear an earbaill, a ṁeasas a ráḋ.
Máire. Fear an earbaill!
Síle. Fear an earbaill, ⁊ na hiongain ann.
Máire. Ṁaise go deiṁin féin, a Ṗeg, is mór an náire duit é. Tá aos óg an ḃaile loitṫe agad. Ní ḟeadar (d)o’n tsaoġal ciannos ḃailiġis a ḃfuil de ráiméisiḃ agat istiġ id ċeann, ná ciannos ċoimeádann tú cúntas orra, ⁊ gan tu aċt trí bliaḋna déag ċum na beallteine. Cad é an sgéal atá ar siuḃal anois, a Ṡíle?
Síle. Tá Seaḋna, a ṁam, aċt is dóiġ liom go ḃfuil sé marḃ.
Máire. Gaḃaim-se orm[1] ná fuil, ⁊ ná beiḋ, ní fios caiṫin.
Síle. Dó’ ṁaise,[2] fuair sé an t-anaiṫe.[3] Dá mbeiḋinn ’na ċás ḃíos cóṁ marḃ le hArt.
Máire. Ṁeasas go raiḃ cúigear nó seisear agaiḃ ann. Cá ḃfuil an ċuid eile?
Peg. Is dóiġ liom, a ṁáṫair, gur éaluiġeadar uait.
Máire. Níor ġáḋ ḋóiḃ sin. Eiriġ, a Ṗeg, a ġamuin ⁊ faiġ rud éigin le n-iṫe ḋúinn. Go deiṁin ní beag de ṡeó an sgeón a ċuireaḃair sa leanḃ so. Feuċ ar sin mar osna a ṫeagan aisti. Ní deirim ná go ḃfuil sí ’na codlaḋ.
Síle. Aċt ni’lim a ṁam; ní’l blúire codlata orm. Ní fiú biorán a’s é. Níor ċuir aonne sgeón ionnam; me fein fé ndeara é. Dá mb’áil liom gan ḃeiṫ ag cuiṁnioṁ air cóṁ géar ⁊ ḃíos ní ḟeicfinn é. Ní ċuiṁneóċad a ṫuille air, an biṫeaṁnaċ. Ní ḟeadar (d)o’n tsaoġal a Ṗeg, cad do ċuir(d)ḟiaċaiḃ air a leiṫéid de ḃúir do ċur as.
Peg. Tá do ċuid ollaṁ anois, a ṁáṫair. Tar i leiṫ ċugam-sa, a Ṡíle, ⁊ leig dod ṁáṫair a ċuid biḋ a ċaiṫeaṁ. Sin é.
(Leanfar de seo.)
TRANSLATION.
“Perhaps I would be able to take the malediction off them, after himself putting it on with a full heart,” said the black man, bitterly. “Is it not he that would have the amusement! Where is the amusement now?”
“The amusement is in a bad way, I admit,” said Seadhna, “but even though it is, you are not the person for whom it is proper to throw it in my face. I suppose yourself has never made an infernal blunder. Who is that lady that ruined you?”
“Stop! Stop! Seadhna. Let us drop it for an infernal blunder! I shall take the malediction off these things for you, on condition that you will never speak to any person, living or dead, about the bargain which you and I have made with one another.”
“Have your condition and welcome,” said Seadhna, “I promise you that there is no inclination on me to speak of it to any person. ’Tis how I was afraid that you would be gabbling to some one about it. But if you are anxious that we both should keep. a secret on it, I am satisfied.”
The black man went up, and he bent down near the chair, and with the thumb of his right hand he made a ring on the ground around it, and Seadhna noticed that there arose out of the place where his thumb touched the ground, a vapour, like the vapour of fire, and that the thumb made a trace on the ground such as a red-pointed bar of iron would make. He arose then and faced up to the malivogue, and he made a ring around it on the wall, and the same vapour came out of the wall and the same trace remained after him on it. While he was in his stooping posture, Seadhna gave a sharp look at the tail, as he had the opportunity. He saw outside in the top of it a big, long, crooked, stout claw, and a poisonous point on it, and it continually moving itself, over and hither, over and hither, as would be the top of a tail of a cat and he watching a mouse.
“By a deer! my good fellow,” said Seadhna, in his own mind, “if itch comes on you there will not be the want of a nail on you.”
As well as if Seadhna had spoken, the black man raised his head and looked at him. “Take care of that nail,” said he, “for fear that it would take the itch off you and that it would put pain on you in place of the itch. Go up now and remove the chair.”
Seadhna did go up, and it is he that was in a trembling state. He put his hand on it very cautiously, and if he did there it was (moving) with him as freely as ever it moved with him. He put his hand on the malvogue, and no sooner did he than it moved backwards and for-
