280 THE CURSE OF KISHOGUE. 



sible people like, did n't give into his ways ai all — and in throth, 

 they used to be thinkin' that if Kishogue was out of the counthry, 

 body and bones, that the counthry would not be the worse iv it, 

 in the laste, and that the deer, and the hares, and the pattheridges 

 would n't be scarcer in the laste, and that the throut and the 

 salmon would lade an aisier life — but they could get no howlt 

 of him good or bad, for he was as cute as a fox, and there was no 

 sitch thing as getting him at an amplush, at all, for he was like 

 a weasel, almost — asleep wid his eyes open. Well ; that 's the 

 way it was for many a long day, and Kishogue was as happy 

 as the day was long, antil, as bad luck id have it, he made a 

 mistake one night, as the story goes, and by dad how he could 

 make the same mistake was never cleared up yet, barin' that the 

 night was dark, or that Kishogue had a dhrop o' dhrink in ; but 

 the mistake was made, and this was the mistake, you see— that 

 he consaived he seen his own mare threspassin* an the man's 

 field, by the road side, and so, with that, he ootched the mare — 

 that is, the mare to all appearance, but it was not his own mare, 

 but the 'squire's horse, which he tuck for his own mare, — all in 

 a mistake, and he thought that she had sth rayed away, and not 

 liken' to see his baste trespassin' an another man's field, what 

 does he do, but he dhrives home the horse in a mistake, you see, 

 and how he could do the like is hard to say, except'n that the 

 niglit was dark, as I said before, or that he had a dhrop too 

 mucli in ; but, howsomever, the mistake was made, and a sore 

 mistake it was for poor Kishogue, for he never persaived it at all, 

 antil three days afther, when the polisman kern to him and towld 

 him he should go along with him. " For what?" says Kishogue. 

 " Oh, you 're mighty innocent," says the polisman. "Thrue for 

 you, sir," says Kishogue, as quite (quiet) as a child. ** And 

 where are you goin' to take me, may I make bowld to ax, sir ?'' 

 says he. " To jail," says the Peeler. ** For what?" says Kis- 

 hogue. " For staalin' the 'squire's horse," says the Peeler. 

 ** It's the first I heered of it," says Kishogue. "Throth, then, 

 't wont be the last you '11 hear of it," says the other. Why, tare, 

 an ouns, sure it's no housebreakin' for a man to dhrive home his 

 own mare," says Kishogue. "No," says the Peeler; "but it 

 is burglaarious to sarcumvint another man's horse," says he. 

 " But supposin' 't was a mistake." says Kishogue. " By gor it 

 '11 be the dear mistake to you !" says the polisman. "That's a 

 poor case," says Kishogue. But there was no use in talk in' — 

 he might as well have been whistlin' jigs to a milestone as sthri- 



