I02 BEGGARS ON HORSEBACK. 



Miss O'Flannigan got up from her boulders. 



" Big birds ! " she repeated, " with beaks Hke 

 this" — she put her forefinger to her forehead, 

 and described thence a brilliant outward curve 

 — "with big wings" — she flapped her arms vio- 

 lently — " big birds who steal lambs ! " 



" Ah," said Griffith Roberts, " ze fahxes ! Oh 

 yess, many fahxes." 



Miss O'Flannigan sat down again, and I laughed 

 a great deal. 



Having identified the winged and beaked Snow- 

 don foxes, Griffith Roberts displayed no further 

 intelligence, nor, indeed, did Miss O'Flannigan ; 

 and after another minute's grace we were crawling 

 again up the dark, heathery slope that at each step 

 grew steadily steeper. I was full of determination, 

 but I did not enjoy myself, and I began to have 

 grave doubts on the subject of getting the "second 

 wind " fabled by the athletic. Lightly had we 

 persuaded ourselves that days spent during pre- 

 vious winters in following hounds on foot over 

 the mountain-sides of West Cork would have been 



