THE BREAKING UP OF THE PARTY. 391 



seem like tops of hills emerging from a 

 flood ?" 



" Not at all singular," said the Parson ; 

 " for it is an inundation, it is a flood. Did 

 you never hear of the drowned plains ? 

 All that lake that lies before you was once 

 a broad, fertile, thickly populated, and cul- 

 tivated plain ; but judgment was passed upon 

 it, and that land was drowned for the sins of 

 its inhabitants. That happened long ago." 



" What," said the Squire, " another story 

 of your friend St. Columba ? He seems the 

 grand miracle-monger hereabouts, and from 

 all I have heard of him, I should think 

 him quite ill-natured enough to drown all 

 Ireland." 



"St. Columba! Oh, no! ages before 

 him. There was a good rapid river in the 

 saint's time. Do you not remember my 

 telling you of his praying the rock into steps 

 at the great fall at Rose Isle, for the salmon 

 to get up more easily ? No, no ! this was 

 ages before St. Columba." 



"Well, but let us hear the story," said 

 the Squire. " Do they not tell something 

 of the sort at Killarney ?" 



" Yes, so thev do ; but any one may see 



