atoes?_" I repeated, in bewilderment.

"Tst! tst! little Saxon! I mean we'd have had a row over the provisions.
It wasn't too hours' run round to Tim Brady's, and I found the old man
stowing away half-a-peck of cold boiled potatoes, and big bottles of
tea, and goodness knows what. 'Is it for ballast ye're using the
potatoes, Barney?' says I. 'Mind your own business, Master Dennis'--(and
I could see he was cross as two sticks),--'and leave the provisioning to
them that understands it,' says he. 'How many meals d'ye reckon to eat
between this and Tim Brady's?' I went on, just poking my fun at him,
when--would ye believe it?--the old fellow fired up like a sky-rocket,
and asked me if I grudged him the bit of food he ate, and Heaven knows
what besides. 'Is it Dennis O'Moore you're speaking to?' says I, for
I've not got the squire's easy temper, GOD forgive me! We were mighty
near to a quarrel, Jack, I can tell ye, but some shadow of a notion
flitting across my brain that the dear soul was not responsible
entirely, stopped my tongue, and something else stopped his which I
didn't know till we got to Tim Brady's, and found that all we wanted
with him was to borrow his boat, and that the sea-weed business was no
better than a blind; for Barney had planned it all out that we were to
go down to Galway and fetch the new ploughs home in the hooker, to save
the cost of the land-carriage. 'Sure it's bad enough for the squire to
be soiling his hands with trumpery made by them English thieves, that's
no more conscience over bothering a gentleman for money nor if he was
one of themselves,' said Barney; 'sorra a halfpenny shall the railway
rogues rob him of.' Ah, little stowaway, ye may guess my delight! And
hadn't we glorious weather at first, and wasn't the dear old man happy
and proud! I can tell ye I yelled, and I sang, and I laughed, when I
felt the old hooker begin to bound on the swell when we got into the
open, but not a look would Barney turn on me for minding the boat; but I
could hear him chuckling to himself and muttering about the railway
rogues. It wasn't much time we either of us had for talking, by and by.
I steered and saw to the main sheet, and Barney did look-out and minded
the foresail, Tim Brady's boat towing astern, getting such a dance as
it never had before, and at last dragging upside down. We'd one thing in
our favour, anyhow. There was no disputing or disturbing of our minds as
to whether we'd turn back or not,