th
them. "Oh, murder!" says he to himself, "sure it can't be that they're
the good people that's in it!" Every _rib_ of hair that was on his head
stood up, and there fell a shaking on his bones, for he saw that they
were coming to him fast.

He looked at them again, and perceived that there were about twenty
little men in it, and there was not a man at all of them higher than
about three feet or three feet and a half, and some of them were grey,
and seemed very old. He looked again, but he could not make out what was
the heavy thing they were carrying until they came up to him, and then
they all stood round about him. They threw the heavy thing down on the
road, and he saw on the spot that it was a dead body.

He became as cold as the Death, and there was not a drop of blood
running in his veins when an old little grey _maneen_ came up to him and
said, "Isn't it lucky we met you, Teig O'Kane?"

Poor Teig could not bring out a word at all, nor open his lips, if he
were to get the world for it, and so he gave no answer.

"Teig O'Kane," said the little grey man again, "isn't it timely you met
us?"

Teig could not answer him.

"Teig O'Kane," says he, "the third time, isn't it lucky and timely that
we met you?"

But Teig remained silent, for he was afraid to return an answer, and his
tongue was as if it was tied to the roof of his mouth.

The little grey man turned to his companions, and there was joy in his
bright little eye. "And now," says he, "Teig O'Kane hasn't a word, we
can do with him what we please. Teig, Teig," says he, "you're living a
bad life, and we can make a slave of you now, and you cannot withstand
us, for there's no use in trying to go against us. Lift that corpse."

Teig was so frightened that he was only able to utter the two words, "I
won't"; for as frightened as he was he was obstinate and stiff, the same
as ever.

"Teig O'Kane won't lift the corpse," said the little _maneen_, with a
wicked little laugh, for all the world like the breaking of a _lock_ of
dry _kippeens_, and with a little harsh voice like the striking of a
cracked bell. "Teig O'Kane won't lift the corpse--make him lift it"; and
before the word was out of his mouth they had all gathered round poor
Teig, and they all talking and laughing through other.

Teig tried to run from them, but they followed him, and a man of them
stretched out his foot before him as he ran, so that Teig was thrown in
a heap on the road. Then before