t is, not
sthrangers jist, but we don't live here, yer honer."

"Where do you live, and what's your names?"

"I and Joe Smith live down away jist on the road to Cash, about half
a mile out of this; and Tim Reynolds, he lives away at Drumleesh, on
Mr. Macdermot's land; and my name's Paddy Byrne."

"Oh, oh; so one of you is father of the lad who brought the donkey,
and the other the owner of it; and you neither of you knew what was
in the kishes."

"Sorrow a know, yer honer; ye see Barney brought them down here from
the mountains when we warn't in it; and it war some of the boys up
there was getting him to get away the malt unknownst, hearing of yer
honer, maybe."

"Ah, yes I see--whose land is this on?"

"Counseller Webb's, yer honer."

"Who holds the cabin and potato garden?"

"I do, your honer, jist for my wife's mother, ye see; but I live down
towards Cash."

"Ah, very good-natured of you to your wife's mother. I hope the three
of you have no objection to take a walk to Mohill this evening."

"Ochone, ochone, and it's ruined we'll be, yer honer; and that I may
never see the light if the boys knew it; and yer honer wouldn't have
the death of an ould woman on ye!" the old woman was exclaiming,
while the police began seizing the malt and making prisoners of the
men.

"Carol, see and get an ass to put these kishes on," said Ussher.
"Killeen, pass a rope across these fellows' arms; I suppose they'll
go quiet."

It was now full time for the men to arise when they found that
the rope was to be fastened across their arms; which meant that a
rope was to be fastened on the right arm of one, passed behind his
back, fastened to the arm of the second, and so behind his back
to the third. Smith and Byrne, the former of whom in spite of his
protestations to the contrary was the inhabitant of the cabin, had
given the matter up as lost; but as the other, Tim Reynolds, did in
fact reside at Drumleesh, he thought he might still show some cause
why he should not be arrested for visiting his friend Joe Smith.

"Yer honer won't be afther taking an innocent boy like me," began
Tim, "that knows nothing at all at all about it. Shure yer honer
knows the masther, Mr. Thady down at Ballycloran; he will tell yer
honer I'd nothing in life to do in it. Then don't you know yourself
I live with Joe Reynolds down at Drumleesh, and war only up here
jist gagging with the ould woman and the boys, and knew nothing in
life--how could I?-