he
found him, an' blowed in his face to put him to slape, so lavin' him. An'
they found Dennis in the mornin' an' carried him home, no more cud he walk
for a fortnight be razon av the wakeness av his bones fur the ride he'd
had.

"But sure, the Pooka's a different baste entirely to phat he was afore
King Bryan-Boru tamed him. Niver heard av him? Well, he was the king av
Munster an' all Ireland an' tamed the Pooka wanst fur all on the
Corkschrew Hill ferninst ye.

"Ye see, in the owld days, the counthry was full av avil sper'ts, an'
fairies an' witches, an' divils entirely, and the harrum they done was
onsaycin', for they wor always comin' an' goin', like Mulligan's blanket,
an' widout so much as sayin', by yer lave. The fairies 'ud be dancin' on
the grass every night be the light av the moon, an' stalin' away the
childhre, an' many's the wan they tuk that niver come back. The owld rath
on the hill beyant was full av the dead, an' afther nightfall they'd come
from their graves an' walk in a long line wan afther another to the owld
church in the valley where they'd go in an' stay till cock-crow, thin
they'd come out agin an' back to the rath. Sorra a parish widout a witch,
an' some nights they'd have a great enthertainmint on the Corkschrew Hill,
an' you'd see thim, wid shnakes on their arrums an' necks an' ears, be way
av jewels, an' the eyes av dead men in their hair, comin' for miles an'
miles, some ridin' through the air on shticks an' bats an' owls, an' some
walkin', an' more on Pookas an' horses wid wings that 'ud come up in line
to the top av the hill, like the cabs at the dure o' the theayter, an'
lave thim there an' hurry aff to bring more.

"Sometimes the Owld Inimy, Satan himself, 'ud be there at the
enthertainmint, comin' an a monsthrous draggin, wid grane shcales an' eyes
like the lightnin' in the heavens, an' a roarin' fiery mouth like a
lime-kiln. It was the great day thin, for they do say all the witches
brought their rayports at thim saysons fur to show him phat they done.

"Some 'ud tell how they shtopped the wather in a spring, an'
inconvanienced the nabers, more 'ud show how they dhried the cow's milk,
an' made her kick the pail, an' they'd all laugh like to shplit. Some had
blighted the corn, more had brought the rains on the harvest. Some towld
how their enchantmints made the childhre fall ill, some said how they set
the thatch on fire, more towld how they shtole the eggs, or spiled the
crame in