e; and then
he began to sniffle and scent about for the waiver, and at last he
clapt his eye an him, where he was, up in the three, and says he, 'In
throth, you might as well come down out o' that,' says he; 'for I'll
have you as sure as eggs is mate.'

'Divil a fut I'll go down,' says the waiver.

'Sorra care, I care,' says the dhraggin; 'for you're as good as ready
money in my pocket this minit, for I'll lie undher this three,' says
he, 'and sooner or later you must fall to my share'; and sure enough
he sot down, and began to pick his teeth with his tail, afther the
heavy brekquest he made that mornin' (for he ate a whole village, let
alone the horse), and he got dhrowsy at last, and fell asleep; but
before he wint to sleep, he wound himself all round about the three,
all as one as a lady windin' ribbon round her finger, so that the
waiver could not escape.

Well, as soon as the waiver knew he was dead asleep, by the snorin' of
him--and every snore he let out of him was like a clap o'
thunder--that minit the waiver began to creep down the three, as
cautious as a fox; and he was very nigh hand the bottom, when, bad
cess to it, a thievin' branch he was dipindin' an bruk, and down he
fell right a-top o' the dhraggin; but if he did, good luck was an his
side, for where should he fall but with his two legs right acrass the
dhraggin's neck, and, my jew'l, he laid howlt o' the baste's ears, and
there he kept his grip, for the dhraggin wakened and endayvoured for
to bite him; but, you see, by rayson the waiver was behind his ears,
he could not come at him, and, with that, he endayvoured for to shake
him off; but the divil a stir could he stir the waiver; and though he
shuk all the scales an his body, he could not turn the scale agin the
waiver.

'By the hokey, this is too bad intirely,' says the dhraggin; 'but if
you won't let go,' says he, 'by the powers o' wildfire, I'll give you
a ride that 'ill astonish your siven small sinses, my boy'; and, with
that, away he flew like mad; and where do you think he did
fly?--bedad, he flew sthraight for Dublin, divil a less. But the
waiver bein' an his neck was a great disthress to him, and he would
rather have had him an _inside passenger_; but, anyway, he flew and he
flew till he kem _slap_ up agin the palace o' the king; for, bein'
blind with the rage, he never seen it, and he knocked his brains
out--that is, the small thrifle he had--and down he fell spacheless.
An' you see, g