owld colonel got
stricken in years, and he began to have misgivings in his conscience
for his wicked doings, and his heart was heavy as the fear of death
came upon him; and sure enough, while he had such murnful thoughts,
the divil kem to him, and towld him _he should go wid him_.

Well, to be sure, the owld man was frekened, but he plucked up his
courage and his cuteness, and towld the divil, in a bantherin' way,
jokin' like, that he had partic'lar business thin, that he was goin'
to a party, and hoped an _owld friend_ wouldn't inconvaynience him
that-a-way.

The divil said he'd call the next day, and that he must be ready; and
sure enough in the evenin' he kem to him; and when the colonel seen
him, he reminded him of his bargain that as long as he could give him
some work he couldn't do, he wasn't obleeged to go.

'That's thrue,' says the divil.

'I'm glad you're as good as your word, anyhow,' says the colonel.

'I never bruk my word yit,' says the owld chap, cocking up his horns
consaitedly; 'honour bright,' says he.

'Well then,' says the colonel, 'build me a mill, down there, by the
river,' says he, 'and let me have it finished by to-morrow mornin'.'

'Your will is my pleasure,' says the owld chap, and away he wint; and
the colonel thought he had nicked Owld Nick at last, and wint to bed
quite aisy in his mind.

But, _jewel machree_, sure the first thing he heerd the next mornin'
was that the whole counthry round was runnin' to see a fine bran new
mill that was an the river-side, where the evening before not a thing
at all, at all, but rushes was standin', and all, of coorse, wonderin'
what brought it there; and some sayin' 'twas not lucky, and many more
throubled in their mind, but one and all agreein' it was no _good_;
and that's the very mill forninst you.

But when the colonel heered it he was more throubled than any, of
coorse, and began to conthrive what else he could think iv to keep
himself out iv the claws of the _owld one_. Well, he often heerd tell
that there was one thing the divil never could do, and I darsay you
heerd it too, sir,--that is, that he couldn't make a rope out of the
sands of the say; and so when the _owld one_ kem to him the next day
and said his job was done, and that now the mill was built he must
either tell him somethin' else he wanted done, or come away wid him.

So the colonel said he saw it was all over wid him. 'But,' says he, 'I
wouldn't like to go wid you alive, an