orrigan!" he exclaimed. "What Ned, for
there's two of them--is it myself or the other vagabone?"

"Yourself, you murderer!" I replied.

"Ho!" said Ned, getting quite stout, "is that you, neighbor? Come, now,
walk out wid yourself out of that coffin, you vagabone you, whoever you
are."

"What do you mane, Ned, by spaking to it that-a-way?" the rest inquired.

"Hut," said Ned, "it's some fellow or other that's playing a thrick upon
us. Sure I never knew either act nor part of the murdher, nor of the
murdherers; and you know, if it was anything of that nature, it couldn't
tell me a lie, and me a Scapularian along wid axing it in God's name,
with Father Feasthalagh's Latin."

"Big tare-an'-ouns;" said the rest; "if we thought it was any man making
fun of us, but we'd crop the ears off his head, to tache him to be
joking!"

To tell the truth, when I heard this suggestion, I began to repent of
my frolic; but I was determined to make another effort to finish the
adventure creditably.

"Ned," said they, "throw some of the holy water on us all, and in the
name of St. Pether and the Blessed Virgin, we'll go down and examine it
in a body."

This they considered a good thought, and Ned was sprinkling the water
about him in all directions, whilst he repeated some jargon which was
completely unintelligible. They then began to approach the coffin at
dead-march time, and I felt that this was the only moment in which my
plan could succeed; for had I waited until they came down all would have
been discovered. As soon, therefore, as they began to move towards me,
I also began, with equal solemnity, to retrograde towards them; so that,
as the coffin was between us, it seemed to move without human means.

"Stop, for God's sake, stop,"--shouted Ned; "it's movin'! It has made
the coffin alive; don't you see it thravelling this way widout hand or
foot, barring the boords?"

There was now a halt to ascertain the fact: but I still retrograded.
This was sufficient; a cry of terror broke from the whole group, and,
without waiting for further evidence, they set off in the direction
they came from, at full speed, Ned flinging the jug of holy water at the
coffin, lest the latter should follow, or the former encumber him in his
flight. Never was there so complete a discomfiture; and so eager were
they to escape, that several of them came down on the stones; and
I could hear them shouting with desperation, and imploring the more
advanced n