ion--hem!--not to
mintion that you'll have a husband that the fairest lady in the land
might be proud of,' says he, stretching himself up in the saddle, and
giving the filly a jag of the spurs, to show off a bit; although the
coaxing rogue knew that the money which was to do all this was her own.
At any rate, they spent the remainder of this day pleasantly enough,
still moving on, though, as fast as they could. Jack, every now and
then, would throw an eye behind, as if to watch their pursuers, wherein,
if the truth was known, it was to get a peep at the beautiful glowing
face and warm lips that were breathing all kinds of _fragrancies_ about
him. I'll warrant he didn't envy the king upon his throne, when he felt
the honeysuckle of her breath, like the smell of Father Ned's orchard
there, of a May morning.

"When Fardorougha (* the dark man) found the great chain of rocks before
him, you may set it down that he was likely to blow up with vexation;
but, for all that, the first thing he blew up was the rocks--and that he
might lose little or no time in doing it, he collected all the gunpowder
and crowbars, spades and pickaxes, that could be found for miles about
him, and set to it, working as if it was with inch of candle. For half
a day there was nothing but boring and splitting, and driving of iron
wedges, and blowing up pieces of rocks as big as little houses, until,
by hard, labor, they made a passage for themselves sufficient to carry
them over. They then set off again, full speed; and great advantage they
had over the poor filly that Jack and the lady rode on, for their horses
were well rested, and hadn't to carry double, like Jack's. The next day
they spied Jack and his beautiful companion, just about a quarter of a
mile before them.

"'Now,' says dark-brow, 'I'll make any man's fortune forever that will
bring me them two, either living or dead, but, if possible, alive: so,
spur on, for whoever secures them, man, woman, or child, is a made man,
but, above all, make no noise.'

"It was now divil take the hindmost among the bloody pack--every spur
was red with blood, and every horse smoking. Jack and the lady were
jogging on acrass a green field, not suspecting that the rest were so
near them, and talking over the pleasant days they would spind together
in Ireland, when they hears the hue-and-cry once more at their very
heels.

"'Quick as lightning, Jack,' says she, 'or we're lost--the right ear and
the left shou