rs, those that had no saddles, going down steep places, would
work onward bit by bit, in spite of all they could do, till they'd be
fairly on the horse's neck, and the women behind them would be on the
animal's shoulders; and it required nice managing to balance themselves,
for they might as well sit on the edge of a dale board. Many of them got
tosses this way, though it all passed in good humor. But no two among
the whole set were more puzzled by this than my uncle and the fiddler--I
think I see my uncle this minute with his knees sticking into the
horse's shoulders, and his two hands upon his neck, keeping himself
back, with a _cruiht_* upon him, and the fiddler with his heels away,
towards the horse's tail, and he stretched back against my uncle, for
all the world like two bricks laid against one another, and one of them
falling. 'Twas the same thing going up a hill; whoever was behind, would
be hanging over the horse's tail, with the arm about the fore-rider's
neck or body, and the other houlding the baste by the mane, to keep
them both from sliding off backwards. Many a come-down there was among
them--but, as I said, it was all in good humor; and, accordingly, as
regularly as they fell, they were sure to get a cheer.

* The hump, which constitutes a round-shouldered man. If the
reader has ever seen Hogarth's Illustrations of Hudibras,
and remembers the redoubtable hero as he sits on horseback,
he will be at no loss in comprehending what a cruiht means.
_Cruiht_ is the Irish for harp, and the simile is taken from
the projection between the shoulders of the harper which was
caused by carrying that instrument.

"When we got to the priest's house, there was a hearty welcome for us
all. The bride and I, with our next kindred and friends, went into the
parlor; along with these, there was a set of young fellows, who had been
bachelors of the bride's, that got in with an intention of getting the
first kiss* and, in coorse, of bating myself out of it. I got a whisper
of this; so by my song, I was determined to cut them all out in that,
as well as I did in getting herself; but you know, I couldn't be angry,
even if they had got the foreway of me in it, bekase it's an ould
custom. While the priest was going over the business, I kept my eye
about me, and sure enough, there were seven or eight fellows all waiting
to snap at her. When the ceremony drew near a close, I got up on one
leg, so th