Certainly the speed with which their long, powerful legs sent the large
birds over the ground was wonderful, and in a very short time, long
before horses could have been saddled, they were out of sight.

"Why, thim birds can run almost as fast as my big brother," said Dinny
musingly, as the last ostrich disappeared.

"Could he run fast, Dinny?" asked Dick, smiling at his brother, as much
as to say, "Now you listen to him, and hear what he says."

"An' is it run fast, he asks?" cried Dinny. "Why, he was the fastest
runner in Oireland, and they used to make races for him to run, and
match him against toime, and he always won. Why, wheniver he run he
came in widout his boots."

"Came in without his boots?" said Jack, laughing.

"To be sure he did, sor, always. They managed to kape up wid him
ginerally about half the way, and thin they got so slow he always had to
lave thim behind."

"It's a pity we haven't got your big brother here, Dinny," said Dick
sarcastically. "He could have caught the ostriches for us."

"Caught 'em, Masther Dick. I should think he would, in no time."

"Would he have been as much afraid of the lions as you are, Dinny?"

"Hark at him, now," said Dinny, looking round at the dogs, which had had
a race after the ostriches, and had now come back, with their tongues
out and curled up at the tip as they sat there panting. "Hark at him
now. Jist as if I was the laste taste of a bit afraid of all the lions
in Africky. Why I says to meself, `Dinny,' I says, `ye'll have to tak'
care of yerself,' I says, `and not let the wild bastes ate ye till ye
come back; for what would poor weeny, sickly Masther Dick do widout a
good cook to make broth and stews to kape him alive? Take care of
yerself, Dinny, for the poor sick gossoon's sake,' and so I do, Masther
Dick; for it's not on account of meself, only for you."

"Why you said the other day, Dinny, that it was because of your mother,"
cried downright Jack.

"And small blame to a man for being fond of his mother, Masther Jack.
Sure I always was a good son."

Dinny was always ready with an excuse, and in spite of his idleness and
downright cowardice, he was generally merry and good-humoured, and the
first with a laugh.

The coming of the ostriches was, however, quite an excitement, and there
was plenty of talk about how to get hold of some of them for their
plumes; but nothing was done until the strangers had gone, when, after
moving on to a mor