t. crofton croker.
billy mac daniel was once as likely a young man as ever shook his brogue at a patron, [12] emptied a quart, or handled a shillelagh; fearing for nothing but the want of drink; caring for nothing but who should pay for it; and thinking of nothing but how to make fun over it; drunk or sober, a word and a blow was ever the way with billy mac daniel; and a mighty easy way it is of either getting into or of ending a dispute. more is the pity that, through the means of his thinking, and fearing, and caring for nothing, this same billy mac daniel fell into bad company; for surely the good people are the worst of all company any one could come across.
it so happened that billy was going home one clear frosty night not long after christmas; the moon was round and bright; but although it was as fine a night as heart could wish for, he felt pinched with cold. "by my word," chattered billy, "a drop of good liquor would be no bad thing to keep a man's soul from freezing in him; and i wish i had a full measure of the best."
"never wish it twice, billy," said a little man in a three-cornered hat, bound all about with gold lace, and with great silver buckles in his shoes, so big that it was a wonder how he could carry them, and he held out a glass as big as himself, filled with as good liquor as ever eye looked on or lip tasted.
"success, my little fellow," said billy mac daniel, nothing daunted, though well he knew the little man to belong to the good people; "here's your health, anyway, and thank you kindly; no matter who pays for the drink;" and he took the glass and drained it to the very bottom without ever taking a second breath to it.
[pg 85] "success," said the little man; "and you're heartily welcome, billy; but don't think to cheat me as you have done others,—out with your purse and pay me like a gentleman."
"is it i pay you?" said billy; "could i not just take you up and put you in my pocket as easily as a blackberry?"
"billy mac daniel," said the little man, getting very angry, "you shall be my servant for seven years and a day, and that is the way i will be paid; so make ready to follow me."
when billy heard this he began to be very sorry for having used such bold words towards the little man; and he felt himself, yet could not tell how, obliged to follow the little man the live-long night about the country, up and down, and over hedge and ditch, and through bog and brake, without any rest.
when morning began to dawn the little man turned round to him and said, "you may now go home, billy, but on your peril don't fail to meet me in the fort-field to-night; or if you do it may be the worse for you in the long run. if i find you a good servant, you will find me an indulgent master."
home went billy mac daniel; and though he was tired and weary enough, never a wink of sleep could he get for thinking of the little man; but he was afraid not to do his bidding, so up he got in the evening, and away he went to the fort-field. he was not long there before the little man came towards him and said, "billy, i want to go a long journey to-night; so saddle one of my horses, and you may saddle another for yourself, as you are to go along with me, and may be tired after your walk last night."
billy thought this very considerate of his master, and thanked him accordingly: "but," said he, "if i may be so bold, sir, i would ask which is the way to your stable, for never a thing do i see but the fort here, and the old thorn tree in the corner of the field, and the stream running at the bottom of the hill, with the bit of bog over against us."
"ask no questions, billy," said the little man, "but go [pg 86] over to that bit of bog, and bring me two of the strongest rushes you can find."
billy did accordingly, wondering what the little man would be at; and he picked two of the stoutest rushes he could find, with a little bunch of brown blossom stuck at the side of each, and brought them back to his master.
"get up, billy," said the little man, taking one of the rushes from him and striding across it.
"where shall i get up, please your honour?" said billy.
"why, upon horseback, like me, to be sure," said the little man.
"is it after making a fool of me you'd be," said billy, "bidding me get a horseback upon that bit of a rush? may be you want to persuade me that the rush i pulled but a while ago out of the bog over there is a horse?"
"up! up! and no words," said the little man, looking very angry; "the best horse you ever rode was but a fool to it." so billy, thinking all this was in joke, and fearing to vex his master, straddled across the rush. "borram! borram! borram!" cried the little man three times (which, in english, means to become great), and billy did the same after him; presently the rushes swelled up into fine horses, and away they went full speed; but billy, who had put the rush between his legs, without much minding how he did it, found himself sitting on horseback the wrong way, which was rather awkward, with his face to the horse's tail; and so quickly had his steed started off with him that he had no power to turn round, and there was therefore nothing for it but to hold on by the tail.
at last they came to their journey's end, and stopped at the gate of a fine house. "now, billy," said the little man, "do as you see me do, and follow me close; but as you did not know your horse's head from his tail, mind that your own head does not spin round until you can't tell whether you are standing on it or on your heels: for remember that old liquor, though able to make a cat speak, can make a man dumb."
[pg 87] the little man then said some queer kind of words, out of which billy could make no meaning; but he contrived to say them after him for all that; and in they both went through the key-hole of the door, and through one key-hole after another, until they got into the wine-cellar, which was well stored with all kinds of wine.
the little man fell to drinking as hard as he could, and billy, noway disliking the example, did the same. "the best of masters are you, surely," said billy to him; "no matter who is the next; and well pleased will i be with your service if you continue to give me plenty to drink."
"i have made no bargain with you," said the little man, "and will make none; but up and follow me." away they went, through key-hole after key-hole; and each mounting upon the rush which he left at the hall door, scampered off, kicking the clouds before them like snow-balls, as soon as the words, "borram, borram, borram," had passed their lips.
when they came back to the fort-field the little man dismissed billy, bidding him to be there the next night at the same hour. thus did they go on, night after night, shaping their course one night here, and another night there; sometimes north, and sometimes east, and sometimes south, until there was not a gentleman's wine-cellar in all ireland they had not visited, and could tell the flavour of every wine in it as well, ay, better than the butler himself.
one night when billy mac daniel met the little man as usual in the fort-field, and was going to the bog to fetch the horses for their journey, his master said to him, "billy, i shall want another horse to-night, for may be we may bring back more company than we take." so billy, who now knew better than to question any order given to him by his master, brought a third rush, much wondering who it might be that would travel back in their company, and whether he was about to have a fellow-servant. "if i have," thought billy, "he shall go and fetch the horses from the bog every night; for i don't see why i am not, every inch of me, as good a gentleman as my master."
[pg 88] well, away they went, billy leading the third horse, and never stopped until they came to a snug farmer's house, in the county limerick, close under the old castle of carrigogunniel, that was built, they say, by the great brian boru. within the house there was great carousing going forward, and the little man stopped outside for some time to listen; then turning round all of a sudden, said, "billy, i will be a thousand years old to-morrow!"
"god bless us, sir," said billy; "will you?"
"don't say these words again, billy," said the little old man, "or you will be my ruin for ever. now billy, as i will be a thousand years in the world to-morrow, i think it is full time for me to get married."
"i think so too, without any kind of doubt at all," said billy, "if ever you mean to marry."
"and to that purpose," said the little man, "have i come all the way to carrigogunniel; for in this house, this very night, is young darby riley going to be married to bridget rooney; and as she is a tall and comely girl, and has come of decent people, i think of marrying her myself, and taking her off with me."
"and what will darby riley say to that?" said billy.
"silence!" said the little man, putting on a mighty severe look; "i did not bring you here with me to ask questions;" and without holding further argument, he began saying the queer words which had the power of passing him through the key-hole as free as air, and which billy thought himself mighty clever to be able to say after him.
in they both went; and for the better viewing the company, the little man perched himself up as nimbly as a cocksparrow upon one of the big beams which went across the house over all their heads, and billy did the same upon another facing him; but not being much accustomed to roosting in such a place, his legs hung down as untidy as may be, and it was quite clear he had not taken pattern after the way in which the little man had bundled himself up together. if the little man had been a tailor all his [pg 89] life he could not have sat more contentedly upon his haunches.
there they were, both master and man, looking down upon the fun that was going forward; and under them were the priest and piper, and the father of darby riley, with darby's two brothers and his uncle's son; and there were both the father and the mother of bridget rooney, and proud enough the old couple were that night of their daughter, as good right they had; and her four sisters, with bran new ribbons in their caps, and her three brothers all looking as clean and as clever as any three boys in munster, and there were uncles and aunts, and gossips and cousins enough besides to make a full house of it; and plenty was there to eat and drink on the table for every one of them, if they had been double the number.
now it happened, just as mrs. rooney had helped his reverence to the first cut of the pig's head which was placed before her, beautifully bolstered up with white savoys, that the bride gave a sneeze, which made every one at table start, but not a soul said "god bless us." all thinking that the priest would have done so, as he ought if he had done his duty, no one wished to take the word out of his mouth, which, unfortunately, was preoccupied with pig's head and greens. and after a moment's pause the fun and merriment of the bridal feast went on without the pious benediction.
of this circumstance both billy and his master were no inattentive spectators from their exalted stations. "ha!" exclaimed the little man, throwing one leg from under him with a joyous flourish, and his eye twinkled with a strange light, whilst his eyebrows became elevated into the curvature of gothic arches; "ha!" said he, leering down at the bride, and then up at billy, "i have half of her now, surely. let her sneeze but twice more, and she is mine, in spite of priest, mass-book, and darby riley."
again the fair bridget sneezed; but it was so gently, and she blushed so much, that few except the little man took, or seemed to take, any notice; and no one thought of saying "god bless us."
[pg 90] billy all this time regarded the poor girl with a most rueful expression of countenance; for he could not help thinking what a terrible thing it was for a nice young girl of nineteen, with large blue eyes, transparent skin, and dimpled cheeks, suffused with health and joy, to be obliged to marry an ugly little bit of a man, who was a thousand years old, barring a day.
at this critical moment the bride gave a third sneeze, and billy roared out with all his might, "god save us!" whether this exclamation resulted from his soliloquy, or from the mere force of habit, he never could tell exactly himself; but no sooner was it uttered than the little man, his face glowing with rage and disappointment, sprung from the beam on which he had perched himself, and shrieking out in the shrill voice of a cracked bagpipe, "i discharge you from my service, billy mac daniel—take that for your wages," gave poor billy a most furious kick in the back, which sent his unfortunate servant sprawling upon his face and hands right in the middle of the supper-table.
if billy was astonished, how much more so was every one of the company into which he was thrown with so little ceremony. but when they heard his story, father cooney laid down his knife and fork, and married the young couple out of hand with all speed; and billy mac daniel danced the rinka at their wedding, and plenty he did drink at it too, which was what he thought more of than dancing.
