J. F. Campbell Collection > Fireside stories of Ireland

THE GRATEFUL BEASTS.
There was once a young man, and it happened that he had
a guinea in his pocket, and was going to some fair or x>o-t-
ternoT another, and while he was on the way, he saw some
little boys scourging a poor mouse they were after catching.
" Come, gorsoons," says he, " don't be at that cruel work ;
here's sixpence for you to buy gingerbread and let him go."
They only wanted the wind of the word, and off jumped
the mouse. He didn't go much farther, when he overtook
another parcel of young geochachs, and they tormenting the
life out of a poor weasel. Well, he bought him off for a
shilling, and went on. The third creature he rescued from
a crowd of groAvn \x\) young rascals was an ass, and he had
to give a whole half crown to get him off.
" ]N"ow," says poor Neddy, " you may as well take me
with you. I'll be of some use carrying you when you're
tired." " With all my heart," says Jack. The day was
very hot, and the boy sat under a tree to enjoy the cool.
As sure as he did he fell asleep without intending it, but
he was soon woke up by a wicked looking hodach and his
two servants. " How dare you let your ass go trespass on
my inch " [river meadow] says he, " and do such mischief
"I had no notion he'd do anything of the kind : I dropped
asleep by accidence." " Oh be this an' be that ! I'll accidence
you. Bring out that chest," says he to one of his gillas ;
and while you'd be sayin' thrapstichs they had the poor boy
lyin' on the broad of his back in it, and a strong hempen
rope tied round it, and himself an itself flung into the river.
Well, they went away to their business, and poor I^eddy
stayed roarin' an' bawlin' on the bank, till who should come
up but the weasel and the mouse, and they axed him what
ailed him. " An' isn't the kind boy that rescued me from
them scoggins that were tormenting me just now, fastened
up in a chest and dhrivin down that terrible river '?" " Oh,
says the weasel, "he must be the same boy that rescued
the mouse and myself. Had he a brown piece on the elbow
of his coat % " " The very same." " Come then," says the
Aveasel, " and let us overtake him, and get him out." " By
all means," says the others. So the weasel got on the ass's