J. F. Campbell Collection > Fireside stories of Ireland

THE GRATEFUL BEASTS. 97
enough for the thricky people that's in the world. Where
did them thieves say they lived, and what's the name that's
on 'em 1 " Jack scratched his head, and after a little re-
collected the town. "Come, Neddy," says the weasel, "let
us be jogging." So he got on his back, and the mouse in
his ear, and the ass sivum the river, and nothing is said of
their travels till they came to the house of the head rogue.
The mouse went in, and the ass and the weasel sheltered
themselves in a copse outside. He soon came back to
them. "Well, what news ] " "Dull news enough. He
has the egg in a low press in his bed-room, and a pair of
cats with fiery eyes watching it night and day, and they
chained to the press, and the room door double locked."
" Let us go back ! " says the ass ; we can't do nothing."
" Wait," says the weasel."
When sleep time came, says the weasel to tlie mouse, "Go
in at the key hole, and get behind the rogue's head, an'
stay two or three hours sucking his hair." " What good
in that 1 " says the ass. " Wait, an' you'll know," says the
weasel. ISText morning the merchant was quite mad to
find the way his hair was in. "But I'll disappoint you to-
night, you thief of a mouse," says he. So he unchained
the cats next night, and bid them sit by his bed-side and
watch.
Just as he was dropping asleep, the weasel and mou?e
were outside the door, and gnawing away till they had a
hole scooped out at the bottom. In went the mouse, and
it was'nt long till he had the egg outside. They were soon
on the road again ; the mouse in the ass's ear, the weasel
on his back, and the egg in the weasel's mouth. When
they came to the river, and were swimming across, the ass
began to bray. " Hee haw, hee haw ! " says he, " is there
the likes of me in the world ]" I'm carrying the mouse, and
the weasel, and the great enchanted egg, that can do an}'^-
thing. Why don't yous praise me ? " But the mouse was
asleep, and the weasel was afraid of opening his mouth.
" I'll shake yous off, you ungrateful pack if you don't," says
the ass again ; and the poor weasel, forgetting himself, cried
out, " Oh, don't ! " and down went the egg in the deepest
pool of the river. " Now you done it," says the weasel,