An Irish Legend.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 354, 27 March 1889, Page 3

An Irish Legend.

The, iollowing.amusjng and curious legend is current among the peas'ahts^of Killarney : ' ' Sure everybody has,heard of the blessed St. Patrick, and how.he drove the sarpints 'and all manner of venomous beasts out of Ireland. How he " bothered all varmints" entirely. But for all that, there was 'one ould sarpiut' who was too 'cunning to, be talked out of the country and. made, to drown himself. >. • / v . ," . . ' ' " ; c So St. Patrick didn't very well knowhow to manage this fellow, who was -doing great havoc, till atla3t he bethought himself, and got a strong iron chest made with nine bolts in it. , ' " , - ' ' Ho one fine day,he takes a walk to where tho sarpint used to keep ; and the sarpint, who didn't like the saint in the least,. began to hiss and show his teeth at him. '"> . , ' "Oh," says St. Patrick, say s.he, "where's the use of making such apiece ojE work about a gentleman like myself come to see you ? 'Tis a nice house I've got for you agin the winter, for I'm going to civilise the^whole country, man and beast,", says he, '"and you can come to look at it whenever you please, and 'tis myselfcwill be glad to see you." ' The sarpint, hearing such smooth words, thought that, though 'St. 'Patrick had druv all jthe rest of the sarpints, intc the sea, he meanfc.no harm to himself ;< sc the sarpint walks' fair and easy ,up to see him and the house he was speaking about. But when the 3arpin't saw the . nine great boults upon the chest- he thought he was sould, and was for making- off with himself las fast as ever he could. r ' ■ • " 'Tis a nice warm house, you see," says St. Patrick, " and 'tis a good friend I am to you. 1 ' ' „ , ' , ' " I thank you kindlyj'.Sk Patrick, for your civility," says the sarpint j " but I think it's too small for me,', meaning it as an excuse. * " Too small ! " says St. Patrick. •« Stop, if you please," says he. V You're out in that, my boy., I'm sure 'twill fit you completely. And I teir you wlrat,'"" says he, 'Ill-b et you" a gallon of porter,' says he, ' that if you'll only try and get in, there will be plenty of room for you.' ' The sarpint was as thirsty as could be with his walk, and 'twas great joy to him', the thoughts of doing St.' Patrick out of a gallon of porter ; so, swellingb.hns.elf up as big as he could," in he got to the ohest, all but the end of his tail. *.'" There-now,"_sayB he, "I've won the bet', for yon see the house is too small for me, for I can't get my tail in." ' When/ what does St. Patrick do, but he comes behind the lid, and putting his hands to it, down,he~slaps it with a noise like thunder. When the rogue of a sarpint saw the lid coming down, in went his tail like a shot for fearof being whipped off him, and St. Patrick began at once to boult the nine iron boults. - - *' ■"•" { Oh, murder! won't you let me out?' says the sarpint. 'I've lost' the gallon fairly, and I'll pay you like a man,' 'Let you out, my darling?' says St 1 Patrick. 'To be* sure I will— by all manner of means ; but you see I haven't time now, so you must wait till to-morrow.' ' And so lie took the iron ehest,,'arid the sarpint in it, and pitched it into the .lake here for certain, and 'tis the sarpint struggling at the bottom that makes all tho waves upon it. Many is the living man besides myself has heard the sarpint crying out from the chest under the water, *Is it to-morrow yet? Is it to-morrow yet?' Which, to be sure, it never cam'be, and that's the way St. Patrick settled the last ot the sarpints, sir.' „ / '