“I believe she walked, sir,” replied Barney; “but afther that every eye was upon her, and many a time she was seen goin’ to the haunted house when she thought no eye was upon her.  Afther this, of coorse, she disappeared, for, to tell you the truth, the town became too hot for her; and, indeed, this is not surprisin’.  Two or three of the neighborin’ women miscarried, and several people lost their cattle after she came to the town; and to make a long story short, just as it was made up to throw her into the parson’s pond, she disappeared, as I said, exactly as if she had known their intention:  and becoorse she did.”

“And did they ever find out where she went to?”

“Have patience, sir, for patience, they say, is a virtue.  About a month afterwards some of the townspeople came up to the mountains here, to hunt hares, just as we did.  Several of them before this had seen a white hare near the very spot we’re sittin’ in, but sorra dog of any description, either hound, greyhound, or lurcher could blow wind in her tail; even a pair of the Irish bloodhounds were brought, and when they came on her, she flew from them like the wind, I and laughed at them, becoorse.  Well, sir, the whole country was in a terrible state of alarm about the white hare, for every one knew, of coorse, that she was a witch; and as the cows began, here and there, to fail in their milk, why, it was a clear case that she sucked them in ordher to supply some imp of the devil that sucked herself.  At that time there was a priest in this parish, a very pious man by name Father McFeen; and as he liked, now and then, to have a dish of hare soup, he kept a famous greyhound, called Koolawn, that was never said to miss a hare by any chance.  As I said, some of the townspeople came up here to have a hunt, and as they wished, above all things, to bring the priest’s greyhound and the white hare together, they asked the loan of him from his reverence, telling him, at the same time, what they wanted him for.  Father McFeen was very proud of his dog, and good right he had, and tould them they should have him with pleasure.

“‘But, as he’s goin’ to try his speed against a witch,’ said he, ’I’ll venture to say that you’ll have as pretty a run as ever was seen on the hills.’

“Well, sir, at all events, off they set to the mountains; and sure enough, they weren’t long there when they had the best of sport, but no white hare came in their way.  Koolawn, however, was kept in the slip the whole day, in the hope of their startin’ her, for they didn’t wish to have him tired if they should come across her.  At last, it was gettin’ late, and when they were just on the point of givin’ her up, and, goin’ home, begad she started, and before you’d say Jack Kobinson, Koolawn and she were at it.  Sich a chase, they say, was never seen.  They flew at sich a rate that the people could hardly keep their eyes upon them.  The hare went like the wind; but, begad, it was not every evening she had sich