"A--h!" screamed Oonah, "take your hands off me!" as Andy, getting from under the bed, laid his hand upon it to assist him, and caught a grip of his cousin.
"Who are you at all?" cried Andy, making another claw, and catching hold of his mother's nose.
"Oonah, they're murdhering me!" shouted the widow.
The name of Oonah, and the voice of his mother, recalled his senses to Andy, who shouted, "Mother, mother! what's the matter?" A frightened hen flew in his face, and nearly knocked Andy down. "Bad cess to you," cried Andy, "what do you hit me for?"
"No, I don't know you; by the vartue o' my oath, I don't; and I'll never swear again you, jintlemen, if you lave the place and spare our lives!"
Here the hens flew against the dresser, and smash went the plates and dishes.
"Oh, jintlemen dear, don't rack and ruin me that way: don't destroy a lone woman."
"Mother, mother, what's this at all? Don't you know your own Andy?"
"Is it you that's there?" cried the widow, catching hold of him.
"You won't let us be murdhered, will you?"
"Them people that's with you." Smash went another plate. "Do you hear that?--they're rackin' my place, the villains!"
"Divil a one's wid me at all!" said Andy.
"I'll take my oath there was three or four under the bed," said Oonah.
"Cock sure!" said Andy, and a loud crowing gave evidence in favour of his assertion.
"The fowls is going mad," said the widow.
"No wonder! the dog's murdherin' him," said Andy.
"Get up, and light the rushlight, Oonah," said the widow: "you'll get a spark out o' the turf cendhers."
"Some o' them will catch me, maybe," said Oonah.
Oonah now arose, and groped her way to the fireplace, where, by dint of blowing upon the embers and poking the rushlight among the turf ashes, a light was at length obtained. She then returned to the bed, and threw her petticoat over her shoulders.
"What's this at all?" said the widow, rising, and wrapping a blanket round her.
"Bad cess to the know I know!" said Andy.
"Look under the bed, Oonah," said the aunt.
Oonah obeyed, and screamed, and ran behind Andy. "There's another here yet!" said she.
Andy seized the poker, and, standing on the defensive, desired the villain to come out: the demand was not complied with.
"I'll take my oath there is," said Oonah; "a dirty blackguard, without any clothes on him."