The Legend of the Phantom Highwayman Read Online Free PDF Page A

hitched a lift into town with the first load of barley.
    A short time later as they walked along the sand, they amused themselves by throwing sticks into the sea for Prince to retrieve. The collie was obviously delighted to be at the seaside too. He barked and barked as each stick was thrown and then plunged in after it.
    Searching around for another stick, Tapser picked up a bottle that had floated in on the tide.
    â€˜What is it?’ asked Cowlick.
    â€˜A bottle of spa water,’ said Tapser, reading the label. ‘Just what we need. I’m parched.’ Unscrewing the cap, he put the bottle to his lips. ‘Ughhh …’ he spluttered, spitting it out. ‘It’s not water at all.’
    â€˜You’re right,’ said Cowlick, sniffing the bottle. ‘It’s not. It’s poteen!’
    His sisters also sniffed the bottle and confirmed that that was what it was.
    â€˜Maybe Peppi was right then,’ Tapser exclaimed. ‘Maybe the smugglers are on the move again!’

3. THE RAID

    The sun was high in the sky now and it was warm. The four sat down at the foot of the rocks to talk about their strange find.
    â€˜But if poteen is being smuggled down from the mountains,’ said Cowlick, ‘what’s it doing in the sea?’
    â€˜And in a bottle from the Castle Spa,’ said Tapser.
    â€˜Sure you get poteen in any sort of bottle,’ argued Róisín. ‘Daddy always keeps a drop of it in the house, and it’s in a 7UP bottle.’
    â€˜What does he keep it for?’ asked Tapser.
    â€˜Some of it goes into the plum pudding at Christmas,’ Rachel told him. ‘And if we’ve a sick calf, a dash of it in the milk can be a great help.’
    â€˜But I thought it was illegal?’
    â€˜So it is,’ said Cowlick. ‘But we’re only talking about a wee drop of it for emergencies. Peppi was talking about a big shipment, and that’s definitely against the law.’
    Tapser broke a stalk of seaweed and threw the stump away for Prince to fetch. Suddenly he said, ‘How about going up to the Castle Spa? I’ve an idea.’
    â€˜If you’re thinking of taking up Max’s invitation, forget it,’ Rachel advised him. ‘When he says “Come when I’m not busy,” he means don’t come. He’s always busy.’
    â€˜It’s not him I want to see,’ Tapser replied. ‘Come on.’
    On the way they stopped at the little harbour. Fishing boats rested idly by the quayside and a small cargo ship was taking on crates of spa water. American visitors were finding the harbour very ‘quaint’ and asking each other to hold their bottles of spa water while they got photographs taken of themselves with the harbour in the background.
    â€˜You know what I was wondering?’ said Tapser. ‘Who’s to say what’s in those bottles?’
    â€˜Do you mean it might be poteen?’ whispered Rachel.
    â€˜Why not? Doesn’t it look just like water?’
    They all studied the posing tourists and the bottles they clutched in their arms. Then they looked at each other.
    â€˜I suppose it could be poteen,’ said Cowlick, and the others nodded.
    â€˜But why?’ asked Rachel. ‘Why should it be poteen?’
    â€˜Didn’t you hear Peppi say the police can’t find out how it’s getting out of the glen?’ said Tapser. ‘Isn’t that the ideal way to do it … openly, as spa water. Nobody would know the difference.’
    â€˜That’s true,’ Róisín agreed. ‘They could take it out by the bus-load.’
    â€˜All right,’ said Cowlick. ‘It’s worth investigating. Let’s go up to the Castle Spa and see what we can find out.’
    It was a short, steep climb up from the Low Road and all of them, including Prince, were panting when they got to the forecourt of the Castle Spa. There they joined the tourists