The Shivering Cattle

Coogan bought another tractor, but it too stopped as soon as he drove into the field. He had difficulty in even hiring a man to plough. No one wanted to work on the land where the fairy tree had grown. He went as far as Ballycahill before he found a man who agreed to come and plough. Relieved to speak to someone who hadn't heard about the sawn down fairy tree, he paid Brendan McGann in advance. But McGann never came to plough. Conscious that the weeks were passing and he was getting nothing done, Coogan became suspicious and unreasonable.

Coogan rowed with a few neighbours, believing they were responsible for the engine failure in the tractors. Families who had been friends for generations were ostracised from Coogan. His mother and sisters watched as he became more and more anxious, yet detached himself from his family.

One morning, Boyle noticed that the cattle were sweating and shivering with exhaustion. He walked them in for milking, the cattle were nervous and very frightened by him. The cattle were dry that morning. Boyle told Coogan that the cattle had not given any milk. Every morning for the next week, when Boyle went to the cattle, they were startled. These cattle were three years old and were used to the milking routine. They each had a preferred stall in the byre where they stood. Now Boyle found it difficult to gather them up and get them out of the field. They were unruly and seemed lost and unfamiliar with the routine.

Boyle's explanation was that something had frightened the cattle and chased them around the field for hours. On the nights Coogan and Boyle stayed out and watched over the cattle, nothing happened. The cattle were undisturbed. Boyle and Coogan sat watching for a week but they did not see anything come near the cattle. When they left the cattle unguarded for one night, the next morning the cattle were exhausted. Coogan brought out a shotgun, threatening to shoot any loose dog he saw. Boyle shook his head at the very idea that a dog was responsible, he told Coogan sternly that the fairies came at night and chased the cattle.

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