The Snakes Pass

by Bram Stoker

The novel's main protagonist, Arthur Severn, is traveling to the country of Clare to visit friends. He has the desire to improve his Irish knowledge, so he makes a detour to West Ireland. While riding along with the driver, Andy, a severe storm begins. Andy suggests the two men stop traveling for the night and stay in the small town of Carnacliff. Andy takes them to a local bar where a man named Jerry Scanlan tells the legendary story of Shleenanaher.

The story begins with Saint Patrick who drove all the snakes out of Ireland. However, the King of Snakes would remain in the lake residing in Shleenanaher, and he would only leave if he did not have his crown; thus he hid his crown in the mountains of the hills. The King then tells Saint Patrick that he will come in another form so that he will be able to watch his crown closely. The impending fog that occasionally sweeps over the town, along with a nearby swamp or bog, is said to be the form the King has decided to come back in to watch his crown. After Jerry finishes his story, an old, drunk man named Mr. Moynahan speaks up about the hidden treasure that is somewhere in the hills. Arthur learns that Moynahan's father was present in the altercation of the Frenchmen hiding the treasure.

The townspeople in the bar begin to tell Arthur of the evil villain of the town, Black Murdock. They describe him as being helpful when one is in need of money, but will curse them for the rest of their lives if they are not able to pay him back. As the story is coming to a close, Murdock comes into the bar and asks for Phelim Joyce. Murdock announces to the bar that he has decided to keep Joyce's land because Joyce was late in repaying money he had loaned Joyce for his son's schooling. Joyce rushes into the bar begging Murdock to let him pay. Joyce tells Murdock he has the money, but was delayed because he fell into a hole on his way to the bar and injured his arm. Murdock refuses and tells Joyce that he will now own his land and Joyce will now own the land Murdock used to own.

After Murdock has left, Arthur and Andy take Joyce home. It is very dark when they reach Joyce's house and Arthur can hear the sweet sound of his daughter's voice helping him out of the carriage. Arthur is never able to see the face that belongs to the sweet voice but Andy tells him her name is Norah. Arthur decides that he would like to stay in the town for a few days and see this shifting bog in the morning. The next morning, the innkeeper asks Arthur if he will share a car up to the mountain with another man who is working there. The man turns out to be an old classmate of Arthur's, Dick Sutherland. Arthur, Dick and Andy travel up to the hill to see the beautiful view and the bog. Dick explains that he was hired by Murdock as a scientist and geologist to help Murdock with some investigations on his land.

As the novel progresses, Dick, Arthur and Andy advance in their work along the Knocknacar Hills when Arthur comes across what he describes as the most beautiful peasant girl he has ever seen. The two continue to meet in the same spot, but Arthur never learns her name. He describes her being "a beautiful peasant girl had great gifts-a heart of gold, a sweet, pure nature, and a rare intelligence." One day when Arthur goes to their meeting place, she never shows. Everyday Arthur goes to their meeting spot but does not find his unknown girl.

At dinner one evening, Dick tells Arthur of his love for Norah Joyce but fears her father will despise him because he is working on Murdock's land. Arthur tells Dick of his love for this unknown girl that he has not been able to find. The next day, Andy finds Arthur waiting for his peasant girl and asks what Arthur desires in his future wife. When Arthur begins to describe her, he realizes he is describing his unknown girl. Andy tells Arthur that Norah would be the perfect fit for him, but Arthur cannot act upon this because Dick has feelings for her. They later learn she has gone to live in a convent.

The next day, Arthur decides to go to Murdock to try and buy his land from him so that he can, in turn, give it to Dick to help him with Norah and Joyce. Murdock agrees but only after he has finished his investigations which he states will take him about a month. Arthur is excited to tell Dick that he bought Murdock's land but as they are talking, Dick tells Arthur that the bog is becoming more dangerous in Murdock's area because if the bog shifts again there is a deep reservoir right where his house is located. Arthur asks if he has told Murdock about this problem and Dick says yes, last night. Arthur decides to not tell Dick of his purchase. After Arthur has his documents in order to purchase the land, he climbs the hill to see its beauty. He unexpectedly finds his unknown woman. Both are joyful and relieved to finally see each other again, and Arthur finally learns her name: Norah Joyce. He proclaims his love for her and wants her to be his wife, but she tells Arthur that she needs time to think. On his way home, Arthur is struck with the thought of his dear friend Dick and he questions if Dick has also proposed to her. The next day, Norah tells Arthur that she cannot marry him because she must stay with her father but she does admit to being in love with Arthur. Arthur finally meets with Dick and Dick inquiries him about his unknown love. Arthur admits that it is Norah and Dick is very upset. Dick also questions him about buying Murdock's land because Dick does not have as much money as Arthur, was Arthur trying to place Dick in a false position in Norah's eyes? Arthur explains his plan in buying Murdock's land, he even allows Dick to read the deed from his lawyer and Dick forgives him.

Arthur goes to Joyce to ask for his daughters hand in marriage and Joyce tells Arthur that she must have time to think. Joyce tells Arthur that they can be married when the treasure of Knocknacar is found. Arthur believes that Norah is actually the treasure and that her father will never let her go. After Norah speaks to her father alone, Joyce decides to give Norah to Arthur. In the meantime, Dick has discovered that there is iron in the bog and this could be why Murdock wants to know what's in the bog so badly.

After Murdock learns of Arthur and Norah's engagement, Murdock asks for Norah's hand and when she refuses Murdock becomes very angry and makes rude comments about the social class difference between Arthur and Norah. There is an altercation and Murdock fires Dick. After Murdock leaves, Arthur and Norah decide that she should have two years of schooling in Paris before they are married. Arthur decides to buy the land from Joyce so that he will own all of Knocknacar and the hillside and cliffs. Joyce agrees and Arthur names Dick the sole protector of the land until he returns from London where he will be setting up Norah's schooling.

After Arthur returns to London, he finishes his finances with the buying of the land. When Arthur returns to Ireland, he learns that Murdock has taken in Old Moynahan and has kept him very drunk, trying to learn of the location of the treasure. Moynahan takes Murdock to the spot where the Frenchman was last seen with the gun carriage by his father. They are now on Joyce's land and very close to the bog. Murdock gives Moynahan more whiskey and leads him to walk straight into the bog to his death. Murdock leaves and Dick saves Moynahan without Murdock seeing and goes to get help from Joyce and Norah Murdock is already at Joyce's house explaining how he is unable to find Moynahan and that he is worried he mistakenly walked into the bog. Murdock leaves and Dick explains what has really happened. The three of them safely bring Moynahan back to Joyce's and help him to bed but when he awakes the next morning he remembers nothing of the night before. Joyce lies to Murdock and tells him they found Moynahan asleep on the hillside. Dick goes back to the place Murdock marked the night before and strategically moves the stones he used to mark the treasure spot a few yards away, closer to the bog. Dick then marks the spot with his own marking so Murdock will never know. Dick is very worried that Murdock will try to murder Moynahan again and then come after Norah.

In the next couple days leading up to Norah's departure, the rain has become increasingly worse which in turn makes the bog worse. Arthur wakes from a terrible nightmare, sensing something bad is happening in the storm. Andy takes him and Dick to Knocknacar and they find the bog rising faster and faster. They attempt to warn Murdock but he is not in his home, so they go to warn Joyce and Norah who are also missing. They learn that Moynahan came to Norah and said there had been an accident and that Joyce was at Murdock's home. Norah assumed it was some type of trap and pries Moynahan for the truth. Moynahan confesses that her father is not at Murdock's, so Norah decides to go look for her father. Dick and Arthur decide to split up to try to find Joyce and Norah. Arthur searches along the line of the bog while desperately calling out his love's name. As the lightning strikes and lights up the sky, Arthur sees two figures struggling by the edge of the rocks.One figure he discovers is Norah because of her red petticoat. As he gets closer he sees Murdock is holding Norah and strikes her then runs off. Norah is unconscious as Murdock flees to his house. As Arthur attends to Norah, he feels the ground begin to quiver and give way as his feet begin to sink and he realizes the bog is shifting and has him in its clutches. Norah awakens and tries to help Arthur by throwing her coat to him and safely pulling him out of the bog. They are joined by Dick and Joyce while they watch Murdock stand atop his home and sink into the bog. The bog then swoops all the rubbish into the nearby sea. Arthur and Norah are reunited with her father and Dick and safely make it back to Joyce's home where they each retell their story of what happened to them during the storm. After they finish breakfast and warm themselves, the four decide to go out to the hill and examine the damage of the storm. They go to the spot where Moynahan's father had last seen the Frenchman and where Dick had made his own marking. Off behind a rock Joyce finds a wooden chest. Because Joyce technically owns the land until the next day, the chest belongs to him. Joyce replies that the money was given to Ireland, thus it should still belong to Ireland. As they continue to walk along, Dick comes across a cavern where he discovers limestone on the rocks. The group takes a lantern into the cave and discovers strange inscriptions on the walls. Norah walks to the back of the cave where she finds The Lost Crown of Gold. Dick exclaims that there is a scientific basis for the legend. Before the stream cut its way through the limestone, and made the cavern, the waters were forced upwards to the lake at the top of the hill and so kept it supplied. The lake then fell away so once the group found the water of the lake they found the crown.

The novel then begins the two years when Norah has gone to school in Paris. On the land, Dick used the limestone to create possibilities in the way of building waterworks systems and a new house was built. After the two years of Norah's schooling end, she and Arthur are married and leave for their honeymoon in Italy where there is "not a cloud in the sky."