What’s the meaning of “Pat came the reply” in the two sentences?

What’s the meaning of “Pat came the reply” in the two sentences?



Amandeep did a lot of showboating, with his arms spread like a bird, inviting an offensive. "Hit me, I dare you", said Amandeep. Pat came the reply from the Kenyan: "No thanks. I'm good."



http://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/article814401.ece?homepage=true



I couldn't resist anymore, so I said "That's great, if you really want to do that, may be you should take up some animation classes, or do some self learning at your own pace. That would be a good start". Pat came the reply "Nahh it's very difficult, with family, full time job, no time. I would love to, but I can't."



http://www.hjenglish.com/new/p114660/



By the way, what does Nahh mean in the sentence?