126 LIFE IN IRELAND 



gaming-house, stands good at the Dawson Street Run, 

 belongs to the Kildare Club ; in short, is a prime bit 

 of blood. He has a great deal of spare honour in his 

 composition, for to my knowledge he has been swearing 

 it away these ten years, and still has some left ; he is 

 very quarrelsome, will snuff a candle with a pistol, or 

 propel a ball into the mouth of a quart bottle at the 

 distance of twenty paces. He once laid a wager that 

 he would shoot off the tip of his grandmother's nose 

 through a quick-set hedge as she sat reading the Bible 

 in her garden-chair. For once he missed his mark ; as 

 she happened to turn her head at the moment he 

 touched the hair-trigger, the ball carried off a curl of 

 her wig and the best part of her ear; thus he lost his 

 wager, and much more, for the old lady left to a 

 distant relation twenty thousand pounds which would 

 have been his ; in truth, it did become his, for on the 

 day of the funeral he managed to pick a quarrel with 

 the lucky heir, and having shot him through the head, 

 received the blimt as next heir. He is admitted into 

 all societies, is a pleasant fellow, and an agreeable 

 companion ; the only way to treat him is, with distant 

 civility, and if he should quarrel with you, tell him you 

 never stand fire, but will knock him down whenever he 

 pleases to give you cause ; he is afraid of club laiv^ and 

 will then knock under. 



'Major Sham is a good fellow; he is termed a five 

 bottle man, and has done "The State some service." 



' During the rebellion of 1798 he assisted in causing 

 the death of its principal leader, for which he got a 

 gold chain and a medal — he always wears it ; and 

 whether in proving the strength of a barrel of whiskey, 



