LIFE IN IRELAND 177 



hop sack.' At this time our party reached the marked 

 GROUND, and to their great astonishment, Gramma- 

 CHREE caught them by the hands. 



' By the piper that played before Moses, and here 

 you are, I heard all about it from Sally Je?iki?ison, and 

 am come to see fair play as I am used to the job.' 

 Gram and Sir Shawn stept on one side, Brian, not 

 being well tised to these honourable affairs, thought 

 them 



' Better honoured in the breach than the observances^ 



not that he was afraid, very far from it, only he wished 

 that he had practised, by a shot or two at his country 

 neighbours in Galway before he came to town ; ' for 

 SAID HE TO HIMSELF SAID HE, I might have brought 

 my hand in, and done some service to my country 

 at the same time ; for instance, I might with ease 



have shot the , or the , or the , 



and devil a one would have said, ill you have done 

 Brian Boru : now I am going, unpractised, to fight 

 an old practitioner.' — ' And you'll tip him the lead in 

 style,' said Gram, as he interrupted his musings, by a 

 tap on the shoulder, and announced his antagonist's 

 approach. 



Compliments as usual passed on both sides, of 

 which the less that is said the better, and as none of 

 them are sincere, why should we report them in a 

 work, where only sincerity has, or can have a perma- 

 nent place. 



The naval officer came into the field in a determined 

 ?nanner, the gunner's boy attending with a basket full 

 of pistol cartridges, and a horn of priming powder, — 



M 



