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we soon became fast friends, and agreed on the following 

 day to try the river Shannon, at Athlone, first. On 

 arriving at the station we found the omnibus had just left 

 for the town ; but seeing a ragged Irishman lying on the 

 bank, I asked him to take our luggage up to the town, 

 promising to remunerate him well for his trouble. He 

 turned round, without rising, and said : " Your honour, 

 I can't do that thing." I asked him if he was ill ? " Oh, 

 no, your honour, I'm very well ; but I earned twopence 

 this morning, and shall want no more to-day." I said, 

 "Do you mean to tell me you can live on twopence a 

 day ?" " Oh, yes, your honour ; I got a pennyworth of 

 buttermilk and a pennyworth of praties, and shall want no 

 more till to-morrow." His clothes were composed of all 

 manner of bits of rag and cloth stitched together, and I 

 asked him how he got them on after taking them off? 

 He said, " I never take them off, your honour." I told 

 my friend I thought a good horsewhipping would do the 

 Irishman good. After waiting some time the omnibus 

 came, and we were soon set down at the hotel. We 

 afterwards walked out to view the town, which we were 

 much pleased with, and took apartments at the house 

 of a very respectable draper. We then enquired for 

 the best fisherman in the town, and were fortunate in 

 securing the services of a capital hand, who had fished 

 the Shannon from a boy, and who was also a first-rate 

 salmon fly dresser. We engaged him, with his boat, 

 for eight o'clock next morning. 



The river Shannon is a noble stream. We tried our 

 hands for salmon, but did not get a rise. Towards evening 



