CHRISTOPHER IN HIS SPORTING JACKET 



cT fechting, and sC manner o 1 mischief!" and these 

 were the Irishmen! Retired and apart, hangs the 

 weaver, with his head over a wall, dog-sick, and bock- 

 ing in strong convulsions; some haymakers are wash- 

 ing their cut faces in the well; the butcher, bloody 

 as a bit of his own beef, walks silent into the sham- 

 bles; the smith, whose grimy face hides its pummel- 

 ling, goes oft' grinning a ghastly smile in the hands of 

 his scolding, yet not unloving wife; the tailor, gay as 

 a flea, and hot as his own goose, to show how much 

 more he has given than received, offers to leap any 

 man on the ground, hop-step-and-jump, for a mutch- 

 kin while Bob Howie walks about, without a visible 

 wound, except the mark of bloody knuckles on his 

 brawny breast, with arms akimbo, seaman-fashion 

 for Bob had been at sea and as soon as the whisky 

 comes, hands it about at his own expense, caulker 

 after caulker, to the vanquished for Bob was as 

 generous as brave; had no spite at the gipsies; and as 

 for Irishmen, why they were ranting, roving, red-hot, 

 dare-devil boys, just like himself; and after the fight, 

 he would have gone with them to Purgatory, or a few 

 steps further down the hill. All the battle through, 

 we manse-boys had fought, it may be said, behind 

 the shadow of him our hero; and in warding off mis- 

 chief from us, he received not a few heavy body-blows 

 from King Carew, a descendant of Bamfylde Moore, 

 [83] 



