A SPORTSMAN'S DINNER. 247 



" Everything went on beautiful, for the two clargy 

 lived together. Father Patt Flyn minded his chapel 

 and the flock, and Mr. Carson said prayers on a Sunday, 

 too, though sorrow a soul he had to listen to him but 

 the clerk but sure that was no fault of his. 



" Well, I mind it as well as yesterday, for I killed 

 that very morning two otters at Loughnamucky, and the 

 smallest of them was better to me than a pound note. 

 It was late when I got down from the hills, and I went to 

 Father Patt's as usual, and who should I meet at the 

 door but the priest himself. ' Antony,' says he, ' ceade 

 fealteagh, have you anything with you, for the wallets 

 seem full ? ' * I have,' says I, your ' reverence ' ; and 

 I pulls out two pairs of graziers,* and a brace of three- 

 pound trouts, fresh from the sea, that I caught that 

 morning in Dhulough. In these days I carried a 

 ferret, besides the trap and fishing-rod, and it went 

 hard if I missed the otters but I would net rabbits, 

 or kill a dish of trout. ' Upon my conscience,' says the 

 priest, ' ye never were more welcome, Antony. The 

 minister and myself will dine off the trouts and rabbits 

 for they forgot to kill a sheep for us till an hour ago ; 

 and you know, Antony, except the shoulder, there's 

 no part of the mutton could be touched, so I was rather 

 bothered about the dinner.' 



" Well, in the evening, I was brought into the parlour, 

 and there were their reverences as cur coddiogh\ as you 

 please. Father Patt gave me a tumbler of rael stiff 

 punch, and the divil a better warrant to make the same 

 was within the province of Connaught. We were just 

 as comfortable as we could be, when a currier^ stops at 



* Young rabbits. -fAnglice, comfortable. 



%Ahas, courier. 



