178 AN IRISH SALMON-RIVER 



thravel up the road quite convanient." So I brought him 

 up to the Garden Wall, a notable throw it is, while the 

 polis drove along the road wid the breadth of the demesne 

 betuane us and thim, though that was unbeknown to his 

 Excellency. I observed he was very onquate, so says I : 

 " Me lord your Excellency, keep your mind quite aisy now. 

 There 's niver a bhoy in this barony and the nixt would 

 lift a finger at you, only to make a riverence to ye. If 

 you had a park of arthillery round you, it's not a pin 

 the safer ye 'd be." 



' Well, his Excellency could throw a good line. I seen 

 it wasn't the first time, by many, he came to the fishing. 

 But Lord assist the poor man ! from the moment his fly 

 was on the wather, divil another look he gave to it till 

 he was for making another throw. He was for ever and 

 always turning this way and that ; be gob, I tuk pity to 

 see him, the way thim naygurs in Dublin Castle had put 

 the dread into him. But by the time I had brought him 

 as far as the Grass Yard, the nervousness quit him 

 entirely, and he applied himself to the fishing like a 

 masther. He tuk a salmon upon the Grass Yard and 

 two more upon Laputa, and wasn't he the proud man 

 that day. 



' " By gum ! " says he on the suddint, " where 's my escort 

 at all ? for it 's time I was getting home," says he. 



' " Is it the polis ye mane ? " says I ; " faith, it would be 

 work for Isaiah and all the prophets to tell where they 

 might be by this time. Thim '11 be kaping aisy along the 

 road, the way I insthructed thim, till they would come up 

 wid your Excellency ; but they '11 be far enough the time 

 that is, be rason the road 's beyant the river, and not very 

 convanient at that." 



