268 ANGLING 



I loads it well with powder, and a sod of turf ; makes 

 a good divil ; and was just going to put the spunk to it, 

 when I hears the cry, " The salmon ! the salmon ! " and, 

 sure enough, there he was, a huge fellow leaping over 

 the bridge. I suppose he was caught between the 

 boats coming up and going down, and the wather being 

 shallow, he was obliged to jump over the bridge.' 



" ' And what did you do, Paddy ? ' 

 _ " ' I claps the patthei»aro to my shouldher, and kills 

 him as dead as a herring.' 



" 'Oh, b and o ! ' exclaimed my friend 



William, in the agony of his soul : but Paddy went on. 

 'They weighed him, and found he was just twenty- 

 seven pounds and a quarter. But what do ye think 

 the Lord Lieutenant gev me ? The raggeen put a hand 

 in his pocket, and hands me a tinpenny bit ! ' 



" ' 'Tis thrue for him,' said the never-failing Moll ; 

 ' shure, I have it in the box there yet ; only the child 

 lost the key yesterday.' 



" This was enough on one day even for me ; so we 

 started for the Gap, having paid Paddy somewhat more 

 liberally than his lordship. As soon as we got out, 

 ' Did you ever,' said William, ' hear such a liar ? Shoot 

 a salmon with a patterrara a foot long ! Why, the 

 priming would blind him. Besides, how would the 

 horse do without his backbone ? ' 



" ' True. Then you do think he told lies % ' 



" ' It's my opinion,' said he, stopping and looking like 

 a man that had made up his mind, ' that you ought not 

 to believe half of what he said to-day.' " 



