there he is, says i, in his gloryhole, with his cruiskeen lawn and his load of papers, working for the cause.
the bloody mongrel let a grouse out of him would give you the creeps. be a corporal work of mercy if someone would take the life of that bloody dog. i'm told for a fact he ate a good part of the breeches off a constabulary man in santry that came round one time with a blue paper about a licence.
-- stand and deliver, says he.
-- that's all right, citizen, says joe. friends here.
-- pass, friends, says he.
then he rubs his hand in his eye and says he:
-- what's your opinion of the times?
doing the rapparee and rory of the hill. but, begob, joe was equal to the occasion.
-- i think the markets are on a rise, says he, sliding his hand down his fork.
so begob the citizen claps his paw on his knee and he says:
-- foreign wars is the cause of it.
and says joe, sticking his thumb in his pocket:
-- it's the russians wish to tyrannise.
-- arrah, give over your bloody codding, joe, says i, i've a thirst on me i wouldn't sell for half a crown.
-- give it a name, citizen, says joe.
-- wine of the country, says he.
-- what's yours? says joe.
-- ditto macanaspey, says i...
-- three pints, terry, says joe. and how's the old heart, citizen? says he.
-- never better, a chara, says he. what garry? are we going to win? eh?
and with that he took the bloody old towser by the scruff of the neck and, by jesus, he near throttled him.
the figure seated on a large boulder at the foot of a round tower was that of a broadshouldered deepchested stronglimbed frankeyed redhaired freely freckled shaggybearded wide-mouthed largenosed longheaded deepvoiced barekneed brawnyhanded hairylegged ruddyfaced sinewyarmed hero. from shoulder to shoulder he measured several ells and his rocklike mountainous knees were covered, as was likewise the rest of his body wherever visible, with a strong growth of tawny prickly hair in hue and toughness similar to the mountain gorse (ulex europeus). the widewinged nostrils, from which bristles of the same tawny hue projected, were of such capaciousness that within their cavernous obscurity the field-lark might easily have lodged her nest. the eyes in which a tear and a smile strove ever for the mastery were of the dimensions of a goodsized cauliflower. a powerful current of warm breath issued at regular intervals from the profound cavity of his mouth while in rhythmic resonance the loud strong hale reverberations of his formidable heart thundered rumblingly causing the ground, the summit of the lofty tower and the still loftier walls of the cave to vibrate and tremble.