"I don't see how you could fish any other way," said the dandy, smiling at Murphy, as if he had caught him in saying something absurd. "Ah, you rogue," said Murphy, affecting to be hit; "you're too sharp for us poor Irish fellows; but you know the old saying, 'An Irishman has leave to speak twice;' but, after all, it's no great mistake I've made: for when I say we fish for salmon with a line, I mean we don't use a rod, but a leaded line, the same as in sea-fishing." "How vewy extwao'dinary! Why, I should think that impossible." "And why should it be impossible?" said Murphy, with the most unabashed impudence. "Have not all nations habits and customs peculiar to themselves? Don't the English catch their fish by striking them under water with a long rough stick, and a little cur-whibble of a bone at the end of it?" "Speawing them, you mean," said Furlong. "Ay, you know the right name, of course; but isn't that quite as odd, or more so than our way here?" "That's vewy twue indeed; but your sea-line fishing in a wiver, and for salmon, strikes me as vewy singular." "Well, sir, the older we grow the more we learn. You'll see what fine sport it is; but don't lose any more time: let us be off to the river at once." "I'll make a slight change in my dwess, if you please--I'll be down immediately;" and Furlong left the room. During his absence, the Squire, Dick, and Murphy, enjoyed a hearty laugh, and ran over the future proceedings of the day. "But what do you mean by this salmon-fishing, Murphy?" said Dick; "you know there never was a salmon in the river." "But there will be to-day," said Murphy; "and a magnificent gudgeon will see him caught. What a spoon that fellow is!--we've got the bribery out of him already." "You did that well, Murphy," said the Squire. "Be at him again when he comes down," said Dick. "No, no," said Murphy, "let him alone; he is so conceited about his talent for business, that he will be talking of it without our pushing him: just give him rope enough, and he'd hang himself; _we'll have the whole of their campaign out before the day is over_." CHAPTER XI