They made repeated springs at me, for I was not above eight feet from the ground, but I contrived, by well-aimed kicks in the jaws, to keep them at bay for a while. I was thus pleasantly engaged for about five minutes, when Ahern and four or five men made their appearance. He carried a blunderbuss in his hand, another tucked under his arm, and a brace of holster pistols stuck in his waistband. His old servant had the master's fowling-piece, and the rest, who were farm servants, had pitchforks. As soon as I espied them, I roared out, 'Call off the dogs, I'm M----, you stupid drunken rascal.' 'Ho! ho! he's--hic--up in the arbutus.' 'Blur-an-agers, tare-an-taffy, sir, you'll shoot the dogs!' said old Paddy, knocking up the levelled blunderbuss. 'It's Mr M----; don't ye know his voice? Down, Fin--down, Oscar--down with ye,' and with persuasive words, and still more persuasive blows of the fowling-piece, Pat drew off the dogs, and took them away. I came down in a state of indescribable rage. Nothing vexes a man so much as the consciousness of being an object of mirth or ridicule. Having paused awhile for words, I poured forth a torrent of abuse on Ahern. He hiccupped once or twice, looked with the most stupid astonishment at me, and, when I paused for breath, 'damned me but it would have been due to me to be shot; firstly, for leaving a Christian habitation at the dead hour of the night; secondly, for going at that hour by a haunted road; and, thirdly, for attempting to get in at a back window of his house, when I well knew that I had only to raise the latch, and walk in at the front door.' 'How the d---- could I get past your infernal dogs?' said I. 'Good dogs always know friends from foes,' he replied; 'but--hic--it was just one of your tricks--you wanted to frighten me, and--ha! ha! ha!--you got frightened yourself, and the devil's cure to you!--hic.' I was beginning again, when he stopped me by saying, 'that if I thought he had taken any advantage of me, matters could be made even;' and he produced the holster pistols, saying 'that they were both double loaded; he had charged them himself, and I might have my choice.' In a minute the ground was measured; the men were ordered not to interfere, but stand aside; and Ahem himself asked me if I was ready, and immediately said 'fire!'