verence to death would prevent your reverence from saying mass for ever
and a day."

"And you are determined on having a blessing?"

"We are, your reverence."

"By hook or by crook?"

"By crook or by hook, your reverence."

"Before I bless you, will you answer me a question or two?"

"I will, your reverence."

"Are you not a set of great big blackguards?"

"We are, your reverence."

"Without one good quality?"

"We are, your reverence."

"Would it not be quite right to saddle and bridle you all, and ride you
violently down Holyhead or the Giant's Causeway into the waters, causing
you to perish there, like the herd of swine of old?"

"It would, your reverence."

"And knowing and confessing all this, you have the cheek to come and ask
me for a blessing?"

"We have, your reverence."

"Well, how shall I give the blessing?"

"Och, sure your reverence knows very well how to give it."

"Shall I give it in Irish?"

"Och, no, your reverence--a blessing in Irish is no blessing at all."

"In English?"

"Och, murder, no, your reverence, God preserve us all from an English
blessing!"

"In Latin?"

"Yes, sure, your reverence; in what else should you bless us but in holy
Latin?"

"Well then prepare yourselves."

"We will, your reverence--stay one moment whilst I whisper to the boys
that your reverence is about to bestow your blessing upon us."

Then turning to the rest who all this time had kept their eyes fixed
intently upon us, he bellowed with the voice of a bull:

"Down on your marrow bones, ye sinners, for his reverence Toban is about
to bless us all in holy Latin."

He then flung himself on his knees on the pier, and all his countrymen,
baring their heads, followed his example--yes, there knelt thirty
bare-headed Eirionaich on the pier of Caer Gybi beneath the broiling sun.
I gave them the best Latin blessing I could remember, out of two or three
which I had got by memory out of an old Popish book of devotion, which I
bought in my boyhood at a stall. Then turning to the deputy I said,
"Well, now are you satisfied?"

"Sure, I have a right to be satisfied, your reverence; and so have we
all--sure we can now all go on board the dirty steamer, without fear of
fire or water, or the blackguard Hill of Howth either."

"Then get up, and tell the rest to get up, and please to know and let the
rest know, that I do not choose to receive farther trouble, either by
word or look, from any of ye, as lon