ick; "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

All men love to gain their ends; most men are contented with the
shortest road to them, while others like by-paths. Some carry an innate
love of triumph to a pitch of epicurism, and are not content unless the
triumph be achieved in a certain way, making collateral passions
accessories before or after the fact; and Murphy was one of the number.
To him, a triumph without _fun_ was beef without mustard, lamb without
salad, turbot without lobster sauce. Now, to entangle Furlong in their
meshes was not sufficient for him; to detain him from his friends, every
moment betraying something of their electioneering movements, though
sufficiently ludicrous in itself, was not enough for Murtough!--he would
make his captive a source of ridicule as well as profit, and while
plenty of real amusements might have served his end, to divert the
stranger for the day, this mock fishing-party was planned to brighten
with fresh beams the halo of the ridiculous which already encircled the
magnanimous Furlong.

"I'm still in the dark," said Dick, "about the salmon. As I said before,
there never was a salmon in the river."

"But, as I said before," replied Murphy, "there will be to-day; and you
must help me in playing off the trick."

"But what _is_ this trick? Confound you, you're as mysterious as a
chancery suit."

"I wish I was likely to last half as long," said Murphy.

"The trick!" said Dick. "Bad luck to you, tell me the trick, and don't
keep me waiting, like a poor relation."

"You have two boats on the river?" said Murphy.

"Yes."

"Well, you must get into one with our victim: and I can get into the
other with the salmon."

"But where's the salmon, Murphy?"

"In the house, for I sent one over this morning, a present to Mrs. Egan.
You must keep away about thirty yards or so, when we get afloat, that
our dear friend may not perce