“So you didn’t catch it.”
“Catch it? Niver a catch. It tuk me tip into a place that I couldn’t get out of fur half an hour. I lost me pole, an gave up. I couldn’t find a sign of it, an I wandhered about, whin all av a suddint, I found mesilf by the road. An be the powers! it wor mesilf that wor glad till find that same. The dirty little baste that wudn’t let itsilf be caught, like a Christian!”
“What dirty little baste?”
“Why, the wild turkey.”
“Wild turkey! Ha, ha, ha!”
“Wild duck, thin.”
“Wild duck!” cried the boys; and another laugh followed.
“Well, thin, it wor a wild goose, ony it had fower legs, so it had—whativer it wor.”
At this very remarkable description the boys’ laughter burst forth afresh.
“Well,” said Pat, “what wor it, thin?—wor it a bayver?”