"'I agree with you; they will, and more.'
"It was then past one o'clock, and Joe called out to me—
"'Before we leave I mean to be level with you, but you must help.'
"'Joe, it can't be done.'
"'Away with your cant's; it shall be done.'
"Well, it was tempting us too much, such a lot of rock to work on all at once; if we had only had a little more than sufficient for one day's work at a time, we could not have done what we did. By Jove, he did go it. Down came the rock—I know you will kindly excuse me from calling it building stone.
"'Easy does it, Joe, or you will burst the show.'
"'Not I,' he shouted.
"Now listen to me, for this is truth. Never since the foundation of this world did bridges grow at this rate. It beats mustard-and-cress raising and high farming into fits.
"'Smash them in, lads, bar them down; give them a dose of gravel liquor. Now then, for some real cream mortar.'"