"'Well,' said I, 'if it 'tis, try it now, and see what
sort of a fist you'll make of it.'

"So Paddy takes the rifle, lookin' as knowin' all the
time as if he had ever seed one afore. Well, there was
a great red squirrel, on the tip-top of a limb, chatterin'
away like any thing, chee, chee, chee, proper frightened;
he know'd it warn't me, that was a parsecutin' of him,
and he expected he'd be hurt. They know'd me, did the
little critters, when they seed me, and they know'd I
never had hurt one on 'em, my balls never givin' 'em a
chance to feel what was the matter of them; but Pat they
didn't know, and they see'd he warn't the man to handle
'old Bull-Dog.' I used to call my rifle Bull-Dog, cause
she always bit afore she barked.

"Pat threw one foot out astarn, like a skullin' oar, and
then bent forrards like a hoop, and fetched the rifle
slowly up to the line, and shot to the right eye. Chee,
chee, chee, went the squirrel. He see'd it was wrong.
'By the powers!' sais Pat, 'this is a left-handed boot,'
and he brought the gun to the other shoulder, and then
shot to his left eye. 'Fegs!' sais Pat, 'this gun was
made for a squint eye, for I can't get a right strait
sight of the critter, either side.' So I fixt it for him
and told him which eye to sight by. 'An excellent gun
entirely,' sais Pat, 'but it tante made like the rifles
we have.'

"Ain't they strange critters, them Irish, Squire? That