Page:Artabanzanus (Ferrar, 1896).djvu/234

226 carcase at the tail of my old coat through the holy mud of Ireland! I challenge you to fight me if you have the liver of a jackass—yaw, yaw!"

'Stand back, Partigan, I'm his friend!' roared the well-known voice of Doctor Julius. 'For shame, all against one; back, you sons of perdition, and leave him to me, He shall fight you, Sir Dashmy, never fear; or if he won't I will myself; we have been secret enemies long enough, let us be open ones now. Come, Ubertus, you have played the fool here to some purpose—'pon my soul, I begin to think you must be a brave fellow after all; but we are wasting time; who's your friend, Sir Dashmy Partigan?'

'The white-livered, hang-dog, cowardly rascal hasn't accepted my challenge!' roared the enraged Sir Dashmy.

'Say you'll fight him,' said the Doctor; 'never say die, or flinch now; I'll be your second. I'll see you through it. Who's your friend, Partigan?'

'My friend, sir,' replied the wrathful Secretary for Foreign Affairs, 'is the Hon. Kattyscalpa Bomblazo! but I've not heard your brave comrade accept my challenge yet. Hi fight you both. If you hide him down among the black rocks in the valley of the Dark River, by the eternal fumes of brimstone and phosphorus I'll find him out, and drag him from his hiding-place—yaw, yaw!'

'I'll speak for him,' bellowed the Doctor, now thoroughly enraged; 'you contemptible tiger-faced bully, he shall fight you!'

'I can speak for myself, Doctor,' I said at last; 'I will fight this gentleman, and think myself highly honoured by so doing.'

'Then we can go. Bomblazo, have your principal ready in the great quadrangle at the end of the third avenue at ten to-night.'