Page:Soldiers Three - Kipling (1890).djvu/88

 high grass. I'll sleep ut off there,' sez I; an' Houligan—he's dead now, but good he was while he lasted—walked wid me, givin' me the touch whin I wint wide, ontil we came to the hich grass, an', my faith, the sky an' the earth was fair rowlin' undher me. I made for where the grass was thickust, an' there I slep' off my liquor wid an easy conscience. I did not desire to come on books too frequint; my characther havin' been shpotless for the good half av a year.

"Whin I roused, the dhrink was dyin' out in me an' I felt as tho' a she-cat had littered in my mouth. I had not learned to hould my liquor wid comfort in thim days. 'Tis little betther I am now. 'I will get Houligan to pour a bucket over my head,' thinks I, an' I wud ha' risen, but I heard some wan say:—'Mulvaney can take the blame av ut for the backslidin' hound he is'.

Oho!' sez I, an' my head rang like a guard-room gong; 'fwhat is the blame that this young man must take to oblige Tim Vulmea?' For 'twas Tim Vulmea that shpoke.

"I turned on my belly an' crawled through the grass, a bit at a time, to where the spache came from. There was the twelve av my room sittin' down in a little patch, the dhry grass wavin' above their heads an' the sin av black murdher in their hearts. I put the stuff aside to get clear view.

Fwhat's that?' sez wan man, jumpin' up.

A dog, sez Vulmea. 'You're a nice hand to this job! As I said, Mulvaney will take the blame—av ut comes to a pinch.'

'Tis harrd to swear a man's life away,' sez a young wan.

Thank ye for that,' thinks I 'Now, fwhat the divil are you paragins conthrivin' against me?'

'Tis as easy as dhrinkin' your quart,' sez Vulmea. 'At seven or thereon O'Hara will come acrost to the Married Quarters, goin' to call on Slimmy's wife, the swine! Wan av us'll pass the wurrd to the room an' we shtart the divil an'