ves Irishmin. Well, Jawn, they're Irish,
mebbe, as the American Injun's an American; but they're not like you
and me, dacent min from Dublin."

"But if they can't speak the language, how do ye git on wid 'em?"

"Once in a while, when they're cool and tranquil, I get on to a word or
two, but usually I fall back on moral suasion and the sign language."

"Moral suasion?"

"I swear at 'em. And thin, whin that fails, I use the sign language.
That's good in talkin' to any foreigner, Jawn."

"But what is it, the sign language?"

"A brick. See this, Jawn?" Mike held up one side of his coat, and John
felt of an oblong protuberance in the right-hand pocket. "I carry a
brick at all times, Jawn, for it's the only thing that appeals to their
sinsibilities. I used to carry a club, but it didn't wurruk; they'd get
back at me wid their shovels, and it's domned inconvanient, Jawn, to be
sliced up wid a shovel. So, I carry a brick."

"Do they git that way often?"

"Yis; it's their natural condition. They'd rather fight than ate, and I
don't dare hire a man from another county in one gang, for fear they'll
kill him; so this is the Galway gang, and up the dock a bit is the
Limerick gang, twilve min to each. They're all alike, but think they're
different, so I have to be careful. But, while they'd rather fight than
ate, they'd rather wurruk than fight, and that's where I come in. I
kape 'em apart, and stir up their jealousy. Each gang 'll wurruk like
hill to bate the other."

"And what do ye pay thim?"

"By the job. They stick to factory hours, and won't wurruk overtime,
but at tin hours a day they make about eight dollars."

"The divil! But that's big pay."

"Yis; but I have to pay it, for no other class o' min can do the
wurruk. Why, it 'ud kill an American or a Dootchman!"

"They must have money saved up."

"All that they don't spind at me bar up on the corner. They have to
save some, for in the nature o' things I can't git it all back. And
they're all goin' back to the old sod whin navigation closes--in about
two weeks. This'll be about their last job."

"They'll come to New York and take passage, I suppose."

"Yis; and I'll have to buy their tickets and ship thim. They don't know
much about American money, and wid a new man I have to pay him in
English money at first, until he finds it's no good; thin I exchange at
a discount."

"Fine, Mike; ye'll be rich before long."

"That I will, if the supply of bog-trottin'