k fresh courage, and in a short time made the
O'Hallaghan's retreat up the church-yard. I never saw anything equal to
John; he absolutely sent them down in dozens; and when a man would give
him any inconvenience with the stick, he would down him with the fist,
for right and left were all alike to him. Poor Rose's brother and he
met, both roused like two lions; but when John saw who it was, he held
back his hand:--

"'No, Tom,' says he, 'I'll not strike you, for Rose's sake. I'm not
fighting through ill will to you or your family; so take another
direction, for I can't strike you.'

"The blood, however, was unfortunately up in Tom.

"'We'll decide it now,' said he, 'I'm as good a man as you, O'Callaghan:
and let me whisper this in your ears--you'll never warm the one bed
with Rose, while's God's in heaven--it's past that now--there can be I
nothing but blood between us!'

"At this juncture two of the O'Callaghans ran with their shillelaghs up,
to beat down Tom on the spot.

"'Stop, boys!' said John, 'you mustn't touch him; he had no hand in the
quarrel. Go, boys, if you respect me; lave him to myself.'

"The boys withdrew to another part of the fight; and the next instant
Tom struck the very man that interfered to save him, across the temple,
and cut him severely. John put his hand up and staggered.

"'I'm sorry for this,' he observed; 'but it's now self-defence with me;'
and at the same moment, with one blow, he left Tom O'Hallaghan stretched
insensible on the street.

"On the O'Hallaghans being driven to the church-yard, they were at a
mighty great inconvenience for weapons. Most of them had lost their
sticks, it being a usage in fights of this kind to twist the cudgels
from the grasp of the beaten men, to prevent them from rallying. They
soon, however, furnished themselves with the best they could find,
videlicet, the skull, leg, thigh, and arm bones, which they found lying
about the grave-yard. This was a new species of weapon, for which the
majority of the O'Callaghans were scarcely prepared. Out they sallied in
a body--some with these, others with stones, and making fierce assault
upon their enemies, absolutely druv then--not so much by the damage they
we're doing, as by the alarm and terror which these unexpected species
of missiles excited. At this moment, notwithstanding the fatality that
had taken place, nothing could be more truly comical and facetious
than the appearance of the field of battle. Skull