Blow me, but it's a sin to see such a knavish scoundrel professing it." "It's a greater sin, you Orange omad-hawn, to see the likes o' you disgracin' the bades an' the blessed religion you tuck an you." "You were no disgrace, then, to the one you left; but you are a burnin' scandal to the one you joined, and they ought to kick you out of it." In fact, both converts, in the bitterness of their hatred, were beginning to forget the new characters they had to support, and to glide back unconsciously, or we should rather say, by the force of conscience, to their original creeds.
"If Father M'Cabe was wise he'd send you to the heretics again." "If the Protestants regarded their own character, and the decency of their religion, they'd send you back to your cursed Popery again." "It's no beef atin' creed, anyway," said Darby, who had, without knowing it, become once more a staunch Papist, "ours isn't." "It's one of knavery and roguery," replied Bob, "sure devil a thing one of you knows only to believe in your Pope." "You had betther not abuse the Pope," said Darby, "for fraid I'd give you a touch o' your ould complaint, the fallin' sickness, you know, wid my fist." "Two could play at that game, Darby, and I say, to hell with him--and the priests are all knaves and rogues, every one of them." "Are they, faith," said Darby, "here's an answer for that, anyhow." "Text for text, you Popish rascal." A fierce battle took place on the open highway, which was fought with intense' bitterness on both sides.

The contest, which was pretty equal, might, however, have been terminated by the defeat of one of them, had they been permitted to fight without support on either side; this, however, was not to be.

A tolerably large crowd, composed of an equal number of Catholics and Protestants, collected from the adjoining fields, where they had been at labor, immediately joined them.

Their appearance, unhappily, had only the effect of renewing the battle.
The Catholics, ignorant of the turn which the controversy had taken, supported Bob and Protestantism; whilst the Protestants, owing to a similar mistake, fought like devils for Darby and the Pope.

A pretty smart skirmish, in fact, which lasted more than twenty minutes, took place between the parties, and were it not that their wives, sisters, daughters, and mothers, assisted by many who were more peaceably disposed, threw themselves between them, it might have been much more serious than it was.