They were at some distance, yet I could overhear their remarks.
"That Mexikin's an unhospitable cuss!" muttered Lincoln, with an expression of contempt.
"He might av axed the captain to dhrink, after savin' such a pair of illigant craythers," said Chane.
"Sorra dhrap's in the house, Murt; the place looks dry," remarked another son of the Green Isle.
"Och! an' it's a beautiful cage, anyhow," returned Chane; "and beautiful birds in it, too.

It puts me in mind of ould Dimmerary; but there we had the liquor, the raal rum--oshins of it, alanna!" "That 'ere chap's a greelye, I strongly 'spect," whispered one, a regular down-east Yankee.
"A what ?" asked his companion.
"Why, a greelye--one o' them 'ere Mexikin robbers." "Arrah, now! did yez see the rid sash ?" inquired an Irishman.
"Thim's captin's," suggested the Yankee.

"He's a captin or a kurnel; I'll bet high on that." "What did he say, Nath, as he was running off ?" "I don't know 'zactly--somethin' that sounded mighty like 'spearin' on us." "He's a lanzeer then, by jingo!" "He had better try on his spearin'," said another; "there's shootin' before spearin'-- mighty good ground, too, behind this hyur painted wall." "The old fellow was mighty frindly at first; what got into him, anyhow ?" "Raoul says he offered to give the captain his house and all the furnishin's." "Och, mother o' Moses! and thim illigant girls, too!" "Ov coorse." "By my sowl! an' if I was the captain, I'd take him at his word, and lave off fightin' intirely." "It _is_ delf," said a soldier, referring to the material of which the parapet was constructed.
"No, it ain't." "It's chaney, then." "No, nor chaney either." "Well, what is it ?" "It's only a stone wall painted, you greenhorn!" "Stone-thunder! it's solid delf, I say." "Try it with your bayonet, Jim." _Crick_--_crick_--_crick_--_crinell_! reached my ears.

Turning round, I saw that one of the men had commenced breaking off the japanned work of the parapet with his bayonet.
"Stop that!" I shouted to the man.
The remark of Chane that followed, although uttered _sotto voce_, I could distinctly hear.

It was sufficiently amusing.
"The captain don't want yez to destroy what'll be his own some day, when he marries one of thim young Dons.