“They look like birds.” Evidently he was thinking of the Three; a silence⁠—then: “Yes, they look like birds ⁠—and they look, and it’s meaning no disrespect to them I am at all, they look like lizards ”⁠—and another silence⁠—“they look like some sort of gods, and, by the good sword-arm of Brian Boru, they look human, too! And it’s none of them they are either, so what⁠—what the⁠—what the sainted St. Bridget are they?” Another short silence, and then in a tone of awed and absolute conviction: “That’s it, sure! That’s what they are⁠—it all hangs in⁠—they couldn’t be anything else⁠—”

He gave a whoop; a pillow shot over and caught me across the head.

“Wake up!” shouted Larry. “Wake up, ye seething cauldron of fossilized superstitions! Wake up, ye bogey-haunted man of scientific unwisdom!”