At this moment the door opened, and, in perfect silence, four men entered bearing the apparently lifeless body of a man covered with a large cotamore; but before it could be withdrawn from the face, Nora had clasped in her arms the bleeding form her heart had told her was Gerald Kirby. Her vision of woe had been realized-her worst fears fulfilled, and Gerald Kirby having fallen a victim to the treachery of his deadly foe, was now brought wounded to die upon her bosom.

*

The noble form of the rebel chief languished many weeks on the bed of pain, soothed only by the unceasing, unwearied tenderness of the anxious wife. The mildness of the season had been succeeded by a return of wintry weather-a circumstance not unusual in our variable climate, and some nights of sharp frost had rendered the situation of the wounded man more painful, when, just as the evening was giving place to the darkness of night, the door opened, and the cheerful voice of Micky Dan was heard in the Irish salutation, "God save all here."

"It does my heart good to see you, Micky," said Kirby, extending his hand, which was warmly grasped in return; but, poor fellow, where have you been so long? for I know in my heart within that you wouldn't be so near us without coming to an ould friend."

but

"You may say that, and Dickens a lie's in it," said Micky, "but 'tis all in good time it would be, if I could bring you any good now; may the Dickens fly away with them blackguard yeomen thieves."

"What! what of the yeomen?" exclaimed the terrified Nora, instinctively clasping her long arm round the neck of her husband, as she sat beside, and partially supporting his head on her bosom, "Oh, Micky Dan, in the honour of the Virgin, what about the yeomen ?"

"Don't fear, darling," whispered Kirby, "I have not got the warning, no danger is near yet! Don't fear! You know it will come to me, and 'tis time enough to fear then," "But you mad-cap fellow," he said, addressing Micky Dan, "what's all this, tell us all the news, and pitch the yeomen to ould Nick, where they're going fast enough ?"

Micky Dan had taken his place near the fire, and Nora's awakened fears enabled her to perceive in a glance, that some matter of importance weighed upon the mind of the usually lighthearted creature; and as she marked the sadness of his brow during the pause of a few minutes, she awaited in breathless anxiety the disclosure she doubted not he had to make.

"What the Dickens ails me or is come over me to-night," he said, as dashing his cloth cap from him to the other side of the room, he continued, "That I might not, and believe no more, but I'd sooner go up to my neck in water this frosty night than be turned to an ould scare-crow the way am, 'wid them always, and always, making me bring bad news."

I

"Bad news," echoed Nora, whose clasped hands and pale brow bore evidence of its anticipation in her heart. Kirby, too cast an earnest look on the speaker.

"Yes, Nora, isn't it bad news I brought, when I brought the letter that took poor Gerald there to his misfortune. I'yeh! I'yeh! there'll never again be the light heart in my body that was in it afore I did that, Gerald asthore, but sure it was from your own shuperiors, and only for that, and it being all for the good cause, 'tis long till I'd come of their bidding."

"God's will be done, Micky," replied Gerald, "and 'twas not the fault of them that sent you, for sure one's fate is always true; but come, man, what is all this you have to say?"

"Why, see now," resumed Micky-"To the devil and back again with you, you wild scamp of the world," exclaimed the rough enraged voice of a man who at this moment rushed into the house, and, in his fury overlooking Kirby, continued to Micky Dan, "What the devil wor you doing all this time, and we waiting;" but the shrieks of Nora, as she clung round Kirby, served to call the attention of the man, who, taking off his hat, and extending his hand to Kirby, said, "We sent that scamp to tell you, Mr. Kirby, that the danger was near, and that we wor waiting outside to carry you to another place, and

"Come, sir, come,

"Oh, holy Virgin, guard him," exclaimed Nora. and God bless you, and don't delay one minute, come”—and she attempted to raise the chair of her wounded husband, but the man saying, "stay, ma'am, stay-we'll settle all in a minute; only go you, Micky Dan, and call in the rest of the boys." Micky, who to use his own words, had stood "dumb-foundered," hastened to obey, and just as his comrades were bearing Kirby from the door, he suddenly raised his head in a listening attitude, then said, "Now, boys, bear away as fast as ye can, to keep my carcase from the blood-hounds, for they're hot on us ;" and whispering to Nora, who walking, still retained her place by his side, "I heard it, Nora," the party quickly moved along, and were soon among the recesses of the opposite mountain.

The information obtained by Micky Dan, that a neighbouring Magistrate had been informed of the place of Kirby's concealment, and had consequently ordered a body of the yeoman infantry to surprise him in it, had led to the removal of the rebel chief by his companions, as just mentioned. The outlaw and his attached followers had not been gone from the hut many minutes, when a party of the Ballymona yeomen were scrambling amongst the heath and underwood which in some places fringed the sides of the ravine: sometimes forgetful of the caution necessary to be observed by a surprising party, an oath, loud and deep, might be heard, or a malediction on "the man that made those confounded sharp stones to break people's necks coming over." Ogh, bad cess, and bad manners to you for an ugly stump of a white-thorn," said a more moderate one, "What an infernal place this is to send people into," said Liftinnint Nelson, as he was styled. “B————— me, but I'll run my sword through the guts of that rascal, Kirby, for all this; why my u-ne-form won't be fit for the dogs to look at next

66

"you've torn all my nice white pantaloons."

Sunday, letting alone the figure I'll cut at church before the girls. Well, d- me, but 'tis too bad."

At length, by a signal from their guide who was in advance, they knew they were near the hut, and a low murmuring of voices as though anxious for concealment, and the quick breathing of many, with an occasional "hem," as if trying to conquer strong agitation, all proved the sense the persons concerned entertained of the dangerous duty on which they were engaged: it seemed as if all awaited in breathless suspense the issue of each moment. At length arrived in front of the hut, the order to "halt" was uttered by the officer in a low querulous tone, and after a moment he resumed-" Sar-gint."

"Well, your honour," was the reply.

"Sar-gint, lead on the attack, and I'll stay here to cover your retreat." "Corplar Webly, do you hear," said the sergeant, addressing his next in command. "Do you lead on the men to the attack; and, do you mind, the Liftinnint and myself will stay and keep watch for ye, when ye want to run away."

"The devil from me if I do, then," was the response to this reasonable request. "Yis, indeed! myself and my min run alive into the jaws of death, and you and he sculking behind a ditch: I'd see you and your mammy to the before I'd put my life in danger for ye; 'tis enough to venture my life for my religion, and not to save your ugly carcass." "What's all this? what's all this?" enquired in a meek subdued tone, one who being a Methodist preacher also, was generally regarded as a spokesman by the rest of the corps. "Why, my dear bratherin, will ye hold council at this time; the man Kirby is but one man, and we are many."

"You say perfectly right, soldier," said the officer, now coming forward, “and I'll watch over the safety of my min, and cover their retreat as all great ginerals do, and I say, Sargint Webly, lead on the attack."

"Why, my dear sir," again interposed the preacher, "the men seem a leetle timorous, or so: now, as I before observed in treating of this matter, the man is but one man, and”—

At this moment the loud blast of a horn issuing from the hut, made the hills and valleys resound, and their echoes repeating it on all sides, the terrified yeomen thought themselves surrounded by a host of rebels, and scampered off in all directions, leaving Micky Dan master of the field. After enjoying a hearty laugh at the discomfited soldiers, he took his repose for the remainder of the night upon the hearth which had been destined to a scene of blood by the boastful spirit of the Ballymona yeomanry; but in the morning he sought the cave whither Kirby had been conveyed, and produced numerous trophies, such as shoes, belts, and cartridge-boxes, and even muskets, all in proof of the victory he obtained over the nerves of the brave yeomen. "Now b'lieve me, Gerald Kirby," he continued, "that I mightn't, but I had no more notion of frightening them all so easy, than I had of my dying day; but the boys and I had

planned to have myself stay in the cabin after you, in the way that when the yeomen would come, I would be there to put them on a wrong scent, and send them off another way, but I bethought myself of another way to delay them, and that was to cut down some of the bacon, and keep on frying it, for I knew they'd go to the dickens after the smell of it, itself, and that you'd have time enough to be out of the way. But when my chaps came up to the house, I heard the cugger-muggering outside, and you'd know the dirty devils were in dread of their lives; wid that, I up wid the horn, and gave them a blast that scattered 'em all to the black north afore hand. I'yeh! I'm the boy for the yeomen." So saying, and shouldering one of the yeoman guns, the wild creature strutted about, singing

My name is Captain Ryanardine,

The same I'll ne'er deny;

And 'tis with my gun I'll guard you,

All down the mountains high.

Then followed a snatch in Irish of this famous Munster melody. At length, wearied with his deeds of glory, and the recital of them, he flung himself on a stone bench, and from mere joyousness of heart, sung many of those melodies, which I dare say are not heard to so great advantage when breathed by the lip of beauty, and in the splendid saloon of the great city, as they were then in the mountain cave, the singer, one of Ireland's own wild children, and the auditors the outlaw and his bride.

CHAPTER XIII.

THE expression of joy that lighted up the wan features of the wounded man, as Micky Dan recounted the events of the previous night, had given place to one almost of sadness as he listened to the rich full swells which none but a native can give to the melodies of our own beautiful Ireland. As his head rested on the throbbing bosom of Nora, he seemed soothed into forgetfulness of the present, by those well-remembered songs which were wont to cheer the heart of his childhood, and closing his eyes, he indulged in that sweetest magic which groups around us the loved and lost of early and happier days. This is certainly one of the effects of our national music, which must be acknowledged by all, for not even the celebrated Swiss air, nor the well-known Roslin Castle' of the Scotch, can so powerfully awaken the finer chords of feeling in the breast of the natives of those countries, as the melancholy sweetness of our national melodies in those of our own. I have often seen a whole party of persons moved to tears while listening to an Irish song, not one word of which was intelligible to them; but the melancholy richness of the air was such as to fill the whole soul of the listener with a sympathetic softness, which made it almost a luxury to weep.

Notwithstanding the tenderness with which Kirby had been carried by his comrades, the effects of his rapid removal, together with the frosty

air which could not be sufficiently excluded from his present place of concealment, had increased the pain, and every bad symptom of his wound; it was after a night spent in watching by his bed of agony, that poor Nora had that morning gladly seen the entrance to the cave darkened by the person of Micky Dan, as she hoped through his means to procure some alleviation of the sufferings of her husband.

She rejoiced to perceive in the first instance that the arrival of their friend had served to cheer the poor invalid; but as she continued to observe the effect produced upon him by the songs which their wild friend was still breathing forth, she dreaded (although the tears falling from her own cheek as it was pressed upon his head, showed how much she sympathised in his feelings) that the reaction from what she knew was passing in his bosom, picturing the home and kindred he once possessed, in fearful contrast with the present, would be but too ill-suited to his enfeebled frame. She judged rightly! The wretched man awoke from his trance of memory, his visions of past happiness, only to feel more powerfully the miseries of his present situation; and with a groan of mental agony he suddenly raised his head, and throwing up his clenched hand on high with an aspect of wild menace, he exclaimed-"Yes! hell's own devil, you have kept your word, and the last of the Kirbies is under your foot! Oh, John! Connor! Father! Mother where are you now? Oh, Gracy! my own darling, Ally, matourneen! where are all! all! all?— gone! gone! and Gerald! your own Gerald, cannot revenge ye! but'"Ogh, Gerald darling, what'll become of your own Nora if you take on this way," said the unhappy wife, as passing her arm round his neck; she tried once more to soothe this out-break of his excited feelings; and even the usually gay-hearted Micky Dan, terrified at the unexpected violence evinced by the invalid, tried to gratify his wish for revenge by the assurance that there were those alive yet that would have satisfaction for him; "and besides," he continued, "Gerald, asthore, you'll live yourself many a day to thrash the black heart out of the rascal, so keep up your heart, man, we'll have another turn with the sogers, as the yeomen call themselves, and I'll make 'em throw off the brogues and run for their lives yet! cheer up your heart."

The once athletic frame of Gerald Kirby had been enfeebled by pain and long confinement, and the sufferings of a dangerous wound unmitigated by any medical or surgical advice; but in the increased brilliancy of the fine eyes which were now turned fondly upon her, and in the burning of the hand which grasped hers, poor Nora saw evidences of a return of the fever which had attended the early state of the wound, and the subsequent wildness and incoherency of his language convinced her he raved under the influences of it.

Oh! how melancholy was it to listen to the wanderings of that perturbed mind, still bearing upon its broken mirror images of long lost forms, or scenes of domestic life shattered and unconnected, while he addressed the endearing epithets of his own language to the imaginary

1842.-JULY.

2 K