you?-I'd swear ten oaths 'twas she gave a parth o' the song I made for her."

"Hi, hi!” giggled Kitty from her covert, now certain of her man, notwithstanding his very suspicious equipment.

"An' maybe I don't know the manin' o' that," shouted Tim, as he capered to seek her. There was an instant's shuffling under the deep shadow of the trees, which Nanny could not precisely make out. But after, as she called it some "hugger-mugger" discourse, she overheard the following conversation.

"Ah, then, for goodness sake, Tim, what sort of a dhress is that upon you? I'd lay a bet I seen the likes on some o' King George's sogers."

Faix, an' maybe you did! It's a sin an' a shame that the daylight isn't wid us, till you'd see me proper. Divil so purty a Hoossian ever your too eyes opened on, a-lanna." 66 A Hoossian!-English me that, Tim, an' I'll say thankee." "Why, then, I'll tell you, Kitty, my duck. Them Hoossians, they're horse-throopers that's come from for'n parts to fight the poor Croppies. If you war to hear 'em spakin'!—he likes o' their talk never came out of a Christhen mouth afore, Bud there's one comfort; it isn't Christhen mouths is on their ugly faces. An' they have two whiskers o' beard over their lips; an' they discoorse like born brothers wid their horses. Urragh vulluck, they say, an' then the horses makes answer afther the same fashion."

in

"Sure you're makin' fun, Tim."

"In throth I'm not, Kitty, but as downright arnest as ever I was life."

my

"You might asy be that, Tim."

"What matther, a-lanna. We can't be merry in the grave; so, we'll laugh an' be fat here, on the face o' the livin' earth. Bud, as I was sayin' to you, them Hoossians are great bastes for purshuin' the poor counthry girls at every hand's turn. I was comin' along the road, wid the pike in my fist, an' I seen a Hoossian ridin' agin me, an' I hid myself to let him pass by. The thruth of a nate purty crature, crossed a stile, at the same time, an' he spurred his horse afther her, an' as they both war comin' near me, I stepped out a bit. She ran to me, callin' me honest boy, an' axin me to save her. Up comes the Hoossian gallopin': 'ullagh gulluch ghrow fraw thruff,' says he to myself; ulluch, gulluch, gruff, an' to the ould Divil wid you!' says I. At the word he reined back his horse, an made him dance on his hinder legs, that he might have a good slash at me. Bud I was afore hand wid him. The pike slip into

the horse's heart, afther a manner it has; ay, an' before he could say gulluch gruff to me again, it slipt through his own heart.”

"Stout was your fist, Tim! So that's the way you got your quare clothes ?"

"Faix, an' it is, Kitty! I began to look at him, when I had the time for it. Says I to mysef, isn't this a green jacket an' a green breeches on the baste of a fellow? Sure green is the poor Croppy's colour, an' maybe I won't put 'em on my own sef, jest to be like any soger. So I was skinnin' him of the both, when up comes another Croppy, goin' for the camp, too. 'I cry halves,' he says; 'Bother!' says I, makin' answer the way he desarved; 'bother, my boy, go an' kill a Hoossian for yoursef."

Much more characteristic conversation ensued between them, ere Tim at length thought of inquiring why his mistress was thus rambling at night. But as soon as he ascertained the nature of her mission to "the camp," he at once confirmed Nanny's surmises that Sir William was at present amongst the insurgent force on the height. Only stipulating that so long as they remained unobserved, his protecting arm should encircle her waist-(Nanny was not, and indeed did not consider herself a critic from whom any such little freedom ought to be disguised,)-Tim then led Kitty in search of the Baronet; the reflection that his young mistress was thereby to be served, adding energy to his zeal.

While the great throng assembled for the assault of Ross lay sunk in deepest sleep, and while the most convivial of their captains prolonged their midnight revelry, there was one who neither sought to share the oblivious slumbers of the first, nor the care-drowning libations of the others. With arms folded hard across his body, he paced up and down before the door of Corbet Hill-house. Sometimes he would pause, and seemingly after a moment's thought stamp violently with either foot, and again resume his hurried and irregular strides.

"If I'm not a blind man, Kitty, my duck ;-an' sure, if I was, you wouldn't be dyin' in love wid me as you are;- there's the gintleman you want," said Tim Reily.

"Faix, my honey, it's him sure enough! Make up to him, both o' ye, an' tell him your errand; becase I'd rather of the two not to go near him," remarked Nanny.

* An expression really originating from the Insurrection of 1798, and well-known all over Ireland, though for the first time traced to its real source. Indeed, it has become a bye-word in the sister-island; tantamount to, "win gold and wear it."

"Why so, Nanny ?" asked Kitty.

"He hasn't a likin' for me, I believe. He was onct goin' to toss my poor lump of a body out of a windee. An' that 'ud be the

death o' me, there's no doubt."

Tim and Kitty approached Sir William. He seemed unconscious of their presence until Tim accosted him.

"Here's a purty little girl, your honour;"-holding Kitty by the

arm.

"What does she want, fellow?" questioned the Baronet, stopping suddenly, and speaking so vehemently that both sprang backward.

"She only wants to be spakin' wid your honour," resumed Tim, in a voice of humility.

"Pitch her to the thousand furies!" cried Sir William; and all of her sex- -And, begone, scoundrel!”

"she

"Pitch her where?" muttered Tim, closing his fingers on his pike handle. "Show me the man that'll pitch her anywhere, half a quarter of a yard, an' he won't be thankful for his throuble!" Never heed the poor young gintleman, Tim.

He's cracked wid his thrials, an' doesn't know what he's sayin'," whispered Kitty. "Thrue for you, Kitty. Bud I forgot it when he talked o' doin' anything to you."

"Tim is only comin' to tell your honour where to find the poor young misthress," resumed Kitty.

"Hah!" Sir William again stopped and eagerly fixed his eyes on them," where to find Lady Judkin, you mean ?"

"Yes, Sir. My lady is in an honest house in the town, there below, an' longin' in her heart to see your honour."

"Lead me thither instantly!" he cried in high exultation, striking his hands together.

The impossibility of getting into Ross unobserved now that the day had begun to break, was stated to him by Kitty and Tim, in a breath, "But," continued Kitty, "when the night comes again, I'll lade your honour, by a way I know, to the very house, an' into the house, more betoken."

66 Faith, we'll all be in Ross town afore the next night, Kittyelse what did we come here for?" said Tim.

66

"True, my lad! true! Ay-before the sun is two hours over the hills!" He rushed from them to the door of the house. Come! I'll live a day yet and perhaps not in vain !-enjoyment-triumph -revenge-then, death the next instant, and I can laugh in his face in my last gasp!"

He broke into the house. the scarce sober leaders. and then to the back lawn, yet slumbering multitude. morning, all was stir and bustle, where but a moment previous all had been forgetfulness and silence.

He announced the morning light to He ran out from them, first to the front, and shouted away the sleep from the With the earliest blush of a lovely

CHAPTER XLI.

THE banners were quickly snatched up: their bearers, waving tuem to and fro, loudly repeated the names of the parishes to which each belonged, as the shortest method of mustering their followers. In broken groups the natives of different districts rushed to obey the summons. The principal leaders mounted their horses. Amongst them the dingy sables of four priests contrasted oddly with their martial weapons.

The person who had been appointed commander-in-chief, a Protestant gentleman of considerable property in the country, and much deficient, by the way, in the mental endowments necessary for his new station, had begun, according to previous plans, to divide his forces for the attack, when Sir William Judkin observed a horseman bearing a white handkerchief on a pole, prepare to set out towards the town. He guessed his purpose.

"You go with a flag of parley, Sir ?"

"With a summons to surrender, Sir William. Which, if they're wise they'll listen to."

"I am with you, if you do not object."

""Tis a mission of some danger; but your company is welcome, since you offer.”

Sir William thanked this person, who seemed a man somewhat above the middle rank. A green ribbon round his hat, and another crossing his shoulder, bespoke a leader of importance. A brace of pistols, and a sheathed sabre, most probably the spoils of conquest, were thrust into a strap that encircled his waist.

At a brisk pace they advanced to the town. They were within a quarter of a mile of one of the gates, and could see the soldiers drawn out before the barriers, as they had been stationed during the night, ready for encounter.

“Halt, and give the counter-sign !" cried a sentinel in advance. "A flag to your general," answered the herald, waving his em blem of office. Almost before he heard the explosion that sent the bullet through his brain, he fell dead from his saddle. Sir William fired in return, missed his man, and then galloped back, while a volley from the line that covered the gate followed his retreat. As he rode up to Corbet-hill House, he could see that many balls which had missed and passed him, had made victims among the stragglers at the bottom of the eminence.

"Where's my master, Sir ?" cried a stripling of sixteen, catching at his bridle as he rode on. "Where's Mr. Furlong, that went wid the flag?"

66

Shot, my man!

before he heard

66

!" and Sir William broke from him, but not

Why, then, may the Orange conquer us! but I'll have the best blood among 'em for my masther's." And the lad, peering at the

flint of his pistol, mingled with the crowd.

It had been loosely planned by the leaders, while inspired by the libations of the preceding night, that their force should be divided into three bodies, destined to assault Ross, simultaneously, at three distinct points. But the attempt to carry this resolution into effect was attended with no little difficulty. They were, in truth, but the heads of a mob, yet unreduced to any thing like order, yet unconscious of good to be derived from previous arrangement, and who could form no idea of attack, save that inspired by wild impulse, and obeyed by one furious rush upon their foes. When, therefore, the captains spoke of precaution, and of a plan, they were only understood to be actuated by doubts of success as to the issue of a bold onset. A vague notion of danger, already apprehended, began to pervade the assemblage.

The leaders themselves, mostly pushed into reputation and ascendancy by the personal prowess that had urged them to head their followers through the thickest danger, but otherwise unfitted for command, proved as incompetent to execute their purpose, as did the rude force to understand it. A necessity for a divided yet regular attack had been half-impressed on their minds. But they came to their preparatory task without reflection, and consequently could not apply themselves to arranging, in detail, the crude materials which were to be directed to their object.

When Sir William Judkin approached the position he had just left, the attempted preparations for the coming fight produced therefore such a scene of tumult, as already boded the impractica