wine, in the course of which the Lieutenant, who seemed to have a great regard for the Chieftain, said—

"I am sorry to inform you, Colonel, that in consequence of the way you have been represented to the Government, you are marked out in Dublin Castle as one of the suspected Papists. If this abominable tyranny towards the Catholics is continued much longer, I will be obliged to resign my commission, and return to reside in Northumberland. I did not imagine, when I first joined the army, that I was to be converted into a blood-hound, to track out inoffensive men, and be the medium through which they were to be brought before a corrupt and bigoted magistracy, to be tortured in the most severe manner, for no other offence than that of following the dictates of their consciences."

After some further conversation between both gentlemen, Lieutenant Collingwood remarked

"It affords me infinite pleasure to have made your acquaintance, Colonel; and I assure you I am most agreeably surprised to find in the far west a name which is so historic and revered in my own country. I was informed, while coming along the road, that the extensive tracts of land on either side belonged to Colonel Forster, commonly called the Chief of Clooneene. This fact, together with the high position you hold, and the large number of your retainers, leads me to believe that your family must at some early period have come from Northumberland."

The Chief replied

"I am descended from the House of Etherston, and my family rank next in the line of succession to the Chieftaincy.'

Lieutenant Collingwood, on hearing this, shook the gallant Chief warmly by the hand, saying—

"I am delighted to hear that you have sprung from that noble house, particularly so as one of the best friends I ever had, poor Tom Haggerston, of Haggerston, who was slain in the late war, was descended maternally from that ancient family” (165).

In the course of the evening, after having discussed several other subjects, Lieutenant Collingwood departed with his men for their barracks at Gortinsiguara, highly pleased with the kindness and hospitality they had received at Clooneene.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

THE PROPHECY.

We will now return to Donal Bran, the bold Rapparee, to whose zeal in the cause of the Catholic religion the Reverend Father Moylan owed his life. A party of his gallant band, under Ronald Scott, having returned from the province of Leinster after traversing that part of the country to within a short distance of Dublin, while passing through Connaught, laden with spoil which they had wrested from the rich and overbearing Williamite settlers, happened to fall in with a clergyman of the church by law established. They took him prisoner, and marched him to their head-quarters at Bunnacippaun Wood, to be disposed of in whatever way their leader approved of.

Donal had now that portion of his band which was usually stationed at Bunnacippaun together again, and more daring or athletic young fellows never trod their native soil. Headed by their fearless leader, they were more than a match for four times as many of the English troops. Well-disciplined, and accustomed from their infancy to the numerous byways and recesses of that part of the country, they could with ease advance and retire from all directions, and by this means were enabled to harass the ranks of the more numerous enemy.

Shortly after the return of his men with the parson as their prisoner, Donal Bran called on the Chieftain at Clooneene, to ask his advice as to the best course for him to pursue. On being admitted to the Chief's presence, the Rapparee informed him of the arrest some of his party had made while on their return from Leinster. He also said he had both the priest and the parson at that moment in his cave; that he was determined to protect the priest from his enemies, until himself and the last of his men would have perished in the attempt; but, with regard to the parson, he considered, and he hoped the Chieftain would coincide with him, that he ought to be at once hung by the neck. He continued

"As there is no mercy to be expected for Catholics, under any circumstances, from the Government, I am fully satisfied that Catholics are not bound in conscience to extend mercy towards the Protestants."

"Though I am obliged," said the Chieftain, "to admit the bigoted cruelty and want of forbearance the Catholics are subject to at the hands of the Government, still I cannot agree that to dispose of the

parson in the peremptory manner you suggest, Donal, is the proper way to obtain redress for our grievances. Besides, it is incumbent on every Catholic who adheres to the tenets of his religion to forgive his enemies, in order that he may be forgiven his own transgressions."

The Rapparee did not at all relish the lenient course the Chieftain would have him pursue, and urged a great many arguments in favour of hanging the parson, which, however, the Chieftain did not entertain. After duly considering the affair, the Chief ordered Donal Bran to have the priest and the parson brought before him. The Rapparee immediately returned to his cave, and ordered his men to turn out under arms. They were not long in obeying, and, fully equipped with brilliant firelocks, swords, skians, and very long-barrelled pistols, they awaited at the entrance to the cave their captain's further orders. Donal Bran now led forth the prisoner from his place of confinement, and gave him in charge to his men. He then returned to a more remote portion of the cave where Father Moylan was comfortably located, and informed him that the Chief of Clooneene wished to see him. Father Dermot immediately accompanied the Rapparee, who, placing himself at the head of his corps, gave the order-" March to Clooneene." On their arrival there O'Halloran ushered the priest, the parson, and Donal Bran into the parlour, where the Chieftain awaited them. The Rapparee was the first to break silence, by saying

"Now, my Chief, here is the priest and the parson; and I want your advice as to what I should do with the latter."

"Well, Donal, said the Chieftain, "I would like to hear what yourself proposes doing first."

"As it is your pleasure, Chief, I will inform you," replied the Rapparee. "I know I am an outlaw, proscribed by the Government from enjoying any of the civil liberties of my country. If I am so unfortunate as to fall into the grasp of my enemies, I know they will have no compunction in hanging me until I am dead, and afterwards in mutilating my body; therefore, Chief, any of them that falls into my hands will be meted out mercy in the same way they would measure it to me if I was their prisoner, and as the parson now in our custody is, of course, an enemy, I give it as my candid opinion that, without judge or jury, sheriff or professional hangman, he ought, most certainly, be hung on the tallest tree in Clooneene."

"Oh! Donal," responded the Chieftain; "he shall not be hung within my demesne at all events."

"Well," said the Rapparee, "that would not put me to much inconvenience, if I only had your consent, as I am certain to find plenty

of trees in Bunnacippaun Wood, quite tall enough to hang even an archbishop on."

"I told you before, Donal," said the Chief, "that we are bound to forgive our enemies, and I further tell you that I will not consent to the death of a man who has done us no harm."

"Very well, sir," said Donal, "as you are wiser than I am, you may now do as you please with the parson; but he has to thank you, and you only, for his life, as unquestionably he would have got a high hanging from me."

The Chief of Clooneene then said to the Rapparee

"The parson is probably a very good man, and perhaps a useful member of society, though differing from us in religion, and it is our duty to protect his life, as every man ought to be allowed to worship God according to his conscience. I therefore think the best way to act is to set him at liberty."

The Rapparee, though reluctantly, having agreed to this, the Chief kept both the priest and parson to dine with him, and also had Donal and his men well taken care of.

In the evening, the parson took leave of his benefactor, having first poured a shower of benedictions on him and his posterity, for having protected him from the fury of the Rapparee.

Donal and his men shortly after departed for their cave, leaving Father Moylan the only visitor at Clooneene.

When the Chieftain and Father Dermot were alone, the latter thanked Colonel Forster, in the most grateful manner imaginable, for the kind manner in which he always harboured him, and then said—

"I know, as far as property is concerned, you are one of the wealthiest gentlemen in the counties of Galway and Clare; but I am sorry to inform you that I prophesy a time will come when your descendants will have lost the vast properties you now hold in your possession, but the high prestige your noble sept has held for so many centuries will not be destroyed by this misfortune, for another scion of your ancient line will afterwards spring up, like a cedar in the forest, who will be a leader in those counties, and regain the greater portion, if not all, of his hereditary estates."

The Chief listened most attentively to the aged pastor, and when he concluded, as the night waxed late, both retired to rest.

CHAPTER XLIX.

REBELLION OF THE RAPPAREES.

In a few days after, while sitting in his cave with his band around him, Donal Bran was, without any previous intimation, accused by one of his sub-officers, named Ronald Scott, with having liberated the parson, entirely against the wish of the other Rapparees, and said he

"Donal, you should not have taken so much authority, without at least consulting the men who arrested the parson, and who were put to so much trouble and inconvenience by taking him a prisoner all the way from Leinster, as I well know from being in command of them."

Donal, who was greatly surprised at the audacity of his subordinate refuted the charge by saying

"You all know, comrades, that I gave up the parson to Frincheas More na Fion, who acquitted him, and although I do not obey the laws of the land, still I must always consider myself bound to obey the Chiefs of the sept whose fortunes my forefathers followed, and when the Chief of Clooneene was so charitably disposed as to release him, I think that neither you nor I, Ronald Scott, have any right whatever to interfere with his pleasure."

The entire of the band having heard both sides of the question agreed that Donal had acted perfectly right, and in accordance with their wishes. Ronald Scott, hearing this, said that as far as the liberation of the parson was concerned, he was also fully satisfied with Donal's explanation, but there was another matter which he wished to call the attention of his companions to; this was, that Donal had neglected to divide the gold and silver which were amassed since the war commenced, amongst the men. To this charge Donal replied

"The gold and silver you allude to I have kept quite safe, for the purpose of carrying on a war in Ireland in favour of King James III., called by the Williamites the Pretender,' and I always believed it was your unanimous wish I should do so. Whenever any of you required money for your private purposes you know I was always ready to supply it, and although you have elected me your leader, I think it is well known to you that I am not extravagant, and I can fearlessly say, without fear of contradiction, than I have never taken more than an equal share from our common treasury; and it cannot be denied that when any of our