opular till he had been brought to the verge of ruin. Such
a father could not fail to bring up his sons ill: his eldest son was as
extravagant and reckless as himself. Brian, his second, had more talent
than his brother. Having been sent to college in Dublin, he at first
gave some promise of turning out well. Owen was at that time acquainted
with him, and, harbouring no ill-feeling, was ready to be on friendly
terms; but Brian soon showed the cloven foot, and although he remained
for some time, he was at length dismissed with ignominy. Living near
the sea, he had been accustomed from his earliest days to go out with
the fishermen, and to make short trips to Drogheda, Dungarvon, Youghal,
and occasionally even further. After his return home, having no means
of indulging in the bad courses to which he was addicted, he, it was
said, joined a band of smugglers, who under his leadership became the
most daring and successful of all the gangs of desperate men who carry
on their illicit trade across the English Channel. Now they appeared in
one part of the coast, now in another; so that, although a constant
watch was kept for them, owing to the vigilance of their agents for
several years, they never failed to escape the king's cruisers. From
long impunity becoming less cautious, a valuable cargo in which he had
ventured all his property was captured, with himself and several of his
companions, by a king's ship. They were brought into Waterford, and
were imprisoned in Reginald's Tower, on the quay. During the night,
however, they rose on the guard, whom they killed, to prevent alarm
being given, and stealing a boat made their way down the river. In the
harbour they found a Dutch ship, the _Saint Peter_, of Hamburg, which
had put in from stress of weather. As she was on the point of sailing,
they pretended that they had come down on purpose to take a passage on
board her to Dantzic, for which port she was bound. The captain,
believing their story, willingly received them, as they offered to pay a
considerable sum for their passage-money. Scarcely, however, had they
got out of sight of land than they set upon the captain and his officers
and killed them all, and so overawed the men that no one dared to offer
the slightest resistance. By threats and promises they induced the
greater number to join them, and those who would not do so were thrown
overboard. One, however, a good swimmer, recovering from the blows
which ha