, by a very slight motion of its muscles,
was capable. His hands, during this silence, closed and opened
convulsively; his eyes shot out two or three baleful glances, first to
his confederates, and afterwards vacantly into the deep gloom of the
lower part of the chapel; his teeth ground against each other, like
those of a man whose revenge burns to reach a distant enemy, and
finally, after having wound himself up to a certain determination, his
features relapsed into their original calm and undisturbed expression.

At this moment a loud laugh, having something supernatural in it, rang
out wildly from the darkness of the chapel; he stopped, and putting his
open hand over his brows, peered down into the gloom, and said calmly in
Irish, "_Bee dhu husth; ha nih anam inh_:--hold your tongue, it is not
yet time."

Every eye was now directed to the same spot, but, in consequence of its
distance from the dim light on the altar, none could perceive the person
from whom the laugh proceeded. It was, by this time, near two o'clock in
the morning.

He now stood for a few moments on the platform, and his chest heaved
with a depth of anxiety equal to the difficulty of the design he wished
to accomplish.

"Brothers," said he--"for we are all brothers--sworn upon all that's
blessed an' holy, to obey whatever them that's over us, manin' among
ourselves, wishes us to do--are you now ready, in the name of God, upon
whose althar I stand, to fulfil yer oaths?"

The words were scarcely uttered, when those who had stood beside the
altar during the night, sprang from their places, and descending its
steps rapidly turned round, and raising their arms, exclaimed, "By all
that's good an' holy we're willin'."

In the meantime, those who sat upon the steps of the altar, instantly
rose, and following the example of those who had just spoken, exclaimed
after them, "To be sure--by all that's sacred an' holy we're willin'."

"Now, boys," said the Captain, "ar'n't ye big fools for your pains? an'
one of ye doesn't know what I mane."

"You're our Captain," said one of those who had stood at the altar, "an'
has yer ordhers from higher quarthers; of coorse, whatever ye command
upon us we're bound to obey you in."

"Well," said he, smiling, "I only wanted to thry yez; an' by the oath
ye tuck, there's not a captain in the county has as good a right to be
proud of his min as I have. Well, ye won't rue it, maybe, when the right
time comes; and for th