ave nothing to do with him.' And at the same moment a number of
others pressed eagerly forward to shake my hand and wish me joy.

'Look here, Dillon,' cried the Major, 'mark the weight--twelve stone
two, and two pounds over, if he wanted it. There, now,' whispered he,
in a voice which though not meant for my hearing I could distinctly
catch--'there, now, Dillon, take him into your carriage and get him off
the ground as fast as you can.'

Just at this instant Burke, who had been talking with loud voice and
violent gesticulation, burst through the crowd, and stood before us.

'Do you say, Dillon, that I have lost this race?'

'Yes, yes, to be sure!' cried out full twenty voices.

'My question was not addressed to you, sirs,' said he, boiling with
passion; 'I ask the judge of this course, have I lost?'

'My dear Ulick----' said Dillon, in a voice scarce audible from
agitation.

'No cursed palaver with me,' said he, interrupting. 'Lost or won,
sir--one word.'

'Lost, of course,' replied Dillon, with more of firmness than I believed
him capable.

'Well, sir,' said Burke, as he turned towards me, his teeth clenched
with passion, 'it may be some alloy to your triumph to know that your
accomplice has smashed his thigh-bone in your service; and yet I can
tell you you have not come to the end of this matter.'

Before I could reply, Burke's friends tore him from the spot and hurried
him to a carriage; while I, still more than ever puzzled by the words
I had heard, looked from one to the other of those around for an
explanation.

'Never mind, Hinton,' said Mahon, as, half breathless with running, he
rushed up and seized me by the hand. 'The poor fellow was discharging a
double debt in his own rude way--gratitude on your score, vengeance on
his own.'

[Illustration: 312]

'Tally-ho, tally-ho!--hark, there--stole away!' shouted a wild cry from
without, and at the same instant four countrymen came forward, carrying
a door between them, on which was stretched the pale and mangled figure
of Tipperary Joe. 'A drink of water--spirits--tay--anything, for the
love of the Virgin! I'm famished, and I want to drink Captain Phil's
health. Ah, darling!' said he, as he turned his filmy eyes up towards
me, 'didn't I do it beautifully; didn't I pay him off for this?' With
these words he pointed to a blue welt that stretched across his face,
from the mouth to the ear. 'He gave me that yesterday for saying long
life and success to yo