by's voice raised above its former pitch, and evidently
intended to be heard by me.

"Sure, there's Captain Bubbleton, of the Forty-fifth Regiment, now in
Dublin, in George's Street Barracks. Ay, in George's Street Barracks,"
said he, repeating the words as if to impress them on me. "'T is himself
could tell you what I say is thrue; and if you wouldn't put confidential
authentification on the infirmation of a poor leather-squeezing,
timber-tickling crayture like myself, sure you 'd have reverential
obaydience to your own commissioned captain."

"Well, I don't think much of that song of yours, anyhow, old Blow, or
Blast, or whatever your name is. Have you nothing about the service, eh?
'The British Grenadiers;' give us that."

"Yes; 'The British Grenadiers,' that's the tune!" cried a number of the
party together.

"I never heard them play but onst, sir," said Darby, meekly; "and they
were in sich a hurry that day, I couldn't pick up the tune."

"A hurry! what d' you mean?" said the corporal.

"Yes, sir; 't was the day but one after the French landed; and the
British Grenadiers that you were talking of was running away towards
Castlebar."

"What 's that you say there?" cried out one of the soldiers, in a voice
of passion.

"'Tis that they wor running away, sir," replied Darby, with a most
insulting coolness; "and small blame to thim for that same, av they wor
frightened."

In an instant the party sprang to their legs, while a perfect shower of
curses fell upon the luckless piper, and fifty humane proposals to smash
his skull, break his neck and every bone in his body, were mooted on all
sides. Meanwhile M'Keown remonstrated, in a spirit which in a minute I
perceived was not intended to appease their irritation; on the contrary,
his apologies were couched in very different guise, being rather excuses
for his mishap in having started a disagreeable topic, than any regret
for the mode in which he treated it.

"And sure, sir," continued he, addressing the corporal, "'t was n't my
fault av they tuck to their heels; would n't any one run for his life av
he had the opportunity?"

He raised his voice once more at these words with such significance that
I resolved to profit by the counsel if the lucky moment should offer.--I
had not long to wait. The insulting manner of Darby, still more than
his words, had provoked them beyond endurance, and one of the soldiers,
drawing his bayonet, drove it through the leather bag