orses for you and Larry, with
Tim Sweeney to look after them, for I suppose that Larry will scarcely
know the head from the tail of one by this time."

"Och, your honour, I'll soon be after remembering which is which when I
see the bastes again, though I haven't crossed a horse's back since I
left," said Larry, in answer to my uncle's remark.

"I'll trust you for that, my lad," said the major; "and now, Terence, we
will go in and order supper, and while it's coming, you shall give me an
account of your adventures."

I was soon seated before the fire, briefly describing what I had gone
through, in as clear a way as I could. My uncle was deeply interested,
and constantly stopped me to put questions, when he did not clearly
understand my descriptions. Even when we were at supper he made me talk
on, appearing scarcely to think about what he was eating, so eager was
he to listen to me. He was much struck on hearing of Dan Hoolan's fate.

"I can't say the country is much the quieter, for unfortunately there
are too many boys of the same character to take his place," he remarked,
"but I hope we shall reach Ballinahone without meeting any of them."

At last, seeing that I was getting sleepy, he advised me to turn in, to
be ready to start in the morning.

Larry in the meantime had been well taken care of by Tim Sweeney,--
indeed, too much taken care of; for when he came into my room to see if
I wanted anything, he stood balancing himself with difficulty, and
talking away, until I was obliged to turn him out and bid him go to bed
as fast as he could.

The next morning we were on the road, the major sitting his horse as
firmly as ever; and indeed, except that we were going in an opposite
direction, I might have fancied, until I looked at Larry and felt the
change that had come over myself, that we were but continuing our
journey of four years back.

Having plenty to talk about, I rode alongside my uncle, Larry and Tim
following us, the latter listening with eager ears to the wonderful
accounts Larry was giving him. We pushed on as fast as our horses would
carry us, but as the roads were none of the best, our progress was much
slower than I liked.

The afternoon of the second day my uncle proposed that, instead of
stopping at the village through which we were then passing, we should
push on to a little roadside inn, that we might be so much the further
on our way next morning. It was almost dark when we arrived, but