but I had
seen none of my kith or kin for six years, and my heart longed for some
one.

CHAPTER VIII. BARRY'S ADIEU TO MILITARY PROFESSION

You who have never been out of your country, know little what it is to
hear a friendly voice in captivity; and there's many a man that will not
understand the cause of the burst of feeling which I have confessed took
place on my seeing my uncle. He never for a minute thought to question
the truth of what I said. 'Mother of God!' cried he, 'it's my brother
Harry's son.' And I think in my heart he was as much affected as I was
at thus suddenly finding one of his kindred; for he, too, was an exile
from home, and a friendly voice, a look, brought the old country back to
his memory again, and the old days of his boyhood. 'I'd give five years
of my life to see them again,' said he, after caressing me very warmly.
'What?' asked I. 'Why,' replied he, 'the green fields, and the river,
and the old round tower, and the burying-place at Ballybarry. 'Twas a
shame for your father to part with the land, Redmond, that went so long
with the name.'

He then began to ask me concerning myself, and I gave him my history at
some length; at which the worthy gentleman laughed many times, saying,
that I was a Barry all over. In the middle of my story he would stop
me, to make me stand back to back, and measure with him (by which I
ascertained that our heights were the same, and that my uncle had
a stiff knee, moreover, which made him walk in a peculiar way), and
uttered, during the course of the narrative, a hundred exclamations of
pity, and kindness, and sympathy. It was 'Holy Saints!' and 'Mother of
Heaven!' and 'Blessed Mary!' continually; by which, and with justice, I
concluded that he was still devotedly attached to the ancient faith of
our family.

It was with some difficulty that I came to explain to him the last part
of my history, viz., that I was put into his service as a watch upon his
actions, of which I was to give information in a certain quarter. When
I told him (with a great deal of hesitation) of this fact, he burst out
laughing, and enjoyed the joke amazingly. 'The rascals!' said he; 'they
think to catch me, do they? Why, Redmond, my chief conspiracy is a
faro-bank. But the King is so jealous, that he will see a spy in every
person who comes to his miserable capital in the great sandy desert
here. Ah, my boy, I must show you Paris and Vienna!'

I said there was nothing I longe