tory
which a peasant told her, of a daring attempt a mountaineer once made
to rob the eagle's nest. He watched till he saw the old eagles fly
away, and then let himself down by a rope from the rock above, and was
just about to seize upon the young eaglets, when suddenly out darts the
mother eagle from a thunder-cloud, and stood facing him! But she spoke
very civilly, and said--

"Good morning, sir; and what brings you to visit my fine family so
early, before they've had their breakfast?"

"Oh, nothing at all," said the man, "only to ax after their health,
ma'am, and to see if any of them is troubled with the tooth-ache; for
I've got a cure for it, here in my pocket, something I brought wid me
from furrin parts."

"Aha! and you brought some _blarney_ in the other pocket," said the
mother eagle; "for don't I know you came to steal my children--the
darlings?"

"Honor bright," said he, "do you raly think now I'd be sarving ye such
a mane trick as that?"

"I'll leave it to a neighbor of mine," said she; and with that she
raised her voice and screeched out--"Did he come to rob the eagle's
nest?"

Of course, the echo answered--"To rob the eagle's nest."

"Hear that! you thieving blackguard," said the eagle, "and take _that_
home with you!" and with one blow of her great beak, she pitched him
over, and he tumbled down the mountainside into the lake; getting
severely bruised and well ducked for interfering with the domestic
happiness of his neighbors.

About a mile below this mountain, we passed under Old Weir Bridge.
This is called "shooting the bridge," and unless you have very skilful
boatmen, is considered very dangerous, as the rapids are swift and
strong.

We next passed the bay and mountain of Glena, by far the most beautiful
scenes of Killarney.

We took dinner on shore, seated on the soft, cool grass, under the
shade of arbutus-trees, and after a little stroll, returned over the
water to our hotel, but a very little wearied by our day of pleasure.

Our first excursion the next morning was to the ruins of Muckross
Abbey, on a peninsula which divides the Lower Lake from Torc Lake.

This is a beautiful, solemn old spot, and is very much venerated by the
Irish peasantry, not only as having been built and occupied by holy
priests and saints, but as the burial-place of many of the ancient
Princes of Desmond, the MacCartys-Mor, and the O'Donoghues.

After leaving the Abbey, we commenced the ascent of Manger