e., be wanting in mettle.
Tradition affirms that James the Second escaped on a
white horse from the battle of the Boyne; and from this
circumstance a white horse has become the emblem of
cowardice.

"In this manner Kelly went on for years; sometimes, indeed, keeping
quiet for a short period, but eventually drawn in, from the apprehension
of being reproached with want of honor and truth, to his connection.
This, truly, is an imputation which no peasant could endure; nor, were
he thought capable of treachery, would he be safe from the vengeance of
his own party. Many a time have I seen Kelly reeling home, his head
and face sadly cut, the blood streaming from him, and his wife and some
neighbor on each side of him--the poor woman weeping and deploring the
senseless and sanguinary feuds in which her husband took so active a
part.

"About three miles from this, down at the Long Ridge, where the Shannons
live, dwelt a family of the Grogans, cousins to Denis. They were
anything but industrious, although they might have lived very
independently, having held a farm on what they called an old take, which
means a long lease taken out when lands were cheap. It so happened,
however, that, like too many of their countrymen, they paid little
attention to the cultivation of their farm; the consequence of which
neglect was, that they became embarrassed, and overburdened with
arrears. Their landlord was old Sam Simmons, whose only fault to his
tenants was an excess of indulgence, and a generous disposition wherever
he could possibly get an opportunity to scatter his money about him,
upon the spur of a benevolence which, it would seem, never ceased
goading him to acts of the most Christian liberality and kindness. Along
with these excellent qualities, he was remarkable for a most rooted
aversion to law and lawyers; for he would lose one hundred pounds rather
than recover that sum by legal proceedings, even when certain that five
Pounds would effect it; but he seldom or never was known to pardon a
breach of the peace.

"I have always found that an excess of indulgence in a landlord never
fails ultimately to injure and relax the industry of the tenant; at
least, this was the effect which his forbearance produced on them. But
the most extraordinary good-nature has its limits, and so had his; after
repeated warning, and the most unparalleled patience on his part, he
was at length compelled to determine on at once remov