ng sun; except here and
there, that you might find a small crystal pool where the streams had
accumulated. Our plan was to bring a pocketful of roche lime with us,
and put it into the pool, when all the fish used to rise on the instant
to the surface, gasping with open mouth for fresh air, and we had only
to lift them out of the water; a nate plan which, perhaps, might be
adopted successfully, on a more extensive scale, by the Irish fisheries.
Indeed, I almost regret that I did not remain in that station of life,
for I was much happier then than ever I was since I began to study and
practice larning. But this is vagating from the subject.

"Well, then, I have said that them O'Hallaghans lived beside us, and
that this stream divided our lands. About half a quarter--i. e.,
to accommodate myself to the vulgar phraseology--or, to speak more
scientifically, one-eighth of a mile from our house was as purty a hazel
glen as you'd wish to see, near half a mile long--its developments and
proportions were truly classical. In the bottom of this glen was a small
green island, about twelve yards, diametrically, of Irish admeasurement,
that is to say, be the same more or less; at all events, it lay in the
way of the river, which, however, ran towards the O'Hallaghan side, and,
consequently, the island was our property.

"Now, you'll observe, that this river had been, for ages, the merin
between the two farms, for they both belonged to separate landlords,
and so long as it kept the O'Hallighan side of the little peninsula in
question there could be no dispute about it, for all was clear. One wet
winter, however, it seemed to change its mind upon the subject; for it
wrought and wore away a passage for itself on our side of the island,
and by that means took part, as it were, with the O'Hallighans leaving
the territory which had been our property for centhries, in their
possession. This was a vexatious change to us, and, indeed, eventually
produced very feudal consequences. No sooner had the stream changed
sides, than the O'Hallaghans claimed the island as theirs, according
to their tenement; and we, having had it for such length of time in our
possession, could not break ourselves of the habitude of occupying it.
They incarcerated our cattle, and we incarcerated theirs. They summoned
us to their landlord, who was a magistrate; and we summoned them to
ours, who was another. The verdicts were north and south. Their landlord
gave it in fa