e eldest brother of a very well-known family in Tipperary. He had
many brothers, all of whom were also well known and much liked throughout
the surrounding districts. They were all first-class horsemen, and,
needless to say, good sportsmen all round. One of these brothers was at
the time Sub-Sheriff of Limerick. It was indeed a difficult post to fill
in those days. The country was exceedingly disturbed. Evictions were all
too frequent, with the accompanying result of riots and murders, and it
required much pluck and tact to carry out the Sub-Sheriff's duties. My
major had been, some time previous to my joining, ordered to Singapore,
while another major, a bachelor, was in command of the company at
Limerick. In those days officers were allowed to exchange on the payment
of fees agreed upon. My major did not relish the idea of proceeding to
Singapore with his young family of eight, so he approached the bachelor
major at Limerick with a view to an exchange, and offered a very handsome
sum. The bachelor major very promptly accepted, and the exchange took
place. Just before leaving Limerick the members of the club gave the
bachelor major a farewell dinner, and, in proposing his health, the
chairman remarked that he didn't understand why anybody should wish to
leave Limerick for such an awful place as Singapore. When answering the
toast the bachelor major said he would tell them in confidence the real
reason. He went on to say that a short time before he accepted the
exchange he had been to dinner with friends, some nine miles away, across
the Shannon, in County Clare. He was returning home with the old jarvey
on an outside car, and as it was a fairly fine night, moonlight, and he
had had a very good dinner, he was enjoying his pipe and now and again
having a little doze. They were passing a piece of road which was bounded
on one side by a somewhat thick hedge. Suddenly there was a flash and the
loud report of a gun, which very promptly woke him and made the old
jarvey sit up too, and pull his horse up. Immediately two heads popped up
over the hedge, had a good look at the major, and then one of the men
said, "Begorra, Pat, we've shot at the wrong man again," and promptly
disappeared. "Now, don't you think, my friends, that it's time I went to
Singapore?"

But he never told them of the cheque he got to go to Singapore.

At that time the garrison of Limerick was fairly strong. There was a
Field Artillery battery at the William