parson in the peremptory manner you suggest, Donal, is the proper way to obtain redress for our grievances. Besides, it is incumbent on every Catholic who adheres to the tenets of his religion to forgive his enemies, in order that he may be forgiven his own transgressions."

The Rapparee did not at all relish the lenient course the Chieftain would have him pursue, and urged a great many arguments in favour of hanging the parson, which, however, the Chieftain did not entertain. After duly considering the affair, the Chief ordered Donal Bran to have the priest and the parson brought before him. The Rapparee immediately returned to his cave, and ordered his men to turn out under arms. They were not long in obeying, and, fully equipped with brilliant firelocks, swords, skians, and very long-barrelled pistols, they awaited at the entrance to the cave their captain's further orders. Donal Bran now led forth the prisoner from his place of confinement, and gave him in charge to his men. He then returned to a more remote portion of the cave where Father Moylan was comfortably located, and informed him that the Chief of Clooneene wished to see him. Father Dermot immediately accompanied the Rapparee, who, placing himself at the head of his corps, gave the order-" March to Clooneene." On their arrival there O'Halloran ushered the priest, the parson, and Donal Bran into the parlour, where the Chieftain awaited them. The Rapparee was the first to break silence, by saying

"Now, my Chief, here is the priest and the parson; and I want your advice as to what I should do with the latter."

"Well, Donal, said the Chieftain, "I would like to hear what yourself proposes doing first."

"As it is your pleasure, Chief, I will inform you," replied the Rapparee. "I know I am an outlaw, proscribed by the Government from enjoying any of the civil liberties of my country. If I am so unfortunate as to fall into the grasp of my enemies, I know they will have no compunction in hanging me until I am dead, and afterwards in mutilating my body; therefore, Chief, any of them that falls into my hands will be meted out mercy in the same way they would measure it to me if I was their prisoner, and as the parson now in our custody is, of course, an enemy, I give it as my candid opinion that, without judge or jury, sheriff or professional hangman, he ought, most certainly, be hung on the tallest tree in Clooneene."

in

"Oh! Donal," responded the Chieftain; "he shall not be hung withmy demesne at all events."

"Well," said the Rapparee, "that would not put me to much inconvenience, if I only had your consent, as I am certain to find plenty

of trees in Bunnacippaun Wood, quite tall enough to hang even an archbishop on."

"I told you before, Donal," said the Chief, "that we are bound to forgive our enemies, and I further tell you that I will not consent to the death of a man who has done us no harm."

"Very well, sir," said Donal, "as you are wiser than I am, you may now do as you please with the parson; but he has to thank you, and you only, for his life, as unquestionably he would have got a high hanging from me."

The Chief of Clooneene then said to the Rapparee

"The parson is probably a very good man, and perhaps a useful member of society, though differing from us in religion, and it is our duty to protect his life, as every man ought to be allowed to worship God according to his conscience. I therefore think the best way to act is to set him at liberty."

The Rapparee, though reluctantly, having agreed to this, the Chief kept both the priest and parson to dine with him, and also had Donal and his men well taken care of.

In the evening, the parson took leave of his benefactor, having first poured a shower of benedictions on him and his posterity, for having protected him from the fury of the Rapparee.

Donal and his men shortly after departed for their cave, leaving Father Moylan the only visitor at Clooneene.

When the Chieftain and Father Dermot were alone, the latter thanked Colonel Forster, in the most grateful manner imaginable, for the kind manner in which he always harboured him, and then said

"I know, as far as property is concerned, you are one of the wealthiest gentlemen in the counties of Galway and Clare; but I am sorry to inform you that I prophesy a time will come when your descendants will have lost the vast properties you now hold in your possession, but the high prestige your noble sept has held for so many centuries will not be destroyed by this misfortune, for another scion of your ancient line will afterwards spring up, like a cedar in the forest, who will be a leader in those counties, and regain the greater portion, if not all, of his hereditary estates."

The Chief listened most attentively to the aged pastor, and when he concluded, as the night waxed late, both retired to rest.

CHAPTER XLIX.

REBELLION OF THE RAPPAREES.

IN a few days after, while sitting in his cave with his band around him, Donal Bran was, without any previous intimation, accused by one of his sub-officers, named Ronald Scott, with having liberated the parson, entirely against the wish of the other Rapparees, and said he—

"Donal, you should not have taken so much authority, without at least consulting the men who arrested the parson, and who were put to so much trouble and inconvenience by taking him a prisoner all the way from Leinster, as I well know from being in command of them."

Donal, who was greatly surprised at the audacity of his subordinate refuted the charge by saying

"You all know, comrades, that I gave up the parson to Frincheas More na Fion, who acquitted him, and although I do not obey the laws of the land, still I must always consider myself bound to obey the Chiefs of the sept whose fortunes my forefathers followed, and when the Chief of Clooneene was so charitably disposed as to release him, I think that neither you nor I, Ronald Scott, have any right whatever to interfere with his pleasure.”

The entire of the band having heard both sides of the question agreed that Donal had acted perfectly right, and in accordance with their wishes. Ronald Scott, hearing this, said that as far as the liberation of the parson was concerned, he was also fully satisfied with Donal's explanation, but there was another matter which he wished to call the attention of his companions to; this was, that Donal had neglected to divide the gold and silver which were amassed since the war commenced, amongst the men. To this charge Donal replied

"The gold and silver you allude to I have kept quite safe, for the purpose of carrying on a war in Ireland in favour of King James III., called by the Williamites the Pretender,' and I always believed it was your unanimous wish I should do so. Whenever any of you required money for your private purposes you know I was always ready to supply it, and although you have elected me your leader, I think it is well known to you that I am not extravagant, and I can fearlessly say, without fear of contradiction, than I have never taken more than an equal share from our common treasury; and it cannot be denied that when any of our

men fell in the numerous raids we have been engaged in, or were hung when captured by our ruthless enemies, that I was always the first to recommend your giving their families sufficient means for their support."

Here Ronald Scott, who strongly inherited the avarice of his Caledonian ancestors, fiercely interrupted Donal by saying—

"What do we owe to the Stuart race, who were always the most worthless of crowned heads? We spilt our best blood in their service; our estates were confiscated for fighting for them in Cromwell's time; and when Charles II. was again placed on the throne, he confirmed all the grants to the followers of Cromwell, and left those who had fought for his father, and assisted in placing himself on the throne, houseless wanderers in a foreign land, fighting as mercenary troops for the French King. Therefore, we cannot allow this treasure, which we collected amidst unparalleled dangers, to be spent by any of the family of so worthless a monarch as his brother James II., whose incapacity and folly at the Boyne caused the death of Sir Neill O'Neill, and several other of our most sterling friends."

When Ronald Scott concluded several of the band arose and rallied round him, saying it was their belief he was right, and that they would not submit to have Donal as their leader in future, while others averred they would fight to the last for their old commander, who had always proved faithful to them.

Donal Bran, who well knew the character of his band, now saw that fighting was inevitable, and said—

"As I perceive, Ronald Scott, that nothing less than settling this difference by the sword will suit you, I would suggest that we ought at all events repair to some distance from the cave, where we will find a place better suited for the purpose."

This being agreed to, the Rapparees went forth to an open space in the wood convenient to the cave, and entered into a deadly conflict, which lasted for several hours. Not wishing to cause any alarm, the country being rather thickly populated in this neighbourhood, they had no recourse to fire-arms, but fought with swords and skians, and when the sanguinary combat was over, the whole band lay dead or wounded on the field. Among the latter was Donal Bran, who, hearing a footstep, faintly turned round, and beheld a form muffled in a red cloak approaching, who now and then stopped to examine the faces of the dead, as if in search of some one. Raising himself partially from the ground, and wiping with the back of his brawny hand the blood from his eyes, Donal endeavoured to recognise the countenance of the stranger, but in

vain, as, with the exception of the eyes, the whole form was enveloped in the folds of the cloak. Exhausted and weak from fatigue and lose of blood, the Rapparee leader again laid down his head, and was fast falling into a state of insensibility, when he was roused by the voice of some one who bent o'er him, saying

"Donal, Donal! why have you murdered each other? Will our people never be united? Will Ireland be for ever cursed with discord ?"

Lazily opening his eyes, whose fixed stare clearly showed that death was fast approaching, Donal replied—

"For mercy's sake, Una, as you are a friend to the dying Rapparee, fetch me a drink of water from the brook."

Una, without waiting to reply, hastily pulled off one of her shoes, and, hastening to the brook, soon returned with it full of water. After taking a long draught, he became much revived, and said

"I am happy, Una, you have come before I die. Send off at once for the Chief of Clooneene and Power, as I am anxious to see them. Haste, haste! as I fear I am fast expiring."

At this moment, looking around her, Una observed some shepherds driving their flocks in the direction of Attyslaney, whom she requested to assist her in removing the dying outlaw to the house of Paudrick Don (166), which was at some distance, and then, having first sent for the priest, she applied herself to binding his wounds, and trying to relieve his suffering as much as possible. Power and the priest having arrived, Una asked the dying man if he wished to receive the last rites of his Church before his death.

"Una," said Donal, " it would be perfectly useless for me to see a priest, my hands are so red with the blood of the Dutchmen."

Well, Donal," replied Una, "trust in God. One tear shed with true repentance may save you, as every one of your persuasion were forced to do what you did, being hunted from valley to mountain, for no other cause than an intense love of their religion, and will you, who would have died a thousand times for it on the battle-field, now hesitate one moment as to whether you will see your priest or not?"

"Una," said the Rapparee, "your words are so soothing that they have completely softened this hard heart of mine, and I feel your wisdom so much that I will see the good priest at once, and die in the faith of my forefathers, an article of which I never doubted."

The priest being then admitted, the room was cleared, and he was left alone with Donal, to whom he administered the last rites of the Catholic Church. Sergeant Power then entered the apartment. When