n-passes, and over the bleak, wide
plain, with a rushing sound. The thin crescent of a new moon could be
seen from time to time as the clouds rolled past: too faint to shed any
light upon the earth, it merely gave form to the dark masses that moved
before it.

"I will do it here," said Owen, as he stood and looked upon the dark
water that beat against the foot of the rock; "here, on this spot."

He sat for some moments with his ear bent to listen, but the storm was
loud enough to make all other sounds inaudible; yet, in every noise he
thought he heard the sound of wheels, and the rapid tramp of a horse's
feet. The motionless attitude, the cold of the night, but more than
either, the debility brought on by long fasting and hunger, benumbed his
limbs, so that he felt almost unable to make the least exertion, should
any such be called for.

He therefore descended from the rock and moved along the road; at first,
only thinking of restoring lost animation to his frame, but at length,
in a half unconsciousness, he had wandered upwards of two miles beyond
the little hovel where the change of horses was to take place. Just as
he was on the point of returning, he perceived at a little distance, in
front, the walls of a now ruined cabin, once the home of the old smith.
Part of the roof had fallen in, the doors and windows were gone, the
fragment of an old shutter alone remained, and this banged heavily back
and forwards as the storm rushed through the wretched hut.

Almost without knowing it, Owen entered the cabin, and sat down beside
the spot where once the forge-fire used to burn. He had been there, too,
when a boy many a time--many a story had he listened to in that same
corner; but why think of this now? The cold blast seemed to freeze
his very blood--he felt his heart as if congealed within him. He sat
cowering from the piercing blast for some time; and at last, unable
to bear the sensation longer, determined to kindle a fire with the
fragments of the old shutter. For this purpose he drew the charge of
the pistol, in which there were three bullets, and not merely two, as
Heffernan had told him. Laying these carefully down in his handkerchief,
he kindled a light with some powder, and, with the dexterity of one not
unaccustomed to such operations, soon saw the dry sticks blazing on the
hearth. On looking about he discovered a few sods of turf and some dry
furze, with which he replenished his fire, till it gradually became