ge, were girt
round by vast plains of bog, cut up into every variety of trench and
pit. The cabin itself, though slated and built of stone, was in bad
repair; the roof broken in many places, and the window mended with
pieces of board, and even straw. As we came close. Darby remarked that
there was no smoke from the chimney, and that the door was fastened on
the outside.

"That looks bad," said he, as he stopped short about a dozen paces from
the hovel, and looked steadily at it; "they've taken him too!"

"Who is it, Darby?" said I; "what did he do?"

M'Keown paid no attention to my question, but unfastening the hasp,
which attached the door without any padlock, entered. The fire was yet
alive on the hearth, and a small stool drawn close to it showed where
some one had been sitting. There was nothing unusual in the appearance
of the cabin; the same humble furniture and cooking utensils lying about
as were seen in any other. Darby, however, scrutinized everything
most carefully, looking everywhere and into everything; till at last,
reaching his hand above the door, he pulled out from the straw of the
thatch a small piece of dirty and crumpled paper, which he opened with
the greatest care and attention, and then flattening it out with his
hand, began to read it over to himself, his eye flashing and his cheek
growing redder as he pored over it. At last he broke silence with,--

"'T is myself never doubted ye, Tim, my boy. Look at that, Master Tom.
But sure, you wouldn't understand it, after all. The yeos took him up
last night. 'T is something about cutting the canal and attacking the
boat that 's again' him; and he left that there--that bit of paper--to
give the boys courage that he wouldn't betray them' That 's the way the
cause will prosper,--if we 'll only stick by one another. For many a
time, when they take a man up, they spread it about that he's turned
informer against the rest; and then the others gets careless, and don't
mind whether they're taken or not."

Darby replaced the piece of paper carefully; and then, listening for a
moment, exclaimed,--"I hear the boat coming; let's wait for it outside."

While he employed himself in getting his pipes into readiness, I could
not help ruminating on the strength of loyalty to one another the poor
people observed amid every temptation and every seduction; how, in the
midst of such misery as theirs, neither threats nor bribery seemed to
influence them, was a strong te