ch of hatred against me, that
the rascals actually refused to lay an axe to the trees; and my agent
(that scoundrel Larkins) declared that his life was in danger among
them if he attempted any further despoilment (as they called it) of the
property. Every article of the splendid furniture was sold by this time,
as I need not say; and as for the plate, I had taken good care to bring
it off to Ireland, where it now was in the best of keeping--my banker's,
who had advanced six thousand pounds on it: which sum I soon had
occasion for.

I went to Dublin, then, to meet the English man of business; and so
far succeeded in persuading Mr. Splint, a great shipbuilder and
timber-dealer of Plymouth, of my claim to the Hackton timber, that he
agreed to purchase it off-hand at about one-third of its value, and
handed me over five thousand pounds: which, being pressed with debts at
the time, I was fain to accept. HE had no difficulty in getting down the
wood, I warrant. He took a regiment of shipwrights and sawyers from his
own and the King's yards at Plymouth, and in two months Hackton Park was
as bare of trees as the Bog of Allen.

I had but ill luck with that accursed expedition and money. I lost the
greater part of it in two nights' play at 'Daly's,' so that my debts
stood just as they were before; and before the vessel sailed for
Holyhead, which carried away my old sharper of a timber-merchant, all
that I had left of the money he brought me was a couple of hundred
pounds, with which I returned home very disconsolately: and very
suddenly, too, for my Dublin tradesmen were hot upon me, hearing I had
spent the loan, and two of my wine-merchants had writs out against me
for some thousands of pounds.

I bought in Dublin, according to my promise, however--for when I give
a promise I will keep it at any sacrifices--a little horse for my dear
little Bryan; which was to be a present for his tenth birthday, that was
now coming on: it was a beautiful little animal and stood me in a good
sum. I never regarded money for that dear child. But the horse was very
wild. He kicked off one of my horse-boys, who rode him at first, and
broke the lad's leg; and, though I took the animal in hand on the
journey home, it was only my weight and skill that made the brute quiet.

When we got home I sent the horse away with one of my grooms to a
farmer's house, to break him thoroughly in, and told Bryan, who was all
anxiety to see his little horse, that h