's death. Well!
well! poor man, I confess it was only what I expected, he seemed
determined to court such a fate; and I could never make out why a person
who could honourably live at his ease at home should be so eager to
knock his head against stone walls--however, the tastes of people
differ."

The horses having arrived, the philosophical Don led the way, with
Murray by his side.

The party received a hearty welcome, as before, from Donna Caterina and
her fair daughters, and Terence as usual had a long conversation with
the old lady about Ballymacree; he had, however, not much news to tell
her; he had only occasionally heard from home, and the letters he had
received were brief, stating simply that things went on as usual;
Gerald, however, pleased her much by showing her the letter from his
mother, in which she expressed her gratitude for the kindness he had
received from his West India cousins.

Though they had not been informed of Murray's engagement to Stella, they
very quickly guessed the truth, and by adroitly questioning the
midshipman, ascertained all particulars as far as they were known.

Jack and Terence very nearly lost their hearts, as the young ladies were
thus able to concentrate all those efforts to attract them, which might
have been expended in vain on the young commander, but as they returned
to their ships early the next morning they quickly recovered their usual
serenity of mind.

"I am afraid they would be very miserable at Halliburton, and I somewhat
doubt whether Mary and Lucy would quite like them as sisters-in-law,"
observed Jack to Terence while they were freely discussing the young
ladies.

"May be, the dear creatures wouldn't be quite as happy as I should wish
them to be at Ballymacree, seeing that they mightn't take altogether to
our ways," said Terence. "So I don't think that I'll make the promise I
was meditating, of coming back some day or other, when I am a commander
for instance, and carrying one of them over to Ireland with me."

On returning to town Murray again called on the governor, who told him
that he had received a communication from a certain Senhor Bernado
Guedes, acting as British consul at Angostura, up the Orinoco,
complaining of outrages inflicted on certain British subjects as well as
on himself, and requesting that a man-of-war might be sent to punish the
offenders.

"As the navigation of the river is, however, very difficult, I doubt
whether a ship of any