when taxed with
his intentions would not deny it, or even say that he would not again
attempt it; so he was sent on shore immediately, and returned to his
friends in the Highlands. We never saw any more of him; but I heard
that he obtained a commission in the army, and three months after he had
joined his regiment was killed in a duel, resenting some fancied affront
offered to the bluid of McFoy.

CHAPTER NINE.

WE POST UP TO PORTSDOWN FAIR--CONSEQUENCE OF DISTURBING A LADY AT
SUPPER--SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION AT RANELAGH GARDENS--PASTRY versus
PIETY--MANY ARE BID TO THE FEAST; BUT NOT THE HALT, THE LAME, OR THE
BLIND.

A few days after McFoy quitted the ship, we all had leave from the first
lieutenant to go to Portsdown fair, but he would only allow the oldsters
to sleep on shore. We anticipated so much pleasure from our excursion
that some of us were up early enough to go away in the boat sent for
fresh beef. We had our breakfast, and went up George Street, where we
found all sorts of vehicles ready to take us to the fair. We got into
one which they called a dilly. I asked the man who drove it why it was
so called, and he replied, because he only charged a shilling.

O'Brien, who had joined us after breakfasting on board, said, that this
answer reminded him of one given to him by a man who attended the
hackney-coach stands in London.

"Pray," said he, "why are you called Waterman?"

"Waterman," replied the man, "vy, sir, 'cause we opens the hackney-coach
doors."

At last, with plenty of whipping, and plenty of swearing, and a great
deal of laughing, the old horse, whose back curved upwards like a bow,
from the difficulty of dragging so many, arrived at the bottom of
Portsdown Hill, where we got out, and walked up to the fair. There was
Richardson, with a clown and harlequin, and such beautiful women,
dressed in clothes all over gold spangles, dancing reels and waltzes,
and looking so happy! There was Flint and Gyngell, with fellows
tumbling over head and heels, playing such tricks--eating fire, and
drawing yards of tape out of their mouths. Then there was the Royal
Circus, all the horses standing in a line, with men and women standing
on their backs, waving flags, while the trumpeters blew their trumpets.
We walked about for an hour or two seeing the outside of everything: we
determined to go and see the inside. First we went into Richardson's,
where we saw a bloody tragedy, with a ghost and thunde