in consequence
was pronounced by the colonel a very superior man for his station in life.
'Sergeant,' said he, 'we shall make an exemplary illustration of our system
here.'

"'Yes, sir,' said the sergeant, sorely puzzled at the meaning of what he
spoke.

"'Bear him to the Shannon, and lave him there.' This he said in a kind
of Coriolanus tone, with a toss of his head and a wave of his right
arm,--signs, whenever he made them, incontestibly showing that further
parley was out of the question, and that he had summed up and charged the
jury for good and all.

"'_Lave_ him in the river?' said O'Toole, his eyes starting from the
sockets, and his whole face working in strong anxiety; 'is it _lave_ him in
the river yer honor means?'

"'I have spoken,' said the little man, bending an ominous frown upon the
sergeant, which, whatever construction he may have put upon his words,
there was no mistaking.

"'Well, well, av it's God's will he's drowned, it will not be on my head,'
says O'Toole, as he marched the fellow away between two rank and file.

"The parade was nearly over, when Mac happened to see the sergeant coming
up all splashed with water and looking quite tired.

"'Have you obeyed my orders?' said he.

"'Yes, yer honor; and tough work we had of it, for he struggled hard.'

"'And where is he now?'

"'Oh, troth, he's there safe. Divil a fear he'll get out.'

"'Where?' said Mac.

"'In the river, yer honor.'

"'What have you done, you scoundrel?'

"'Didn't I do as you bid me?' says he; 'didn't I throw him in and _lave_
[leave] him there?'

"And faith so they did; and if he wasn't a good swimmer and got over to
Moystown, there's little doubt but he'd have been drowned, and all because
Peter McManus could not express himself like a Christian."

In the laughter which followed O'Shaughnessy's story I took the opportunity
of making my escape from the party, and succeeded in gaining the street
unobserved. Though the note I had just read was not signed, I had no doubt
from whom it came; so I hastened at once to my quarters, to make search for
the lock of Ned Howard's hair to which the senhora alluded. What was my
mortification, however, to discover that no such thing could be found
anywhere. I searched all my drawers; I tossed about my papers and letters;
I hunted every likely, every unlikely spot I could think of, but in
vain,--now cursing my carelessness for having lost it, now swearing most
solemnly to myself