ergy that her hands again
became loose, and in an instant the gag was wholly I removed.

"Oh Alick, Alick, for the love o' God save me from Flanagan! it's me,
your sisther Biddy, that's in it; save me, Alick, or I'll be lost; he
has cut me to the bone wid a blow, an' the blood's pourin' from me."

Her brother flew to her. "Whisht, Biddy, don't be afeard!" he exclaimed.

"Boys," said he, "let my party stand by me; this is the way Bartle
Flanagan keeps his oath!" (* One of the clauses of the Ribbon oath was,
not to injure or maltreat the wife or sister of a brother Ribbonman.)

"Secure Bartle," said Biddy. "He robbed Bodagh Buie's house, an' has the
money about him."

The horses were already on the road, but, in consequence of both parties
filling up the passage in the direction which Bartle and nis followers
intended taking, the animals could not be brought through them without
delay and trouble, even had there been no resistance offered to their
progress.

"A robber too!" exclaimed Nulty, "that's more of his parjury to'ards uz.
Bartle Flanagan, you're a thraitor, and you'll get a thraitor's death
afore you're much oulder. He's not fit to be among us," added Alick,
addressing himself to both parties, "an' the truth is, if we don't hang
or settle him, he'll some day hang us."

"Bartle's no thraitor," said Mulvather, "but he's a thraitor that says
he is."

The coming reply was interrupted by "Boys, good night to yez;" and
immediately the clatter of a horse's feet was heard stumbling and
floundering back along the deep stony boreen. "Be the vestment he's
aff," said one of his party; "the cowardly villin's aff wid himself the
minit he seen the approach of danger."

"Sure enough, the bad dhrop's in him," exclaimed several on both sides.
"But what the h--l does he mane now, I dunna?"

"It'll be only a good joke to-morrow wid him," observed one of
them--"but, boys, we must think how to manage him; I can't forgive him
for the cowardly blow he hot the poor colleen here, an' for the same
rason I didn't dhraw the knot so tight upon her as I could a' done."

"Was it you that nipped my arm?" asked Biddy.

"Faix, you may say that, an' it was to let you know that, let him say as
he would, after what we seen of him to-night, we wouldn't allow him to
thrate you badly without marryin' you first."

The night having been now pretty far advanced, the two parties separated
in order to go to their respective homes--Alick taking