too much on the faith of an enemy. He merely said, he would have the honour of waiting on his worship as soon as he had settled matters with a few worthy gentlemen whose rent had been for some time in arrears. Nugent thought this rather an insolent sort of a reply; but he had to put up with it, and to wait for whatever time might suit the robber's convenience. My grandfather," continued the boy, "who was then living where we live at present, happened, though a Catholic, to be on terms of intimacy with most of the other gentlemen of the neighbourhood; and one evening as Nugent and one or two others were dining at his house, they began the old subject of the terrible state the country was in, and wondering whether it was possible that this formidable banditti could ever be destroyed. It was winter, and the night was very dark and stormy, and they were talking on in this fashion, when they heard a horseman riding up to the door-aloud double knock followed, and presently a stranger was ushered into the rooma fine military-looking man, with long silvery hair, and a cloak of the old Irish fashion wrapped round him. He saluted my grandfather with an air of frank courtesy, and then turning round, said, he believed he had the honour of addressing Mr. Nug nt, of Castle Marron. Mr. Nuger looked a little surprised at this, for 'e had never seen the stranger before, neither had any of the others, and they wondered how he knew Nugent, for that he was a stranger they thought was evidentsuch a distinguished looking person could not possibly have been living in their neighbourhood unknown. My grandfather, of course, welcomed him with all hospitality, but he refused to partake of any thing till he had declared the object of his visit. He said he had come according to appointment; and then it was hardly necessary for him to declare his name, for throwing back his cloak, as if without any design, he displayed a belt studded with pistols, and a rich heavy sword that hung almost to his heel. I dare say there was hardly one present who did not feel a little nervous in the presence of the outlaw; but my grandfather perceived at once, why he had chosen his house as the scene of conference. This is a wild night, sir,' he said, and rather an unseasonable time to intrude on your hospitality; but I have sometimes reasons for preferring night to day-not in this case, however I would not presume to question the good faith of so near a relative as Mr. Nugent. The other looked at him in amaze ment. Eh!' said he. I really was not aware, sir, that I had the honour of being connected with such a distinguished individual.' "Were you not, indeed?' said the robber, drily I'm not sure that there is any very great honour in the con nexion either one way or other. However, sir,' he added, you have the misfortune-and, I dare say, that expresses your meaning better-of being very nearly related to the man whom you have spent a great deal of useless time in hunting like a wild beast through the country.' The robber's brow darkened as he said this; but the truth of his story flashed on the minds of all present when he drew a miniature from his bosom, richly set in diamonds, and, handing it to Nugent, asked him had he ever seen a face resembling that? The other looked at the portrait, and, though he had never seen the original, he had seen often enough, in his own castle, where it hung covered with black crape, and apart from all the other family portraits, the likeness of the same sad and lovely countenance. My God! he exclaimed, who are you, M'Mahon, or what claim have you to this?' Merely,' replied the outlaw, 'the claim that a son has to the only relic of a broken-hearted mother. Are you astonished at this? I'm an outlaw, to be sure, and am standing here among your worships with a price on my head; but did you never hear before of the son of the elder-born being driven out from among man, while his castles and domains were the lordship of another? "The gentlemen were soon convinced that the robber was really the son of those unfortunate lovers whose fate had been involved in mystery from the fatal night of their elopement; and it was even observed that his dark and weather-worn countenance bore a strong resemblance to the beautiful image that he wore. They had a great deal of conversation then of a rather friendly kind, for they seemed for the time to forget the character of their visitor iu the misfortunes of himself and his family; but though M'Mahon spoke with carelessness and freedom of the circumn stances of his own life, he evinced a degree of reserve and uneasiness when 10 停車 ever any allusion was made to the history of his unhappy parents. It appeared, however, that they had succeeded on the night they left the castle in reaching the dwelling of an old priest, who was living away in some wild and secret part of the mountains, and there they were married. What became of them then he either didn't know or didn't wish to communicate; but, at all events, they both died very young; and he, after a great many adventures, while he was yet a child fell in among an army of the rapparees, who were at that time very formidable. He was only about ten or twelve years of age when the rapparees were suppressed in this part of the country, chiefly by the active measures of his uncle, John Nugent. The small party to whom young M'Mahon remained attached, after wandering through the greater part of the south and west of Ireland, returned towards the north under his leadership, and this was the origin of the powerful banditti that now kept the country in awe. 666 "So here I am,' said M'Mahon. The last lord of Ferney trusted in the honor of a Lord Deputy, and was hanged for his pains; and yet I have trusted myself in your power to-night, for I know that under this roof, at least, no act of perfidy can be committed.' "He was cautious enough, however, for when one of the gentlemen hap. pened to rise from his seat, he fixed his eyes upon him, evidently determined that no man should leave the room. He was right in this, to be sure, for it was only Nugent that was on honour with him, and there were troops at hand that could have been turned out in an instant. Well, when they had found out who M'Mahon was, this made them still more anxious to have matters brought to some kind of settlement; but the robber was higher in his notions than they had calculated on, and a great deal of angry recrimination passed between them. haunts, the only shelter the world affords them. I have plundered the great gentlemen of the country, but I never yet left a cabin tenantless or a family without a home; and, robber as I am, my name has been uttered in the prayers of many a broken heart.' "Well, they went on this way, reproaching each other as the authors of all the misery that it was acknowledged existed in the country, and by this means they only increased the difficulties of a compromise. M'Mahon was well enough disposed to abandon his lawless courses, and pass the remainder of his days in peace and retirement; but his principal object was to provide for the safety of his followers. At last it was settled that he and the most notorious of his band should leave the country, and that the others, having delivered up their arms and dispersed, should be suffered to pursue, unmolested, any honest course of life. M'Mahon, on his part, promised most faithfully that he would suspend all hostile operations until the government should have been applied to, to ratify these conditions, and thus the interview terminated. The parties wished each other good night, and the robber mounted his horse, and was soon far on his way to rejoin his own wild associates. The next morning Nugent was informed that a wounded prisoner had just been brought into is castle. He went down, and, to his astonishment there was the old outlaw lying on the floor, in one of the strong rooms, app: ently at the point of death. Though in this state, he was heavily ironed, and a couple of soldiers, with fixed bayonets, were standing over him. He raised his eyes as Nugent entered the room, and his brow, which was pallid before, grew suddenly as dark as night. 1 "You perjured villain !' he muttered through his ground teeth, and half rising on his arm; but his eyes rolled vacantly, and he immediately fell back in a swoon. Nugent ordered the bolts to be knocked off, and proper care to be taken of the prisoner, and then he inquired into the circumstances of the case. "It appeared that as M'Mahon drew near the Rocks, on his return home the previous night, he witnessed what he at once regarded as a most flagrant violation of faith. His retreat had been stormed; but the battle, which was now raging at its highest, showed him how desperately it was still defended. He dashed on, and a wild cheer wel 2 X الاورام comed him to the fray; and there he fought, while his men fell round him, till at last he fell himself, covered with wounds. He was the more desperate, as he thought Nugent had broken faith with him; but this was not the case. A fellow of his own, who had fallen under his displeasure, after trying in vain to spread disaffection in the band, had adopted another course, and offered to a magistrate of the neighbourhood to betray camp and garrison into his hands. This magistrate happened not to be on good terms with Nugent, and whether he was ignorant of the negociation he had on foot, or wished to anticipate him in freeing the country of the banditti, he immediately came into the fellow's proposals. The retreat was surprised, and almost every one of the robbers killed in defending it. M'Mahon died that night in the castle of his ancestors, but not till he had been informed of all the circumstances connected with his downfall, and had asked Nugent's forgiveness for the wrong his suspicions had done him. Nugent was a proud but a generous hearted fellow, and in the noble form and countenance of the robber he seemed only to contemplate the ruin of a fallen kinsman. Different as their lives and fortunes had been, they were the children of the two most beautiful beings, and one the most unfortunate, that ever graced those ancient halls; and Nugent remembered this, and forgot, for the time, all distinction in their present rank, as he stood by the couch of the dying outlaw. And that, sir," continued the boy, "is the history, as far as it is known, of the last heir of Ferney." "Ah, but the ballad, masther George!" said one of the party, when I had expressed my thanks to the young annalist, whose manner of narrating it, together with the circumstances of time and place, gave an interest to this legend much greater than it now appears to possess. "Make him give us the ballad, your honour. It's worth the whole story, ten times over." Hereupon ensued a debate of some duration, for the boy laughed at the idea of a gentleman listening to an old country ballad, though it appeared that he himself had all the old ballads that were ever known in that country off by heart. THE ROBBER OF FERNEY. The glory of M'Mahon and Come, gather round me, while I sing, Come, gather round me, gentles all, The outlaw's woful fate I'll sing, With true fidelity. From lords of ancient pedigree And noble blood he came, Whose names will live for ever in The mighty roll of fame : And till Ferney's hills shall crumble, or The harp no more be strung, His deeds will be recorded, and His wild achievements sung. The robber in his rocky hold The sun went down, and darkness fell In silence on the earth; And now from out their wild retreat The robber band came forth. That night by many a castle old, Before them Lath-an-albany, And thus the country far and near And through this ancient barony In castle hall it chilled the sound But it lighted up with gladness still The robber bold within his hold Till through the dark and starless night, By tower and ruin gray, And far from all his faithful band, He held his lonely way. And many an agonizing shriek Within the robber's lair. There's silence in the castle where The last M Mahon lies; His heart is dull-the light of life But who can tell what dreams of woe- What fond and broken-hearted forms Or who can tell what influence Or why they still come thronging round Whate'er they be, the simple faith "There's the ballad for you now, sir," said the boy, as he concluded, "and what do you think of it ?" I gave as favourable an opinion as I well could of this specimen of native minstrelsy, which, though not very remarkable for originality, either in thought or expression, I considered rather creditable than otherwise to a country poet. The storm had now considerably abated, and as the night, moreover, was pretty well advanced, our party broke up. My young friend found no great difficulty in inducing me to accompany him to his father's house; and there I was obliged, willing enough, I must acknowledge, to prolong my stay for some days, during which I visited the scenes of M'Mahon's achievements, and the other celebrated places of the country. On further acquaintance, I found this house a rich repository of legendary lore, derived, however, from more abuu dant sources than the local traditions of the country, as will appear from the story which I shall next have the honour of submitting to the readers of the University Magazine. |