"Well, and if you did, didn't you lame your tinued energetically to draw attention to her baste ?" "'Twasn't the cut did it." own. "A little fippenny bit, my lord - the laste "It was sure I know better-Billy Moore trifle your honor's glory has in the corner of tould me." Such and such like comments and contradictions were very rapidly exchanged, and already the debate was waxing warm, when Mr. Craggs's authoritative voice interposed withBilly Moore be blowed! I want to know if I can have a car and horse?" 66 "To be sure! why not?-who says you can't?" chimed in a chorus. "If you go to Clifden under five hours, my name isn't Terry Lynch," said an old man in rabbitskin breeches. "I'll engage, if Barny will give me the blind mare, to drive him there under four." "Bother!" said the rabbitskin, in a tone of contempt. "But where's the horse?" cried the corporal. "Ay, that's it," said another, "where's the horse?" "Is there none to be found in the village?" asked Craggs, eagerly. "Divil a horse barrin' an ass. Barny's mare has the staggers the last fortnight, and Mrs. Kyle's pony broke his two knees on Tuesday, carrying sea-weed up the rocks." "But I must go to Clifden; I must be there to-night," said Craggs. "It's on foot, then, you'll have to do it," said the rabbitskin. "Lord Glencore's dangerously ill, and needs a doctor," said the Corporal, bursting out with a piece of most uncommon communicativeness. "Is there none of you will give his horse for such an errand ?" "Arrah, musha!-it's a pity!" and suchlike expressions of passionate import, were muttered on all sides; but no more active movement seemed to flow from the condolence, while in a lower tone were added such expressions as, "Sorra mend him-if he wasn't a naygar, wouldn't he have a horse of his own? It's a droll lord he is, to be begging the loan of a baste!" Something like a malediction arose to the Corporal's lips; but restraining it, and with a voice thick from passion, he said— "I'm ready to pay you to pay you ten times over the worth of your your pocket, that you'll never miss, but that'll sweeten ould Molly's tay to-night? There, acushla, have pity on the dark, and that you may see glory." But Craggs did not wait for the remainder, but, deep in his own thoughts, sauntered down towards the village. Already had the others retreated within their homes; and now all was dark and cheerless along the little straggling street. "And this is a Christian country! - this a land that people tell you abounds in kindness and good nature!" said he, in an accent of sarcastic bitterness. "And who'll say the reverse?" answered a voice from behind; and turning he beheld the little hunch-backed fellow who carried the mail on foot from Oughterard, a distance of sixteen miles, over a mountain, and who was popularly known as "Billy the Bag," from the little leather sack, which seemed to form part of his attire. "Who'll stand up and tell me it's not a fine country in every sinse-for natural beauties, for antiquities, for elegant men and lovely females, for quarries of marble and mines of gould?" Craggs looked coutemptuously at the figure who thus declaimed of Ireland's wealth and grandeur, and, in a sneering tone, said— "And with such riches on every side, why do you go bare-foot-why are you in rags, my old fellow?" "Isn't there poor everywhere? If the world was all gould and silver, what would be the precious metals-tell me that? Is it because there's a little cripple like myself here, that them mountains yonder isn't of copper, and iron, and cobalt? Come over with me after I lave the bags at the office, and I'll show you bits of every one I speak of." 66 "I'd rather you'd show me a doctor, my worthy fellow," said Craggs, sighing. "I'm the nearest thing to that same going," replied Billy. "I can breathe a vein against any man in the barony. I can't say, that for an articular congestion of the aortic valves, or for a sero-pulmonic diathesis-d'ye mind?— that there isn't as good as me; but for the ould school of physic, the humoral diagnostic, who can beat me ? "Will you come with me across the lough, and see my lord, then?" said Craggs, who was glad even of such aid in his emergency. “And why not, when I lave the bags?" said Billy, touching the leather sack as he 66 You needn't curse the horse, anyhow," interposed Rabbitskin, while, with a significant glance at his friends around him, he slyly intimated that it would be as well to adjourn the debate a motion as quickly obeyed as it was mooted; for in less than five minutes spoke. Craggs was standing beside the quay, with no other companion than a blind beggarwoman, who, perfectly regardless of his distress, con If the Corporal was not without his misgivings as to the skill and competence of his companion, there was something in the fluent vol ability of the little fellow that overawed and impressed him, while his words were uttered in a rich mellow voice, that gave them a sort of solemn persuasiveness. "Were you always on the road?" asked the Corporal, curious to learn some particulars of his history. "No sir; I was twenty things before I took to the bags. I was a poor scholar for four years; I kept school in Erris; I was on the ferry in Dublin with my fiddle for eighteen months; and I was a bear in Liverpool for part of a winter." "A bear!" exclaimed Craggs. suddenly shot up on the shore of the lough Put out an oar to leeward there, and keep her up to the wind." And Billy, perceiving his minstrelsy unattended to, consoled himself by humming over, for his own amusement, the remainder of his ballad. The wind freshened as the night grew darker, and heavy seas repeatedly broke on the bow, and swept over the boat in sprayey showers. "It's that confounded song of yours has got the wind up," said Craggs, angrily; "stand by that sheet, and stop your croning!" "Yes, sir. It was an Italian-one Pipo "That's an error vulgaris, attributin' to Chiassi by name-that lost his beast at Man-music marine disasters," said Billy calmly; chester, and persuaded me, as I was about the "it arose out of a mistake about one Orsame stature, to don the sable, and perform in pheus." his place. After that I took to writin' for the papers the Skibbereen Celt-and supported myself very well till it broke. But here we are at the office, so i'll step in, and get my fiddle, too, if you've no objection." "Slack off there!" cried Craggs, as a squall struck the boat, and laid her almost over. Billy, however, had obeyed the mandate promptly, and she soon righted, and held on her course. "I wish they'd show the light again on shore," muttered the Corporal: "the night is as black as pitch." The Corporal's meditations scarcely were of a kind to reassure him, as he thought over the versatile character of his new friend; but the case offered no alternative-it was Billy or nothing since to reach Clifden on foot would Keep the top of the mountain a little to be the labor of many hours, and in the inter- windward, and you're all right," said Billy. val his master should be left utterly alone. "I know the lough well; I used to come here While he was thus musing, Billy reappeared, all hours, day and night, once, spearing with a violin under one arm, and a much-worn salmon." quarto under the other. "This," said he, touching the volume, is the 'Whole Art and Mystery of Physic,' by one Falrecein, of Aquapendante; and if we don't find a cure for the case down here, take my word for it, it's among the morba ignota, as Paracelsas says." "Well, come along," said Craggs impatiently; and set off at a speed that, notwithstanding Billy's habits of foot-travel, kept him at a sharp trot. A few minutes more saw them, with canvas spread, skimming across the lough, towards Glencore. "Glencore - Glencore !" muttered Billy once or twice to himself, as the swift boat bounded through the hissing surf. "Did you ever hear Lady Lucy's Lament?" And he struck a few chords with his fingers as he spoke "I care not for yon trellised vine; I love the dark woods on the shore, "And then there's a chorus." "That's a signal to us to make haste," said the Corporal, pointing to a bright flame which "And smuggling, too!" added Craggs. "Yes, sir; brandy, and tay, and pigtail, for Mr. Sheares, in Oughterard." "What became of him?" asked Craggs. "He made a fortune and died, and his son married a lady!" "Here comes another; throw her head up in the wind," cried Craggs. This time the order came too late; for the squall struck her with the suddenness of a shot, and she canted over till her keel lay out of water, and, when she righted, it was with the white surf boiling over her. "She's a good boat, then, to stand that," said Billy, as he struck a light for his pipe, with all the coolness of one perfectly at his ease; and Craggs, from that very moment conceived a favorable opinion of the little hunchback. "Now we're in the smooth water, Corporal," cried Billy; "let her go a little free." And, obedient to the advice, he ran the boat swiftly along till she entered a small creek, so sheltered by the highlands that the water within was still as a mountain lake. "You never made the passage on a worse night, I'll be bound," said Craggs, as he sprang on shore. Indeed and I did, then," replied Billy. "I remember it was two days before Christmas we were blown out to say in a small boat, not more than the half of this, and we only made | Still he was sleeping; and, as Craggs whisperthe west side of Arran Island after thirty-six ed, he seldom slept otherwise, even when in hour's beating and tacking. I wrote an ac- health. With all the quietness of a trained count of it for The Tyrawly Regenerator, com- practitioner, Billy took down the watch that mencing withwas pinned to the curtain and proceeded to "A hundred and thirty-eight," muttered he, as he finished; and then gently displacing the bedclothes, laid his hand upon the heart. "The elemential conflict that with tremen-count the pulse. dious violence raged, ravaged, and ruined the adamantine foundations of our western coast, on Tuesday, the 23d of December"Come along, come along," said Craggs; "we've something else to think of." And with this admonition, very curtly bestowed, he stepped out briskly on the path towards Glencore. CHAPTER II. GLENCORE CASTLE. WHEN the Corporal, followed by Billy, entered the gloomy hall of the castle, they found two or three country people conversing in a low but eager voice together, who speedily turned towards them, to learn if the doctor had come. "Here's all I could get in the way of a doctor," said Craggs, pushing Billy towards them as he spoke. “Faix, and ye might have got worse," muttered a very old man; "Billy Traynor has 'the lucky hand.'” "How is my lord, now, Nelly?" asked the Corporal of a woman who, with bare feet, and dressed in the humblest fashion of the peasantry, now appeared. "He's getting weaker and weaker, sir; I believe he's sinking. I'm glad it's Billy is come; I'd rather see him than all the doctors in the country. "Follow me," said Craggs, giving a signal to step lightly. And he led the way up a narrow stone stair, with a wall on either hand.Traversing a long, low corridor, they reached a door, at which having waited for a second or two to listen, Craggs turned the handle and entered. The room was very large and lofty, and, seen in the dim light of a small lamp upon the hearthstone, seemed even more spacious than it was. The oaken floor was uncarpeted, and a very few articles of furniture occupied the walls. In one corner stood a large bed, the heavy curtains of which had been gathered up on the roof, the better to admit air to the sick man. With a long-drawn sigh, like that of utter weariness, the sick man moved his head round and fixed his eyes upon him. "The doctor!" said he, in a deep toned but feeble voice. "Leave me, Craggs-leave me alone with him." And the Corporal slowly retired, turning as he went to look back towards the bed, and evidently going with reluctance. "Is it fever?" asked the sick man, in a faint but unfaltering accent. "It's a kind of cerebral congestion—a matter of them membranes that's over the brain, with, of course, febrilis generalis." The accentuation of these words, marked as it was by the strongest provincialism of the peasant, attracted the sick man's attention, and he bent upon him a look at once searching and severe. "What are you-who are you?" cried he, angrily. "What I am isn't so aisy to say; but who I am is clean beyond me.” "Are you a doctor?" asked the sick man, fiercely. "I'm afeared I'm not, in the sense of a gradum universatalis—a diplomia; but sure may be Paracelsus himself just took to it, like me, having a vocation, as one might say.” "Ring that bell," said the other, perempto rily. And Billy obeyed without speaking. "What do you mean by this, Craggs?" said the Viscount, trembling with passion? "Who have you brought me? What beggar have you picked off the highway? Or is he the travelling fool of the district?" But the anger that supplied strength hitherto now failed to impart energy, and he sank back wasted and exhausted. The Corporal bent over him, and spoke something in a low whisper, but whether the words were heard or not, the sick man now lay still, breathing heavily. "Can you do nothing for him?" asked Craggs, peevishly-"Nothing but anger him?" As Billy drew nigh with cautious steps he perceived that, although worn and wasted by long illness, the patient was still a man in the "To be sure I can, if you'll let me," said very prime of life. His dark hair and beard, Billy, producing a very ancient lancet-case of which he wore long, were untinged with gray, box-wood tipped with ivory. "I'll just take a and his forehead showed no touch of age. His dash of blood from the temporial artery, to redark eyes were wide open, and his lips slight-lieve the cerebrum, and then we'll put cowld ly parted, his whole features exhibiting an ex- on his head, and keep him quiet." pression of energetic action, even to wildness. And with a promptitude that showed at least self-confidence, he proceeded to accomplish ""Tis a critical state he's in, your honor," the operation, every step of which he effected said Billy, bowing; "but I think he'll come skilfully and well. round-deplation, deplation, deplation-actio, "There now," said he feeling the pulse, as the actio, actio; relieve the gorged vessels, and don't blood continued to flow freely. The circula- drown the grand hydraulic machine, the heart tion is relieved already; it's the same as open--there's my sentiments." ing a sluice in a mill-dam. He's better already." He looks easier," said Craggs. "Ay, and he feels it," continued Billy.— "Just notice the respiratory organs, and see how easy the intercostials is doing their work now. Bring me a bowl of clean water, some vinegar, and any ould rags you have." Craggs obeyed, but not without a sneer at the direction. "All over the head," said Billy; all over it -back and front-and with the blessing of the Virgin, I'll have the hair off of him if he isn't cooler towards evening." So saying he covered the sick man with the wetted cloths, and bathed his hands in the cooling fluid. Now to exclude the light and save the brain from stimulation and excitation," said Billy, with a pompous enunciation of the last syllables; and then quies-rest-peace!" Turning from the speaker, with a look of angry impatience, the boy whispered some words in the Corporal's ear. "What could I do, sir?" was the answer; "it was this fellow or nothing." "And better, a thousand times better, nothing," said the boy, "than trust his life to the coarse ignorance of this wretched quack.”— And in his passion the words were uttered loud enough for Billy to overhear them. "Don't be hasty, your honor," said Billy, submissively, "and don't be unjust. The realms of disaze is like an unknown tract of country or a country that's only known a little just round the coast as it might be; once ye'r beyond that, one man is as good a guide as another, cæteris paribus, that is, with equal lights."" "What have you done? Have you given him anything?" broke in the boy hurriedly "I took a bleeding from him, a little short of And with this direction, imparted with a sixteen ounces from the temporial," said Bilcaution to enforce its benefit, he moved stealth-ly, proudly, and I'll give him now a concoction ily towards the door and passed out. "What do you think of him?" asked the Corporal, eagerly. a "He'll do-he'll do," said Billy. "He's sanguineous temperament, and he'll bear the lancet. It's just like weatherin' a point at say. If you have a craft that will carry canvas, there's always a chance for you." of meadow saffron with a pinch of saltpetre in it, to cause diaphoresis, dy'e mind? Meanwhile, we're disgorging the arachnoid membranes with cowld applications, and we're releeven the cerebellum by repose. I challenge the Hall," added Billy, stoutly, "to say isn't them the grand principles of traitment. Ah! young gentleman," said he, after a few seconds' "He perceived that you were not a doctor," pause, "don't be hard on me, because I'm poor said Craggs, when they reached the corridor. and in rags, nor think manely of me because "Did he faix?" cried Billy, half indignant- I spake with a brogue, and may be bad gramly. "He might have perceived that I didn't mar, for you see, even a crayture of my kind come in a coach; that I hadn't my hair pow- can have a knowledge of disaze, just as he dered, nor gold knee-buckles in my small- may have a knowledge of nature, by observaclothes; but, for all that, it would be going too tion. What is sickness, after all, but just one far to say, that I wasn't a doctor. "Tis the of the phenomenons of all organic and inorsame with physic and poetry-you take to it, ganic matter-a regular sort of shindy in a or you don't take to it! There's chaps, ay, man's inside, like a thunderstorm, or a hurryand far from stupid ones either, that couldn't cane outside? Watch what's coming, look compose you ten hexameters, if ye'd put them out and see which way the mischief is brewin', on a hot griddle for it; and there's others that and make your preparations. That's the great would talk rhyme rather than rayson! And study of physic." so with the ars medicatrix-everybody hasn't The boy listened patiently and even attenan eye for a hectic, or an ear for a cough- tively to this speech, and when Billy had connon contigit cuique adire Corintheam. Tisn't cluded, he turned to the Corporal and said, can toss pancakes, as Horace "Look to him, Craggs, and let him have his supper, and when he has eaten it send him to my room." every one says. "Hush-be still!" muttered Craggs, "here's the young master;" and as he spoke, a youth of about fifteen, well-grown and handsome, but poorly, even meanly clad, approached them. "Have you seen my father? What do you think of him?" asked he eagerly. Billy bowed an acknowledgment, and followed the Corporal to the kitchen. "That's my lord's son, I suppose," said he, as he seated himself," and a fine young crayture, too—puer ingennuus, with a grand frontal development; and with this reflection he ad dressed himself to the coarse but abundant fare which Craggs placed before him, and with an appetite that showed how much he relished it. "This is elegant living ye have here, Mr. Craggs," said Billy, as he drained his tankard of beer, and placed it with a sigh on the table; many happy years of it to ye--I couldn't wish ye anything better." "The life is not so bad," said Craggs, "but it's lonely sometimes." "And better for you than lose your life, Billy," said one. "And it's not alone myself I'll be thinking of," said Billy; "but every man in this world, high and low, has his duties. My duty," added he, somewhat pretentiously, " is to carry the King's mail; and if anything was to obstruck, or impade, or delay the correspondence, it's on me the blame would lie. "The letters wouldn't go the faster because "Life need never be lonely so long as man you were drowned," broke in the Corporal. has health and his faculties," said Billy; "give "No, sir," said Billy, rather staggered by me nature to admire, a bit of baycon for the grin of approval that met this remark. dinner, and my fiddle to amuse me, and I" No, sir; what you observe is true. But nowouldn't change with the king of Sugar body reflects on the sintry that dies at his Candy." post." 66 "I was there," said Craggs, "it's a fine island." “DIDN'T I tell you how it would be ?" said Billy, as he re-entered the kitchen, now crowded by the workpeople, anxious for tidings of the sick man. "The head is relieved, the con-justice symptoms is allayed, and when the artarial excitement subsides, he'll be out of danger." "Musha but I'm glad," muttered one; "he'd be a great loss to us.' "True for you, Patsey; there's eight or nine of us here would miss him if he was gone." "Troth he doesn't give much employment, but we couldn't spare him," croaked out a third, when the entrance of the Corporal cut short further commentary; and the party now gathered around the cheerful turf fire, with that instinctive sense of comfort impressed by the swooping wind and rain that beat against the windows. "It's a dreadful night outside; I wouldn't like to cross the Lough in it," said one. "Then that's just what I'm thinking of this minit," said Billy. "I'll have to be up at the office for the bags at six o'clock.” "Faix you'll not see Leenane at six o'clock to-morrow." "Sorra taste of it," muttered another; "there's a sea runnin' outside now that would swamp a life-boat." "I'll not lose an iligant situation of six pounds ten a-year, and a pair of shoes at Christmas for want of a bit of courage," said Billy; "I'd have my dismissal if I wasn't there, as sure as my name is Billy Traynor." "If you must and will go, I'll give you the yawl," said Craggs; "and I'll go with you myself." "Spoke like a British Grenadier, cried Billy, with enthusiasm. Carbineer, if the same to you, master," said the other, quietly; “I never served in the infantry." "Tros Tyriusve mihi," cried Billy; “which is as much as to say— "To storm the skies, or lay siege to the moon, Give me one of the line, or a heavy dragoon ;" "It's the same to me, as the poet says." And a low murmur of the company seemed to accord approval to the sentiment. "I wish, you'd give us a tune, Billy,” said one, coaxingly. "Or a song would be better," observed another. 66 'Faix," cried a third, "'tis himself could do it, and in Frinch or Latin if ye wanted it." "The Germans was the best I ever knew for music," broke in Craggs. I was brigaded with Arentscheld's Hanoverians in Spain; and they used to sit outside the tents every evening, and sing. By Jove! how they did sing-all together, like the swell of a church organ." 66 Yes, you're right," said Billy, but evidently yielding an unwilling consent to this doctrine. "The Germans has a fine national music, and they're great for harmony. But harmony and melody is two different things." "And which is best, Billy ?" asked one of the company. "Musha but I pity your ignorance," said Billy, with a degree of confusion that raised a hearty laugh at his expense. "Well, but where's the song?" exclaimed another. "Ay," said Craggs, "we are forgetting the song. Now for it, Billy; since all is going on so well above stairs, I'll draw you a gallon of ale, boys, and we'll drink to the master's speedy recovery." |