small military parties that were in the habit of scouring the country generally—­unless when in the execution of some express duty—­retired to their quarters at an early hour, in order to avoid the severe retaliations which were frequently made upon them by the infuriated peasantry whom they—­or rather the government which employed them—­had almost driven to madness, and—­would have driven to insurrection had the people possessed the means of rising.  As it was, however, he dreaded no further pursuit this night, for the reasons which we have stated.

In the meantime the sheriff, feeling obliged by the civility of the three dragoons, gave them refreshments on a very liberal scale, of which—­rather exhausted as they were—­they made a very liberal use.  Feeling themselves now considerably stimulated by liquor, they mounted their horses and proceeded towards their barracks—­at a quick pace.  In consequence of the locality in which the sheriff lived, it was necessary that they should travel in a direction opposite to that by which Reilly and the priest were going.  At all events, after riding a couple of miles, they overtook three infantry soldiers who were also on their way to quarters.  The blood, however, of the troopers was up—­thanks to the sheriff; they mentioned the robbery, and requested the three infantry to precede them as an advanced guard, as quietly as possible, stating that there might still be a chance of coming across the villain who had plundered the sheriff, intimating their impression, at the same time, that Reilly was the man, and adding that if they could secure him their fortune was made.  As has always been usual in executing cases, of the law attended with peculiar difficulty, these men—­the infantry—­like our present detectives, had gone out that night in colored clothes.  On perceiving two individuals approaching them in the dim distance, they immediately threw their guns into the ditch, lest they should put our friends upon their guard and cause them to escape if they could.  Reilly could have readily done so; but having, only a few minutes before heard from the poor old priest that he had, for some months past, been branded and pursued us a felon, he could not think of abandoning him now that he was feeble and jaded with fatigue as well as with age.  Now it so happened that one of these fellows had been a Roman Catholic, and having committed some breach of the law, found it as safe as it was convenient to change his creed, and as he spoke the Irish language fluently—­indeed there were scarcely any other then spoken by the peasantry—­he commenced clipping his hands on seeing the two men, and expressing the deepest sorrow for the loss of his wife, from whose funeral, it appeared from his lamentations, he was then returning.

“We have nothing to apprehend, here,” said Reilly; “this poor fellow is in sorrow, it seems—­God help him!  Let us proceed.”