“Well, indeed I ought, sir, to know them,” replied Mogue, “and I believe I do; and talkin’ of that, you have often heard of the great robber and rapparee, Shaun Bernha?”

“I have heard of him, and of his Stables, which lie up somewhere in these mountains.”

“Exactly, sir; an’ it is what I was thinkin’; that we might take a look at them in the coorse of our sport to-day; in regard, especially, that there’s more game about them than in any other part of the mountains.”

“Very well, then, Mogue,” replied his companion, “so be it; you are, as I said, my guide for the day.”

“But do you know, sir, why he was called Shaun Bernha?”

“No, I can’t say I do.”

“It was odd enough, to be sure.  Howandever, may I be happy but they say it’s true!  You see, sir, he was called Shaun Bernha bekaise he never had a tooth in his head; an’ no more had any of his family; and yet, sir, it’s said, that he could bite a piece out of a plate of sheet iron as aisily as you or I could out a cake of gingerbread.”

“Well, Morgue, all that I can say to that is, that he had devilish hard gums, and stood in no fear of the toothache.”

“Well, then, we’ll sweep around the slebeen hills here, keepin’ Altnaveenan to our right, and Lough Mocall to our left; then, by going right ahead we’ll come to his stables; and indeed they’re well worth seein’.”

“With all my heart, Mague, never say it again.”  And they accordingly proceeded at a vigorous pace to the mountains, which were now distant not more than a mile and a half from them.

In the meantime we shall leave them to pursue their game, and beg our readers to accompany us once more to the house of our friend, Fitzy O’Driscol, who, what between the dread of assassination on the one hand, and the delight of having a proper subject to justify him in communicating with the government on the other, passed his time in alterations, now of fear, and again of his peculiar ambition to be recognized as an active and fearless magistrate by the then existing powers, that were, to such as knew the man and understood his character, perfectly ludicrous.  On the morning in question, he was, as usual, seated, in his morning-gown and slippers, at the breakfast-table, reading a country paper, in which, by the way, appeared the following paragraph:—­

“TURBULENT STATE OR THE COUNTRY.—­We regret to say, that the state of the country is every day becoming more and more unsettled.  A few days ago, whilst one of our excellent and most resolute magistrates, Fitzgerald O’Driscol, Esq., was engaged in his office, determining an important case of assault that came before him, and which he did, as he usually does, to the perfect satisfaction of the parties, he received, a threatening notice, couched in most violent language, in fact, breathing of blood and assassination!  Why a gentleman of such high magisterial character as Mr. O’Driscol should