meet here now; and, boys, I ask ye here this night, are ye not contint to lay down your lives in the ould cause of Ireland for ever agin the Saxon?' The speaker looked around him, partly to gain breath, and partly for applause, and a tumultuous cheer and a crowd of hats thrown up in the air was the answer to his appeal.

'Whisht boys,' he continued again, I have not done yet. We are asked what are our chances of success? I answer that question plainly. Why wouldn't we succeed? That's my answer! And I'd like to see any man would be able to answer that. I I say again, why wouldn't we succeed? Sure ain't we all organising our best? Ain't James Stephens among us doing all he can for the cause? Ain't the Americans all sympathising heart and soul with us? and if America joins us, I say again, why wouldn't we succeed? Sure the sons of the ancient families are all burnin' to be at them. There's not a child in the valley but would set fire to their camp if the Saxons dar' come among us, nor a boy on the mountains that would not hurl down the stones from every splintered rock upon their heads. Let us rise, I say, as one man and drive

them from the country, and that will be answer enough to any man, high or low, who asks what are our chances of success.'

A deep murmur of applause from the rebel multitude around succeeded this warlike speech. Sticks were brandished in the air, and muttered curses showed how deeply the words of the speaker had moved the hearts of his hearers. But the leaders were not so easily led astray, and they looked at each other in somewhat blank dismay at the illogical reasoning of their self-constituted spokesman. All looked at

Donald O'Sulevan to see what answer he would return to this violent, and as the crowd deemed it, eloquent speech.

Again there was a silence. It was broken by O'Sulevan in a calm and measured voice.

'Gentlemen,' he said, am I to consider what I have now heard as the only reply to my questions?'

6

And what better would ye have?' fiercely demanded a thick-set man, with clotted hair and upturned nose, who, not being as tall as the last speaker, leaped on a fragment of a rock to secure the full attention of the crowd.

'What better answer would ye have, I say, than that ye have already got? Is not this the

Priest Lep mountain, and am I not one of the ancient O'Glyns myself? and am I to stand by quietly and see it shot over and hunted by the stranger as if it was his own by right? My forefathers shot their grouse and killed their deer for themselves in this very place; and now we are called on to preserve it for the Saxon lords to kill the game which of old belonged to us, aye, and now is by right our own. Never!

say I, never! They may shoot us, or stab us, or exterminate us, but we will rise once more and see whether Ould Ireland cannot yet hold her own against all the usurpers in the world.' Again a deep murmur of applause ran through the excited crowd.

This is wild talk, gentlemen,' said O'Sulevan, addressing the leaders or officers of the party, and turning from the fierce orator, who still stood upon the rock as if challenging anyone to dispute his conclusions. This is wild talk; will not anyone accustomed to action as well as to words tell me what we are met for?

6

'Let us walk apart for a little,' replied the general. We shall arrive at no conclusion here;' and then turning to the men, he said,

'Boys, sit down and rest youselves awhile. We want to talk this matter over with Donald

O'Sulevan for a bit. We'll let you know all about it just now, but where so many start up to speak, it is hard to come to any real business.

He then led O'Sulevan and a few of the officers aside, and ascending to the cave under the rock, where the foster-brothers had a short time before lain concealed, he requested all to be seated, and then in a clear, calm tone he said,

'Donald O'Sulevan, we asked you to come here that we might have the advantage of your counsel and advice, and not to hear Long Turret or fierce O'Glyn spout nonsense-though it's truth they're telling and not nonsense for all that-only it's out of time and place. We want your counsel, O'Sulevan. We hear you are cautious as well as brave, and have seen foreign service, and know what real war is. What do you say? Has Ireland any chance at present ?'

'When you speak in that tone,' replied O'Sulevan,' I would gladly aid you by my counsel and advice in whatever way either may be useful. But I am only recently returned from France, and I know but little of how matters stand just now in Ireland. But this I knowEngland was never stronger or more united, and you must have something far different from

what I have seen to-night, if you expect to overthrow the English power in Ireland.'

"We know that well,' returned the spokesman, but every thing must have a beginning, and ours is nothing but a beginning; and why should not the redemption of Ireland begin here as well as elsewhere? We are on the best spot of Ireland for the Americans to land if we could only induce them to take up our quarrel. Ten or twenty thousand men could be landed at Beare-Haven in a day or two, and if a few war-ships were sent over to keep the Channel fleet engaged outside, whilst the troops were landed in the harbour, Ireland would be free next day. From Beare-Haven to Bantry, from Bantry to Cork, from Cork to Mallow, and from Mallow to Limerick, they would be received with open arms. Provisions would be forwarded to their camp whether paid for or not; and I am satisfied that such a scene of rejoicing would cover the land as Ireland has never witnessed for seven hundred years or more.'

'Ay,' replied O'Sulevan; I doubt not there would be plenty of rejoicing if once the Americans landed, and many a man would surely expect to be seated in his old farm and old quarters again, and no doubt would fight