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water.

As it was at a ford, the Manor Hamilton-hall boys knew that they should not drown their victims. After shouting and roaring with laughter at the ineffectual attempts of the inmates of the carriage to extricate themselves, they bade them a prosperous voyage.

"Good luck to ye!" bawled out O'Shea.
"Good luck to ye!" screamed fifty voices.

"Arrah now don't be after runnin' over the salmon !"
"There's more than one perch in the stream!"

"By St. Patrick they are the water-bailiffs!"

"Och! let's see the Dublin sharks swim out," and other such witticisms, were showered on the men-of-law, when Michael cried "Don't come agin to Manor Hamilton, my darlins; remimber your ducking;" and he turned round, and made his way back homewards, followed by the hilarious mob, and the postilion with his horses, whom they compelled to go with them. In this predicament, with the doors of the chaise beaten in tight, they remained for an hour, the river flowing in at one window and out at the other, with at least "four foot water in the hold," until they were fortunately discovered by two men who were navigating a turf-boat round a bend of the stream, and who with some difficulty relieved them from their disagreeable situation, and then began raking and sounding the bottom of the Bonnet with their boathook and pole. On being asked why they did so, they replied, "Any how, wouldn't it be right to fish up their honours' horses?"

state.

We abstain from entering into a descriptive detail of the various efforts made by Messrs. Grasper, Mc Murdo, and Tater to enforce the claim of Signora Gabrielli, and the difficulties they had to encounter. It was an unprecedented claim, and the legal authorities were not very warm upon it. The police of Ireland at that period was in an inefficient Even soldiers were scarce, for every disposable regiment was on the continent or in America. Suffice it to say, that General Mike O'Shea, at the head of the Manor Hamilton-hall boys, contrived to prevent every attempt of an entry on the premises, by force or strategy. There was not a cow on the estate but had its defender. To be sure she was sometimes milked as a "refresher" for her body guard. length Balthazar Valdarno becoming aware of the extreme unpopularity of his side of the question, secretly contrived to get the adjudication of the affair moved in a higher quarter, from which a more summary exactment of his claim could be enforced, and this arrived at the Hall in so decided a manner, that Donovan became alarmed for the eventual liberty of his fair mistress. Then the cunning lawyer entered on a negotiation by which (finding that he could neither distrain nor obtain payment in ready cash) he proposed to take the joint bonds, for various periods, of Mrs. and Miss O'Carrol, and their agent Mr. Donovan, for the 10,000l.

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After much pressing and threatening, these ruinous bonds were finally and sorrowfully executed, and delivered to Balthazar Valdarno.

These bonds Balthazar Valdarno secured in an iron box, until the time should arrive when he could make the first of his periodical demands. And now he thought that he had fully effected his purpose. He debated within himself whether he should return directly to the continent, or await the departure of a merchant vessel, bound from Dublin to Leghorn, which probably might sail in about five weeks.

But this question was settled by an event which occurred as he was coming one night from an Italian concert, which had been given at the old Rotunda. Giacomelli was in waiting with his master's cloak at the door. Balthazar had scarcely stepped into the street when he received a severe blow on the head with a bludgeon, which felled him to the pavement, and a voice at the same time exclaimed, "Jack O'Mally, tell your master, that's with Mike O'Shea's compliments."

On Valdarno being conveyed home, it was discovered that the wound was not of a serious nature, but he became alarmed, and did not like to risk a second chance of a beating, so he resolved to depart by the first vessel that might leave Ireland. He accordingly travelled to Cork, where he embarked in an Irish trading vessel.

An Extract from a Newspaper, Sept. 17, 1774.

"SHIPWRECK.-The Eagle, barque, Hennessy commander, laden with salted salmon and beef, sailed from Cork on the 20th of August, for Bordeaux, but encountered in the Bay of Biscay hard gales from the west. Was spoken by the Hesperia frigate, Captain Maldon, on the 8th, off Scilly Islands.

"A boat and portions of the rigging of the Eagle having been picked up, it is conjectured that she has unfortunately foundered at sea.'

Extract from a Letter dated Bordeaux, Oct. 2, 1774.

"We have to advise you of the total loss of the Eagle and the whole of her cargo, consigned by your house to this firm. We regret to inform you that one of the mates and a boy are the only survivors, who were miraculously saved off a floating spar by a Bilboa fishing-boat. Captain Henessy and his crew (with the above exception) have perished; also two passengers, an Italian gentleman, named Balthazar Valdarno, and his servant. The cargo is fortunately insured," &c.

Now, as the too cunning Balthazar had kept his secret about the bonds, and we have already related that Gabrielli herself was unacquainted with the object of his mission to England, the iron box with its contents, in all probability is somewhere embedded in the earth, at the bottom of the Bay of Biscay.

Donovan read the newspaper paragraph to Mrs. and Miss O'Carrol, advising them to leave the result of the strange affair to chance; and certain it is, that the family were never afterwards troubled on the subject of

THE BEQUEATHED HEART.

FOREIGN SPORTING.

BY NIMROD.

INDIA.

ANOTHER writer on hog-hunting, and one who asserts that “it is, to his ideas, the finest sport in the world," says, "A person who has never hunted a hog, cannot fancy the pace they go at. In hog-hunting, nerve is the greatest desideratum-confidence in one's horse the next. These, with a keen eye, must bring success."

In speaking of hog-hunters, I allude to those who are enthusiasts; for it is a sport that will admit no half-and-half kind of feelings; and with such, the moment " Tally ho!" sounds, all ideas of caution and of self evaporate.

The young boar is active and incautious; goes off with amazing speed, and fights well. The boar, full grown, affords finer sport; but the grunter just on the turn, is the one to make a man's blood run brisk. The only way to come up with one of this class is, to press him hard the moment he bursts, when he will slacken his pace after about a mile. The moment he sees you have the speed of him, he will turn, and then is the time to give him the blow. A hog-hunter should always keep his game about ten yards a-head of him, a little on the right, so that when he turns he may have him under his spear-hand— for hogs generally turn on the hunter when they come to the stop. This is the time a man's eye and horsemanship tell; if he has a good eye on the hog, and a correct hand on his horse, he does his business for him; and at the moment he delivers his spear into the small of the back (a favourite place), he has his horse off to the left. The force of the blow checks the hog, and the right spur well put in, takes off the horse. People generally get their horses cut at this critical momentthat is to say, if they miss their aim, and do not quickly get their horse

away.

The size hogs grow to is surprising. A spirited writer whom I have quoted, was at the death of one forty-four inches high, and he killed several of forty inches!

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The tenacity of life in full-grown boars is extraordinary. have seen a hog at bay," says the same writer, "with eight spears in him. But it is not so much the chase as the fight that pleases; and yet the ride for the first spear is worth seeing, especially when two sportsmen pretty well matched contend for it. In the energy of such a moment, I have dropped a boar with a single spear. This flatters one's quickness of eye and steady strength of arm, and was once the means of saving a friend's life when the hog was at his side. A single spear dropped him dead within a yard of his fallen foe."

This enthusiastic sportsman draws a comparison between hog-hunting and fox-hunting, deciding in favour of the former. He says he has seen both, and is of opinion, that were hogs as abundant in England as they used to be in India, foxes would be much neglected.

The variety of game in India is greater than it is generally believed to be. Saying nothing of boars and tigers, and other fere, which may be reckoned among the principal beasts of venerie, the Indian sportsman's return of the day's diversion often includes the bustard, the blackcock (a delicious kind of partridge), the partridge, the snipe, the quail, the florikan, the pea-fowl, the pheasant, and the hare, with various aquatic birds from the cyrus (a magnificent bird of the heron species), to the teal. There are likewise the jungle-fowl and spur-fowl, which afford excellent sport.

What is called" riding across a country," in which so many shades of excellence exist in all who have tried their hands at it, must put to the test both the nerves and the hand of Indian sportsmen. In the first place, the unevenness of the surface, together with the high grass which covers the water-courses, formed by the strong currents of water in the rainy season, which prevents their being seen until they are on the very brink of them, added to cracks in the ground from great heat, requires horses to be very active on their legs, and their riders to have quick eyes, steady seats, and good hands. Secondly, the ground, if not hard and cracked by heat, is both sloughy and boggy; and lastly, the fences are for the most part of rather a formidable nature, consisting of high banks, walls, with either single or double ditches, broad and awkward brooks, wattled bamboo fences, and every now and then a river to be swum. I have, however, reason to know, that there has been many an Indian sportsman who, could himself and his horse have been magically transported from the side of a cover in Bengal, to Melton Spiney in Leicestershire, would not have been easily beaten in a quick forty-minutes burst.

As I intend offering you a separate paper on the comparative excellence of English and foreign horses, I shall confine myself at present to a short notice of racing in India, which has long been carried on with great spirit in the three Presidencies, although a considerable check was given to it in Bengal by the retirement of General Gilbert, who has for the last dozen years or more been a conspicuous character on our own turf, as well as one of the best of our gentleman jockeys; of Mr. Thornhill, now residing in Oxfordshire; Colonel Stevenson, and others, who entered into the pursuit with an enterprise worthy of Lord George Bentinck himself, and generally with the like success. Suffice it then at present to say, that in two Calcutta meetings of last year, which are said "to rank first on the list after England, whether for the amount of public money, betting, or sport," thirty-eight races were run, matches included, which is quite equal in amount to our two October meetings at Newmarket; although in the value of the stakes the balance is of course greatly on the side of the far-famed Olympic of modern days. Amongst the prizes was the Auckland cup, the annual gift of the Governor General, value 1600 rupees, for all horses, weight for age, two and a half miles. A sweepstakes of twenty-five gold mohurs (17. 12s.) each, ten forfeit, are added to this stakes, English horses carrying 2 st. 7 lbs. more weight than that carried by Arabs, a pretty decisive proof of their superiority! It was won by Mr. Bacon's grey Arabian horse Fieschi, 8 st. 8 lbs., four other horses being in the race; yet Lucifer, an English horse, carrying 11 st. 11 lbs. could have

won, but was not allowed to do so, being the property of the owner of Fieschi, who declared to win with him; time, four minutes fifty-six seconds. "This pretty clearly shows," writes the reporter of this race," that even in a tropical climate, a first-rate Arab, which Fieschi is, has no chance, even receiving 2 st. 7 lbs. against an English racer." In the same meeting, Fieschi won a sweepstakes of 100 gold mohurs each, beating three Arabians, and running the two miles in three minutes and fifty seconds, which shows that Lucifer ran in good company. The course boasts an elegant stand for the spectators, and what is more important, plenty of money to be run for, thanks to the inhabitants, male and female, of Calcutta and its environs.

DEER STALKING IN INDIA.

FOR the following spirited and graphic description of Indian deerstalking, I am indebted to a sporting contemporary.

"The glare of a tropical sun-rise was brightening up a gloomy amphitheatre of hills on the skirts of that eternal forest which forms a barrier between the barren table-land of the Deccan, and the palmfringed coast of Koman, when a dark figure was seen galloping along the path which led to the jungle. The noise of the horse's hoofs roused a party of natives, who were squatting in a circle round a fire in front of a ruined hut. One long whiff was inhaled by each of the group from the humble hookah that had been passing round the party, and every man starting up, arranged his turban, and salaamed to the earth as a tall gaunt European dismounted from a panting Arab. Exposure to the sun had bronzed his features nearly to the tint of their own complexions, and black mustaches gave a still more Asiatic character to the weather-beaten features of the exiled sportsman. Gaiters of deerskins, and a belt of a tiger's hide, from which hung an Affghaun knife, would have told the nature of his pursuits, if the dress of dark-green had not already betrayed the deer-stalker. A hunting-cap of green velvet, indented by repeated falls, completed his unbecoming, but characteristic costume. Without a word being spoken, a heavy doublerifle was handed to him by a peon, and loaded with the utmost care, much to the edification of a band of half-naked beaters, armed with clubs and hatchets, who watched every motion with a grin of savage delight. Till the balls were hammered home, not a word was uttered; and then silence was first broken by one brief question in Hindustanee, addressed to the leader of the band

"Any news of the wandering tiger?'

"The big thief would not come to eat your Highness's bullets yesterday, but the star of your fate is great, and she will be in the toils of the hunter before night, God willing; Burmah and the other shikarees are now watching the path where she comes down every day.'

"Very good, we must not disturb that part of the jungle; send the people to mark on the high ground any herds that may be returning from feed, and if I cannot track up a deer before I reach them, we can have a beat in the large ravines.'

"So saying, the deer-stalker strode down the hill, followed by one at

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