,504 The Fresh Water Whale. [MAY, 



agreed, at last, to the division he had insisted on making, which, within a 

 week was carried into effect. Luckie's share may be described as a bit 

 of leasehold, small, it is true, but fat and mellow as good soil could be 

 made by care and manure, where the last O'Rindan, and his widow after 

 him, had lived and flourished in a good stone house, from the day they 

 were married. The township of Fidlimid, which after inspection, delibe- 

 ration, and much consultation with the two men, the old woman, the 

 piper, and a couple of beggars who had dropped in while the whiskey 

 was about, all of whom he took away with him Blundus had persisted 

 in having, was a desert promontory, without a bush or any thing else 

 upon it, but the trumpery gable end of an old castle, bad in its best days, 

 and now in ruins. The township cut a river that rose from the bog in 

 two j and the waters in front and on both sides of it, had for ages been 

 encroaching upon its boundaries, and occasionally overflowing its entire 

 surface. A worn-out mariner, who lived close at hand, called it a flying 

 fish, because it was about as often above as under the stream. Long 

 before the death of Mrs. Rindan, notwithstanding its former glory, and 

 its rights of custom and poundage for wares and merchandize, wrecks, 

 flatsome and jetsome, waifes, straies, goods left and forsaken, tithe-fish, 

 keelage, anchorage, and other emoluments, profits, and advantages, it had 

 become just good for nothing, but to ride races upon; being, with the 

 exception of those ruins which had once been a contemptible castle,, flat 

 and bare as a new board. 



Thither, however, with his whiskey, horse, pigs, a few articles of fur- 

 niture, the two men, the old woman, the piper, and the beggars, did 

 Blundus O'Rindan joyfully retire. As somebody says, "he slept all day, 

 and did no other work ;" living, according to his own ideas of feudal 

 pomp, as long as the money and things he had brought away with him 

 lasted. Then, one by one, his retinue fell off; and, at last, he was left by 

 himself, to do as well as he could. One morning while he was out, not 

 earlier, but later than usual, in hopes, perhaps, of seeing the whale, which, 

 according to tradition, was to be thrown upon and enrich his township for 

 ever, who should he see but Luckie O'Carrol, who had been doing well 

 at the bit of a farm in the bog this while, trotting up to him on Meggie, 

 the mare nag she used to ride to market. 



" Cousin Luckie," said Blundus, " may be it's the morning air that does 

 it, but I never saw you look so handsome ; and if I was'nt the head of the 

 O'Rindans and you the reverse" 



" There's no one betwixt us," interrupted Luckie. 



" That's true : but I couldn't think of tying the family neck and heels, 

 as it would be, if I married you, Luckie. 



" You've been doing worse than that this many a day, Sir, spending 

 all you had upon trash, and" 



" Miss Luckless O'Carroll" 



"Oh ! Sir ! I'll speak out my mind for oncej and it's not long I'll 

 trouble you" 



" The honour of the O'Rindans" 



" Ah ! that's a fine thing, and so is butter ; but I know of a better 

 thing to melt even that butter ; and it would be well for you to be 

 digging trenches for a potatoe crop, instead of looking out, as you are, 

 for the whale that won't come.*' 



"Miss O'Carroll, since the division I've borrowed money and goods of 

 you, it's true" 



