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justice for so small crimes ; for it being s 

 customary thing in their country, for peo- 

 ple to take a little fruit, they were sure 

 not to be punished, if they did not behave 

 ill in any other respect : and he observed, 

 they would be likely to do me some mis- 

 chief, such as by killing some of my horses 

 or cattle, or setting my house on fire, &c. 

 In short, 1 began to understand, that, if 

 they only filled their pockets and hand- 

 kerchiefs, I was not to mind it. From 

 this information I soon found the or- 

 chard would be of no real use to me, but 

 rather the contrary. Therefore I consi- 

 dered what was to be done, and determin- 

 ed in my own mind that I would take an 

 oak-stick in my hand when I saw any 

 one trespassing in the orchard ; and, the 

 first insult I received, I would try the 

 courage of those gentry. I did so : a 

 stout-looking Irishman was in a tree 

 gathering fruit. I enquired what right he 

 had there : and, at first, he behaved very 

 roughly. He had left a gun a little di~ 



