PATTIGO. 215 



was despatched to the next well by the churchman, for a jug 

 of cold spring water. Pattigo, who had rambled up the hills 

 with a basket of fish and scallops, remarked, " that the 

 gentlemen's coppers, he guessed, were rather hot this morning, 

 and," as he eyed the empty bottles which were being removed, 

 " to judge from the number of the marines, it was little 

 wonder." 



From Pattigo' s parlance, I suspected that he had seen more 

 of the world than usually falls to the lot of an ordinary skip- 

 per of a fishing-boat nor was I wrong. I learned from his 

 master, that for some good conduct, no doubt, he had been 

 accommodated with board and lodging in a king's ship for 

 upwards of two years, and that his sojourn there would have 

 heen much longer, had he not managed to abridge the visit, 

 by slipping one dark night over the vessel's side, and swim- 

 ming to the shore, a distance of two miles. On this Byronian 

 feat, however, the honest navigator seldom plumes himself, 

 and it is only when he is "a bit by the head," that this 

 exploit is mentioned. 



We found the household fully occupied in the cabin ; John 

 in regulating the chamber of state, which, notwithstanding 

 open doors and windows, still retained the miasma of tobacco- 

 smoke, and Hennessey in skinning and breaking up the deen 

 If I had been yesterday delighted with his superior execution 

 with the rifle, I was now surprised at the masterly manner in 

 which he dressed and dismembered the venison. He is 

 certainly a clever fellow, and, could I but forget that he has 

 finished a few of " the finest peasantry upon earth," the man 

 would stand as high in my estimation, as he does in his 

 foster brother's, " our loving cousin/' 



When breakfast was ended, at which, to do them justice, 

 the Colonel and the Priest did their devoir most gallantly, and 

 were occupied in debating what should be the order of the 

 morning's amusement, and to fish, or not to fish, appeared 

 the question, an incident such as in this wild and sylvan state 

 of things every day produces, occurred. It was the arrival of 

 a young lad, who brought an otter- skin of unusual size as a 

 present to " the master," and a wounded hand, whereon 

 Antony was required to exercise his leechcraft. He had been 

 bitten by a wild cat, and I had the curiosity to examine the 

 wound. The hand was already in a state of high inflammation ; 

 and the ferocity of the creature must indeed have been extra- 



