and while singing this fine air, the sick woman suddenly escaped out of the arms of her friends, and rushing with a tremendous force from them, escaped by the door, a short distance from the house, a dark mountain stream separated the bawn from an adjoining meadow, a narrow and insecure plank of " 'bog wood" was thrown across it at a considerable height from the flood, which served as a kind of bridge, though rather a dangerous one, to connect the bawn and meadow, towards this bridge the woman directed her course, her friends in pursuit and alarmed at the danger, but other unearthly friends were there ready for her assistance, and to the amazement of all who saw her, she bounded over this precarious passage, with a lightness and agility little less than supernatural, while as those who pursued attempted to follow after, they were compelled to use the greatest precaution, in order to avoid being upset and precipitated into the stream beneath. The object of their anxiety mean while, pursued her flight through the meadow, until having arrived at nearly the opposite end she fell, and when her friends arrived at the spot, they found her quite exhausted and a long green herb hanging out of her mouth, which they all declared would effect her cure; but alas! before she could in her faintness draw it in, it disappeared from the rejoicing gaze of all who surrounded her, and they bore back the wretched woman, hopeless to her house, to a bed from which she never more arose.-Despair and gloom now sat on the countenance of her hus band and relatives; but the priest rebuked them for their felly and credulity, and he bid them confide in God, and seek that relief from a me dical practitioner, in a neighbouring village, which they had superstitiously expected from the creations of their own, and their ancestors wild imaginations, half hoping and half distrusting the benefit of any human aid, they applied to Doctor Mullany, the practicing Esculapius referred to, a notoriously ignorant and illiterate quack, who had been formerly a loblolly boy on board a man of war, and had returned home filled as he pretended with a most extensive, profound, and thorough knowledge of surgery and medicine, a very Chiron in his profession, and possessed of a most vehement appetite for whiskey; but the assistance of this worthy professor of the healing art, (who was now present and formed one of our coterie,) was soon dispensed with, and recourse was had to one of those skilful leaches, the Mna Oulthig or Ulster women, who have retained a good reputation in Munster, as skillful herbalists ever since the period of the battle of the Boyne, when great numbers of them accompanied their husbands to this province, on their Creaghs or Foray expeditions and many of them remained behind, a few of those skillful Ultonians from time to time, still find their way to the South, and obtain considerable practice amongst the simple peasantry, who laud to the skies their skill in leish or medicine, and their profound knowledge of pishoge or witchcraft, one of these venerable sybils, had long exercised her calling at Bally-and disputed the place of precedency even with the before mentioned Doctor himself, she was applied to in secret (for she was under the ban of the priest) and all the efficacy of herbs, and it was whispered, of spells were tryed by her, but all proved of no avail, for the patient finally departed to join her friends, in their bright and pleasant abode in fairy land.--expressed my surprise at the confiding simplicity which could entrust the unfortunate womans life, into the hands of such a vile pretender to medical skill. Och dear," said an old smoked and smoking beldam ་་ --- beside me, if you knew of but half the cures those Ulster women have performed, you would not ask such a question, when my son, Phil (she continued) was a school boy, he brought home with him many a night, two poor scholars from the West, who went to the same school with him, and 'twas no harm to call them the scholars, for there was nothing surpassed their skill in book-learning, or plants, or herbs, or Pishoge, and there was neither man or r beast fell sick while they stopt in this country but they cured,-before they went away they gave Phil a bundle of ould sooty papers, which they assured him would teach him to turn lead into gold, to make a hundred of butter, out of a quart of cream, or to set any body he liked, with three words a dancing for the length of the day; he' put them for safety between the rafter and the thatch of the house, but when some time after he went looking for them, they were not to be found' and nobody could tell where they went to, Theige Brady tould me that twas nothing good that took them with him"-" and I told you truth" said the sage Thadeus, "and as for the Pishoge women from Ulster, I'll tell you what is as certain as that you are sitting there, for it happened to my own brother whom you must know sir, is a dancing master by profession, and he is alive and well this day, to prove every word I say, to be true in every particular."-As I have been hitherto for the most part translating the Irish conversation of the different personages represented, I shall in the adventure related by the last-mentioned personage, continue to use my discretion in rendering or abridging his language, as shall seem most meet for the due satisfaction of the gentle reader.” Morthy Brady being on a professional sojcurn, in a small hamlet in one of those glens, so frequent amongst the border mountains of Kerry and Limerick, took up his abode by special invitation, in the house of a farmer, from whose roof on careful examination, he found a larger number of flitches and hams of bacon suspended, than he had seen in any other house in the commune, after-hours he imparted some of his acquirements in the art saltatory, to the junior members of the family, and entertained over a glass of potheen, the elder branches with a well told tale, a stave of the Cruiskeen Lawn, or Claur bug dale, or a strum on his cremona. In all his deportment he consulted the various tastes of the1 inmates, and in particular had his pinch of snuff, his anecdote and jest,' for the ancient grandam who occupied the warm Sheesteen in the chimney corner, this ancient matron was originally from the land of Spells and Incantations, that hot bed of magic and witchcraft, before commemorated Ulster, and was strongly suspected to be by no means deficient, in the knowledge of her country, with her, our friend Morthy formed a close intimacy, he was of an enquiring temper, and generally contrived to know a little more about the affairs of his neighbours, than the saidneighbours themselves, the whispered reputation of the old Sybil was not unknown to him, and he was put to his wits end to have himself initiated in all the deep mysteries, of which she was the mistress, inuendoes, broadsides, all the great and small artillery of his ingenuity, were brought to bear on the old woman, he played on her vanity, regard for himself &c. but with little effect, at all events he determined to watch her closely, and the time arrived when he concluded his impatient curiosity, (if ever) was to be gratified. The eve of May when witches course the realms of air, careering on full blooded broomsticks, or invoke the presiding spirit of the elements by spell and charm at length arrived, the fire of Baal shone that night on every hill, boys and maids danced around the gaudy Maypole, the horned cattle leapt the sacred flame, and good wives prayed for a blessing on the approaching labours of the dairy. When the pleasures and duties of the evening were over, the fire-hearth was cleaned, the fire itself was trimmed and prepared for the reception of whatever wandering spirits of the air, or of the dead, should choose to partake of its warmth, and the family retired to repose. Murthy lay in a small apartment, seperated from the kitchen, and not far removed from the fireplace by a boarded partition, whose many wide chinks gave him full opportunity, when ever he deemed it necessary to gratify his curiosity, by observing whatever occurred without to gorge that ravening propensity. Full of anxiety he turned and tumbled in bed; he had kept a careful eye on the movements of the Ulster woman during the evening, but the placid composure which she manifested in her conversation and movements, filled his soul with horrible fears, that she was dreaming of no magic rite or unhallowed execution, and he saw her depart for bed with the rest of the family, with an air of simplicity and innocence, that harrowed his very entrails with vexation. Full of rueful cogitations, he was thinking of betaking himself to sleep, when he thought he heard a soft tread without, he turned to a neighbouring interstice between the boards of the partition, and straining his eager eyes, he saw the old woman cautiously advancing towards the fire-place,-she looked around her suspiciously, and paused almost at every step to listen, anxious to ascertain whether she was watched; Brady scarcely breathed lest he should disturb her; when she assured herself that she was unobserved, she opproached the fire-place and withdrew a stone from the wall,' which he could observe to have been very exactly fitted in it, and from out of a hollow space inside where it had been, drew a horn which he afterwards found contained a kind of ointment, having procured this, she returned to the centre of the floor, and with an osier twig which she held in her hand, she drew an imaginary circle around her on the floor, this done she applied some of the ointment to the soles of her feet, and having replaced the horn and stone in their proper places again, and re-entered the circle, she pronounced in a low voice but with great distinctness in Irish, a well known rhyme of incantation, which Brady had often heard to have been used by witches for their ungodly purposes, though before now with little credence, the effect was instantaneous, with amazement he beheld the witch transformed in a moment into a hare, and dart up the large chimney and disappear. Brady scarcely gave himself time to make a reflection on the strange-metamorphosis, he formed his resolution, at once started out of bed, and rushed to where the stone had been replaced, unloosed it and took out the horn, and having applied the ointment in the manner he had seen her use it, replaced the horn and stone again-formed the circle on the floor with his rod, and muttering the words of power, found himself instantly changed into a similar animal, and bounding up the chimney he beheld the metamorphosed hag at a short distance in the moonlight, proceeding at a tolerably quick pace across the country.-Brady of course followed the same direction, but he took the precaution to remain out of sight of his guide;-having cleared the glen, they soon struck up the mountain, and after about an hours hard coursing they entered an open and desolate moor, covered with purple heath, whose aspect of savage desolation and rudeness, filled our poor dancing master with fear and misgiving of heart; to stop short now would however be useless, and he had to disencumber himself of his new form, of which he saw no chance except by accomplishing his adventure. They soon gained the centre of the heath where the ground was less encumbered, and Brady beheld before him a large assemblage of the species to which he now belonged, who were forming themselves into a kind of irregular line, which was momentarily encreasing by fresh arrivals from different parts of the moor:-panting and tolerably fatigued from his rapid journey, he boldly approached his old friend, and placed himself beside her in the ranks, and resolving to do as he saw her do. By times the influxof new comers were decreasing, until finally the assemblage appeared to be completed, thereupon a few who seemed to be leaders, advanced from the ranks, and rushed with extraordinary fleetness along the line, which now extended as far as the eye could reach across the heath, which was but partially illuminated by the light of the moon, as it broke in fitful gleams through the struggling clouds, that quickly floated through the sky, the abject of inspection being obtained, the leaders crowded together in short consultation, and then scampered off to their different quarters,-in a moment an universal murmer ran through the entire assemblage, and one, more important than the rest seperating from the line, announced to them that the business of the night could not be gone through, for that an unitiated stranger, and of the opposite sex had intruded amongst them; an universal confusion followed the announcement, the regularity of the meeting was instantly broken up, and with execrations in every mouth they betook themselves to a general flight. Brady, the wicked cause of this untimely dispersion, on the first announcement of his unhallowed presence, withdrew through the rere from the side of his Ulster hare, who began to eye him with great fury as the cause of this calamity, and he quickly retraced his course along the moor, in the same line with that which he had pursued on his arrival, he saw with fear the breaking up of the party, and carefully in his flight avoided all contact, with the several broken groups who seemed to return in the same direction with himself, at the open to the glen however, he awaited the approach of his aged hostess; whatever terrors might be in the meeting, they were necessarily more endurable than the thought of continuing in his present shape, and perhaps be the next morning hunted down by a fox hunter. It was not long until she approached, Murthy boldly brushed up and stretched his legs to keep beside her; she instantly knew him-her eyes flashed fire, and every now and again her snarl and the display of her teeth convinced the dancing master, that his safety lay in the space that separated them; his evil star however, often brought him into nearer contact than he desired, for though she evidently was desirous of hastening home, still her anger frequently induced her to stop short, and in that case, his hapless sides and back and limbs were certain of being severely bitten,the blood trickled down his hide, and ere he reached home he smarted all over with the anguish of her repeated venemous inflictions.-They were now arrived at the house, the hag scaled the wall, and was in a moment at the mouth of the chimney, the professor of the poetry of motion was close at her heels, and just as she was going to make her downward plunge, the opportunity of a glorious harvest of revenge presented itself to his aching jaws, and deeply and forcibly did he bury his teeth in the haunch of his now powerless persecutrix,-the action was that of an instant,- -a scream preceded her fall down the chimney, Brady sprang down after her, glutted with this act of retribution, and became the auditor of the muttered spell, which restored her and him to their pristine forms: the effect of the dancing master's bite was horridly apparent on the old woman next day, her ready tale concealed the real cause, but the wound confined her to her bed some time, while the inflictor of it, all scarified and torn as he himself was, deemed it prudent to remove himself as far as possible away from the rage and the secret machinations of the beldam. Circumstantial as this adventure was, in names, places, and probability, as it seemed to all auditors, doubt could no longer remain on any mind, of the power of an Ulster witch, for good or evil; one of the party, however, deeming it right to enforce proof with additional proof, by what he deemed a relation very relavent to the foregoing, assured his neighbours, with a most awful and sepulchral tone of voice,-that happening, when a young man, one night to drop asleep on the fire hearth, when all the family had gone to bed, he awoke in some time during the night, and beheld seated beside him, in the very dress which he recollected she had worn when he was but a garsoon, some years before, his old grandmother, who had been then dead many years, she was, smoking a short black dudeen, or pipe, with great vigour and animation, and seemed most particularly intent on her very praise worthy occupation. The sleeper awakened, rubbed his eyes to assure himself that he was not in the company of the departed, and finding that his first suspicion was but too true, his hair instantly shot out in various erect positions, and his blood seemed eager to curdle in his veins, he endeavoured to arise and fly, but found himself incontinently pinned to his situation, to become the terrified witness of his ancient mother's exertions at the pipe; when she continued for some time, to the great discomfort of her grandson, to enjoy the luxuries of her fumigation, a slight rustle on the hen roost made her start from her seat, and she proceeded towards an apartment at the lower end of the house, (the door of which was opened,) wherein slept the sisters of the unwilling witness of this scene, and it is a positive fact, that unless these same sisters had afterwards confessed that they themselves, to the great risque of the hair of their respective heads becoming grey, had seen the same unearthly spectacle bend over them in their bed, their brother, would, owing to an unwarrantable insinuation of the schoolmaster, have been suspected of his being labouring under a fit of the delirium tremens at the time of such extraordinary vision, but then these sisters, it was shrewdly urged, did not see the pipe, and the veracity of the ghost see-er was in that fact about being strongly questioned by the pedagogue, but for a public appeal made to the entire assemblage, as to the known propensity frequently evinced by ghosts, to regale themselves with the smoke of a pipe, and this was illustrated by a story of a ghost, which haunted the ruined abbey of Askeaton, in the County of Limerick, and who, like the Sphinx, which devoured such unfortunate Thebans as could not expound her dark enigmas, sat astride a wall of one of the religious buildings, which stood beside the high road, smoking a pipe, and from thence, propounded to the nightly traveller, in a deep and hollow voice, accompanied by a laugh which excited terror rather than risibility, the subject of a rhyme, which ran thus,— Pioppa mah tobbauk dho morkach a teampuil i. e. A pipe of tobacco for the rider of the church, |