"The top of the morning to you, Terence," cried the major, looking down
upon me from the window of his bedroom.
I was standing in front of the castle of Ballinahone--the seat of the
O'Finnahans, my ancestors--on the banks of the beautiful Shannon,
enjoying the fresh air of the early morning.
"Send Larry up, will you, with a jug of warm water for shaving; and,
while I think of it, tell Biddy to brew me a cup of hot coffee. It will
be some time before breakfast is ready, and my hand isn't as steady as
it once was till I've put something into my inside."
The old house had not been provided with bells for summoning the
attendants; a loud shout, a clap of the hands, or the clatter of
fire-irons, answering the purpose.
"Shure, Larry was sent to meet the postboy, uncle, and I'll be after
taking you up the warm water; but Biddy maybe will not have come in from
milking the cows, so if Dan Bourke is awake, and will give me the key of
the cellar, mightn't I be bringing you up a glass of whisky?" I asked,
knowing the taste of most of the guests at the castle.
"Arrah, boy, don't be tempting me!" cried the major in a half-angry
tone; "that morning nip is the bane of too many of us. Go and do as I
bid you."
I was about entering the house to perform the duty I had undertaken,
when I caught sight of my foster-brother, Larry Harrigan, galloping up
the avenue, mounted on the bare back of a shaggy little pony, its mane
and tail streaming in the breeze.
"Hurrah! hurrah! yer honour; I've got it," he cried, as he waved a
letter above his carroty and hatless pate. "I wouldn't have been after
getting it at all, at all, for the spalpeen of a postboy wanted tinpence
before he would give it me, but sorra a copper had I in my pocket, and I
should have had to come away without it, if Mr McCarthy, the bailiff,
hadn't been riding by, and paid the money for me."
I took the letter; and telling Larry, after he had turned the pony into
the yard, to bring up the warm water and the cup of hot coffee, I
hurried, with the official-looking document in my hand, up to my uncle's
room. He met me at the door, dressed in his trousers and shirt, his
shirt-sleeves tucked up in order to perform his ablutions, exhibiting
his brawny arms, scarred with many a wound,--his grizzled hair uncombed,
his tall figure looking even more gaunt than usual without the military
coat in which I was accustomed to see him. He eagerly took the letter.
"Come in, my boy, and sit down on the foot of the bed while I see what
my friend Macnamara writes in answer to my request," he said, as he
broke the seal, and with a deliberation which didn't suit my eagerness,
opened a large sheet of foolscap paper, which he held up to the light
that he might read it more easily.
While he was thus engaged, Larry brought up the warm water and the cup
of steaming coffee, and, with a look at the major's back which betokened
anything but respect, because it was not a glass of whisky, placed the
jug and cup on the table. Larry was, I must own, as odd-looking an
individual as ever played the part of valet. His shock head of hair was
unacquainted with comb or brush; his grey coat reached to his calves;
his breeches were open at the knees; his green waistcoat, too short to
reach the latter garment, was buttoned awry; huge brogues encased his
feet, and a red handkerchief, big enough to serve as the royal of a
frigate, was tied loosely round his neck. He stood waiting for further
orders, when the major, turning round to take a sip of coffee, by a sign
bade him begone, and he vanished.
Major McMahon, my mother's uncle, was an old officer, who, having seen
much service for the better part of half a century,--his sword being his
only patrimony,--on retiring from the army had come to live with us at
Castle Ballinahone when I was a mere slip of a boy. Knowing the world
well,--having been taught prudence by experience, though he had never
managed to save any of his pay or prize-money, and was as poor as when
he first carried the colours,--he was of the greatest service to my
father, who, like many another Irish gentleman of those days, knew
nothing of the world, and possessed but a small modicum of the quality I
have mentioned. The major, seeing the way matters were going at Castle
Ballinahone, endeavoured to set an example of sobriety to the rest of
the establishment by abstaining altogether from his once favourite
beverage of rum shrub and whisky punch, although he had a head which the
strongest liquor would have failed to affect, and he was therefore well
able to manage everything on the estate with prudence, and as much
economy as the honour of the family would allow. My father was an Irish
gentleman, every inch of him. He delighted to keep up the habits and
customs of the country, which, to say the best of them, were not
calculated to serve his own interests or those of his family. He was
kind-hearted and generous; and if it had not been for the rum shrub, and
whisky-toddy, and the hogsheads of claret which found their way into his
cellar, and thence into his own and his guests' insides, he would have
been happy and prosperous, with few cares to darken his doors. But the
liquor, however good in itself, proved a treacherous friend, as it
served him a scurvy trick in return for the affection he had shown to
it, leaving him a martyr to the gout, which, while it held sway over
him, soured his otherwise joyous and happy spirits. It made him
occasionally seem harsh even to us, though he was in the main one of the
kindest and most indulgent of fathers. He was proud of his family, of
his estate,--or what remained of it,--of his children, and, more than
all, of his wife; and just reason he had to be so of the latter, for she
was as excellent a mother as ever breathed, with all the attractive
qualities of an Irish lady. That means a mighty deal; for I have since
roamed the world over, and never have I found any of their sex to
surpass my fair countrywomen.
I must describe our family mansion. Enough of the old building remained
to allow it still to be called a castle. A round tower or keep, with
two of the ancient walls surmounted by battlements, stood as they had
done for centuries, when the castle had often defied a hostile force;
but the larger portion had been pulled down and replaced by a plain
structure, more commodious, perhaps, but as ugly as could well be
designed. Round it ran a moat, over which was a drawbridge,--no longer
capable of being drawn up,--while a flight of stone steps led to the
entrance door, ungraced by a porch. The large hall, the walls of which
were merely whitewashed, with a roof of plain oak, had from its size an
imposing appearance. The walls of the hall were decked with firearms,--
muskets, pistols, arquebuses, blunderbusses,--pikes, and halberts,
symmetrically arranged in stars or other devices; stags' horns,
outstretched eagles' wings, extended skins of kites, owls, and
king-fishers, together with foxes' brushes, powder-flasks, shot-pouches,
fishing-rods, nets, and dogs' collars; while in the corners stood four
figures, clothed in complete suits of armour, with lances in their
hands, or arquebuses on their arms.
Over the front door were the skin and wings of an enormous eagle,
holding a dagger in its mouth,--the device of our family. A similar
device in red brick-work was to be seen on the wall above the entrance
on the outside. Paint had been sparsely used,--paper not at all,--many
of the rooms being merely whitewashed, though the more important were
wainscotted with brown oak, and others with plain deal on which the
scions of our race had for several generations exercised their artistic
skill, either with knives, hot irons, or chalk. The breakfast and
dining-rooms, which opened from the great hall, were wainscotted, their
chief embellishments being some old pictures in black frames, and a
number of hunting, shooting, and racing prints, with red tape round them
to serve the purpose of frames; while the library so-called was worthy
of being the habitation of an ascetic monk, though two of the walls were
covered with book-shelves which contained but few books, and they served
chiefly to enable countless spiders to form their traps for unwary
flies, while a table covered with green cloth and three wooden chairs
formed its only furniture.
The bedrooms were numerous enough to accommodate the whole of our large
family, and an almost unlimited number of guests, who, on grand
occasions, were stowed away in them, crop and heels. The less said
about the elegance of the furniture the better; or of the tea and
breakfast services, which might once have been uniform, but, as most of
the various pieces had gone the way of all crockery, others of every
description of size and shape had taken their places, till scarcely two
were alike; but that didn't detract from our happiness or the pleasure
of our guests, who, probably from their own services being in the same
condition, scarcely noticed this.
I had long had a desire to go to sea, partly from reading Captain
Berkeley's _History of the Navy_, _Robinson Crusoe_, and the _Adventures
of Peter Wilkins_, and partly from taking an occasional cruise on the
Shannon,--that queen of rivers, which ran her course past the walls of
Ballinahone, to mingle with the ocean, through the fair city of
Limerick.
Often had I stood on the banks, watching the boats gliding down on the
swift current, and listening to the songs of the fishermen, which came
from far away up the stream!
I had, as most boys would have done, talked to my mother, and pestered
my father and uncle, till the latter agreed to write to an old friend of
his in the navy to consult him as to the best means of enabling me to
gratify my wishes.
But I have been going ahead to talk of my family, forgetful of my
honoured uncle, the major. He conned the letter, holding it in his two
hands, now in one light, now in another, knitting his thick grey
eyebrows to see the better, and compressing his lips. I watched him all
the time, anxious to learn the contents, and yet knowing full well that
it would not do to interrupt him. At last he came to the bottom of the
page.
"It's just like him!" he exclaimed. "Terence, my boy, you'll have the
honour of wearing His Majesty's uniform, as I have done for many a long
year, though yours will be blue and mine is red; and you'll bring no
discredit on your cloth, I'll be your surety for it."
"Thank you, uncle, for your good opinion of me," I said. "And am I
really to become a midshipman, and wear a cockade in my hat, and a dirk
by my side?"
"Within a few days you may be enjoying that happiness, my boy," answered
the major. "My old friend, Captain Macnamara, writes me word that he'll
receive you on board the _Liffy_ frigate, which, by a combination of
circumstances, is now lying in Cork Harbour,--fortunate for us, but
which might have proved disastrous to her gallant officers and crew, for
she was dismasted in a gale, and was within an ace of being driven on
shore. But a miss is as good as a mile; and when under jury-masts she
scraped clear of the rocks, and got into port in safety. Here my
letter, after wandering about for many a day, found him, and he has lost
no time in replying to it. One of his midshipmen having gone overboard
in the gale, he can give you his berth; but mind you, Terence, don't go
and be doing the same thing."
"Not if I can help it, uncle," I replied. "And Larry? will he take
Larry? The boy has set his heart upon going to sea, and it would be
after breaking if he were parted from me. He has been talking about it
every day since he knew that I thought of going; and I promised him I
would beg hard that he might go with me."
"As Captain Macnamara says that the _Liffy_ has had several men killed
in action, I have no doubt that a stout lad like Larry will not be
refused; so you may tell him that when he volunteers, I'll answer for
his being accepted," was the answer.
"Thank you, uncle; it will make him sing at the top of his voice when he
hears that," I said. "And when are we to be off?"
"To-morrow, or the day after, at the furthest," answered the major. "I
intend to go with you to introduce you to your captain, and to have a
talk with him over old times."
"Then may I run and tell my father and mother, and Maurice, and Denis,
and the girls?"
"To be sure, boy; but you mustn't be surprised if they are not as
delighted to hear of your going, as you are to go," he answered, as I
bolted out of the room.
I found my brothers turning out of bed, and gave them a full account of
the captain's letter. They took the matter coolly.
"I wish you joy," said Maurice, who was expecting shortly to get his
commission in our uncle's old regiment. I then went to the girls, who
were by this time dressed. Kathleen and Nora congratulated me warmly.
"And shure are you going to be a real midshipman?" said Nora. "I wish I
was a boy myself, that I might go to sea, and pull, and haul, and dance
a hornpipe."
They, at all events, didn't seem so much cast down as my uncle supposed
they would be. My father had just been wheeled out of his chamber into
the breakfast room, for he was suffering from an attack of his sworn
enemy.
"Keep up the honour of the O'Finnahans, my boy; and you'll only do that
by performing your duty," he said, patting me on the back,--for shaking
hands was a ceremony he was unwilling to venture on with his gouty
fingers.
My mother was later than usual. I hurried off to her room. As she
listened to my account her eyes were fixed on me till they became filled
with tears.
"You have chosen a rough life, Terence; but may God protect you," she
said, throwing her arms round my neck, and kissing my brow. "I could
not prevent your going even if I would, as your uncle has accepted
Captain Macnamara's offer; for a profession you must have, and it is a
fine one, I've no doubt. But wherever you go, my dear boy, remember
that the thoughts of those at home will be following you."
More she said to the same effect. When she at length released me, I
hurried out to tell Larry, Dan Bourke, and the rest of the domestics.
At first Larry looked very downcast; but when he heard that he was to go
too, he gave expression to his joy in a wild shout, which rang through
the kitchen. Biddy, the cook, and the other females were not so heroic
as my sisters, for they began to pipe their eyes in a way I couldn't
stand, so I ran off to the breakfast room; whether it was at the
thoughts of losing Larry or me, I didn't stop to consider. My speedy
departure to become a son of Neptune was the only subject of
conversation during the morning meal. It was agreed that to enable me
to make a respectable appearance on board His Majesty's frigate, I ought
to be provided with a uniform; and a message was despatched to Pat
Cassidy, the family tailor, to appear forthwith, and exercise his skill
in manufacturing the necessary costume. The major, who had frequently
been at sea, believed that he could give directions for shaping the
garments correctly; and as all were agreed that blue was the required
colour, he presented me with a cloth cloak, which, though it had seen
some service, was considered suitable for the purpose.
Pat Cassidy soon arrived with his shears and tape; and being installed
in a little room, where he was sure of not being interrupted, took my
measure, and set to work, under the major's directions, to cut out and
stitch a coat and breeches in what was considered approved nautical
fashion. The difficulty was the buttons; but my mother fortunately
discovered a moth-eaten coat and waistcoat of a naval lieutenant, a
relative, who had paid a visit to Castle Ballinahone many years before,
and, having been killed in action shortly afterwards, had never returned
to claim his garments. There being fewer buttons than the major
considered necessary, Pat Cassidy proposed eking them out with a few
military ones sewn on in the less conspicuous parts. Meantime, my
mother and sisters and the maids were as busily engaged in preparing the
rest of my kit, carrying off several of my brothers' shirts and
stockings, which they faithfully promised in due time to replace.
"Where there's a will there's a way," and before night, Pat Cassidy,
aided by the busy maids, had performed his task, as had my mother and
sisters theirs; and it was considered that I was fairly fitted out for
my new career, the major promising to get for me at Cork such other
things as I might require.
With intense satisfaction I put on my uniform, of which, though the gold
lace was somewhat tarnished, and the buttons not over bright, I was
mightily proud. My father presented me with a sword, which had been my
grandfather's. It was of antique make, and, being somewhat rusty, was
evidently unwilling to leave the scabbard. Nora, notwithstanding,
proudly girded it on my side by a broad leathern belt with a huge silver
clasp, which I thought had a very handsome appearance. I little dreamed
that my costume was not altogether according to the rules and
regulations of the naval service. The coat was long in the waist, and
longer in the skirts, which were looped back with gold lace, Pat having
also surrounded the cuffs with a band of the same material. The inside
was lined with white silk, and there were patches of white cloth on the
collar. The waistcoat, which came down to my hips, was of flowered
silk, made out of one of my great-grandmother's petticoats, which had
long been laid by, and was now by unanimous consent devoted to my use.
The breeches were very full, Pat observing that I should be after
growing rapidly on the salt sea, and would require room in them. White
cotton stockings covered the lower part of my legs, and huge silver
buckles adorned my shoes; a cockade, manufactured by my uncle, was stuck
in my hat; while a frilled shirt and red silk handkerchief tied round my
neck completed my elegant costume. Having once donned my uniform,--if
so it could be called,--I was unwilling to take it off again; and,
highly delighted with my appearance, I paced about the hall for some
time. My father watched me, while he laughed till the tears streamed
from his eyes to see me draw my sword and make an onslaught on one of
the mailed warriors in the corner.
"Hurrah, Terence! Bravo! bravo!" cried Maurice. "But just be after
remembering that a live enemy won't stand so quiet as old Brian Boru
there."
The toils of the day over, my father, in spite of his gout, was wheeled
into the supper room, when he, in a glass of the strongest whisky-toddy,
and my uncle in one of old claret, drank my health and success in the
naval career I was about to enter, my brothers joining them in other
beverages; and I am very sure that my fond mother more effectually
prayed that I might be protected from the perils and dangers to which I
should be exposed.