there was no room for them on Bold Brennan's short back-and we jogged back to Palthorpe in high good-humor, talking the whole performance over together (which I always think one of the chief pleasures of hunting life).

sound. Dolly was enjoying herself, and wake of the pack, happily out of the throng beginning to look better and more like her of thundering horsemen, who were hasold self again. She used to come out tily racing like a pent-up torrent into the hunting three days a week; and I never field behind us. Away we went, in and enjoyed myself half so much when she out of the Braunston Lane, over the brow was not there, for it did me good to see of the hill, and down the vale below her pleasure, and there was not one in the into Owston big wood. I thought they crowd who could touch her. She could were bound to hang there; but not a bit. give the best man out two stone and a They kept forging on with a lovely cry beating on Bold Brennan, the old dun right through the wood and away again horse with yellow eyes and a bobtail. into the open; while we ploughed and Such a clinker he was of the old-fashioned plunged through those hopelessly deep stamp, with a short, round body and a fine rides, and emerged at last from out its little head. Doll looked beautiful on him, depths on to the grass once more, and so and it was a treat to see them sailing away on over the top of Whadborough Hill and together over that sea of grass, flitting down to the left towards Tilton. (I reover their fences with consummate ease member every field and every fence all and understanding. I remember one run through that run, but it would only bore we had, when she gave them all the go-by. you to hear all the names of all the places It was on a Tuesday; the meet was at and coverts we either passed through or Brooke (with the Cottesmore), and there skirted.) Suffice it to say, we ran into was a huge crowd out, as it is rather a our fox just as he was entering Cream favorite place. It was a muggy, damp Gorse in the Quorn country; and Doll and morning that smelt like a hunting-day, and I were the first two up at the finish, and a delicious breath of wet dead leaves rose the master made her a pretty speech from the ground as we jogged up, amid about her horsemanship, and she turned cheery greetings and good-natured chaff, for home, looking really happy again, with to draw Prior's Coppice. Doll and I al-all her troubles thrown to the winds - for ways kept away from our friends while hounds were drawing, as we liked hearing what was going on- and one cannot do that with two or three hundred horsemen talking and laughing on every side. So, as was our custom, on that day we passed quietly inside the wood, and stood silently waiting in the ride while Wilson drew the covert up-wind towards us. Hark! there was a whimper. "That's right, I'll bet." Then came a silence; again another musical throat corroborated the fact that a fox was on foot. "Hyke to 'im, hyke!" from Joe, and a crack of his thong; then one and another spoke to it, till all the pack joined in the glorious chorus. What a cry! There was a rare scent in the covert, that was clear. "Listen! Did I hear a holloa from the top end?" Yes, there it was again—a ringing scream from Will at the corner, and followed by "Gone awa aay!" as the hounds crashed through the straggly fence and tumbled into the ridge-and-furrow field beyond some driving on the line, and others scor. ing to the cry as they sped away over the grass, pointing for Owston. Meanwhile Doll and I had secured what we were scheming for -a good start; and as I stood up in my stirrups, she settled herself down into her saddle, and we both caught our horses by the head and pushed down the middle ride through the gate at the bottom, and were striding away in the

Time jogged on, too; and though Dolly never used to speak about Ronald St. Clair, I could not help feeling that she was still unhappy and troubled about the inexplicable coolness which had arisen between them. (It is always so much more healthy and comfortable to have a quarrel out, if there is to be a row; but defend me from the silent misunderstanding when both sides believe the other in the wrong, and neither can bring themselves to break the ice. That little rift within the lute is the mischief.) She used to hear at intervals from her mother, who wearied her with reiterations of the prowess and charms of Sir Amos; but of Ronaldnever a word. I once asked Dolly whether he was still at Seville; but she did not know, and so the subject dropped.

One day, as she and I were driving to the meet at Ayston, we passed a couple of horses going on.

"Whose are those, Nunky?" asked Dolly. "I don't think I know them, and I never saw the groom out before."

"I don't know, darling," I replied. Two of the best in England, going on for some young duffer, I expect, who

of Dolores sailing behind them straight Shortly after his arrival the doctor came for the fence. He instantly halloaed to down, looking very grave. I saw at once her, “ This way, miss; you can't get over by his face that there was no hope. When there!” and immediately a dozen voices I asked him he shook his head, and said raised the cry of “Hold hard ! this way." that although she might linger on for a All to no avail. The Rake was tearing time, she could never recover, for her and lunging wildly at his bridle; he would spine was injured beyond all hope. take no denial, though he was only half My God! and had it come to this? Just looking at the fence in his anxiety not to as the cup of happiness had reached her be turned away from the hounds. Dolly poor little lips, must it be dashed ruthknew her only chance lay in sitting quite lessly away? Only that very morning had still with her hands down. She did not she blossomed once more into the joyous, like the way her horse was going at the sunny girl, through the newly found hap. fence, and the last four strides was a wild piness of knowing her lover strong and rush with his head in the air. He took true, and now — a very few hours later off with the wrong leg, and I heard a she was lying hurt unto death, with no sounding crash as he caught his fore legs more hope of health or love or life. (No, in the binder, and fell with his chest not of love, for that we lavished on her against the oaken ox-rail which stood three a thousand times the more.) I asked feet away from the fence on the landing Ronald to stay with us; poor boy! I knew side. That finished it, for the impetus he could never rest if he were not in the with which he was going sent him against same house, and ever ready to do her it with such force that he turned a complete behests, and ease her pain with his tender, somersault, and lay there with his head loving care. doubled under him, and a broken neck. Good heavens, what a ghastly fall! I gal. It seemed strange irony of fate that the loped for my life to the spot where poor days of Dolly's death should have been Dolly was lying crushed and senseless among the happiest of her life; but so it under the Rake's dead body. (A man was, for she had found that which she had could not have saved himself from a fall lost - her faith in the man she loved. like that - how much less a woman, handi- Ronald and I watched over her, and capped as she is with pommel and habit !) hardly ever left her side during those last It makes me feel sick and giddy now when three months. She never complained, but I think of it. There were many willing said she was quite happy with me and hands, and we extricated her at last, and Ronny as her nurses.

We often used to got her home as well as we could in a bave what she called "big talks,” and it borrowed carriage. I remember at the was then that I used to partially under: time wondering how it was that Ronald stand what a beautiful nature hers was, had not helped to get her out. When I and why it was that she could impart that came to think of it, I had not seen him longing after all that is pure and good since the beginning of the run. I found through her very voice when she sang to out all that two hours later, when I was us; for I believe that her soul had lived standing miserably at home awaiting the in heaven all through her life, and now the doctor's verdict.' Suddenly I heard a time had come when she should join it horse galloping up the gravel outside. there. Poor Ronald — for it was he, almost So she quietly passed away one twilight speechless with apprehension - had come evening in May just thirteen years ago. to find out what had happened. It ap- She was lying on her sofa, with the cool peared that he had lost a shoe early in breath of spring softly sighing through ihe run, and had gone off to Oakham to the open window, her head resting on get another put on. In riding across the Ronald's arm, and her dear little brown fields that we had passed (“spooring” our hand in mine, while the one other creature foot-tracks), he came upon a small crowd she loved best sat mournfully at her feet, of people standing round the dead body of waiting with wistful eyes for her to get up a borse, whose crushed saddle and broken and take him out for a run. (Poor old pommels told their woful tale.

Ben! he only dimly understood that those With horror the poor boy recognized days could never come again.) We had the Rake, and as nobody seemed able to been talking over our ideas of “life and give him any definite information as to death, and that vast forever." I rememwhat had happened, he turned, and putting ber her saying she thought our lives were spurs to his horse, galloped straight to my partly planned for us by Providence; that house.

when we are born we are each fitted out

For many years they prosecuted their rude trade without interference, but about the year 1660, the Spaniards (to whom the island belonged), jealous of their prosperity and increasing numbers, resolved to drive them from the island altogether. This policy turned out to be a fatal one, as it was the primary cause of the establishment of the renowned brotherhood which was probably the chief factor in depriving Spain of her valuable trade with her American colonies.

with a little map, with only big mountains | cans," hence the origin and derivation of and great rivers already marked out, while the term "Boucanier " or Buccaneer. the little hills and brooks and towns we are left to fill in for ourselves. It had never struck me before; but I think, after all, it was pretty near the mark. That evening comes back to me very distinctly. I remember, too, her saying that kindness and charity always seemed to her a better religion than only taking care to go to church on Sunday mornings, and in the afternoons setting to work to crab the complexions or the clothes of the people who occupied the pew in front; and she quoted two little lines, which have remained in my heart ever since:

THE middle of the seventeenth century witnessed the rise of one of the most remarkable communities of either ancient or modern times. We refer to the celebrated association commonly known as the Buccaneers, or, as they preferred to designate themselves, "The Brethren of the Coast." This organization, at first few in number and comparatively harmless, was destined to grow to such formidable dimensions as to prove the most persistent enemy and relentless foe which Spain then in the zenith of her power had to encounter in her struggle for the mastery of the New World.

At first the Spaniards had things pretty much their own way, and many small bodies of the hunters were waylaid and massacred. Soon, however, the Buccaneers adopted precautions for their safety, and only ventured abroad in numerous and well-armed detachments. When forced to

fight they defended themselves with such determination as to generally beat off the Spaniards, although the latter seldom risked an attack unless they were in considerably superior numbers. The Buccaneers at this time were principally Frenchmen, and their countrymen in Tortugas (a neighboring island) speedily came to their assistance. Seeing affairs becoming more serious than they had anticipated, and despairing of success by their own efforts, the Spanish authorities applied to the court of Madrid for assistance. Van Delmof, a famous officer who had acquired considerable renown in the Low Countries, was at once despatched with large reinforcements. He reached St. Domingo in 1663, and at once began hostilities. With a body of five hundred picked men he marched on Savannah, which was the headquarters of the Buccaneers. Although only numbering from a hundred to a hundred and twenty, the hunters resolved to meet him, which they did, and after a stubborn fight utterly routed the Spaniards, with the loss of Van Delmof and many of his men.

This unexpected defeat completely demoralized the Spanish authorities, and they resolved to adopt other tactics. They again recurred to their plan of only attacking small parties when they themselves were in superior numbers, and for some The original home of the Buccaneers time a war of extermination on both sides was the island of St. Domingo, in the was waged. At last the Spaniards, deWest Indies, where they pursued the spairing of ridding themselves of their peaceful avocation of hunters of the foes by fair fight, hit upon the plan of dewild cattle with which that island then priving them of their means of livelihood, abounded. The encampments or villages and organized a general hunt throughout where they smoked or otherwise prepared the island, and in course of time destroyed the meat and hides were known as " bou-nearly the whole race of wild cattle. Their