TEMPORA.—No. V.

"To B.-The second Saturday has passed."

CHAPTER I.

THE above advertisement appeared some months ago in the second column of the Times. Happening to know some circumstances that may explain this mysterious announcement, we proceed to lay them before our readers; and to begin at the right end of our story, we must go back some eight years.

There was at this period a pleasant party spending some months at the fishing-lodge of Mr. Newton, in the County Mayo. It consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Newton, their daughter Ellen, their nephew Joseph, his old schoolfellow Robert Baring, and Mr. Bastable, junior partner in the extensive attorneys' firm of Newton, Bastable and Co. Miss Walshe, who acted as governess and companion, completed the party. Mr. Newton was a portly and good-natured man as could be, whose greatest happiness was to plan enjoyment for others. Mrs. Newton, a judicious and matronly lady, obeying her husband in all things. Ellen was a pretty girl of seventeen, rather petite, with deep blue eyes, and an expression of perfectly feminine softness. She presented a strong contrast to Miss Walshe, who had a gracefully commanding figure, dark eyes, black hair, with a rather pale face. She was an orphan whom Mrs. Newton had taken under her protection and educated, and being a year or two older than Ellen, acted as her governess and companion. Bastable was rather a handsome man, tall, with black hair; but his thin, faithless lips, and contemptuous eyebrows, gave him an unpleasant expression, in spite of dark grey eyes and long black lashes. Further, he had a soft, slippery tongue, with a bitterly rough side to it. Joseph was a regular trump, his appearance clearly expressing his character. He was short, but erect; strong, though extremely fat. His face had a dash of honest determination, coupled, however, with such pervading fun and good-humour as rendered any exhibition of wrath burlesque in the extreme. He and Baring, who was a tall, fine-looking fellow, were college-chums, having numbered about twenty years each. Having thus formally introduced our dramatis persona, we proceed to lay before our readers the first incident in our possession which at all bears on the question in hand.

There are on the sea-coast of the County Mayo huge caverns, that have been worn into the gigantic cliffs ages ago by the ceaseless chafings of the Atlantic. To these caverns Mr. Newton had long meditated an expedition for the purpose of seal-killing. The plan of campaign was to be as follows. The whole party were to set out, on the first sufficiently calm day, in Joseph's yacht, "The Bloater," twenty tons, and proceed to within safe distance of the cliffs; then they were all to get into open boats, and proceed to explore the caves.

A suitable day arrived, and every one embarked apparently in the highest spirits. After the usual amateur fuss the sails were properly set, and the good ship began to speed along her course. First across Clew Bay with its thousand islands, that lie in safety under the great shadow of the Peak, as it stands there the same unwearied sentinel that it was in the days of St. Patrick-then up through the intricacies of Achill Sound, leaving on the right the wild district of Ballycroy, and on the left the island of Achill, where huge Slievemore looks out for ever over the boundless waters of the Atlantic-then through the Bull's Mouth into the open sea.

Mrs. Newton observed to her husband that "There certainly was a slight heave in the sea," and looked as if she was on the point of sympathising with it. Mr. Newton said nothing, and pretended not to have heard her, but held the weather-rigging tightly, and looked out steadily to windward, a horrible purplish hue having taken the place of his usual high colour. Baring and Ellen (who were great sailors) were standing together on the forecastle, where he had taken her to show her something about the anchors. What an intensely interesting subject those anchors must be ! 66 However," said Mrs. Newton, "never mind, they are children, and besides, the idea is too absurd." Bastable occasionally gave a quick, savage look at Baring, but did not interfere; as in the state of his internal feelings it would be sheer madness to leave his recumbent position on the quarter-deck.

Meantime The Bloater slips stealthily along, until, after having rounded Eagle Island and Erris Head, she is at length laid-to. Mr. Newton for the first time lets go his hold, and indulges recklessly in impossible combinations of nautical expressions. Bastable, who had lately been looking very bad indeed, brightens up, and makes a third party to Ellen and Baring, where he at first appears rather unwelcome, but by a few well-timed, and apparently unintentional compliments, he soon smooths his way; moreover he commences a somewhat inflated panegyric on Baring-his seamanship especially, of which he evidently could know nothing, as no chance had occurred of displaying it. Just as Baring turned away he heard a little word of detraction put in, wrenched out as it were by the scrupulous conscience of his over-attached friend. There are some men who have this way of saying a bitter thing, and then it is the bitterest of all; for who can suspect a little bit of truthful censure after such fondly false laudation.

But now they all get into the boats-that is to say, Joseph, Bastable, and Baring, into the punt; the others into a large boat which they had had in tow for the purpose.

The manner in which the natives of these parts kill seals is very remarkable. They row into the caves, carrying torches, and armed with short loaded sticks; they conceal the light as well as they can until they come to the large interior chamber, which is generally the resting-place of the seal, then suddenly showing their lights, they make the attack during the confusion, and strike the seals on the nose, where, though it is the only vulnerable place, a very slight blow is fatal. Well, our friends tried several caves with very little success, and only captured one very small seal; and as it was getting late, Mr. Newton proposed to go home. However, Joseph insisted on trying one more

cave, called by the natives "The Big Seal's Cave," from the fable of a large seal having there his abode. Accordingly in they went; but when they had got up some hundred yards, the big boat ran upon a rock, nor were they able to push her off; so the punt had to go up alone, the boatman warning the gentlemen not to let the seal get away, if there was one, as in its passage down to escape it would inevitably upset the boat, that there were fifteen feet of water where she was stuck, and that the seals when infuriated were very dangerous. On hearing all this, Mrs. Newton implored that they should return to the yacht (although she had several times been told that it was impossible to do so for half an hour, until the tide should rise sufficiently to float them off); nor did she cease her entreaties, until her husband, in whom she implicitly believed, said good-naturedly, that "He was sure that if there was a monster in the cave the boys would not let him off."

In they went for about two hundred yards more, until they arrived at a strand, on which they drew up the punt, and proceeded on foot through the rapidly-narrowing entrance to the interior chamber. Joseph was proceeding first, concealing his lantern, followed closely by Baring (both armed with sticks), and at some distance by Bastable, who carried a lantern and rifle on his own acconnt. The approach had become so narrow that Joseph, who we have said was extremely fat, could scarcely squeeze through. They had but a few steps more to make, and could already see the entrance looming out, when Joseph's foot slipped, and he fell forward into the narrowest part. Before Baring could stop himself, he stumbled over the body of his prostrate friend, and his temple striking against the corner of a rock, he was for a moment completely stunned. However he was quickly roused by the flashing of Joseph's lantern which, in his ineffectual efforts to rise, revealed to them the interior of a spacious chamber. At the further side lay, on a couch-like ledge of rock, an enormous grey seal. He gazed at them for a moment with a calm, sage expression; then, with a heavy flop, he slipped from his throne, and made a rapid, waddling rush towards them. It is impossible to imagine a more ridiculous, and, at the same time, unpleasant position. There was poor Joseph irrevocably wedged between two sharp bolders of rock, pouring forth expletives with the most unavailing energy, jamming himself tighter and tighter, with all the time a huge seal, in the most excited state of feeling, coming on determined to carry the very position in which Joseph was so firmly entrenched. The crisis came-the seal forced his way, passing under Joseph, carrying him off his feet, and thus precluding all apparent possibility of his ever getting clear.

But the greatest danger still remained-the seal was making off straight for the boat; and if he reached it, the fate of the ladies could not have been more certain if the cliff had fallen in on them. Baring saw all this as he leant half-fainting against a rock. He looked round, Bastable had dropped his rifle, and clambered up the nearest ridgehe knew that there was no hope from him; so summoning all his strength, he made a dash at the seal, seized it by the tail as it turned fiercely round, and struck at its nose with all his remaining force. He saw it turn over and stiffen-he knew that all danger was over-and then he fell senseless by the animal's side.

And what did Mr. Bastable? As yet he had borne no very distinguished part. He descended from his perch, thought for a moment or two, and then with a quiet smile, as if a good thought had struck him, he took up his rifle, rolled Baring roughly aside with his foot, and laying the barrel to the seal's head, he deliberately fired; then jumping into the punt, he rowed down for assistance. He found the big boat afloat, and in it immediately proceeded up the cavern. Bastable gave them to understand, with winning modesty, how that, when poor Mr. Baring lay stunned on the floor of the cave, and dear Joseph was incapable, from his position, of rendering assistance (there was a slight twitch about his mouth as he said this), "He, though not naturally a remarkably courageous man, had felt the danger, and kneeling down, had reserved his fire until, the seal being within arm's length, it must prove fatal." What gratitude could repay such a service?-what praises could be too lofty for such dauntless heroism? Even Ellen (although she did not like owing her life to him) could not help admiring his cool courage, and was certainly flattered when he said, that "Her praise did indeed repay him."

They found Baring lying, as Bastable had said, in a state of insensibility; and while Mrs. Newton and Ellen endeavoured to restore him to consciousness, the rest went on in search of Joseph. Him they found in a most lamentable position-firmly secured between two pointed rocks, they beheld him, "immensam molem," groaning with pain and rage. Miss Walshe could not repress a burst of merriment. Joseph would rather a hundred times that the big seal had made an end of him than have heard that merry, ringing laugh. However, the sailor and Mr. Bastable lent a hand, and with a long pull and a strong pull they got him on his legs again. He blushed a good deal at first, but when he found that nobody was drowned, he recovered his good humour, and was solely interested about his friend.

CHAPTER II.

"Was it a dream, that vision of delight?
'Twas but a dream. Let me dream on."

WHEN consciousness returned to Baring, he heard everyone praising Bastable's courage. Joseph was shaking his hand, and Ellen was promising that she never could forget what he had done; and when he asked what it was all about, Ellen stooped down, and having enjoined silence, whispered to him the account of Bastable's daring, and that he ought really to thank him. This was a little too much; so he closed his eyes, a heavy dizziness came on, and he remembered no more until he found himself in the cabin of the yacht as it steered homewards.

There sometimes comes to those exhausted by suffering a deep, dreamy feeling of happiness, as if the mind, without any thought or effort, was gently floating away through fathomless regions of pleasure. Such was the case with Baring. The cabin skylights were open, and the cool night-breeze, as it rustled over the damp sails and rigging, seemed to be coming down from the calm, still planets far off; and then