WAKING THE WRONG PASSENGER.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), 9 March 1881, Page 4

WAKING THE WRONG PASSENGER.

I lately heard a story o£ that gallant Irish soldier, General Eligb, of Sepoy fame, which is altogether too good to be lost. "While holding the commission of captain in a dashing marching regiment, he was on a trip of pleasure, with his wife, in the north of England, and having come, one day, to a small Yorkshire inn, the larder of which was well nigh empty, he ordered all the host had on hand, in the shape of food, to be served up for his dinner, after which he joined his wife in an upper room. While the host was preparing the meal for his guest a party of sporting gentlemen of the country entered the inn, and called for refreshment. The landlord was sorry to inform them* that all his larder contained of food had been bespoken by a gentleman who was at that moment Waiting up stairs, with his wife, to have it served. Who was the gentleman ? The host could only tell them that he was an Irishman, and seemed to be a very quiet, good-natured, and harmless body. (The captain was travelling in citizen's clothes.) "An Irish gentleman! A potato, with pepper and salt, will answer for him. Gro up and tell him so." But Boniface preferred not to do so. " Then, ,, cried one of the party —a squire of the neighborhood, with more money than sense, " take up this wafch to the gentleman, and ask him if he will send iis word what's the time o , clay, for we can't tell." It was a habit in that section, when one would intimate to another that he didn't have much faith in his good sense, or in his judgment, to show him a watch, and ask him to tell what's the time o'clock. The host, himself fond of fun, and feeling assured that the last callers would get the worst of it, took the watch—a very valuable gold repeater—and went up stairs and did the errand. Bligh took the watch, and looked at it. "By roy life ! it's a beauty. Tell the gentlemen I'll be down presently, and shall take pleasure in expounding to them the mystery o' time-telling by the watch. And I'll fetch the watch with me." The host returned with the answer, and shortly afterwards carried up his guest's dinner. The squire was, for a little time, furious with the landlord for having left his watch behind ; but he finally cooled off, and having called for a gallon of beer, he sat down with his friends to wait. After he had finished hia meal. Captain Bligh opened his portmanteau and took out two great horse-pistols, and placing them under his arm, he took the watch in his hand and went down into the bai'-room, where the sporting gentry still waited. "Ah, gentlemen, I give you a good day. And now, who is the man that wants the time o' day ? I shall be delighted to enlighten him." They didn't like the looks of the man at all. He carried the soldier in his very look ; and, just now, there was a good deal of the tiger manifest. " Come, come, gentlemen,—l am Captain Bligh, at your service. A short time since the landlord brought to me this watch, accompanied by a message which I have come to answer as such a message richly deserves!" And he significantly tapped his finger upon the pistols. " Now, whose is the watch ? Is it yours, sir ? " to the 'squire himself. The 'squire denied the ownership promptly. All the watches in the world would not have tempted him to expose his life to the terrible Irish captain, whose fame was known to him. Bligh then applied to the next man ; and then, to the next; and so on, to the last; and all denied the ownership. "lain happy to find, gentlemen, that I have made a mistake. You will pardon me, lam sure. I thought the owner of the watch was here." lie then put the watch into ia pocket • slipped the pistols into the pocket of his blovvse j turned to the bar, and settled his bill; then bade the company good evening, after which he joined his wife in the porch, at the door of which his carriage was in waiting. Captain, afterwards General Bligh, kept the watch to the day of his death, often telling the story of ifcs capture, when he left it by will to his brother, the well-known Dean of Elphin.