LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume II, Issue 194, 22 January 1875, Page 3

LITERATURE.

MY GRANDFATHER’S WEDDING. A STORY OF IRELAND IN THE OLDEN TIME. • ’ Concluded. Little Allan was daring, full of stratagem, and not to be moved from a purpose, even if Satan and all his host stood in the way. The Hamiltons therefore, not considering their coimtry residence safe from his practices, removed to a house in the centre of the town. This they barricaded and garrisoned, planting iron bars in fall the windows, strengthening the outer doors, stationing sentinels behind the house, and keeping watch and ward within ; in fact, taking all the measiires of people expecting siege and storm ; while the beauty was confined to a chamber three stories from the ground. My grandfather made several attempts to enter, but always ineffectually. His spies were discovered, his tampering with the servants detected, and one or two efforts at escalade repelled by force. Eventually, it was whispered that the discomfited suitor waa majc’iig preparations to quit the country —if not for ever, at least for' many years—that is, should the last desperate effort which he was known to meditate happen to fail. That it should fail, the Hamiltons and the and Greggs were resolved. To prevent any interference with the marriage ceremony, it was arranged that it should take place in the drawing-room—a common thing in thosg days; and to frustrate any attack oh the house in force, or any attempt to carry oft the bride on her way home, _ the partisans of the Greggs and Hamiltons mustered by hundreds the night ( before, keep-

ing watch around from sundown. There was a r>od deal of drinking among the band, and c ifc a little roaring, along with a quantity of friendly rioting and head-breaking, ‘just to keep their hands in. ’ Contrary to all expectations, however, the fDe they expected did not put in appearance that night. But that he would come, some time or other, nobody doubted; and most of the reckless spirits there looked forward to the encounter with high glee. The morning, early in March, dawned at length. Before it had fully expanded into day, priest, bridegroom, witnesses, &c, were gathered for the rite, and waited only the bride. That last night the faithful servant who had shared her apartment was aided in her wardenship by a married sister of the beauty, who for reasons of her own was known to cherish the fiercest hostility towards Little Allan, and who, therefore, was just the dame to be intrusted with such a duty. A few minutes went by, but neither bride nor sister nor servant appeared. A little further delay rendered the company in the drawing-room impatient. But when « quarter of an hour elapsed without bringing any one from the prison chamber, Greggs and Hamiltons alike began to feel alarmed. They looked at one another rather blankly, and then, seized by the same impulse and without uttering one word, they quitted the drawing-room in a body and hastened up-stairs. They reached the threshold and paused; not a sound came from within. They knocked; no answer. They called, shouted, kicked, clattered; still no reply. Then they dashed in the door.

Ami what think you they found? vVell, they found the married sister bound and gagged in one comer, and the servant bound and gagged in another corner, but not a trace of the beauty. . A large hole in the wall dividing the house from the next revealed the manner of her escape. Some of the group paused t® finger the rubbish and peer at the hole with all the solemnity of a donkey poking hia head through a gate. Others dashed through the said hole, and kicked up a terrible row in the next house; but with no satisfactory result. The news spread to the friends and retainers in the street. In an instant the whole of them, and with them the majority of the townspeople, were busy searching in all sorts of improbable places for the runaway and her presumed companion. It is astonishing what queer things even the wisest people perpetrate in such cases. The butler actually climbed up and poked through a dovecot; while a troop of jolly farmers, tumbling about in the cellars, knocked in the head of a cask, and not finding the fugitive there, comforted themselves for the disappointment by imbibing what they did find—a quantity of choice old wine,Then the footman—a remarkably nice young man—conducted his portion of the scrutiny in a way that roused the jealousy of the coachman, and won himself as neat a specimen of a broken head as ever was inflicted with the handle of a stable fork.

The search, however, was unavailing as to its main object. Towards evening Mr Gerald Gregg and his faction slunk out of town—most of the followers being tipsy, and all crestfallen and quarrelsome. It seemed that all my grandfather’s plotting and escalading were just so many devices set on foot to be detected, and thus attract attention from the real project—-than which nothing could have be' n more simple. He had merely to pay'a good price forth# use of the adjoining house, and the rest was easy.

As for the bride, it turned out that, about the moment her flight was discovered, she was receiving a plain gold ring from the hands of my grandfather in a church some ten miles off.

Defeated thus egregiously—baffled as a, lover and, what he felt perhaps as keenly, as the head of his house—Mr Gregg made oath to slay his rival. There was, however, a difficulty, irremovable for the time, in the way of effecting his purpose. He could not ‘ call him out.’ It was generally allowed that my grandfather had fairly won his bride, and deserved to enjoy his happiness without molestation on that account. A cartel, therefore, would have evoked universal reprobation against the sender, and was not to be thought of. Mr Gregg determined, then, to bide his time. He felt that his vengeful purpose would lose nothing by a little keeping ; and he was confident that the usages of the day would soon provide him with a fair opportunity of meeting his foe sword to sword as became a man of honor. Nor was he disappointed.

In that old time a fair was the chosen scene of Irish revelry and riot. About three months after the elopement came the fair of M . It was the resort of all classes for miles round, and never had it been known to close without one or more murderous affrays, some of which occasionally attained the dimensions of a serious combat. My grandfather determined to attend the fair, and so did his foe. There was no communication between them on this point. Each was assured of meeting the other there,'longed indeed to do so, and made his arrangements accordingly. No secret was made of the purpose on either side ; for weeks before it was generally anticipated that this particu lar fair would be enlivened by a drawn battle between the Grants and the Greggs. The day came and the fair was crowded, many being attracted thither by the hope of seeing ‘the fun.’ About noon the rivals, each with a formidable band at his back, met r, in the middle of the High street, and' instantly assailed one another. Their partisans imitated their example with equal good will; the gentlemen among them drawing their swords, and the plebeians handling their cudgels. Nor was the fray confined to the factions. The very few peace-lovers present in the crowded town vanished on the first indication of a riot. Of the multitude that remained, every one loved a row for its own sake, and most nourished private grievances, for the gratification of which the occasion offered irresistible temptations. Those who. had weapons at hand plunged at once into the fray, and those who had not these indispensables hastened to impro\ ise them. Some did so by smashing the chairs in the taprooms, and appropriating their legs. Others fitted themselves for combat by breaking the poles of tent and stall into handy lengths. Both proceedings of course begot a series of by-quarrels, which added much to the uproar. The last was tremendous. It" was a scene of wildest confusion. The air vibrated with one incessant ear-piercing yell. There were solid masses of men surging to and fro. A sea of heads and a perfect forest of sticks, with here and there a flashing blade, was all that could be seen from the windows. Sometimes a vigorous charge of the Grants rolled flhe conflict to the southern extremity of the long High street, while the foe ■went down

before them by dozens, to be trampled upon by the roaring tide of combatants. Here the Grants would scatter; some rushing eagerly forward in pursuit, and others spent, pausing to take breath. Then the Greggs would rally, close their ranks, and, charging again in one dense mass, sweep the town in precisely similar fashion. At times the main conflict would subside, in order that * ample space and verge enough’ might be given to the struggle between two redoubtable champions. This being decided, the mobs would close again with redoubled fury, and so the fight rolled on.

My grandfather and his antagonist had exchanged but a few passes, ere they were hurled asunder by the torrent of their partisans. Nor was it until near an hour had passed that they encountered again. By this time the majority of the rioters was nearly worn out, and the chiefs therefore were allowed to fight out their particular quarrel to the end. Their adherents (fathered round them in a ring, encouraging them by their cheers of approval at every dexterous parry, home-thrust, or skilful cut. I have already described my grandfather. Bis antagonist was much taller, over six feet, and a large heavy man to boot. Both were skilful swordsmen, and both as brave as men could be. The contest was an obstinate one ; but Gregg was overmatched from the first. He carried more flesh than a man should do who has to battle for his life, while constant exercise had rendered my grandfather as tough as steel in every musde. The latter, too, was renowned for immense length of arm. The fight, however, did not go altogether in his favour. By some means a slash reached the little linger of his sword hand and divided the bone. It hung not only useless, but seriously impeded the management of his weapon. Taking advantage of a rush that interrupted the struggle for a moment, he wrung the finger off, and turned again on his foe. The latter stood up to his man with determined hardihood, until he was literally slashed to pieces. He fell at last through sheer exhaustion.

The general fight was then resumed, but the Greggs were dispirited by the fall of their chief; and after a short struggle were finally driven from the town. Then took place a tolerable amount of what the natives of the Green Island used to term ‘ rim wrackin’.’ That is to say, the victors assailed such dwellings of their opponents as happened to be handy —tore off the roofs, and destroyed the furniture. Having completed this last crowning achievement, the Grants and their partisans mustered in long array, and marched in triumph through the place, with half a dozen pioers playing before them. The town crier was pressed into their ranks; and every few minutes the procession would halt, while that worth/, in his most sonorous tones, made proclamation offering ‘ any money for the ears of a rascally Gregg. ’ The day closed with a general carouse. Barrels of ale and spirits were rolled out into the High street, set on end, the heads knocked in, and every one invited to help themselves of the means of getting gloriously drank. Farther, passengers were compelled to accept one of two alternatives—either to drink a deep draught in honour of the Grants, or to accept a beating as partisans of the Greggs. 'Little Allan’s Fair’ became a thing of lasting renown—in short, one of the landmarks of time among the residents of that quarter. For two generations at least local events were dated therefrom—births, marriages, deaths, &c, being spoken of as oc curring within such and such a time thereof. Gerald Gregg was carried home, to die a fortnight afterwards of his wounds. Ha /lagbeen a man of mak, his ‘ wake’ was attended by hundreds. It lasted for a week, during which a fabulous amount of spirits was consumed, a id an endless number of vows of vengeance were made against his slayers, by kinsmen and followers. And here I have to record an incident which I deeply regret, and would willingly suppress. The event, however, is too illustrative of Irish manners in the olden time not to be recorded. And besides, this naris in all respects a narrative of facts, and must not be mutilated.

On the last and wildest evening of the wake, my grandfather, and a dare-devil friend known as * Yellow Billy,’ determined to pay a visit to the house of mourning. It was about the rashest enterprise that two Irish gentlemen could undertake; something exceedingly like bearding a herd of hungry tigers in their jungle. To the two, however, the freak presented attraction beyond their power to resist. Despising all remostrance, they girt on their swords, mounted their horses, and rode off. Having reached the house, they tied their steeds to the gate, and swaggering in, elbowed their way through to the room where the dead man lay in his coffin. Not a finger was lifted in opposition. Some were stupefied at their unheard-of daring. Others said to themselves, ‘They regret the deed, and are come to express their feelings,’ The two paused to contemplate the mangled face of their late foe, while those around looked on in silent expectation. Then a gentleman—a relative of all three—rose up, and addressing some conciliatory remarks to my grandfather and his comrade, presented a flowing cup, with the request that they would drink to the memory of the dead.

‘ Away old man !’ said »iy grandfather, thrusting him aside. He then drew a flask out of one pocket and a glass out of the oilier. Yellow Billy followed his example. ‘ Here, Bill,’ said he; * here’s to our noble selves. We have beaten the scoundrel into ; and, by , we’ll go there after him, and beat him out again !’ The pair drank this extraordinary toast, dashed flasks and glasses to the floor, and drawing their swords, gained their horses before the crowd could recover from its amazement. Well for them that they did so. The drunken crowd rushed forth in pursuit, with a yell whose ferocity, startling even the terrible pair, told them what their fate would have been had they delayed but another instant. As it was they escaped with ease.