At last a door opened. monsieur the chaplain," said a voice; "we are waiting for you impatiently."

prise. I saw little chance to get into | I was wanted to do for him the last her house if anything were going on offices of religion; still I was much there. I had Joe with me, and for frightened. some time I amused myself by talking "Come in, to him. Several carriages drew before the door, and it seemed to me I had been very foolish to fear anything. "Patrick, of course, had to wait for the sake of politeness," I said to myself. "But now the company is going away. He cannot be long. I will wait and go home with him."

On entering I saw three well-dressed men, each holding a pistol at my brother's breast, while Dona Figuerrez, apparently in a faint, lay back upon a sofa.

"Come forward, monsieur," said one of the gentlemen. "You are here to repair the honor of Spain, and that of the Spanish ambassador, by marrying this gentleman at once to Dona Figuer

situation that requires their immediate marriage. I marvel that in the first moments of our discovery we did not stain our hands with his blood."

Soon several gentlemen came out, got into their carriages, and drove away. The Spanish ambassador also left the house, but, as his residence was very near, he walked, attended by rez. We have surprised them in a several footmen carrying torches. I drew back so as not to be observed. The great door of the courtyard was closed after this, and I must have waited in the street an hour. At last the door again opened, a gentleman came out and told the porter to keep the door open a little longer. It so happened that as I walked backwards and forwards in the street, I was coming at that moment as if from the ambassador's. It was too dark for the gentleman to see my face, but he saw I was dressed as a priest, and mistook me for the one he was in search

The sight of my face, which they had not looked at till this moment, and the exclamation I uttered, calling on them to stop, filled them with consternation. They saw in a moment that, in some way they could not understand, their plot had miscarried. They looked at one another, still holding the pistols at my brother's breast. Then one of them turned to me, and said: "But since you are a priest, monsieur, it is of "Is that you, monsieur the chap- little consequence to us whether you lain?" he asked me in Spanish. I be a Frenchman or a Spaniard. Do was accustomed to be called by that your office. The ceremony will take title, being chaplain to King James. I you but a moment, and you will be answered as by an impulse, "Yes," amply rewarded by the Spanish minisin the same tougue. "Make haste. ter. This lady is his niece. She has then," said the gentleman, and went been dishonored. Justice and religion on before me, back to the house, "the impose on you and us alike the duty of lovers are sitting alone together. We seeing her righted.” could not have a better opportunity.

of.

I opened my eyes wide at this, and began to understand, not the full extent of the wicked, devilish plot, but that my brother was in some danger. I rallied all my courage. I felt very grateful to Heaven that the porter had no light, and I followed my guide into the house. We went up a staircase which was also ill-lighted. "Wait here," said the guide, "you will be summoned in a moment." Happily it did not occur to me that they might be about to murder my brother, and that

"Never!" I said. My love for Patrick, my scorn of falsehood, my love for justice and religiou, to which they had appealed, all acted on my mind with such force that neither the sight of their pistols, nor their superior numbers, prevented me from treating them with the contempt that they deserved.

I told them plainly that the gentleman before them was my brother, that the story they had told me was a lie, and I threatened them with condign punishment, which all the authority of their ambassador could not avert.

Possibly in the heat of anger I that it would be well if Patrick and spoke too fiercely, perhaps they were affronted by the plainness of my words, possibly they thought that fear would make me do the work that the chaplain of the Spanish ambassador had been expected to do. One of them turned round, and placing his pistol to my heart, said, "you are a priest, and that's enough. Do what we want of you, or you die !"

placed in two or three small pieces of the château, they drew near to look at success during the late campaign, and us. the opinions of an intelligent officer who had served in Ireland were, he added, likely to be more correct than the reports made by flatterers who had the ear of the king.

This irritated Patrick, who put out his head, and called in a loud voice: "Gentlemen! Gentlemen! will you make my compliments to Dona Figuerrez, and inform her that I have been married two days; tell her also that we make her our excuses for having spoilt her little plan for preventing it ! "

For several days he seemed extremely miserable, and when all the family went out to Les Saisons to be present at the marriage of Patrick and Sara, he refused, on futile pretexts, to go with us. Patrick begged us not to resent his refusal, and told me that he could well understand the disappoint-tion in which they had placed him. ment of his brother.

He was afterwards very sorry for this foolish speech, but he was very bitter against those men, for the cruel falsehoods they had told, and the situa

They rode up furiously, and deTenermill, meantime, was daily, as manded satisfaction. They were three, we found out from our servants, in the Patrick and Count S- were but two. society of Dona Figuerrez. There was The Spaniards are a brave nation, no question now of marriage, but I therefore I do not, for a moment, supwell knew how charming Dona Fi- pose that this disparity of numbers was guerrez could be as an acquaintance, their reason for attacking us, and that, how devoted as a friend. Yet after-too, in the presence of my sisterwards I long regretted that I made no in-law. However, they insisted that effort to break up their intimacy at this Patrick and Count S- should get out time. I might have requested the king of the carriage and cross swords with to send Tenermill on foreign service, them. By earnest appeals to religion, and in so doing should have spared and to all they owed their wives, I myself much anxiety and many tears. endeavored to induce my brother and brother-in-law to pay no attention to the challenge of men who, but for our generosity, might have been sent to the galleys. Both told me they could not hesitate about accepting the challenge; and Sara - the tender, loving Sara-begged me not to interfere, since no one, she said, ought to try to persuade her husband to sacrifice his honor.

It was without the presence of Tenermill that Patrick and Sara were reunited at Les Saisons. I have no words to describe their happiness. What a different marriage it was from that one I had celebrated in Dublin, where I dragged an unhappy victim to the altar!

Two days after the marriage we thought we ought to go out to Saint Germain and thank the king for all his benefits. We would have liked to take Tenermill with us, but he declined; indeed, he had never paid the customary compliments to Patrick and his wife, for which he subsequently made heartfelt apologies.

On our way to Saint Germain we met with the three Spaniards who had entered into Dona Figuerrez' plot, and had threatened Patrick and myself with death. They were coursing, attended by a garde du chasse, in full view of the carriage, over a grassy plain. Seeing a handsome equipage, attended by many servants, evidently on its road to VOL. III. 122

LIVING AGE.

I then sprang from the carriage, and vehemently implored the two Spanish gentlemen to sheathe their swords. They laughed at me, and one of them, riding up to the carriage, made ironical excuses to Sara for their wish to kill her husband. This made me so angry that I wished for a moment I had a sword of my own, and could have joined the fight, three against three, to make the numbers even. The combat began; our servants looking on, and hardly to be restrained by myself and their lady. Patrick wounded his antagonist; the count disarmed his. Then the third man, who was fresh, set upon

Patrick, and gave him a thrust which | fraternities, differing little as regards drew blood. My lady screamed, and doctrine, but differing greatly in imporcalled for help. It was a fatal cry. tauce. These sects are for the most Our servants were ten in number, for part creations of learned ascetics, each we wished to be attended by a consid- with some theological theory of his erable retinue on our visit to Saint own, who have gone abroad preaching Germain. They were all Irishmen their tenets, and drawing to themselves whom we had brought from Ireland, or disciples among races easily roused to Irishmen who in France had entered religious enthusiasm. They generally our service. In vain Patrick and the prosper exceedingly for a time. A locount ordered them back. The pleas- cal movement rapidly gains strength ure of fighting is irresistible to an among emotional, superstitious people Irishman. They were passionately such as are found in Africa and westattached to their masters, and their eru Asia. An obscure priest, gifted ideas of a fair fight were not those of with originality and resolution, and gentlemen. They rushed on the three favored by fortune, will from time to Spaniards and brutally murdered them. time shake the whole Mahomedan The forest guard fled.

world, and create for himself a name We bitterly reproached our cruel more lasting than that of the great Irish servants. We called them mur- Mussulman conquerors of the past. derers. We ordered them to keep The founder of a Moslem sect genersilence as to what had taken place, for ally gives to it his name. Thus in Moour sakes as well as for their own. rocco there is the great Muley Taib We trusted we had not been recog- order, headed by the sherif of Wazan. nized, as no one but the guard had In Arabia there is the order of Wahabeen near the place; and we continued bees. And the Senoussi confraternity our journey to Saint Germain, choosing is so called after its spiritual head, cross-roads which took us to the châ- Sheikh Mohamed es Senoussi of Jerteau a long way round. boub, who is styled "El Mahdi.”

From Blackwood's Magazine. SENOUSSI, THE SHEIKH OF JERBOUB.

WE in western Europe are inclined to regard all Moslems as belonging to one identical religion. We know that all are followers of Mahomet, and we do not trouble ourselves to inquire whether or not this great and growing world of Islam is broken up into divisions and sects. And yet Mussulmans differ on points of doctrine and observance to the full as much as Christians. Sectarianism is equally rife. The disciples of the different Mahomedan creeds mutually distrust each other, just as do Protestant and Roman Catholic, Armenian and Greek.

"El Mahdi " can best be translated as "the guide." Moslems generally are looking for the coming of a prophet. Sunuis and Shiahs agree in expecting the appearance of a Mahdi or Messiah. But they differ as to the manner of his manifestation. Sunnis believe the coming Mahdi to be a new prophet. Shiahs hold that he will be an Imam, who has disappeared, but who will reappear as the expected Messiah. There have been many prophecies as to how he will declare his divine mission, as to marks on his body by which he will be known, as to his parentage, and as to the result of his appearance on earth. And, since so much difference of opinion exists on these points, it is not wonderful that adventurers have more than once since the death of Moslems are, in the first place, as is Mahomet declared themselves to be the well known, divided into two great Mahdi, and have induced others to branches, Sunnis and Shiahs, the latter believe in them. Impostors of this found chiefly in Persia. But as off-class have been especially successful in shoots of these two main divisions North Africa, where nearly all Mosthere are a multitude of minor con-lems belong to the Sunni division; but

in this country the name of Mahdi | view, that he shall be of the Sherifian has definitely become associated with line, that he shall be proclaimed against Mohamed Ahmed of Dongola, the boat- his will and at Mecca, that he shall builder, who wrested the Nile prov- cause no strife by his appearance, and inces from the khedive in spite of that at the time of his manifestation British protection, under whose ban- there shall be no caliph. None of ners the Arabs fought us at El Teb, at these conditions were fulfilled by MoAbu Klea, and at M'Neill's zeriba, and hamed Ahmed; but his own name and who died at Omdurman just as the that of his parents corresponded with Nile Expeditionary Force, foiled in its those of the Prophet and his parents, attempt to save Khartum, retired from and this, according to one prophecy, the Soudan. Mohamed Ahmed chose was one of the signs by which the a singularly auspicious moment for Mahdi would be known. The tribesproclaiming himself Mahdi. The ra- men of the Egyptian Soudan, however, pacity and misgovernment of misgovernment of the the Shilluks, Baggaras, Jaalin, and pashas in the Egyptian Soudan had Hadendowa, knew of none of these inflamed the whole population against things. They believed vaguely in the the existing régime. Discontent had coming of a Mahdi, and when this long been smouldering among the war- mysterious monk set the Khartum govrior tribes that Mehemet Ali had sub-ernment at defiance, and with his discidued. A leader and head was all that ples beat the troops sent out to crush was required to sweep the feeble repre- him, they arose as one man, and a sentatives of the khedive back to the wave of religious fanaticism spread Nile delta. And when the eloquent abroad such as had not been known for and astute Mohamed Ahmed, who, be- centuries. Mohamed Ahmed emerged fore he became intoxicated by success, from obscurity to find himself not maintained the austerity and asceticism merely a prophet, but also a conqueror characteristic of a holy man, suddenly and king. declared himself to be the Mahdi, all But while this strange personage flocked to his standard, not merely figured for a few months among the egged on by religious enthusiasm, but excitable Arabs on the Nile as the stirred by the hope of gaining free- Mahdi, there was living not far from dom from an intolerable tyranny. Mo- the Egyptian border another holy man hamed Ahmed, although apparently a known also to his followers by the man of no great administrative capac-name of Mahdi. This was Mohamed ity, and qualified rather for the head-es Senoussi, the sheikh of Jerboub, ship of a religious movement than for who, when Mohamed Ahmed proorganizing a military power or creating claimed himself, was, and still is, the a new government, possessed the gift head of the most important Moslem of selecting able assistants to help him.sect in Africa. The emirs he appointed were resolute This sheikh is son of one Mohamed and efficient men, and at once the most ben Ali ben Senoussi, a native of Algeremarkable and ambitious of them was ria, and descended from Fatma, the the Khalifa Abdulla, who, on his de- only daughter of Mahomet. Mohamed cease, assumed the leadership of the ben Ali ben Senoussi was exiled early dervish cause, and who now reigns in the century by the Turks from Alat Omdurman as a despotic sovereign geria, and sought a refuge in that hotin all except the name. Mohamed bed of Mussulman fanaticism, Morocco, Ahmed fulfilled neither in his person where he was received into the Muley nor in the manner of the manifestation Taib order, and where he soon made of his pretended mission from on high, his mark as a preacher and theologian. the main conditions foretold of the After a sojourn of a few years in Fez Mahdi according to the Sunni doctrines and other Moorish cities, he deterand faith. The principal attributes of mined to proceed to Mecca, and he the Mahdi are, from the Sunni point of preached his way across North Africa,