In the Irish Brigade | Page 3

him with a letter of
introduction to de Noailles, except that he made him a present of a gun,
as soon as he became of an age to use one. He never attempted to
tamper with his loyalty to King James, and in fact, until he sent for him
to ask what profession he would choose, he never exchanged ten words
with him, from the time that he was brought to the castle.

"We can each form our own theory as to the cause of such strange
conduct. He may have given a pledge, to Murroch, that the boy should
be brought up a loyalist, and a true son of the church. It may have been
that the loyalty of the boy's father formed so unpleasant a contrast to
his own disloyalty, and apostasy, that he disliked the sight of him.
However, these theories can make no difference in our reception of
Desmond Kennedy, as a gentleman of a good family, and as the son of
a loyal adherent of the king; and as such, I think that I can, from what I
have already seen of him, assert that he is one who will be a good
comrade, a pleasant companion, and a credit to the regiment."
The subject of these remarks was a tall and handsome young fellow,
some sixteen years of age. He was already broad at the shoulders, and
promised to become an exceedingly powerful man. He had stood
somewhat behind the colonel, watching calmly the effect of his words
on those whose comrade he was to be, for he knew how punctilious
were his countrymen, on the subject of family, placing as much or even
more value than did the Scots, on points of genealogy, and of descent
from the old families. His frank open face, his bearing and manner, did
as much to smooth his way as did the speech of his colonel, who, when
he had been introduced to him, two days before, had questioned him
very closely on the subject of his family. It had almost been a matter of
satisfaction to Desmond when he heard, from the colonel, that the
officer who had fallen at Breda was probably the father of whom he
had no remembrance; for, from the time he attained the age of boyhood,
it had been a grief and pain that he should never have heard from his
father, who, it now appeared, had been prevented by death from ever
communicating with him.
The officers received him cordially. They had little doubt that he was
the son of the Murroch Kennedy, of Dillon's regiment, although, after
they separated, some wonder was expressed as to the reason why the
latter had committed his son to the care of so notorious a traitor as John
O'Carroll.
Desmond had been specially introduced to two of the young lieutenants,
Patrick O'Neil and Phelim O'Sullivan, and these took him off with them

to their quarters.
"And what is the last news from Ireland? I suppose that the
confiscations have ceased, for the excellent reason that they have seized
the estates of every loyal gentleman in the country?"
"That was done long ago, in the neighbourhood of Kilkargan, and, so
far as I know, everywhere the feeling is as bitter as ever, among those
who have been dispossessed, and also among the tenants and peasantry,
who have found themselves handed over to the mercies of Dutchmen,
or other followers of William. At Kilkargan there was not that
grievance; but, although they had still one of the old family as their
master, they could not forgive him for deserting to the side of the
usurper, nor for changing his religion in order to do pleasure to William.
Certainly, he can have derived but little satisfaction from the estates.
He seldom showed himself out of doors, never without two or three
armed servants, all of whom were strangers from the north, and he was
often away, for months together, at Dublin."
"And what did you do with yourself?"
"I fished, shot, and rode. I had many friends among the gentry of the
neighbourhood, who would, doubtless, have shown less kindness than
they did, had it not been for the neglect with which O'Carroll treated
me. His unpopularity was all in my favour.
"However, I have one good reason for being obliged to him, since it
was through him that I obtained my commission. He told me that, in his
young days, he had been at a French college with the duke. They had
been great friends there, and he thought that, in memory of this, de
Noailles would procure me a commission."
"I suppose the real fact was, Kennedy, that he was glad to get rid of you
altogether?"
"I think that is likely enough. He certainly raised