The youth immediately became a _poste restante_, and gazing benignantly on Frederick, setting his voice to a very different modulation from that in which he first spoke and resting his chin on the staff which he now stuck into the ground, he replied, "Why then, indeed, I'd do more than that for ye. Go down till you see the smoke, then turn to the left and face north'ards; turn again to the west, and you'll find a track that will bring you out at the kiln by a short cut, and then you can't miss your way any more, but will get down into the _illegant_ new road, along the upper lake which is so lonesome, and smothered in trees, that you might be _murthered_ there in all aise, and pitched over into the lake, and no one know what become of you during ash nor oak." "And pray," said Frederick, "how am I to find out north and west in this strange place." "Then sure, your honour, I suppose, isn't such a poor scholar as that you wouldn't know very well by the sun." Fred. gave the poor fellow a shilling, and encouraged with this agreeable notice, of the perfect _convenience_ with which we could be "_murthered_," we pursued our route; and found the instructions which he had received, accurate to a tittle. The smoke, which was the first finger-post in the journey, brought us into a deep ravine, wild, barren, and silent as the grave, yet judging by the wreaths that seemed to be sent up from numerous chimnies that were invisible, populous of human life. We looked for habitations but there was not a single roof to be seen, nor an individual to be met with. Curiosity prompted us to approach nearer to this uncommon defile; and here we found numbers of poor creatures, who, terrified at the sound of so many horses' feet, and dreading a visit from the police, were employed in hastily extinguishing their fires. We speedily tranquillized their minds, and then received that generous welcome and hospitality which the poorest sons and daughters of Erin, never fail to extend to the stranger.