ing leisurely, with their eyes still
upturned to the shattered windows, to reload, when we let fly.

My man fell back with a yell, so did one of the others. The rest yelled
in chorus, and stood a moment stupified. Quick as thought I pulled my
strings right and left, and completed their consternation by a flank
fire, which, had it been aimed by a marksman, could not have been more
decisive. For one other of the party fell without even a cry, and at
the same moment the rest rushed gasping and stumbling over one another
down to the boat.

It was the shortest battle I ever took part in. Within three minutes of
the first attack the invaders were flying for their lives across the
lough. Three of their number were left on the field senseless, and for
all we knew stone dead.

I confess that victory is sometimes more terrible than defeat, and any
relief our little garrison felt in the danger averted was lost in the
counting of the cost. My little mistress, especially, was not to be
held till the door was opened, and she could go out to where the victims
lay.

Of the three, one--he who had caught the fire of the gun on the wall--
was dead. The other two were senseless, but only slightly wounded. The
one, whom I had brought down, was bleeding from a wound in the forearm;
and the other, who was shot with no will of her own by the frightened
servant-maid, was deeply grazed on the cheek.

We had scarcely carried the two wounded men inside, when a clatter of
hoofs in the avenue warned us that the sergeant, true to his promise,
had come to our succour, and not alone. He was not well pleased to find
himself too late for the fighting, and only in time to tend a couple of
bruised men, and carry off the body of another. But for this duty he
might at least have given chase to the fugitives, and gained a little
credit to himself by their capture. As it was, my lady, who in her
husband's absence, and then only, spoke with his authority, would hear
of no such attempt, and ordered the immediate removal of the body to
Fahan, pending the necessary inquiry, while two of the soldiers were to
be left in the house to protect it and see to the wounded.

As for these, a little whisky and bandaging soon set them right; and
when next morning his honour, who had already been met by the news of
the night's adventure, reached home, he was able to send them off to
jail in the custody of the soldiers.

"There'll be trouble enough to us out