far off on the plains, and said that you,
father, lived there; and that he would go with me still a little way,
and then leave me. I urged him to go at once, but he would not, and we
came down into the plains. He had not ridden far when he said sharply:

"'The Riders of the Plains, those gentlemen who seek me, are there--see!
Ride on or stay, which you please. If you go you will reach the priest,
if you stay here where I shall leave you, you will see me taken perhaps,
and it may be fightin' or death; but you will be safe with them. On the
whole, it is best, perhaps, that you should ride away to the priest.
They might not believe all that you told them, ridin' with me as you
are.'

"But I think a sudden madness again came upon me. Rememberin' what
things were done by women for refugees in old Donegal, and that this man
had risked his life for me, I swung my horse round nose and nose with
his, and drew my revolver, and said that I should see whatever came to
him. He prayed me not to do so wild a thing; but when I refused, and
pushed on along with him, makin' at an angle for some wooded hills, I
saw that a smile played upon his face. We had almost reached the edge
of the wood when a bullet whistled by us. At that the smile passed and a
strange look came upon him, and he said to me:

"'This must end here. I think you guess I have no coward's blood; but
I am sick to the teeth of fightin'. I do not wish to shock you, but I
swear, unless you turn and ride away to the left towards the priest's
house, I shall save those fellows further trouble by killin' myself
here; and there,' said he, 'would be a pleasant place to die--at the
feet of a woman who trusted you.'

"I knew by the look in his eye he would keep his word. "'Oh, is this
so?' I said.

"'It is so,' he replied, 'and it shall be done quickly, for the courage
to death is on me.'

"'But if I go, you will still try to escape?' I said. And he answered
that he would. Then I spoke a God-bless-you, at which he smiled and
shook his head, and leanin' over, touched my hand, and spoke low: 'When
you see Shon McGann, tell him what I did, and say that we are even now.
Say also that you called Heaven to bless me.' Then we swung away from
each other, and the troopers followed after him, but let me go my way;
from which, I guessed, they saw I was a woman. And as I rode I heard
shots, and turned to see; but my horse stumbled on a hole and we fell
together, and when I waked, I saw t