cly acknowledge
him, and place him in possession of the estate, as Her Majesty had
granted him a special indemnity against the pains and penalties
incurred by his father's act of rebellion and treason, and had
restored to him his full rights.

A burst of cheering, such as had not been heard in Kilkargan since
James O'Carroll rode out, at the head of a troop raised among his
tenantry, to fight for King James, greeted the announcement; and,
for the first time since that event, John O'Carroll was, for the
moment, popular. Subsequent reflection, and their knowledge of his
character, soon dissipated that feeling; but in their joy at the
announced approaching arrival of their new master, John O'Carroll
rode away, with his followers, without the manifestation of
hostility that would otherwise have attended his departure.

Bonfires blazed all over the barony when Gerald rode in,
accompanied by Mike. The tenants, and a number of the gentry who
had known him when a boy, assembled at the castle to meet him; and
even his father could not have met with a more enthusiastic
welcome than that which was given him.

The next day, Gerald wrote to the Duke of Berwick, telling him
what had taken place, and resigning his commission in the Irish
Brigade.

"I intend," he said, "to abstain from all part in politics.
Although no condition was made, in my pardon for serving abroad
and in the restoration of my estate, I feel that, having accepted
these favours, I must hold myself aloof from all plots against
Queen Anne, though my heart will still be with him whom I hold to
be my lawful sovereign. Unless a large army from France was landed
here, I believe that any attempt at his restoration would only
bring down fresh misery upon Ireland. But, should a force land
that would render success almost a certainty, I should then, with
the great bulk of my countrymen, join it."

In due time he received an answer, approving the course he had
taken.

"I myself," the Duke said, "am under no delusions. With the ten
regiments of the Irish Brigade, twenty thousand French troops, and
arms sufficient to distribute to the whole country, I believe that
Ireland and Scotland might again come under the rule of the
Stuarts; but nothing short of such a force would be of any avail.
So convinced was I of this that, in 1691, after the successful
defence of Limerick, I saw that the cause was for the time lost,
and that further resistance would only prove disastrous