tenderly enough in one
arm, as he splashed out. The icy water shocked Brian's brain awake and
drove the pain out of him momentarily, and before Cathbarr was
waist-deep he heard a hail and saw the dark shape of a galley
approaching.

Muskets flashed out from the walls, and their bullets whistled overhead,
but five minutes later Brian was on the galley, Cathbarr was clambering
over the side, and the light boat was being rowed out again.

Brian thought his senses were slipping away when he found Nuala O'Malley
herself holding his head as he lay in the stern, while men flung cloaks
around him; but warm tears dripped on his face, and she patted his arm
soothingly.

"Lie quiet," she said, but Brian would not, for already his brain was
leaping ahead, and he knew that there was work to be done.

"Tell me," he asked eagerly, "are my men camped around the royalists?
Is help indeed coming to you from the North?"

"Yes," she replied, trying to quiet him. "A pigeon came in from Erris
to-day, with word that two ships with men were on the way to help me.
When I returned from the South and found that the plague had been at
Gorumna, I sent off asking for help, and now it is coming."

"Then send word to Turlough!" cried Brian eagerly. "Tell him to throw my
men on the royalist camp _to-night_ and drive the pikemen into the
castle! Colonel Vere is dead, and there is such confusion that all will
think we have more than two hundred men. If we can leaguer them there
until your ships come, we may win all at a blow!"

Nuala found instantly that there was meat in the plan, and as they were
rowing out to meet one of her caracks, promised to send in the galley
with word to Turlough when they got aboard the larger ship.

This they were no great while in doing. Brian knew nothing of it, for
upon the Bird Daughter's word he had dropped away into a faint once
more. With this Nuala O'Malley was quite content, so that when Brian
wakened he was greatly refreshed and found himself lying bandaged on a
bunk with the sunlight coming through a stern-port beside him, and the
Bird Daughter watching him with food and drink ready.

"Take of this first," she smiled; "then we will talk."

Brian obeyed, being very thirsty and ravenously hungered. He had little
pain except when he tried to move, and so he ate as he lay, propped up
with folded garments, and watched the Bird Daughter. She refused to
speak until he had eaten the meat and cakes she had fetched