e the fight to come to them, rather than to
take it to O'Donnell.

"There is reason against that, Turlough Wolf," said Brian quickly. "The
Dark Master has men on the hills, and if news is borne to Galway of what
has happened, we are like to have a larger army on our heels than we can
cope with."

"I have attended to O'Donnell's watchers," said Turlough grimly. "When
Cathbarr bore word of the pact from Gorumna Castle, I sent out horsemen
and we swept the hills bare of men. O'Donnell has no more than are in
the castle, and a score of our own men are on the roads, watching for
any ill."

"How many men have we in all?" spoke up Lame Art O'Malley. "In our ships
there are sixty men we can spare for land battle."

"That gives us three hundred in all," replied Turlough to Nuala's
questioning glance. "If we take a strong position we should sweep most
of O'Donnell's men away at the first charge."

"There you are wrong," said Brian, shaking his head. "Those pikemen are
bad foes for cavalry, and our two hundred horsemen would shatter on them
if they stood firm."

"Not if we choose our ground," said the Bird Daughter, her eyes
flashing. "Nay, _I_ am master here, my friends! Now this is my rede. We
shall not waste men by attacking the castle, unless forced to it by an
army from Galway. Instead, we will wait until the Dark Master is driven
out by hunger; then we will fall on him and destroy him utterly.

"Yellow Brian, you have some knowledge of war, and you shall take this
matter in charge. Cathbarr, do you command fifty horse, with the men
from our ships here, and keep the Dark Master in play. With the
remainder, we shall wait in whatever spot Brian shall choose, and before
many days are sped I think that Bertragh will be mine again."

The Bird Daughter had her way, since none could find much against her
plan; and that afternoon Brian went ashore with her and the O'Malleys,
leaving the three ships at anchor under a small guard. Turlough had made
camp a short mile from the castle, on a little hill among the farms;
both Nuala and the O'Malley men were somewhat surprised at finding the
O'Donnell women and children safe and untouched in their own steads.

"I saw to that," laughed Turlough, slanting his crafty eyes at Brian. "I
had but to threaten them in Brian's name, and the men only were slain."

"I think that you are a hard master," laughed Nuala, but Brian smiled
and pointed to his men, who were pouring out to meet him wi