nnell Dubh to certain friends of his whom we came to meet. Are you
those friends, as we think?"

Brian started in surprise, but needed no word from Nuala. He saw that
the Dark Master must have sent this galley out to meet the Millhaven
men, and that the crew had taken the two caracks for those pirate ships.

"We are the O'Donnells from Millhaven," he shouted, and ordered the
seaman to cast down ropes to the galley. Her master, a stout man with
bushy black beard, waved a hand in reply, and after another moment the
two craft ground together. The master of the galley got aboard over the
low waist of the carack, and Brian ordered a dozen of his own
green-faced men down into the smaller ship. At this the galley's master
stared somewhat, but came up to the poop.

"Lord, O'Donnell sends you these stores with a message. I am Con Teague
of Galway."

"Let us have it," ordered Brian, liking the looks of the man not at all.

"He bade us say that he was leaving Galway to-morrow at dawn with a
force of men, and that you should meet him at Bertragh Castle and fall
on that place to take it."

"That is good," laughed Brian. "Now learn that you have found the wrong
ships, my man. We are not the Millhaven pirates, but I am Brian Buidh,
who holds Bertragh; and here is the Lady Nuala, for whom I hold it."

At that Nuala came forward, and Teague looked greatly astonished, as
well he might, and all the Bird Daughter's men fell roaring with
laughter. But he could make no resistance, and stood chapfallen while
Brian talked with Nuala.

"I must back to the Castle," he said, "and see if this news be true. Do
you go on to Gorumna with my men, and I will let loose a pigeon to you.
If the Dark Master is indeed on the way, then come with all the men you
can spare, and it will go hard if we do not best his royalists, and the
pirates later when the latter come."

This was clearly the best plan, so Brian sent Teague down into the
galley and followed him, as the light ship was faster than the caracks.
Replacing half of Teague's men with O'Malleys, he had the ropes cast
off, waved his hand at Nuala, and they drove to the eastward and
Bertragh Castle.

Teague made so much moan over losing his ship that Brian promised it
back to him when they had reached the castle; the stores and wine,
however, he accounted good spoils of war. This put the seaman in better
mood, and by noon the fast galley had covered the twenty miles to
Bertragh, and cast down