her anchor in the little bay beyond the castle,
that same bay where Brian had come to grief through O'Donnell's sorcery.

The men crowded down to meet him joyfully, and Brian found that Cathbarr
had come home safe with his beeves and was hungry for fight. No sign had
been heard of the Dark Master along the roads, however, so Brian set
Turlough in charge of getting the stores and wine-casks off the galley,
and fell to work putting the castle in shape for defense.

Since there was no need of loosing a pigeon until word came that the
Dark Master was actually on the way, he sent out men to have a beacon
built on the hills at the bay's head as soon as the enemy was sighted.
What with seeing that the bastards and other shot were cleaned and
loaded, and stationing his hundred men to the best advantage, he found
that the afternoon soon wore away.

"Those are good wines," said Turlough when they sat at meat that
evening, the men eating below in the courtyard around fires. "But I do
not like that ship-master."

So far Brian had said nothing of how the galley had been taken, save
that they had chanced on it at sea and had heard from Teague that the
Dark Master might be on them in another day. As for the O'Malleys, they
kept to themselves and talked not at all, so that neither Turlough nor
Cathbarr had heard the way of that capture.

"Is she unladen?" asked Brian.

"All save a few barrels. That ship-master was so eager to be off,"
grunted old Turlough spitefully, "that I stayed the work and put a guard
on the galley until morning."

"Give the men a cask of the best wine," ordered Brian shortly.

Having taken upon himself the duties of seneschal, Turlough departed
grumbling. While he was gone, Brian's tongue was a little loosened with
wine, so that he told Cathbarr of how he had taken the galley, at which
the giant bellowed with laughter. Presently from the courtyard came
shouting and singing, and Turlough appeared with a beaker of wine.

"The men like it well enough," he said, "yet to me it seems soured.
Taste it, Brian; if it be so, then you have made a poor haul on that
cruise."

Brian sipped the wine, and in truth it seemed to have soured. Cathbarr
made little of that, and would have drunken it except that his clumsy
hand knocked it from the table and emptied it all. But as it happened,
that mischance saved his life.

A little after, Brian pulled out a Spanish pipe he had got that day from
one of the O'Malleys, wit