u'rt come to join our wars after all, and tell the captain about
that duck-weed? And thou shalt, my little Humphrey--you see I even
remember your name."

"One word, Tom Price," said I, breathlessly, "as you are an honest man.
Is the captain here?"

"Here! He is my lady's honoured guest this three weeks, since he
arrived here in a temper enough to sour the countryside. Why, hadst
thou run away with his own sweetheart, thou couldst not--"

"Is my father, is Turlogh Luinech O'Neill here, then?" asked the maiden,
coming up.

"Thy father!" said the soldier gasping. "Why I took thee for-- And art
thou, then," said he, pulling off his cap, "art thou--"

"Yes, yes," said she, "I am Rose O'Neill. Pray say, is my father here?"

"Madam," said he, "he left us a week ago for his Castle at Toome.
Howbeit my lady--"

"Ludar," said the maiden, "back to the boat, quick! I will not go in
here."

"Nay, fair angel," said a voice at our side, "now we have found our
truant bird, we must cage her."

It was Captain Merriman himself, smirking, hat in hand.

Before he could well speak the words, Ludar had sprung at his throat,
and hurled him to the ground.

Then ensued a pitiful uproar. The guard, in a moment, turned out upon
us. It was useless for two men to stand against twenty; our McDonnells
at the boat were beyond call. We fought as long as we could; nor was it
till Ludar received a gun shot in his arm, and I a slash that laid bare
my cheek-bone, that we knew the game was up. The maiden had been
carried off into the house; the old nurse lay in a swoon; three men,
besides the captain, were disabled. As for us, we could but stagger to
the gateway more dead than alive. Once outside, the gate was closed.
The guard from within sent a few flying shots after us, one of which
lightened me of my little finger, and another missed Ludar's knee.
Then, seeing us gone and hearing the shouts of our McDonnells, who, at
the noise of the shots, had come up to help us, they forbore to follow
further and let us get clear.

And it was in this manner we brought Rose O'Neill safely to her father's
house at Castleroe.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

HOW LUDAR FIRED THE BEACON ON KNOCKLAY.

I think, had it not been that Ludar immediately fell into a swoon with
the wound in his arm, we should never have got him back to the boat.
For such was his wrath and despair that he would have turned and invaded
the castle single-handed, preferring to me