e.

"No, Sir Don, not till their bodies be dead," said I, saluting; "I am
here to warn your Excellency that the English soldiers are drawing a
cord around this place, and will fall speedily upon you in force."

"'Tis well they come only to slay and not to eat us," said he, with a
grim smile.

And I perceived that both he and his companions were half-starved.

"Yet they should not delay, for if they haste not, they will find us
gone. Sir Ludar, the _Gerona_,"--here he pointed to a large galliass
that lay at anchor in the bay--"is ready, and sails to-night for the
Scotch coast. I claim your services yet, as you claim those of your
squire."

Ludar looked at me. I knew what passed in his mind, for 'twas in mine
also. How could we leave Ireland thus, on a desperate venture, while
those two fair maids--

But before we could even exchange our doubts, there sprang out upon us
from behind a rock half-a-dozen fellows with a horseman at their head,
who waved his sword and called loudly on us, in the name of the Queen,
to yield.

I groaned inwardly as I pulled out my sword. Once more I was about
wickedly and grievously to wage war on her Majesty, and break my vows of
allegiance. Yet, how could I otherwise now?

The Don deigned no reply, but waited calmly for the attack. We were but
five to six, and the two Spaniards were so lean and ill-fed as scarce to
count as a man betwixt them. At the first onset one of them dropped
dead, and the other, after scornfully running his adversary through,
fell back himself in a swoon of exhaustion.

Meanwhile, the Don was struggling with the horseman. I can remember,
occupied as I was with the sturdy rogue who flew at me, how noble he
looked, as, with head erect and visage calm, he parried blow after blow,
stepping back slowly towards the rock.

'Twas a sharp fight while it lasted; for, though Ludar made short work
of his first man, the other three were stubborn villains, and, being
well-fed and well-armed, put us hard to it.

Presently, he on the horse, enraged that, for all his advantage, he got
no closer to his foe, pulled out a pistol from his holster and levelled
it full at the Don's head.

With a shout like a lion's, Ludar flung away his own assailant, and
rushed between the two, dealing the horseman a blow which sent him
headlong from his saddle and echoed among the rocks like a crack of
thunder.

He was none too soon, for the shot had flashed before ever the blow
f