ountain.

"Oh, Mark, you should not have said this."

And in a torrent of tears he threw himself upon his brother's bosom. For
some minutes they remained close locked in each other's arms, and then
Herbert, tearing himself away, clasped Mark's hand in both of his, and
kissed it. The last "Good-bye" broke from each lip together, and they
parted.

Mark remained on the spot where his brother had left him, his eyes
fixedly directed towards the Bay, where already a second ship had
arrived--a large three-decker, with an admiral's pennon flying from the
mast-head. The first burst of wild enthusiasm over, he began to reflect
on what was next to be done. Of course he should lose no time in
presenting himself to the officers in command of the expedition,
and making known to them his name, and the place he occupied in the
confidence of his countrymen. His great doubt was, whether he should not
precede this act by measures for assembling and rallying the people, who
evidently would be as much taken by surprise as himself at the sudden
arrival of the French.

The embarrassment of the position was great; for although deeply
implicated in the danger of the plot, he never had enjoyed either
intimacy or intercourse with its leaders. How then should he satisfy the
French that his position was such as entitled him to their confidence?
The only possible escape to this difficulty was by marshalling around
him a considerable body of the peasantry, ready and willing to join the
arms and follow the fortunes of the invaders.

"They cannot long distrust me with a force of three hundred men at my
back," exclaimed Mark aloud, as he descended the mountain with rapid
strides. "I know every road through these valleys--every place where a
stand could be made, or an escape effected. We will surprise the party
of soldiers at Mary M'Kelly's, and there, there are arms enough for all
the peasantry of the country."

Thus saying, and repeating to himself the names of the different farmers
whom he remembered as true to the cause, and on whose courage and
readiness he depended at this moment, he hastened on.

"Holt at the cross-roads promised eighteen, all armed with fire-locks.
M'Sweeny has six sons, and stout fellows they are, every man of them
ready. Then, there are the O'Learys, but there's a split amongst
them--confound their petty feuds, this is no time to indulge them. They
shall come out, and they must--ah! hand in hand, too, though they
have