s. "Let us sleep," he said, shrugging his shoulders. And he lay
down where he was, pillowing his head on a fishing-net. Bale said
nothing, but examined the door before he stretched himself across the
threshold.

Half an hour after dawn they were roused. It was a heavy trampling on
the stairs that awakened them. The door was quickly unlocked, it was
thrown open, and the hairy face of O'Sullivan Og, who held it wide,
looked in. Behind him were two of the boys with pikes--frowsy, savage,
repellent figures, with drugget coats tied by the sleeves about their
necks.

"You'll be coming with us, Colonel, no less," Og said.

Colonel John looked at him. "Whither, my man?" he asked coolly. He and
Bale had got to their feet at the first alarm.

"Och, sure, where it will be best for you," Og replied, with a leer.

"Both of us?" the Colonel asked, in the same hard tone.

"Faith, and why'd we be separating you, I'd be asking."

Colonel John liked neither the man's tone nor his looks. But he was far
above starting at shadows, and he guessed that resistance would be
useless. "Very good," he said. "Lead on."

"Bedad, and if you'll be doing that same, we will," O'Sullivan Og
answered with a grin.

The Colonel and Bale found their hats--they'd been allowed to bring
nothing else with them--and they went down the stairs. In the gloom
before the door of the tower waited two sturdy fellows, barefoot and
shock-headed, with musquetoons on their shoulders, who seemed to be
expecting them. Round the smouldering embers of the fire a score of
figures lay sleeping in the open, wrapped in their frieze coats. As
many others sat with their backs against the wall, and their chins sunk
on their breasts. The sun was not yet up, and all things were wrapt in
a mist that chilled to the bone. Even within the narrow bounds of the
forecourt, objects at a distance put on queer shapes and showed new
faces. Nothing in all that was visible took from the ominous aspect of
the two men with the firearms. One for each, Bale thought. And his
face, always pallid, showed livid in the morning light.

Without a word the four men formed up round their prisoners, and at
once O'Sullivan Og led the way at a brisk pace towards the gate.
Colonel John was following, but he had not taken three steps before a
thought struck him, and he halted. "Are we leaving the house at once?"
he asked.

"We are. And why not, I'm asking."

"Only that I've a message for the McMurrough