*VI*
My heart sang as I went about the business of my assumed captaincy. Sheleft all to me, and ever and anon as I was in the midst of my activitiesI saw her eyes fasten upon me and smile encouragement and sweet trust.I was in my element now that war's alarm was sounding. Never in my lifebefore had I addressed myself to fight so gaily as now. I had foughtfor treasure, for dear friends, for a noble king, for honour and truthand liberty; but never, as it chanced, had it fallen to my lot to battlefor a lady. And when I thought of Rory Mac Shane--faugh! what amouthful of ugliness his name!--I laughed within myself, and _Iotriumphe_ rang a joyous peal in my head.
But I must come back to my tale.
Leaving my good fellow Stubbs, who had catched fire from me, to musterall the serviceable varlets in the courtyard, I made haste to mount tothe top of the keep, to judge how long a time for preparation I hadbefore the enemy should come. They were, as I guessed, a good mileaway. I descended, and as swiftly as might be I ranged through all thecastle, now wholly open to me, and observed in my hasty survey thosepoints where it was most vulnerable. Meantime I had commanded that allweapons of every sort should be carried into the courtyard, and comingthere again, I parted them among the garrison, a pitiful poor rabble aswas ever mustered to defend a fortress. There were not so many as I hadseen when first I came to the place, and I began to suspect that somefaint-hearted rascals had hidden themselves away in tenderness for theirskins. But when I turned to the lady to ask of this matter--she stoodqueenly on the step of the postern--she told me that the night beforeshe had dispatched sundry stout fellows with munition and victuals toher father, who had sent word that he was in dire straits, cooped up ina wild place by the English forces. By this I knew the meaning of thatcoming and going which had delayed my flight, yet for which I was nowbeyond measure thankful, seeing that otherwise I should have got cleanaway (so I flattered myself), and my lady had been lost.
Yet this diminishment of my forces was a grievous matter, as I saw verywell when, going again to the battlemented roof, I descried the enemypouring down the hillside, a rout of nigh two hundred men, but notmarching in the ordered ranks of disciplined soldiers. They were allafoot, a rabble of half-naked kernes, equipped some with darts, somewith bows and arrows, a mere few with matchlocks. I saw with greatthankfulness that they had no artillery, so that we need fear nobattering and breaching of the walls. And then, wondering how theypurposed to come across the lake, I perceived that many of them boremassy bundles, the nature whereof I could not determine. And as I stoodpeering over the parapet, I was aware that Mistress Sheila was at myside, and turned to her, asking without preface what those bundles mightbe. She told me that they were boats, made of the hides of beastsstrained over a framework of osiers.
"An armada, sooth!" I cried, feigning a cheerfulness I did not own."King Rory apes King Philip, and comes a-wooing with a fleet."
She flashed me a look, and her lips quivered.
"You are not afraid, mistress?" said I.
"Was your Queen afraid with her captains about her?" she said; and in amurmur, soft as a mavis' evening note, she added: "I trust my captaintoo."
And she laid in my hand my own sword, which had been taken from me whenI was lugged from the slough.
"List to me, mistress," I said, stilling my leaping pulse, for our perilwas near. "Do you bring all the women and children to this place, andwhen I have descended, bolt the door upon me. You and they will be safehere, while we beat off the enemy below."
She nodded her head, and fled away, coming back a while after with thebeldam and the rest of the women, young and old, all huddling like sillysheep, moaning and crying, spite of the rebukes of their high-heartedmistress. I bade her good-bye and sped down the stairs, hearing thegrating of the bolt behind me, and came to the courtyard, where the menwere assembled expecting me.
I had already resolved upon my plan of defence. Our chiefest danger, asI saw, was that the enemy, when they had crossed the lake, would by somemeans mount the ruinous wall of the courtyard, that rose but three men'sheight above the water, and so swarm upon us. This wall was upwards oftwo hundred ells in circuit, not of a perfect roundure, but irregular,according to the shape of the rock whereon the castle was built. Withmy few men it would go hard with us to hold so long a line, and Iforesaw that if the enemy pushed us with any vigour, we must needs giveway before them. But I had determined upon resisting them at the wall solong time as we might, and when we could no longer withstand them, weshould withdraw ourselves into the keep, where even with a handful Ideemed it possible to fend them off and endure if need be a long siege.
When I had posted my men at divers points along the wall, suddenly Ibethought me of the water-gate, which gave entrance directly into thecourtyard. I remembered that the portcullis was raised, and had thelook of being immovable; but 'twas madness to leave the gate utterlywithout defence, and so I called Stubbs to my side, and bade him findtools wherewith we might endeavour to remedy this discommodity. While hewas gone about this quest, I looked around, and beheld with no littleindignation the Lady Sheila standing at the postern of the keep,watching me.
"Get you up to the roof, mistress," I said peremptorily, hasting to her."This is no place for you."
"How now!" she cried. "Am I a maid-servant to be commanded hither andthither? Mistress of this castle I stay, sir, and go where I will."
"Must I e'en carry you?" I said, very foolishly, not knowing thoroughlythe quality of the maid.
"Sirrah, you were best not try," she said, and when I, still in my folly(and yet 'twas for her good), stretched out my hands to do as I hadsaid, she fetched me a buffet that sent me reeling.
"Virago!" I cried, my ear stinging with the blow.
"Upstart!" she made answer, and then with a swift change she saidmeekly: "I pray you, good Master Rudd, let me stay."
Before I could answer, Stubbs came to me with the tools, and since timewas precious I went at once with him to the gate, and by dint of hewingand hacking we contrived to drop the portcullis, and so shut up theentrance that might otherwise have been our undoing. Which was nosooner done than a loud cry summoned me to the wall, and mountingthereon I saw the rabblement gathered on the further shore, and in theforefront a man of vast stature with a head like a bull-calf, and fatred cheeks bulging out from a shaggy mane the colour of hay. He wore nocap, but his form was clad in a loose tunic of saffron hue, leathertrews to his ankles, and great shoes of undressed hide. Flourishing atwo-handed sword, he bellowed something in the execrable tongue of thesesavages, and my Irishman at my side said that he called upon the LadySheila to yield up the castle and make her humble submission.
"Methinks his name should be Roarer Mac Shane," said I, and I went toinform the damsel of his demand. "What is your answer, mistress, tothis windy swain? He is young and over-grown, which may excuse thetempestuous manner of his wooing."
"Tell him I deny him and defy him," she cried ringingly. "I am daughterof Kedagh O'Hagan!"
When this was repeated by my Irishman, Mac Shane vented another blast offoul breath, and at his command a company of his ruffians hied them tothe woods towards the north side of the lake, and fell to cuttingtimber, which they proceeded to fashion into rafts, binding the logstogether with ropes they had brought with them: manifestly Mac Shane hadnot expected the lady to spring into his arms. While this was doing,others of the ragged crew built light ladders, setting at the top ironhooks wherewith to catch the wall. These preparations were little to myliking, and I saw that there was rough work before us.
And now becoming aware of my emptiness, for I had neither eaten nordrunk since my supper overnight, I considered there was time to make ameal, without overhaste, for 'twould certainly be an hour or two ere therafts and ladders were finished. My fair lady served me with her ownhands, and paid me little heed when I said she must be sparing ofvictuals, but heaped upon my platter plenty of broiled flesh garnishedwith shamrock, a herb of the country, w
ith fair white bread, butter(somewhat rancid), and a great horn of mead.
"Great warriors must needs be great eaters," she said, sittingcomposedly over against the window near to the ancient gossip hercompanion, whom she had fetched from above, and who had never yet said aword in my hearing.
"But not great eaters great warriors," said I, in her vein.
"No, or swine would be the most warlike of beasts," she said. Then,resting her chin upon her hand: "Tell me, Master Captain Rudd, themanner of your escape. My women say you are a necromancer."
"Why, mistress, then by my black art conjured myself into the shape of asimple fowl, and spread my wings, and hey!"
"Tush! Tell me true," she said. "Such fables are for children."
"Well then," said I, "since I may not be a bird, what say you to afish?"
"I cannot abide 'em, save broiled, and with sauce," she said.
"Then may the broiling I shall suffer this day, and the sauce of goodhard knocks, bring me to the top of your good favour," said I. "But,indeed, I swim like a fish, and dive like a duck----"
"Or a goose?" she caught me up.
"But with no quackery," said I, "I heaved myself up to my window-sill--
"Then you should have been trussed," she said.
"Nay, madam, the trust is yours," said I; "and from the sill I leaptinto your lake, and so got myself, somewhat damp and muddied, to thefurther shore."
"And without a wound?" she said, catching at her breath.
"Save in my heart," I said in a low voice.
"What! hath any Englishman a heart?" she said; and then as I glanced atthe frowning dame beside her, she cried right merrily--
"Oh, she knows no English!" and then with some confusion and haste sheasked me of the Queen and the Court, and led me insensibly to relate toher some particulars of my past life, whereby the time sped away sofast, and I had so far forgotten the posture of our affairs, that Isuffered a shock when Stubbs came running to me and said that theIrishmen were setting across. I called myself an ass, snatched mysword, and made to the door.
"God bless thee with perseverance!" said the maid softly, using theQueen's words in that brief epistle, which I had shown to her in ourdiscourse; and with those sweet tones making melody in my heart I wentforth to try a bout with Rory Mac Shane.