CHAPTER XVII.
BRIAN GOES A CRUISING.
Above the head of Bertraghboy Bay there was a swooping curve in the hillroad. It was at this same curve that Brian Buidh had first met the DarkMaster, and it was here he had set that trap which had won him tributefor the Bird Daughter. When first he had ridden that road Brian had hada score of lusty men at his back; on the second occasion he had headed ahundred and four-score; but when he drew rein there a week after thatfight at Claregalway bridge there was with him only old Turlough Wolf,and their horses were sorry skeletons like themselves.
"We are somewhat worse than when we twain started out together," laughedBrian bitterly. "Then we had full bellies at the least, but now we havenaught."
"There are men coming, master," said Turlough, hanging weakly to hissaddle. "I think they are our castle watchers."
Very gaunt was Brian that day, and nigh spent with his wounds and hungerand weariness. During the week that had passed since the Dark Masterslipped away from him, nothing but evil had come upon him.
First they had tried to slip past to the north of the city, and hadreached the Lough Corrib River, and could even faintly hear the bells ofSt. Nicholas below, when a half-troop of horse fell upon them. Then indesperation Brian's men smote for the last time, and put the royaliststo flight; but there Brian lost the most of his men. However, he gotfresh horses, and so fled eastward again when more men were seenapproaching.
What chanced in the six days following is not fully set forth, for Briangot little glory from it. One by one he lost his men, and at length wasforced north again to the shores of Lough Corrib, with men riding hotand fast to catch him. With Turlough Wolf alone left to him, he had madeshift to cross the lake in a leaky fisherman's boat, the horses swimmingbehind, and so came into the O'Flahertys' country.
There word had also gone forth against him, but because of the pactbetween them, Murrough of the Kine sped him in peace through IarConnaught, and at length Brian had won home again with joyless heart.
As Turlough said, men were coming, and they were Brian's own men whowatched the roads. From them he got food and wine and two fresh horses,and with the afternoon they rode down to Bertragh in worse shape thanthey had ridden from it. Brian was the less heartened when he saw two ofNuala O'Malley's ships in the bay, and knew that she must be at thecastle.
Indeed, before they reached the gates the Bird Daughter rode out to meetthem, with Cathbarr striding before her. When the woman saw Brian's faceher violet eyes filled with tears, and when he dismounted and kissed herhand and would have spoken, she stayed him.
"Nay, we know enough of the story for now, Brian. First rest and eat,then talk."
Brian guessed straightway that pigeons had come from her men in Galwaytelling of those ridings about the city, and that she had come over toBertragh in anxiety; and this was the truth indeed.
Turlough Wolf hied him away and slept, but Brian sat about a table inthe hall with Cathbarr and Nuala. He was very worn and weary, but whenhe had eaten and drunk he refused to sleep yet a while, and told howthat storm had fared north and what had come of it.
"So I have lost a hundred and fifty hard-won men," he concludedgloomily. "I would not grudge them if the Dark Master had fallen, but heis in Galway, and the Millhaven pirates will be down to meet him, andthat means war on Bertragh."
"I will be glad of that," said Cathbarr simply. "I am sound again andhave been sharpening up this ax of mine."
Nuala smiled and put her hand across the table to lay it on Brian's.
"Success would be of little worth, Yellow Brian," she said softly, andher eyes steadied him, "if it were won without reverses. Few men havethe luck to win always, and a touch of defeat is not an ill thing,perhaps. When we had this news of you from Galway, a week since, I sentoff a galley to find Blake at the Cove of Cork and seek aid of him. Alsomy kinsmen will return to Gorumna before going home to Erris, and we arenot in hard case here. So now get rested, Brian Buidh, and afterward wewill see what may be done. Those Millhaven men have not yet passedErris, or I would have word of it by pigeon, so they have doubtlessdelayed to plunder in Sligo or Killala."
Brian looked into her eyes, and from that moment he began to put behindhim all thoughts of capturing that Millhaven castle for himself or ofplacing himself out of touch with Nuala O'Malley. He went to his chamberas she bade, and slept that night and the next day and the night after,waking on the second morning still empty of sleep and seeming more wearythan when he had laid down.
This was but seeming, however, and when he had bathed and eaten he feltmore like himself than for many a day.
Cathbarr had departed at dawn with a wagon-load of powder to trade forkine with his O'Flaherty kinsmen in the hills, and before Brian hadbroken his fast one of the galleys from Gorumna came over with threepigeons for Nuala. The cage was brought to her as she sat at meat withBrian in the hall, and she opened the tiny messages with all thedelighted anticipation of a girl.
"This is from that galley I sent to Cork," she exclaimed, laying downthe first. "It merely reports safe arrival and the delivery of my letterto Blake, who is leaving there before long. Now for the--ah!"
"Good news or bad?" smiled Brian easily, as animation flashed into herface. She looked up at him with a rippling laugh.
"Both, Brian! This is from Erris, and says that the O'Donnell seamenhave made a landing at Ballycastle under Downpatrick Head, and willlikely put to sea again in a day or two. They will give Erris a wideberth, never fear, and that means that they will make no pause untilthey come to Galway."
The third message was from Galway itself, and said that the Dark Masterwas biding the coming of those Millhaven men, and had been promised bothhorsemen and shot if they came, so that Bertragh might be taken and heldfor Ireland against the Parliament.
"It is not taken yet," laughed Nuala as old Turlough came shuffling up,and they gave him the sele of the day merrily enough. "You had best keepthese birds, Brian, so that if there is any need you may send memessages to Gorumna. Now, shall we bide here until the Dark Master comesagainst us?"
"I thought you were going to take me cruising with you?" smiled Brian,but at that Turlough struck in and asked what the messages were. When hehad heard them he stood pulling at his gray beard for a little, thenturned to Brian.
"How is your body, master?"
"Well enough," said Brian, feeling his head. "Save for this beard, whichnow I may not cut for a time."
He intended to abide by that oath of his, and so his beard was growingout and his hair as well, of which latter he was glad.
Since he had ever kept his face clean shaven, however, the beard was notto his liking. He was quite unaware that it built out his face greatlyand made him grimmer-looking than before, and yet so young were his blueeyes except when he was in anger that it was not hard for Nuala tobelieve that he was only two years older than herself.
None the less, she made great sport of his beard, saying that it curledat the end like a drake's tail, as indeed it did; and as Brian onlyrepaid her laughter with the open wonder and admiration that he held forher, there was great good-comradeship between them.
"There is still one chance for stopping the Dark Master," said Turloughthoughtfully. "If we cut off those pirate ships on their way south he isnot like to get much help from Galway."
"Oh--and I never thought of it!" cried Nuala, staring at him.
Turlough chuckled. "That was spoken like a woman, mistress! If the redeseems good we could lay aboard men from here for fighting, and sail outwith those two ships of yours."
Now Brian's heart filled with new hope, and after no long discussionthey decided to adopt the plan. Nuala was of the opinion that a shortcruise would do Brian great good, so they decided to set off thatevening in her two ships, leaving Turlough to keep the castle againstCathbarr's return.
Had they taken Turlough Wolf with them or had Brian been lessclose-mouthed on his return from that cruise, the evil that befell mighthave been averted. The old man was cun
ning and swift at piercing beneaththe craft of other men and turning it back upon themselves; but asBrian's mind lost its bitterness at his own failure it gained joy atbeing with the Bird Daughter, while Nuala had no less friendship andliking for him, so that neither of them gave much thought to O'DonnellDubh who lay in Galway and bided his time after his own fashion.
Once having reached their decision, they hastened it somewhat and sentmen and muskets aboard the two ships at noon. Nuala wished to sail firstto Gorumna Castle and make all safe there, then reach back for SlyneHead. She proposed that Brian take one carack and she the other, but atthis Brian laughed.
"No, lady--I am no seaman, and I am your guest on this cruise, so I gowith you."
"Well, you shall have good guesting," she answered, flushing a little,but her eyes not flinching from his, and so they went aboard her shiptogether.
Having two hundred men still, Brian had put fifty on each ship in casethey met with those pirates, who were like to give good battle. AlsoTurlough had hopes that many of Brian's men would win home from thatriding of his yet, since a large part of them had dropped out by the wayor had been left behind with wounds. And in the end, indeed, fifty orless did find their way back.
Before night they made Gorumna Castle, and Brian found why they had comehere first. With her Kerry recruits, Nuala had a hundred and eighty men,so she had set to work to build a tower and small keep on the oppositeisland, that Gorumna itself might be more easily defended. Also she hadtaken some falconets and two bastards out of a large French ship, andhad set about building a battery outside the castle that would overlookthe harbor.
"That will be better than good when it is done," said Brian approvingly."But you had best get it done speedily. When we come back from thiscruise you shall take this hundred men of mine, for I will not need themuntil the Dark Master comes, and of that we shall have good warning."
This she was glad of, and she was glad because Brian had found her workwell planned; nor did either of them suspect what grief that loan of ahundred men was to bring upon Brian.
They paused only to sup at Gorumna, then set forth again, and by dawnwere off Slyne Head with a light breeze behind them. Nuala would take nochance of missing those Millhaven men, so instead of going north amongthe islands she turned her ships and beat off Slyne all that day, seeingno sail save fishing-craft.
Those were pleasant hours for Brian, for the sea was fair and he hadnaught to do but sit with the Bird Daughter. He found himself drawn evercloser to her, admiring her wit and fairness as he did, and he fanciedthat she was by no means unwilling to talk with him and open her mindas she did to few men. Yet he remembered that he was no more than hervassal, a landless man in truth.
That night the two caracks separated, standing well off the land andkeeping good watch, but no sign did they catch of the O'Donnell pirates.Toward morning a stiff wind came upon them from the west, and Brian'smen, being all landsmen, got no great joy out of that cruise.
"This wind is like to hold," said Nuala, laughing as she stood on thepoop with Brian that morning and watched the decks. "I am afraid that wemight as well give over this attempt, Brian. Your men will be in noshape to fight. What think you?"
"Right," nodded Brian slowly, for he saw that those men of his wereworse than useless with their sickness.
So they turned about and drove before the wind, but before ever they hadgot past Slyne Head the men aloft descried a sail to the south thatseemed like a large galley. Nuala signaled the other carack to bear downwith her, and presently they made out that it was a large sailinggalley, which headed straight for them.
"That is none of my ships," exclaimed Nuala, watching. "It seems strangethat she does not flee before us, Brian. She bears no ensign, yet shemust be from these parts, and would naturally have some fear ofpirates."
Brian looked at her rather than the ship, and thought her a finepicture, with her body swinging a little to the sway of the deck and thewind blowing her red cloak around her. The galley came straight for themas if seeking speech, however, and when a falconet was fired from thecarack without charge, she lowered her sail and put out her sweeps,coming straight for them.
Nuala sped a word to her sailing-master, and the men let down the sailswith shouting and great creaking of ropes. The Bird Daughter stood underthe high poop bulwark, and now she turned to Brian.
"Do you speak with them and find their business, for it seems to me thatall is not as it should be, and they would likely know me too well."
Brian nodded, and when the galley had come under their lee he saw thatshe was well laden, and had for crew a dozen rough-looking men. One ofthese replied to his hail.
"We are come from Galway, lord, with a gift of stores and wines fromO'Donnell Dubh to certain friends of his whom we came to meet. Are youthose friends, as we think?"
Brian started in surprise, but needed no word from Nuala. He saw thatthe Dark Master must have sent this galley out to meet the Millhavenmen, and that the crew had taken the two caracks for those pirate ships.
"We are the O'Donnells from Millhaven," he shouted, and ordered theseaman to cast down ropes to the galley. Her master, a stout man withbushy black beard, waved a hand in reply, and after another moment thetwo craft ground together. The master of the galley got aboard over thelow waist of the carack, and Brian ordered a dozen of his owngreen-faced men down into the smaller ship. At this the galley's masterstared somewhat, but came up to the poop.
"Lord, O'Donnell sends you these stores with a message. I am Con Teagueof Galway."
"Let us have it," ordered Brian, liking the looks of the man not at all.
"He bade us say that he was leaving Galway to-morrow at dawn with aforce of men, and that you should meet him at Bertragh Castle and fallon that place to take it."
"That is good," laughed Brian. "Now learn that you have found the wrongships, my man. We are not the Millhaven pirates, but I am Brian Buidh,who holds Bertragh; and here is the Lady Nuala, for whom I hold it."
At that Nuala came forward, and Teague looked greatly astonished, aswell he might, and all the Bird Daughter's men fell roaring withlaughter. But he could make no resistance, and stood chapfallen whileBrian talked with Nuala.
"I must back to the Castle," he said, "and see if this news be true. Doyou go on to Gorumna with my men, and I will let loose a pigeon to you.If the Dark Master is indeed on the way, then come with all the men youcan spare, and it will go hard if we do not best his royalists, and thepirates later when the latter come."
This was clearly the best plan, so Brian sent Teague down into thegalley and followed him, as the light ship was faster than the caracks.Replacing half of Teague's men with O'Malleys, he had the ropes castoff, waved his hand at Nuala, and they drove to the eastward andBertragh Castle.
Teague made so much moan over losing his ship that Brian promised itback to him when they had reached the castle; the stores and wine,however, he accounted good spoils of war. This put the seaman in bettermood, and by noon the fast galley had covered the twenty miles toBertragh, and cast down her anchor in the little bay beyond the castle,that same bay where Brian had come to grief through O'Donnell's sorcery.
The men crowded down to meet him joyfully, and Brian found that Cathbarrhad come home safe with his beeves and was hungry for fight. No sign hadbeen heard of the Dark Master along the roads, however, so Brian setTurlough in charge of getting the stores and wine-casks off the galley,and fell to work putting the castle in shape for defense.
Since there was no need of loosing a pigeon until word came that theDark Master was actually on the way, he sent out men to have a beaconbuilt on the hills at the bay's head as soon as the enemy was sighted.What with seeing that the bastards and other shot were cleaned andloaded, and stationing his hundred men to the best advantage, he foundthat the afternoon soon wore away.
"Those are good wines," said Turlough when they sat at meat thatevening, the men eating below in the courtyard around fires. "But I donot like that ship-master."
; So far Brian had said nothing of how the galley had been taken, savethat they had chanced on it at sea and had heard from Teague that theDark Master might be on them in another day. As for the O'Malleys, theykept to themselves and talked not at all, so that neither Turlough norCathbarr had heard the way of that capture.
"Is she unladen?" asked Brian.
"All save a few barrels. That ship-master was so eager to be off,"grunted old Turlough spitefully, "that I stayed the work and put a guardon the galley until morning."
"Give the men a cask of the best wine," ordered Brian shortly.
Having taken upon himself the duties of seneschal, Turlough departedgrumbling. While he was gone, Brian's tongue was a little loosened withwine, so that he told Cathbarr of how he had taken the galley, at whichthe giant bellowed with laughter. Presently from the courtyard cameshouting and singing, and Turlough appeared with a beaker of wine.
"The men like it well enough," he said, "yet to me it seems soured.Taste it, Brian; if it be so, then you have made a poor haul on thatcruise."
Brian sipped the wine, and in truth it seemed to have soured. Cathbarrmade little of that, and would have drunken it except that his clumsyhand knocked it from the table and emptied it all. But as it happened,that mischance saved his life.
A little after, Brian pulled out a Spanish pipe he had got that day fromone of the O'Malleys, with some tobacco, and began puffing in greatgood-humor, for it was long since he had tasted tobacco. Cathbarrwatched in awe, never having seen this done before, so that Brian andTurlough had great fun with him. All his life the giant had lived in themountains and he knew no more than his ax had taught him; though he hadseen men smoke before, he had ever accounted it sorcery of some kind,nor could Brian get him to as much as touch the pipe with his finger.
Brian was sorry that the wine had proved sour; the butts were huge ones,and he had counted on their lasting him and his men all the winterthrough. However, he dismissed the matter from his mind and fell totalking with Turlough and Cathbarr over their arrangements in case of anattack. In the midst, one of the men who had been watching from thetower ran in to say that he had caught sight of a beacon on the hills,which meant that the arch-enemy was on the road.
"Good!" exclaimed Brian, springing up. "Turlough, go fetch me that cageof pigeons. Cathbarr, see that the men are set on the walls--"
He had got no further than this when there came a strange noise from thedoorway. Turning, he saw a man staggering forward, choking as he came,and recognized him as one of the Bird Daughter's seamen. The fellow helda bloody sword in his hand.
"What's this?" cried Brian angrily, noting that there was silence uponthe court-yard. "Has there been wrangling again--"
"Death!" coughed the O'Malley, staring at him with starting, terribleeyes. "Con Teague--I slew him--too--too late--"
"Man, what is forward?" Brian leaped out and caught the seaman in hisarms, for the fellow's head was rolling on his shoulders.
"Death!" whispered the man again. "They are--all dead--"
His head fell back in death, and the sword fell from his hand with aclatter. But from Cathbarr, who had gone to the doorway, came oneterrible shout of grief and rage.
"Brian! Our men lie dead--"
"I think the Dark Master has sent us a kindly gift," quoth TurloughWolf, as Brian rose with horror in his face and let the seaman's bodyfall. "Now I know why that wine was sour, master!"
TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT WEEK. Don't forget this magazine is issued weekly,and that you will get the conclusion of this story without waiting amonth.
Nuala O'Malley
by H. Bedford-Jones
Author of "Malay Gold," "The Ghost Hill," "John Solomon, Supercargo,"etc.
This story began in the All-Story Weekly for December 30.