said the leader, as he motionedthe rest to be silent; "that's where I put him now; and see, all ofyez--mind my words--if any of uz comes to harm, it will go hard but somewill be spared; and if there was only one remaining, he wouldn't bethe cowardly villain not to see vengeance on Gavan Daly, for what he'sdone."
A murmur of indignation at the imputed treachery of the absent manbuzzed through the crowd; while one fellow, with a face flushed bydrink, and eyes bleared and bloodshot, cried out: "And are ye to stophere all night, calling for the boy that's gone down to bethray yez? Isthere none of yez will take his place?"
"I will! I will! I'm ready and willin'!" were uttered by full twenty, ina breath.
"Who will ye have with yez? take your own choice!" said the leader,turning towards M'Quire and Heffernan, who stood whispering eagerlytogether.
"There's the boy I'd take out of five hundred, av he was the same I knewonce," said M'Guire, laying his hand on Owen's shoulder.
"Begorra then, I wondher what ye seen in him lately to give you aconsate out of him," cried Heffernan, with a rude laugh. "'Tisn't allhe's done for the cause anyway."
Owen started, and fixed his eyes first on one, then on the other of thespeakers; but his look was rather the vacant stare of one awakening froma heavy sleep, than the expression of any angry passion--for wantand privation had gone far to sap his spirit, as well as his bodilystrength.
"There, avich, taste that," said a man beside him, who was struck by hispale and wasted cheek, and miserable appearance.
Owen almost mechanically took the bottle, and drank freely, though thecontents was strong poteen.
"Are ye any betther now?" said Heffernan, with a sneering accent.
"I am," said Owen, calmly, for he was unconscious of the insolencepassed off on him; "I'm a deal better."
"Come along, ma bouchal!" cried M'Guire; "come into the little placewith us, here."
"What do ye want with me, boys?" asked Owen, looking about him throughthe crowd.
"'Tis to take a hand at the cards, divil a more," said an old fellownear, and the speech sent a savage laugh among the rest.
"I'm ready and willin'," said Owen; "but sorra farthen I've left me toplay; and if the stakes is high--"
"Faix, that's what they're not," said Heffernan; "they're the lowestever ye played for."
"Tell me what it is, anyway," cried Owen.
"Just, the meanest thing at all--the life of the blaguard that turnedyerself out of yer holdin'--Lucas the agent."
"To kill Lucas?"
"That same; and if ye don't like the game, turn away and make room for aboy that has more spirit in him."
"Who says I ever was afeard?" said Owen, on whom now the whisky wasworking. "Is it Luke Heffernan dares to face me down?--come out here,fair, and see will ye say it again."
"If you won't join the cause, you mustn't be bringing bad blood amongus," cried the leader, in a determined tone; "there's many a brave boyhere to-night would give his right hand to get the offer you did."
"I'm ready--here I am, ready now," shouted Owen wildly; "tell me what youwant me to do, and see whether I will or no."
A cheer broke from the crowd at these words, and all within his reachstretched out their hands to grasp Owen's; and commendations were pouredon him from every side.
Meanwhile Heffernan and his companion had cleared the little crypt ofits former occupants, and having heaped fresh wood upon the fire, satdown before the blaze, and called out for Owen to join them. Owen tookanother draught from one of the many bottles offered by the bystanders,and hastened to obey the summons.
"Stand back now, and don't speak a word," cried the leader, keeping offthe anxious crowd that pressed eagerly forward to witness the game; thehushed murmuring of the voices shewing how deeply interested they felt.
The three players bent their heads forward as they sat, while Heffernanspoke some words in a low whisper, to which the others responded bya muttered assent. "Well, here's success to the undhertakin' anyhow,"cried he aloud, and filling out a glass of whisky, drank it off; thenpassing the liquor to the two others, they followed his example.
"Will ye like to deal, Owen?" said M'Guire; "you're the new-comer, andwe'll give ye the choice."
"No, thank ye, boys," said Owen; "do it yerselves, one of ye; I'm sureof fair play."
Heffernan then took the cards, and wetting his thumb for the convenienceof better distributing them, slowly laid five cards before each player;he paused for a second before he turned the trump, and in a low voicesaid: "If any man's faint-hearted, let him say it now--"
"Turn the card round, and don't be bothering us," cried M'Guire; "one'ud think we never played a game before."
"Come, be alive," said Owen, in whom the liquor had stimulated thepassion for play.
"What's the thrump--is it a diamond? look over and tell us," murmuredthe crowd nearest the entrance.
"'Tis a spade!--I lay fourpence 'tis a spade!"
"Why wouldn't it be?" said another; "it's the same spade will digLucas's grave this night!"
"Look! see!" whispered another, "Owen Connor's won the first thrick!Watch him now! Mind the way he lays the card down, with a stroke of hisfist!"
"I wish he wouldn't be drinking so fast!" said another.
"Who won that? who took that thrick?" "Ould Heffernan, divil fear him! Inever see him lose yet."
"There's another; that's Owen's!" "No; by Jonas! 'tis Luke again hasit." "That's Sam M'Quire's! See how aizy he takes them up."
"Now for it, boys! whisht! here's the last round!" and at this moment,a breathless silence prevailed among the crowd; for while such as werenearest were eagerly bent on observing the progress of the game, themore distant bent their heads to catch every sound that might indicateits fortune.
"See how Luke grins! watch his face!" whispered a low voice. "He doesn'tcare how it goes, now, he's out of it!" and so it was. Heffernan hadalready won two of the five tricks, and was safe whatever the result ofthe last one. The trial lay between M'Guire and Owen.
"Come, Owen, my hearty!" said M'Guire, as he held a card ready to play,"you or I for it now; we'll soon see which the devil's fondest of.There's the two of clubs for ye!"
"There's the three, then!" said Owen, with a crash of his hand, as heplaced the card over the other.
"And there's the four!" said Heffernan, "and the thrick is SamM'Guire's."
"Owen Connor's lost!" "Owen's lost!" murmured the crowd; and, whether inhalf-compassion for his defeat, or grief that so hazardous a deed shouldbe entrusted to a doubtful hand, the sensation created was evidently ofgloom and dissatisfaction.
"You've a right to take either of us wid ye, Owen," said M'Guire,slapping him on the shoulder. "Luke or myself must go, if ye want us."
"No; I'll do it myself," said Owen, in a low hollow voice.
"There's the tool, then!" said Heffernan, producing from the breast ofhis frieze coat a long horse-pistol, the stock of which was mended by aclasp of iron belted round it; "and if it doesn't do its work, 'tis thefirst time it ever failed. Ould Miles Cregan, of Gurtane, was the lastthat heard it spake."
Owen took the weapon, and examined it leisurely, opening the pan andsettling the priming, with a finger that never trembled. As he drewforth the ramrod to try the barrel, Heffernan said, with a half-grin,"There's two bullets in it, avich!--enough's as good as a feast."
Owen sat still and spoke not, while the leader and Heffernan explainedto him the circumstances of the plot against the life of Mr. Lucas.Information had been obtained by some of the party, that the agent wouldleave Galway on the following evening, on his way to Westport, passingthrough Oughterarde and their own village, about midnight. He usuallytravelled in his gig, with relays of horses ready at different stationsof the way, one of which was about two miles distant from the old ruin,on the edge of the lake--a wild and dreary spot, where stood a solitarycabin, inhabited by a poor man who earned his livelihood by fishing.No other house was within a mile of this; and here, it was determined,while in the act of chang
ing horses, the murder should be effected.The bleak common beside the lake was studded with furze and brambles,beneath which it was easy to obtain shelter, though pursuit was not tobe apprehended--at least they judged that the servant