CHAPTER SIX.
Towards morning Dermot was roused from the bunk on which he had beenplaced by the man who had before spoken, and an intimation given himthat he must rise and prepare to move.
He again saw the person who had been called O'Higgins marshalling therebels, giving various directions, and finally putting himself at theirhead, as in regular order they marched away from the cavern.
On being led out of the cave Dermot was placed on the pony and ledbetween two men, and was conducted at a rapid pace towards the south.He knew this by finding the wind still in his back, and catching aglimpse through the gloom of the distant sea.
"They must be going back to the castle," he thought, "and are about tomake the attack they have been threatening. I hope Kathleen arrived intime; if not, those beautiful young ladies and the kind Earl will fallinto their hands. Oh, that I could have got away and made sure ofgiving them warning in time; and yet I do not think the people in thecave slept through the night, and I should have been found out to acertainty. Even now, I don't think they know who I am, and they stillbelieve they have got the young lord. Well, they may hang me in theirrage when they find out who I am, and it cannot be helped. Kathleenwill scarcely have failed in giving the notice I sent. But then, ifthey kill me, oh, what grief for my poor mother. That is the bitterestthing in the matter: for her sake, if I thought there was a chance ofescaping I would make the attempt; but if God thinks right to call meout of the world, He knows what is best. Still something may occur bywhich I may hope to escape, though I know these men about me are readyfor any bloody work. What fearful oaths I heard them swear, and we knowtoo well what dreadful things have been done in other parts of thecountry. The young and the fair, and the old and the helpless, havebeen murdered by their cruel hands. A fearful thing is this civil war.I used not to think much of it once, but I do now. And oh, that sweetyoung Lady Nora and her cousin, to think of the horrors to which theymay be exposed."
Such were the thoughts which passed rapidly through Dermot's brain inspite of the danger to which he himself was exposed. He heard thepeople as before speaking round him in the native Irish, but he tookgood care to make no remarks; indeed, he felt sure that should he speak,his voice alone might betray him. Had they indeed seen him in daylightthey might have suspected, in spite of the cloak which covered him, thathe was not the young lord. At length he knew by the appearance of thecountry, and the expressions he heard uttered round him, that they weredrawing close to the castle, though they had arrived by a more inlandroute than that which he usually took. He judged that some hundreds ofpeople comprised the force of rebels. They were armed in a variety ofways, but a considerable number had muskets and pistols. He discoveredalso that the two small field-pieces which he had seen in the cavern hadbeen brought with them. Not knowing the moderate powers of such piecesof ordnance, he was afraid that the insurgents with them would batterdown the walls. This made him feel more alarmed than ever for thesafety of his friends.
The rebel force now drew up close round the castle, and a consultationwas held among the chiefs as to how the attack should be commenced.
Dermot was led up on his pony close to where the leaders were assembledholding their consultation of war. One of them, with more sagacity thanthe rest, suggested that before they began the attack they should demandthe surrender of the fortress, threatening that if this was not agreedto, they would immediately put to death the young lord whom they had intheir power.
One of their number was accordingly selected to act as herald, anddirected to proceed to the front gate, and to demand a parley. The manthus honoured was a broad shouldered Celt, evidently more accustomed todig than to perform the part for which he had been appointed. He wasfurnished, however, with a stick and white handkerchief fastened to it,to act as a flag of truce, and urged to proceed at once on his mission.
He evidently did not like the task imposed on him, for Dermot heard himexplain that he was doubtful whether he could muster a sufficient amountof Saxon to speak to the garrison.
"Never fear that," was the answer; "there are many who know Celticinside, and they'll not fail to understand you."
While these arrangements were being made the dawn broke. The heraldappeared before the gate, and was considerably astonished when told, inreply to his demand, that the Earl declined holding any communicationwith men in arms against their sovereign. "But if we hang the Earl'sson if they don't let us in, what will he say to that?" asked theherald.
"You will commit any outrage at your own peril," was the answer. "TheEarl knows that you would not dare to hang his son, even if you had himin your power. Do you expect to escape the vengeance of the wholenation should you venture to commit any such atrocity. Go back fromwhence you came; the Earl and all within this castle set you atdefiance."
The herald, unwilling to go back to his companions with such an answer,again asked if such was their ultimate resolution.
"Yes. You will only bring destruction on your own head if you remainwhere you are; and we again tell you, we defy you," answered the personwithin.
At last the herald returned to the council of war, which was stillsitting. The two guns were now brought forward and placed on anelevated situation, for it had not occurred to their possessors that theonly service they could render would be to batter in the gates of thecastle. The men who had muskets made their appearance in the frontrank, thus to produce a more imposing effect. While these arrangementswere being made some of the men had been cutting down young trees in aplantation close by. These they now fixed in a mound near the spotwhere the guns were posted, and to their tops they secured a cross beam.A rope was then produced.
"We shall have to hang the boy if the Earl does not give in," Dermotheard some of the people round about him observe.
"I would gladly have escaped the work," remarked another. "Yet if itmust be done, it must be."
Dermot watched these proceedings, and it would have been unnatural if hehad not felt a sensation of horror creeping over him. Should heendeavour to save his life by declaring that he was not the Earl's son.It naturally occurred to him to do this, and yet it would probably nolonger avail him. He nerved himself for the fate which seemedinevitable. The preparations had been seen from the castle.
"If you commit murder," shouted a voice from one of the turrets, "youwill bring down the vengeance of heaven and of your country on yourheads."
The chiefs continued their consultation. The discussion appeared to bea warm one. Some of them got up and walked about, shaking their fistsat the castle.
"It must be done!" he heard several exclaim; "it will strike terror intothe hearts of our Saxon persecutors. The boy must die. If we let himescape they would declare that we were afraid, and that would make themtyrannise more than ever over us." Several men now came to Dermot andled him towards the gallows which he had seen erected. At the same timean attempt was made to fire the guns placed on the height, but neitherof them went off.
"The powder is bad," Dermot thought to himself; "will it all be likethat?"
It was a curious thought at such a moment. He had nerved his heart forthe worst.
"Again we ask, will you yield the castle?" exclaimed several voices fromthe height.
"No, but if you injure that boy, vengeance will overtake you," was theanswer.
The men uttered a hoarse laugh with some fearful oaths.
"We shall soon see that. Bring him forward. Now, boy, are you preparedfor heaven? You will be there in a few minutes. But who are you?"exclaimed several voices.
Before Dermot could reply, the cloak he had hitherto worn fell from hisshoulders, and his dress and appearance showed that he was a verydifferent person to the young lord, whom they fancied they had captured.
None of those present, however, seemed to know him. "If he belongs tothese parts he must understand what we have said," exclaimed O'Higgins,"and if so, he may have gained more of our secrets than he should know,a sufficient reason, if there w
ere no other, to hang him. Who are you?"again asked O'Higgins; "say, boy."
"I am the son of Widow O'Neill," he answered, without trepidation, inthe native Irish in which he was addressed, "and I am her mainstay andsupport. If you hang me you will bring the malediction of Heaven, andthe widow's curse will rest upon you. If I know your secrets, I am notabout to divulge them; I am too much of an Irishman to do that, if Igive you my promise that I will not."
This answer seemed to have gained the good opinion of some of thebystanders, but suddenly a man who recognised Dermot sprang up fromamong them.
"He has become a young heretic; he goes to the house of the Protestantminister, you can never trust him after that," he exclaimed.
"He knows our secrets, and it is dangerous that he should possess them,"observed two or three of the leaders, "and it is evidently necessary toput him out of the way."
Again there was a warm discussion among them, and the remarks of most ofthe speakers were evidently averse to him.
"He must die--he must die!" exclaimed several voices, and Dermot foundhimself once more hurried close up to the gallows.
The brutal fellow who had been selected to act as herald, provoked bythe reception he had met with, undertook to act as executioner.Dermot's arms were bound tightly behind him, and he was again placed onthe pony from which he had dismounted. The rope was secured to thebeam, and the savage remorselessly prepared to adjust it round his neck.