CHAPTER TEN.
A NIGHT ATTACK.
I think, had the wind only favoured, I might have been tempted,notwithstanding the risk of it, to venture up in my boat as far asKilgorman for the sake of getting a word with Tim, even if I could nothope to follow my quest up to the house itself. But the breeze droppedslack before I was well clear of Rathmullan, and it took me many hoursof hard pulling, with the chance aid of an occasional puff, to make asfar as Knockowen; and by that time the dawn was beginning to show in theeast, and my chance of passing undetected was gone.
Besides, the news I bore, and the importance of it to the little,unprotected family at Knockowen, would hardly allow of delay. I slippedinto the house and curled myself up in my corner, but not to sleep.Supposing, as was likely, his honour was not back by night, it would beleft to me to defend the house and the women as best I could. And howwas I to do it?
The first thing I saw when I arose at the summons of the cock was thewhite sails of the _Cigale_ in the distance standing out for the mouthof the lough. So there was an end of Tim for the present. I confess Iwas almost glad; for had he been still within call, I should have beentempted all day long to desert my post to get at him. Now I had nothingto take my mind from the business of the night that was coming.
By mid-day his honour had not returned. And then it seemed to me I mustdo something, if the danger was to be averted. So I saddled Juno (who,by the way, had quietly trotted home to her stable the morning after herrunaway race with Miss Kit three months ago), and despite Martin'squestions and objections, to which I replied that I was on my lady'sbusiness, rode as hard as the mare would carry me to the barracks atFahan.
There I boldly reported what I knew, and in my mistress's name bade thesergeant in charge send half-a-dozen armed men to protect the house.The sergeant answered that all his men were away, and that unless theyreturned soon he would have no one to send.
Then I demanded a brace of guns, and a promise that, failing any others,he would come himself. To this he agreed that he certainly would, andbade me keep my own counsel and not alarm the women. As to Martin, Iwould do well, he said, to make sure of him before he could do any harm.He gave me the guns done up in a truss of straw to avoid detection, andwith this clumsy parcel slung across the mare's back I trotted home.
As I came near the avenue I noticed a skulking figure step quicklybehind the trees, and guessed this was probably the messenger who hadpromised to come over to warn Martin of what was in store. I doubtedwhether I ought not to attack him there and then. But had I done so Imight have given an alarm, and lost my guns into the bargain. So Ipretended to see nothing, and passed on, whistling to myself, up to thehouse.
The afternoon was already well advanced before I dismounted in thestable-yard. Martin, as I expected, stood there waiting for me. It wasas much his object to get me disposed of as it was mine to dispose ofhim. My only chance was to seem to know nothing, and keep a sharp look-out on him.
"You're fond of riding," said he with a sneer; "it's worth a ride toFahan to fetch a truss of straw when there's plenty in the stable."
"There's more than straw in this," said I, lifting it up and carrying itup to the house. "Man, dear, it's full of guns."
He was not to be taken in by chaff like that, he said. And indeed hefully believed, as I hoped he would, that I was making a fool of him.
"Since you don't believe me, you might carry it indoors for me, while Iput up the mare," said I, risking a little more to make sure of him.
"You may carry your own litter," said he, "and hold your tongue overit."
So I carried the truss into the kitchen, and laid it in the cornerthere, and presently returned to the yard.
He had taken Juno into the stable, and was unsaddling her there.
"Come here," he called, "and put up your own beast."
I guessed pretty well what he meant by that. The stable was a smallone, with only one little grated window high up, and a thick door.Could he lock me in there, I should be quiet enough for the rest of theevening.
Happily for me Martin was a dull fool as well as a great villain, and hebetrayed his purpose by the glitter of his eye too clearly for any oneto mistake him. I strolled carelessly up towards the door, and as I didso he left the horse and came to meet me.
"Come in here," said he, "and let's see how you can rub down a horse."
"I don't need you to show me," said I. "Look at her there, with hermane all in a twist and her fetlock grazed by your clumsy pail."
He turned round to look, and in that moment I had the door shut on himand the key turned on the outside. I knew that the door, which wasthick enough to stand a horse's kick, had nothing to fear from his. Andas to his noise, there would be no one to heed that. He would be safethere till morning, and there were oats enough in the place to keep himand Juno both from starving.
This business done, I hastened back to the house, and sought Miss Kit,to whom I told everything.
"Father will not be home to-night," said she bravely. "We must do thebest we can, Barry."
"We'll do better than that, plaze God," said I.
Then followed an anxious council of war. Besides our two selves, therewere my lady and three maid-servants in the house. Mistress Gorman wastoo nervous and delicate to count upon for help, but the maids were allthree sturdy wenches. So our garrison was five souls, and, counting thetwo guns I had brought, there were eight stands of arms and ammunitionto match in the house.
The danger to be feared was not so much from the invaders' shooting asfrom the possibility of their carrying out their threat to fire thehouse. Our only hope seemed to lie in frightening them off at the onsetby as formidable a show of resistance as possible. Failing that, weshould have to protect ourselves as best we could.
Fortunately we could at least prevent their surrounding the house; forby closing and barricading the garden doors on either side, all approachwould be limited to the water-front, unless a very wide circuit was madeoutside the grounds. The drawing-room in which the family usually spenttheir evenings was on the first floor at this side, and here no doubtthe enemy would direct their first attack.
I therefore resolved to have the candles lit as usual and to keep theblinds up, so as to give no hint that we were forewarned of their visit.
Below, on the ground-floor, there were two windows on either side of thedoor, with shutters in which we bored some hasty loopholes, at each ofwhich we could station one of our party. And the more effectively tokeep up an appearance of being in force, I placed a loaded gun, pointedtowards the door, on the outer wall at each side, which, by anarrangement of string attached to the triggers, I should be able to letoff from within, and so give the party the discomfort of believingthemselves taken in the rear.
For the rest, we removed everything inflammable, such as curtains andbedding, as far from the windows as possible, and trusted to a supply ofwell-filled buckets stationed in every room to help us in case of fire.And as an additional defender against a forcible entry from anyunexpected quarter, I brought Con the dog (who seemed to understand allthat was going forward) into the house, and stationed him in the hall.
By the time these preparations were all complete it was quite dark, andI knew we might expect our visitors at any moment.
I begged Miss Kit to see her mother disposed of in an apartment as farfrom the point of danger as possible, while I lit the candles in thedrawing-room, and stationed the maids at their posts in the darkenedhall below.
My little mistress came to the drawing-room to report her task done.
"If you are not afraid," said I, "it would be well to move about in thisroom near the window for a little, so as to let ourselves be seen by anyone who approaches. They may be in view of us already."
She seated herself boldly at the window, while I, in my livery coat,waited on her with a tray.
"Afraid!" said she, taking up my words; "that would be difficult. I donot forget that afternoon in the boat, or the gap i
n the cliff."
If anything could have put me more on my mettle, these words and thesmile that accompanied them sufficed. I could have received an armysingle-handed.
We waited silently after that. Presently Con below gave a low growl,and Miss Kit's eyes met mine. "Listen, and you'll hear them," said I.Sure enough, through the open window there came the steady plash ofoars, and the sound of voices across the water.
It was an uneasy moment, especially when we heard the grating of theboat alongside the jetty.
"It's time now we went below," said I. "Leave me here to close thewindow and pull down the blinds. And, Miss Kit," said I as she rose,"if any one is hurt this night it shall not be you."
She laughed a brave little laugh, and replied, "You want too much foryourself, Barry. We'll share and share alike."
Then with her cheeks somewhat pale, and her eyes very bright, she wentbelow, and groped her way to her station in the hall.
Meanwhile, as ostentatiously as I could, I closed the window and loweredthe blinds; and after moving from one place to another between them andthe candles so as to throw as many shadows as possible, I slipped fromthe room, and ran down the stairs.
At first nothing could be seen, and we only had Con's growing uneasinessto warn us of the danger approaching. Then through my loophole I sawamong the trees a moving light, evidently a lantern, and presently sevenor eight dark forms moving doubtfully along the little jetty.
They halted at a little distance to reconnoitre, and perhaps to wonderwhy Martin, on whom they depended to conduct them, did not appear.
At last we could discern a movement and the sound of footsteps crunchingon the gravel. My orders were that no sign should be given by any of usin the house till they had expended their first shot. And this, as ithappened, turned out to be good advice.
Presently we could see them ranged in a row, about twenty yards from thehouse. Then one stepped forward cautiously, and rapped at the doorbehind which we stood.
His only answer was a growl from Con.
"Boys," whispered he, "there's not a sound stirring. You'll need to rapat yon window to find if his honour's at home. All together now."
Whereupon, with a hideous noise, seven guns were let off, and we heardthe bullets crash into the room overhead.
One of the maids lost her nerve, and shrieked. But if they heard it,they thought nothing of it.
"Are you a goose?" cried Miss Kit angrily. "Stand steady now, like awoman."
This reassured the girl, and at the same time I gave the order to fire.
Our object was not to kill but to frighten. And I knew well enough thewomen would aim wild. But for myself, I confess I had no scruples incovering the man who carried the lantern.
The effect of our volley was amazing. The villains had barely groundedtheir arms, and were proceeding leisurely, with their eyes stillupturned to the shattered windows, to reload, when we let fly.
My man fell back with a yell, so did one of the others. The rest yelledin chorus, and stood a moment stupified. Quick as thought I pulled mystrings right and left, and completed their consternation by a flankfire, which, had it been aimed by a marksman, could not have been moredecisive. For one other of the party fell without even a cry, and atthe same moment the rest rushed gasping and stumbling over one anotherdown to the boat.
It was the shortest battle I ever took part in. Within three minutes ofthe first attack the invaders were flying for their lives across thelough. Three of their number were left on the field senseless, and forall we knew stone dead.
I confess that victory is sometimes more terrible than defeat, and anyrelief our little garrison felt in the danger averted was lost in thecounting of the cost. My little mistress, especially, was not to beheld till the door was opened, and she could go out to where the victimslay.
Of the three, one--he who had caught the fire of the gun on the wall--was dead. The other two were senseless, but only slightly wounded. Theone, whom I had brought down, was bleeding from a wound in the forearm;and the other, who was shot with no will of her own by the frightenedservant-maid, was deeply grazed on the cheek.
We had scarcely carried the two wounded men inside, when a clatter ofhoofs in the avenue warned us that the sergeant, true to his promise,had come to our succour, and not alone. He was not well pleased to findhimself too late for the fighting, and only in time to tend a couple ofbruised men, and carry off the body of another. But for this duty hemight at least have given chase to the fugitives, and gained a littlecredit to himself by their capture. As it was, my lady, who in herhusband's absence, and then only, spoke with his authority, would hearof no such attempt, and ordered the immediate removal of the body toFahan, pending the necessary inquiry, while two of the soldiers were tobe left in the house to protect it and see to the wounded.
As for these, a little whisky and bandaging soon set them right; andwhen next morning his honour, who had already been met by the news ofthe night's adventure, reached home, he was able to send them off tojail in the custody of the soldiers.
"There'll be trouble enough to us out of all this," said he to me thatday, as we followed to the court of inquiry. "I wish to God I had leftyou where I found you."
That was the least I expected of his honour. His gratitude counted forvery little beside the look Miss Kit had given me the night before, whenthe danger was yet to come.