I know not what account of our adventure was given by my little mistress
to her parents, but certain it was I found myself risen in the good
graces of the mother, if not in those of his honour. As to the latter,
his graces, good or bad, were hard to calculate. Perhaps he disliked me
less than before, rather than liked me better. He said nothing, except
to reprimand me for assaulting Martin. But I suspected it was no
special love for Martin which called forth the rebuke.
And now, for a time, things went uneasily at Knockowen. For a sour man,
his honour kept a good deal of company; and I, who waited upon them,
with eyes and ears open, could see that my master was playing a
difficult and dangerous game.
One week certain mysterious persons would drop in, and sit in long
confabulation. Another week some fellow-justice of his honour's would
claim his hospitality and advice on matters of deep importance.
Sometimes a noisy braggart from the country side would demand an
audience; and sometimes an officer in his Majesty's uniform would arrive
as an honoured guest.
On all such occasions the tenor of the talk was the growing unrest of
the country, and the gathering of that great storm which was soon to
turn the whole country into a slaughter-house.
But the difficult task which Mr Gorman set before himself was to agree
with everybody.
That he was deep in league with the smugglers on the coast I myself
knew. But to hear him talk to the revenue officers who visited him, one
might think that he spent his days and nights in seeking to put down
this detestable trade. That he had a hand in the landing of foreign
arms the reader knows as well as I. But when his brother magistrates
came to lay their heads with his, none was more urgent than he to run
down the miscreants. Indeed, he went to more than empty words; for
once, when a rumour spread that a cargo of powder and shot was expected
off Malin, he himself led the party which for three days lay in wait to
intercept it. And no one knew except himself and me that during those
very three days, while he kicked his loyal heels on Malin Head, the
_Cigale_ ran quietly into Lough Swilly, and after resting a few hours,
ran as quietly out, with a good deal less ballast in her than she came
with.
I remember that well, for it was a day when I was secretly plotting to
take advantage of my master's absence to steal up to Kilgorman. I had
indeed got not far from the place when, to my disgust, Martin and
another man overtook me on horseback, and ordered me to return at once
to Knockowen at my mistress's bidding.
I durst not disobey, or betray my purpose, so turned back sulkily,
leaving them to canter on; and, to add to my chagrin, as I looked round
presently from the hill-top, I recognised the flaunting sails of the
_Cigale_ standing in for the shore. This sight filled me with a new
longing to see Tim, on whom for two years now I had only once, for an
hour, set eyes. Come what would, I must steal away and hail him as soon
as ever I could escape for an hour or so. Alas! it was easy to promise.
The reason of my mistress's summons was for me to take an officer, who
had just ridden over in hot haste from Carndonagh, by boat to
Rathmullan. He was to rejoin his regiment that night, and being a
distant kinsman of my lady had presumed on his relationship to beg a
passage across the lough by the shortest way.
You may guess if I cast loose the boat with a merry heart, and bade
farewell to my chance of seeing Tim, let alone of obeying my mother's
call to Kilgorman.
More than that, this voyage to Rathmullan reminded me of another time
when my crew was more to my taste than this lumbering trooper; and, as
if to complete my trouble, Miss Kit came down gaily to the jetty to
speed the parting guest.
"It's a pity we could not keep you, Captain Lestrange, till my father
returned. You must come again when times are quieter."
"That'll not be this year or next," said the young officer; "but
whenever it is, I could hardly find you looking prettier than you are
now, Miss Gorman."
"Wait till you see," said she, with a saucy laugh, waving her hand as we
pushed off.
I had it in my heart to upset the boat as the fellow stood and kissed
his hand.
"Sit down, sir, if you please, and trim the boat," I said. "By your
leave, sir, till I haul the sail."
And before he was aware of it I hauled away, and left him kissing his
hand to a sheet of white canvas that interposed between him and my
little mistress.
That solaced me vastly.
Once out on the lough I found my passenger, who was little more than a
lad of twenty, friendly enough, and inclined to while away the voyage
with chat.
"So the master's at Malin, after the smugglers?" said he.
"Troth, yes," said I; "but they're hard boys to catch."
"I wouldn't thank you for fools that ran into your arms," said he.
"'Deed you won't find many such in these parts."
"What's that building on the far point there?" he asked presently,
pointing to Kilgorman.
"That's Kilgorman House, colonel."
"Oh! There's some story about that house surely. Somebody was murdered
or robbed--what was it?"
"His honour's brother, Terence Gorman, owned it. And he was shot on the
hill fifteen years ago; and nobody will go near the place since."
"Oh, I remember now," said he. "And there was something about a lady
and child that died too. I heard about it from a cracked body that was
servant to my sister-in-law in Paris."
"Biddy McQuilkin," said I. "Sure she's in France still!"
"What, do you know her?"
"She's from these parts, colonel."
"Well, she may be there still, unless they're all dead. Paris is a hot
place for any one just now. When they kill kings, and cut off heads
like turnip-tops, it's no place for strangers."
"They do say the French will be this length before long," said I,
recalling some of the talk I had heard at his honour's table.
He eyed me sharply.
"They do, do they? And how come you to know it?"
"Sure, it's common talk," said I; "and more by tokens, they've sent
their guns before them."
"The less you talk about what you don't understand the better," said the
officer, looking glum; "but I'd give any one a hundred pounds to tell me
where they put the arms when they land them."
Here I thought it wise to be silent. I could have earned a hundred
pounds easily that afternoon.
When we reached Rathmullan, a sergeant was down on the pier awaiting
Captain Lestrange.
"There's wild work going, captain," I heard him say; "the boys are
getting to a head, and every mother's son of them with a gun in his
hand. The troop's been ordered over to Letterkenny, and they're away
already to watch the fun. Begging your pardon, captain, you must take
your dinner in the saddle this day."
The captain took this news, especially the end of it, bravely, and
tossed me down a shilling.
"Good-bye, my lad; and carry my respects to your young mistress."
And he strode away to the inn where the horses waited, and in a few
minutes was clattering at full speed down the road that leads to
Letterkenny.
Now, thought I, was my chance, with a favouring breeze, to slip down the
lough and carry out my purpose of speaking the _Cigale_.
I would spend my shilling, or part of it, in drinking his Majesty's
health, by which time it would be dusk enough to enable me to pass
Knockowen unobserved.
In the inn, however, I found a great disturbance going on; so much so
that I was crowded behind the door, and forced to stay there, first
because I must, and presently because I would. What the trouble was I
could not at first ascertain; but it soon came out that at Sheep Haven a
gang of smugglers had been trapped, and their skipper swung at his own
yard-arm. That was bad enough; but what was worse, he was a Rathmullan
man, and the warrant for his capture had been given a week ago by a
magistrate across the lough.
"I'll warrant you that was Maurice Gorman did it," said some one.
At the name I crept further back behind the door, and stood like a
mouse.
"The very man," said another. "He's a dirty thraitor. He can let the
boys well enough alone when he loikes."
"Whisht!" said another; "he's away at Malin this very week after more,
and his men with him. I tell you what I'm thinking, Larry," continued
the speaker, who had drunk somewhat, "this--"
"Howld yer tongue," said the first speaker in a whisper. "Do you know
no better than blather at the top of your voice like that?"
"I'm thinking," continued the other, retreating towards the door, and
beckoning the others around him, "that it'd do Maurice a world of good
to have his winders broken."
"Ay, and not by pebbles. There's lead enough to spare in the country,
praise God."
"And fire enough to warm his bones if he should be feeling cold," said
another.
"He's to be back to-morrow. I heard that from Martin, who's been left
to take care of the place."
"Sure, Martin's a right boy for us. He'd never spoil sport for the
likes of Gorman."
"Not he. I warrant you Martin will be waiting on us, for I'll step
across and tell him myself. There's no one else to mind but the women
and a fool of a boy."
"Begorrah, thin, we'll stand by you, Larry. If Pat Corkill swings to
plaze Maurice Gorman, Maurice shall roast to plaze us. But whisht!
I'll have a boat for the eight of yez at this time to-morrow."
Then, one by one, they slunk off out of the dark shanty, leaving me
behind the door in a fever of excitement and impatience.
I durst not go all at once, or be seen in the place; so I waited on till
the road was clear and the host was away putting up his shutters.
Then I slipped out, and slouched quietly down to the pier. By good luck
I had moored my boat under the side of an old hull that lay there, where
she could hardly be noticed by any who did not look for her. I was
thankful, aided by the friendly night, to reach it safely, and was soon
speeding up the lough as fast as my sail would carry me, with my big
budget of news for Knockowen.