shaped like a large funnel, but by no means discharging the functions
for which it was intended. Into this inauspicious apartment was I
conducted by my strange companions. In the next room I heard voices
employed, as it seemed, in brief questioning and answer; and in a minute
the soldier reentered the room, and having said, 'Votre prisonnier--le
general veut le voir,' he led the way into the inner room, which in
point of comfort and cleanliness was not a whit better than the first.
Seated at a clumsy plank table, placed about the middle of the floor,
was a powerfully built man, of almost colossal stature--his military
accoutrements, cuirass and rich regimental clothes, soiled, deranged,
and spattered with recent hard travel; the flowing wig, surmounted by
the cocked hat and plume, still rested upon his head. On the table lay
his sword-belt with its appendage, and a pair of long holster pistols,
some papers, and pen and ink; also a stone jug, and the fragments of a
hasty meal. His attitude betokened the languor of fatigue. His left hand
was buried beyond the lace ruffle in the breast of his cassock, and the
elbow of his right rested upon the table, so as to support his head.
From his mouth protruded a tobacco-pipe, which as I entered he slowly
withdrew.
A single glance at the honest, good-humoured, comely face of the soldier
satisfied me of his identity, and removing my hat from my head I said,
'God save General Sarsfield!'
The general nodded
'I am a prisoner here under strange circumstances,' I continued 'I
appear before you in a strange disguise. You do not recognise Captain
Hardress Fitzgerald!'
'Eh, how's this?' said he, approaching me with the light.
'I am that Hardress Fitzgerald,' I repeated, 'who served under you at
the Boyne, and upon the day of the action had the honour to protect your
person at the expense of his own.' At the same time I turned aside the
hair which covered the scar which you well know upon my forehead, and
which was then much more remarkable than it is now.
The general on seeing this at once recognised me, and embracing me
cordially, made me sit down, and while I unstrapped my pack, a tedious
job, my fingers being nearly numbed with cold, sent the men forth to
procure me some provision.
The general's horse was stabled in a corner of the chamber where we sat,
and his war-saddle lay upon the floor. At the far end of the room was
a second door, which stood half open; a bogwood fire burned on a hearth
somewhat less rude than the one which I had first seen, but still very
little better appointed with a chimney, for thick wreaths of smoke were
eddying, with every fitful gust, about the room. Close by the fire was
strewed a bed of heath, intended, I supposed, for the stalwart limbs of
the general.
'Hardress Fitzgerald,' said he, fixing his eyes gravely upon me, while
he slowly removed the tobacco-pipe from his mouth, 'I remember you,
strong, bold and cunning in your warlike trade; the more desperate an
enterprise, the more ready for it, you. I would gladly engage you, for
I know you trustworthy, to perform a piece of duty requiring, it may be,
no extraordinary quality to fulfil; and yet perhaps, as accidents may
happen, demanding every attribute of daring and dexterity which belongs
to you.'
Here he paused for some moments.
I own I felt somewhat flattered by the terms in which he spoke of me,
knowing him to be but little given to compliments; and not having any
plan in my head, farther than the rendering what service I might to the
cause of the king, caring very little as to the road in which my duty
might lie, I frankly replied:
'Sir, I hope, if opportunity offers, I shall prove to deserve the
honourable terms in which you are pleased to speak of me. In a righteous
cause I fear not wounds or death; and in discharging my duty to my God
and my king, I am ready for any hazard or any fate. Name the service you
require, and if it lies within the compass of my wit or power, I will
fully and faithfully perform it. Have I said enough?'
'That is well, very well, my friend; you speak well, and manfully,'
replied the general. 'I want you to convey to the hands of General
Boisleau, now in the city of Limerick, a small written packet; there is
some danger, mark me, of your falling in with some outpost or straggling
party of the prince's army. If you are taken unawares by any of the
enemy you must dispose of the packet inside your person, rather than let
it fall into their hands--that is, you must eat it. And if they go to
question you with thumbscrews, or the like, answer nothing; let them
knock your brains out first.' In illustration, I suppose, of the latter
alternative, he knocked the ashes out of his pipe upon the table as he
uttered it.
'The packet,' he continued, 'you shall have to-morrow morning. Meantime
comfort yourself with food, and afterwards with sleep; you will want,
mayhap, all your strength and wits on the morrow.'
I applied myself forthwith to the homely fare which they had provided,
and I confess that I never made a meal so heartily to my satisfaction.
It was a beautiful, clear, autumn morning, and the bright beams of the
early sun were slanting over the brown heath which clothed the sides
of the mountain, and glittering in the thousand bright drops which the
melting hoar-frost had left behind it, and the white mists were lying
like broad lakes in the valleys, when, with my pedlar's pack upon my
back, and General Sarsfield's precious despatch in my bosom, I set
forth, refreshed and courageous.
As I descended the hill, my heart expanded and my spirits rose under
the influences which surrounded me. The keen, clear, bracing air of the
morning, the bright, slanting sunshine, the merry songs of the small
birds, and the distant sounds of awakening labour that floated up from
the plains, all conspired to stir my heart within me, and more like a
mad-cap boy, broken loose from school, than a man of sober years upon
a mission of doubt and danger, I trod lightly on, whistling and singing
alternately for very joy.
As I approached the object of my early march, I fell in with a
countryman, eager, as are most of his kind, for news.
I gave him what little I had collected, and professing great zeal for
the king, which, indeed, I always cherished, I won upon his confidence
so far, that he became much more communicative than the peasantry in
those quarters are generally wont to be to strangers.
From him I learned that there was a company of dragoons in William's
service, quartered at Willaloe; but he could not tell whether the
passage of the bridge was stopped by them or not. With a resolution, at
all events, to make the attempt to cross, I approached the town. When
I came within sight of the river, I quickly perceived that it was so
swollen with the recent rains, as, indeed, the countryman had told me,
that the fords were wholly impassable.
I stopped then, upon a slight eminence overlooking the village, with
a view to reconnoitre and to arrange my plans in case of interruption.
While thus engaged, the wind blowing gently from the west, in which
quarter Limerick lay, I distinctly heard the explosion of the cannon,
which played from and against the city, though at a distance of eleven
miles at the least.
I never yet heard the music that had for me half the attractions of that
sullen sound, and as I noted again and again the distant thunder that
proclaimed the perils, and the valour, and the faithfulness of my
brethren, my heart swelled with pride, and the tears rose to my eyes;
and lifting up my hands to heaven, I prayed to God that I might be
spared to take a part in the righteous quarrel that was there so bravely
maintained.
I felt, indeed, at this moment a longing, more intense than I have the
power to describe, to be at once with my brave companions in arms, and
so inwardly excited and stirred up as if I had been actually within five
minutes' march of the field of battle.
It was now almost noon, and I had walked hard since morning across a
difficult and broken country, so that I was a little fatigued, and in
no small degree hungry. As I approached the hamlet, I was glad to see in
the window of a poor hovel several large cakes of meal displayed, as if
to induce purchasers to enter.
I was right in regarding this exhibition as an intimation that
entertainment might be procured within, for upon entering and inquiring,
I was speedily invited by the poor woman, who, it appeared, kept this
humble house of refreshment, to lay down my pack and seat myself by a
ponderous table, upon which she promised to serve me with a dinner fit
for a king; and indeed, to my mind, she amply fulfilled her engagement,
supplying me abundantly with eggs, bacon, and wheaten cakes, which I
discussed with a zeal which almost surprised myself.
Having disposed of the solid part of my entertainment, I was proceeding
to regale myself with a brimming measure of strong waters, when my
attention was arrested by the sound of horses' hoofs in brisk motion
upon the broken road, and evidently approaching the hovel in which I was
at that moment seated.
The ominous clank of sword scabbards and the jingle of brass
accoutrements announced, unequivocally, that the horsemen were of the
military profession.
'The red-coats will stop here undoubtedly,' said the old woman,
observing, I suppose, the anxiety of my countenance; 'they never pass us
without coming in for half an hour to drink or smoke. If you desire to
avoid them, I can hide you safely; but don't lose a moment. They will be
here before you can count a hundred.'
I thanked the good woman for her hospitable zeal; but I felt a
repugnance to concealing myself as she suggested, which was enhanced by
the consciousness that if by any accident I were detected while lurking
in the room, my situation would of itself inevitably lead to suspicions,
and probably to discovery.
I therefore declined her offer, and awaited in suspense the entrance of
the soldiers.
I had time before they made their appearance to move my seat hurriedly
from the table to the hearth, where, under the shade of the large
chimney, I might observe the coming visitors with less chance of being
myself remarked upon.
As my hostess had anticipated, the horsemen drew up at the door of the
hut, and five dragoons entered the dark chamber where I awaited them.
Leaving their horses at the entrance, with much noise and clatter they
proceeded to seat themselves and call for liquor.
Three of these fellows were Dutchmen, and, indeed, all belonged, as I
afterwards found, to a Dutch regiment, which had been recruited with
Irish and English, as also partly officered from the same nations.
Being supplied with pipes and drink they soon became merry; and not
suffering their smoking to interfere with their conversation, they
talked loud and quickly, for the most part in a sort of barbarous
language, neither Dutch nor English, but compounded of both.
They were so occupied with their own jocularity that I had very great
hopes of escaping observation altogether, and remained quietly seated in
a corner of the chimney, leaning back upon my seat as if asleep.
My taciturnity and quiescence, however, did not avail me, for one of
these fellows coming over to the hearth to light his pipe, perceived me,
and looking me very hard in the face, he said:
'What countryman are you, brother, that you sit with a covered head in
the room with the prince's soldiers?'
At the same time he tossed my hat off my head into the fire. I was not
fool enough, though somewhat hot-blooded, to suffer the insolence of
this fellow to involve me in a broil so dangerous to my person and
ruinous to my schemes as a riot with these soldiers must prove. I
therefore, quietly taking up my hat and shaking the ashes out of it,
observed:
'Sir, I crave your pardon if I have offended you. I am a stranger in
these quarters, and a poor, ignorant, humble man, desiring only to drive
my little trade in peace, so far as that may be done in these troublous
times.'
'And what may your trade be?' said the same fellow.
'I am a travelling merchant,' I replied; 'and sell my wares as cheap as
any trader in the country.'
'Let us see them forthwith,' said he; 'mayhap I or my comrades may want
something which you can supply. Where is thy chest, friend? Thou shalt
have ready money' (winking at his companions), 'ready money, and good
weight, and sound metal; none of your rascally pinchbeck. Eh, my lads?
Bring forth the goods, and let us see.'
Thus urged, I should have betrayed myself had I hesitated to do as
required; and anxious, upon any terms, to quiet these turbulent men
of war, I unbuckled my pack and exhibited its contents upon the table
before them.
'A pair of lace ruffles, by the Lord!' said one, unceremoniously seizing
upon the articles he named.
'A phial of perfume,' continued another, tumbling over the farrago which
I had submitted to them, 'wash-balls, combs, stationery, slippers, small
knives, tobacco; by ----, this merchant is a prize! Mark me, honest
fellow, the man who wrongs thee shall suffer--'fore Gad he shall; thou
shalt be fairly dealt with' (this he said while in the act of pocketing
a small silver tobacco-box, the most valuable article in the lot). 'You
shall come with me to head-quarters; the captain will deal with you,
and never haggle about the price. I promise thee his good will, and thou
wilt consider me accordingly. You'll find him a profitable customer--he
has money without end, and throws it about like a gentleman. If so be as
I tell thee, I shall expect, and my comrades here, a piece or two in the
way of a compliment--but of this anon. Come, then, with us; buckle on
thy pack quickly, friend.'
There was no use in my declaring my willingness to deal with themselves
in preference to their master; it was clear that they had resolved that
I should, in the most expeditious and advantageous way, turn my goods
into money, that they might excise upon me to the amount of their
wishes.
The worthy who had taken a lead in these arrangements, and who by his
stripes I perceived to be a corporal, having insisted on my taking a
dram with him to cement our newly-formed friendship, for which, however,
he requested me to pay, made me mount behind one of his comrades; and
the party, of which I thus formed an unwilling member, moved at a slow
trot towards the quarters of the troop.
They reined up their horses at the head of the long bridge, which
at this village spans the broad waters of the Shannon connecting the
opposite counties of Tipperary and Clare.
A small tower, built originally, no doubt, to protect and to defend this
pass, occupied the near extremity of the bridge, and in its rear,
but connected with it, stood several straggling buildings rather
dilapidated.
A dismounted trooper kept guard at the door, and my conductor having,
dismounted, as also the corporal, the latter inquired:
'Is the captain in his quarters?'
'He is,' replied the sentinel.
And without more ado my companion shoved me into the entrance of the
small dark tower, and opening a door at the extremity of the narrow
chamber into which we had passed from the street, we entered a second
room in which were seated some half-dozen officers of various ranks and
ages, engaged in drinking, and smoking, and play.
I glanced rapidly from man to man, and was nearly satisfied by my
inspection, when one of the gentlemen whose back had been turned towards
the place where I stood, suddenly changed his position and looked
towards me.
As soon as I saw his face my heart sank within me, and I knew that my
life or death was balanced, as it were, upon a razor's edge.
The name of this man whose unexpected appearance thus affected me was
Hugh Oliver, and good and strong reason had I to dread him, for so
bitterly did he hate me, that to this moment I do verily believe he
would have compassed my death if it lay in his power to do so, even at
the hazard of his own life and soul, for I had been--though God knows
with many sore strugglings and at the stern call of public duty--the
judge and condemner of his brother; and though the military law, which I
was called upon to administer, would permit no other course or sentence
than the bloody one which I was compelled to pursue, yet even to this
hour the recollection of that deed is heavy at my breast.
As soon as I saw this man I felt that my safety depended upon the
accident of his not recognising me through the disguise which I had
assumed, an accident against which were many chances, for he well knew
my person and appearance.
It was too late now to destroy General Sarsfield's instructions; any
attempt to do so would ensure detection. All then depended upon a cast
of the die.
When the first moment of dismay and heart-sickening agitation had
passed, it seemed to me as if my mind acquired a collectedness and
clearness more complete and intense than I had ever experienced before.
I instantly perceived that he did not know me, for turning from me to
the soldier with all air of indifference, he said,
'Is this a prisoner or a deserter? What have you brought him here for,
sirra?'
'Your wisdom will regard him as you see fit, may it please you,' said
the corporal. 'The man is a travelling merchant, and, overtaking him
upon the road, close by old Dame MacDonagh's cot, I thought I might as
well make a sort of prisoner of him that your honour might use him as
it might appear most convenient; he has many commododies which are not
unworthy of price in this wilderness, and some which you may condescend
to make use of yourself. May he exhibit the goods he has for sale, an't
please you?'
'Ay, let us see them,' said he.
'Unbuckle your pack,' exclaimed the corporal, with the same tone
of command with which, at the head of his guard, he would have said
'Recover your arms.' 'Unbuckle your pack, fellow, and show your goods to
the captain--here, where you are.'
The conclusion of his directions was suggested by my endeavouring to
move round in order to get my back towards the windows, hoping, by
keeping my face in the shade, to escape detection.
In this manoeuvre, however, I was foiled by the imperiousness of the
soldier; and inwardly cursing his ill-timed interference, I proceeded to
present my merchandise to the loving contemplation of the officers who
thronged around me, with a strong light from an opposite window full
upon my face.
As I continued to traffic with these gentlemen, I observed with no small
anxiety the eyes of Captain Oliver frequently fixed upon me with a kind
of dubious inquiring gaze.
'I think, my honest fellow,' he said at last, 'that I have seen you
somewhere before this. Have you often dealt with the military?'
'I have traded, sir,' said I, 'with the soldiery many a time, and always
been honourably treated. Will your worship please to buy a pair of lace
ruffles?--very cheap, your worship.'
'Why do you wear your hair so much over your face, sir?' said Oliver,
without noticing my suggestion. 'I promise you, I think no good of thee;
throw back your hair, and let me see thee plainly. Hold up your face,
and look straight at me; throw back your hair, sir.'
I felt that all chance of escape was at an end; and stepping forward as
near as the table would allow me to him, I raised my head, threw back my
hair, and fixed my eyes sternly and boldly upon his face.
I saw that he knew me instantly, for his countenance turned as pale
as ashes with surprise and hatred. He started up, placing his hand
instinctively upon his sword-hilt, and glaring at me with a look so
deadly, that I thought every moment he would strike his sword into my
heart. He said in a kind of whisper: 'Hardress Fitzgerald?'
'Yes;' said I, boldly, for the excitement of the scene had effectually
stirred my blood, 'Hardress Fitzgerald is before you. I know you well,
Captain Oliver. I know how you hate me. I know how you thirst for my
blood; but in a good cause, and in the hands of God, I defy you.'
'You are a desperate villain, sir,' said Captain Oliver; 'a rebel and a
murderer! Holloa, there! guard, seize him!'
As the soldiers entered, I threw my eyes hastily round the room, and
observing a glowing fire upon the hearth, I suddenly drew General
Sarsfield's packet from my bosom, and casting it upon the embers,
planted my foot upon it.
'Secure the papers!' shouted the captain; and almost instantly I was
laid prostrate and senseless upon the floor, by a blow from the butt of
a carbine.
I cannot say how long I continued in a state of torpor; but at
length, having slowly recovered my senses, I found myself lying firmly
handcuffed upon the floor of a small chamber, through a narrow loophole
in one of whose walls the evening sun was shining. I was chilled
with cold and damp, and drenched in blood, which had flowed in large
quantities from the wound on my head. By a strong effort I shook off the
sick drowsiness which still hung upon me, and, weak and giddy, I rose
with pain and difficulty to my feet.
The chamber, or rather cell, in which I stood was about eight feet
square, and of a height very disproportioned to its other dimensions;
its altitude from the floor to the ceiling being not less than twelve or
fourteen feet. A narrow slit placed high in the wall admitted a scanty
light, but sufficient to assure me that my prison contained nothing to
render the sojourn of its tenant a whit less comfortless than my worst
enemy could have wished.
My first impulse was naturally to examine the security of the door, the
loop-hole which I have mentioned being too high and too narrow to afford
a chance of escape. I listened attentively to ascertain if possible
whether or not a guard had been placed upon the outside.
Not a sound was to be heard. I now placed my shoulder to the door, and
sought with all my combined strength and weight to force it open. It,
however, resisted all my efforts, and thus baffled in my appeal to mere
animal power, exhausted and disheartened, I threw myself on the ground.
It was not in my nature, however, long to submit to the apathy of
despair, and in a few minutes I was on my feet again.
With patient scrutiny I endeavoured to ascertain the nature of the
fastenings which secured the door.
The planks, fortunately, having been nailed together fresh, had shrunk
considerably, so as to leave wide chinks between each and its neighbour.
By means of these apertures I saw that my dungeon was secured, not by a
lock, as I had feared, but by a strong wooden bar, running horizontally
across the door, about midway upon the outside.
'Now,' thought I, 'if I can but slip my fingers through the opening of
the planks, I can easily remove the bar, and then----'
My attempts, however, were all frustrated by the manner in which my
hands were fastened together, each embarrassing the other, and rendering
my efforts so hopelessly clumsy, that I was obliged to give them over in
despair.
I turned with a sigh from my last hope, and began to pace my narrow
prison floor, when my eye suddenly encountered an old rusty nail or
holdfast sticking in the wall.
All the gold of Plutus would not have been so welcome as that rusty
piece of iron.
I instantly wrung it from the wall, and inserting the point between the
planks of the door into the bolt, and working it backwards and forwards,
I had at length the unspeakable satisfaction to perceive that the beam
was actually yielding to my efforts, and gradually sliding into its
berth in the wall.
I have often been engaged in struggles where great bodily strength was
required, and every thew and sinew in the system taxed to the uttermost;
but, strange as it may appear, I never was so completely exhausted and
overcome by any labour as by this comparatively trifling task.
Again and again was I obliged to desist, until my cramped finger-joints
recovered their power; but at length my perseverance was rewarded, for,
little by little, I succeeded in removing the bolt so far as to allow
the door to open sufficiently to permit me to pass.
With some squeezing I succeeded in forcing my way into a small passage,
upon which my prison-door opened.
This led into a chamber somewhat more spacious than my cell, but still
containing no furniture, and affording no means of escape to one so
crippled with bonds as I was.