Towards morning Dermot was roused from the bunk on which he had been
placed by the man who had before spoken, and an intimation given him
that he must rise and prepare to move.
He again saw the person who had been called O'Higgins marshalling the
rebels, giving various directions, and finally putting himself at their
head, as in regular order they marched away from the cavern.
On being led out of the cave Dermot was placed on the pony and led
between 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 a
glimpse through the gloom of the distant sea.
"They must be going back to the castle," he thought, "and are about to
make the attack they have been threatening. I hope Kathleen arrived in
time; if not, those beautiful young ladies and the kind Earl will fall
into their hands. Oh, that I could have got away and made sure of
giving them warning in time; and yet I do not think the people in the
cave slept through the night, and I should have been found out to a
certainty. Even now, I don't think they know who I am, and they still
believe they have got the young lord. Well, they may hang me in their
rage when they find out who I am, and it cannot be helped. Kathleen
will scarcely have failed in giving the notice I sent. But then, if
they kill me, oh, what grief for my poor mother. That is the bitterest
thing in the matter: for her sake, if I thought there was a chance of
escaping I would make the attempt; but if God thinks right to call me
out of the world, He knows what is best. Still something may occur by
which I may hope to escape, though I know these men about me are ready
for any bloody work. What fearful oaths I heard them swear, and we know
too well what dreadful things have been done in other parts of the
country. The young and the fair, and the old and the helpless, have
been 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 sweet
young Lady Nora and her cousin, to think of the horrors to which they
may be exposed."
Such were the thoughts which passed rapidly through Dermot's brain in
spite of the danger to which he himself was exposed. He heard the
people as before speaking round him in the native Irish, but he took
good 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 daylight
they might have suspected, in spite of the cloak which covered him, that
he was not the young lord. At length he knew by the appearance of the
country, and the expressions he heard uttered round him, that they were
drawing close to the castle, though they had arrived by a more inland
route than that which he usually took. He judged that some hundreds of
people comprised the force of rebels. They were armed in a variety of
ways, but a considerable number had muskets and pistols. He discovered
also that the two small field-pieces which he had seen in the cavern had
been brought with them. Not knowing the moderate powers of such pieces
of ordnance, he was afraid that the insurgents with them would batter
down the walls. This made him feel more alarmed than ever for the
safety of his friends.
The rebel force now drew up close round the castle, and a consultation
was 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 assembled
holding their consultation of war. One of them, with more sagacity than
the rest, suggested that before they began the attack they should demand
the surrender of the fortress, threatening that if this was not agreed
to, they would immediately put to death the young lord whom they had in
their power.
One of their number was accordingly selected to act as herald, and
directed to proceed to the front gate, and to demand a parley. The man
thus honoured was a broad shouldered Celt, evidently more accustomed to
dig than to perform the part for which he had been appointed. He was
furnished, 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 him
explain that he was doubtful whether he could muster a sufficient amount
of Saxon to speak to the garrison.
"Never fear that," was the answer; "there are many who know Celtic
inside, and they'll not fail to understand you."
While these arrangements were being made the dawn broke. The herald
appeared before the gate, and was considerably astonished when told, in
reply to his demand, that the Earl declined holding any communication
with men in arms against their sovereign. "But if we hang the Earl's
son if they don't let us in, what will he say to that?" asked the
herald.
"You will commit any outrage at your own peril," was the answer. "The
Earl knows that you would not dare to hang his son, even if you had him
in your power. Do you expect to escape the vengeance of the whole
nation should you venture to commit any such atrocity. Go back from
whence you came; the Earl and all within this castle set you at
defiance."
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 remain
where you are; and we again tell you, we defy you," answered the person
within.
At last the herald returned to the council of war, which was still
sitting. The two guns were now brought forward and placed on an
elevated situation, for it had not occurred to their possessors that the
only service they could render would be to batter in the gates of the
castle. The men who had muskets made their appearance in the front
rank, thus to produce a more imposing effect. While these arrangements
were being made some of the men had been cutting down young trees in a
plantation close by. These they now fixed in a mound near the spot
where 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," Dermot
heard some of the people round about him observe.
"I would gladly have escaped the work," remarked another. "Yet if it
must be done, it must be."
Dermot watched these proceedings, and it would have been unnatural if he
had not felt a sensation of horror creeping over him. Should he
endeavour 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 no
longer avail him. He nerved himself for the fate which seemed
inevitable. The preparations had been seen from the castle.
"If you commit murder," shouted a voice from one of the turrets, "you
will bring down the vengeance of heaven and of your country on your
heads."
The chiefs continued their consultation. The discussion appeared to be
a warm one. Some of them got up and walked about, shaking their fists
at the castle.
"It must be done!" he heard several exclaim; "it will strike terror into
the hearts of our Saxon persecutors. The boy must die. If we let him
escape they would declare that we were afraid, and that would make them
tyrannise more than ever over us." Several men now came to Dermot and
led him towards the gallows which he had seen erected. At the same time
an attempt was made to fire the guns placed on the height, but neither
of them went off.
"The powder is bad," Dermot thought to himself; "will it all be like
that?"
It was a curious thought at such a moment. He had nerved his heart for
the worst.
"Again we ask, will you yield the castle?" exclaimed several voices from
the height.
"No, but if you injure that boy, vengeance will overtake you," was the
answer.
The men uttered a hoarse laugh with some fearful oaths.
"We shall soon see that. Bring him forward. Now, boy, are you prepared
for 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 his
shoulders, and his dress and appearance showed that he was a very
different person to the young lord, whom they fancied they had captured.
None of those present, however, seemed to know him. "If he belongs to
these 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 were 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, in
the native Irish in which he was addressed, "and I am her mainstay and
support. If you hang me you will bring the malediction of Heaven, and
the widow's curse will rest upon you. If I know your secrets, I am not
about to divulge them; I am too much of an Irishman to do that, if I
give you my promise that I will not."
This answer seemed to have gained the good opinion of some of the
bystanders, but suddenly a man who recognised Dermot sprang up from
among them.
"He has become a young heretic; he goes to the house of the Protestant
minister, 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 to
put him out of the way."
Again there was a warm discussion among them, and the remarks of most of
the speakers were evidently averse to him.
"He must die--he must die!" exclaimed several voices, and Dermot found
himself once more hurried close up to the gallows.
The brutal fellow who had been selected to act as herald, provoked by
the reception he had met with, undertook to act as executioner.
Dermot's arms were bound tightly behind him, and he was again placed on
the pony from which he had dismounted. The rope was secured to the
beam, and the savage remorselessly prepared to adjust it round his neck.