ross 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.

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 as
Kilgorman for the sake of getting a word with Tim, even if I could not
hope to follow my quest up to the house itself. But the breeze dropped
slack before I was well clear of Rathmullan, and it took me many hours
of hard pulling, with the chance aid of an occasional puff, to make as
far as Knockowen; and by that time the dawn was beginning to show in the
east, 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 slipped
into 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 be
left to me to defend the house and the women as best I could. And how
was I to do it?

The first thing I saw when I arose at the summons of the cock was the
white sails of the _Cigale_ in the distance standing out for the mouth
of the lough. So there was an end of Tim for the present. I confess I
was almost glad; for had he been still within call, I should have been
tempted all day long to desert my post to get at him. Now I had nothing
to 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 must
do something, if the danger was to be averted. So I saddled Juno (