with them. In addition to these were
the Protestant fugitives from the neighbourhood of Athlone, who had come
down with the division of General Douglas, after he had raised the siege
of that city.

The Protestants round Limerick had not doubted the success of the
besiegers, never questioning the ability of an army, commanded by a king,
to capture a place like Limerick. The misery of this body of fugitives
was terrible. They had abandoned their homes to pillage and destruction,
and knew not whether they should ever be able to return to them again.
They had, on the arrival of William, torn up the letters of protection,
which the Irish generals had given to all who applied to them, and,
having thrown in their fortunes with him, dared not remain among the
country people, who had suffered so terribly from the exactions and
brutality of William's army. Not only had they to endure wet, hunger, and
fatigue in the retreat, but they were robbed and plundered, by the army
which should have protected them, as if they had been enemies instead of
friends.

William himself left his army, as soon as he broke up the siege, and
pushed straight on to Waterford, and the troops, relieved from the only
authority they feared, and rendered furious by the ill success which had
attended their operations, broke out into acts of plunder and
insubordination which surpassed anything that they had before
perpetrated.

The siege of Limerick brought the campaign to a close, and, so far, the
Irish had no reason to be disheartened. They had besieged and nearly
annihilated the army of Schomberg at Dundalk. They had fought a sturdy
battle on the Boyne, and had proved themselves a match for William's best
troops. They had decisively repulsed the attacks upon Athlone and
Limerick. Half the troops William had sent to conquer the country had
fallen, while their own losses had been comparatively small.

The sole fruit, of all the efforts of William, had been the occupation of
the capital--a great advantage, as it gave him a point at which he could
pour fresh troops into Ireland, and recommence the war in the spring with
new chances of success. When the British army reached Callan, some of the
arrears of pay were distributed among the troops, and the army was then
broken up, and the troops went into winter quarters.

William had returned at once to England, and sent over some new lords
justices to Dublin. These were received with delight by the townspeople