only charge of the matter inside the city."

"I am well aware of that, sir, and have to call upon those who have the
threads of the movement, throughout the country, in their hands. I only
arrived today, and came to you first, in order that I might know how
matters stand here before I see the others. I shall, of course, call
again upon you before I leave."

After leaving Mr. O'Brian, Walter visited the houses of several others to
whom he bore letters. The accounts of the feeling throughout the country
were more encouraging than those which he had received from Mr. O'Brian.
The hatred of the invaders was greater than ever, and the peasantry in
all parts were in a state of sullen desperation. Indeed, the enemy could
nowhere move, in small parties, without the certainty of being attacked.
The pressing need was arms. A great part of the peasants who owned guns
had already joined the army, and the rest possessed no weapons beyond
roughly-made pikes, and scythes fixed on long handles. These were
formidable weapons in a sudden attack on any small party, but they would
not enable the peasants to cope, with any chance of success, against
considerable bodies of troops, especially if provided with artillery.

The persons whom Walter saw were in communication with the disaffected in
all parts of the country, and agreed in the opinion that a general rising
should be delayed, until some striking success was obtained by the Irish
army, when the whole country would rise and fall upon the enemy wherever
met with. The plans for a rising having been discussed and arranged,
after several interviews, at some of which most of the leaders of the
movement were present, Walter prepared to start again for the camp, with
the news that the first Irish victory would be followed by a rising
throughout the country, aided by great conflagrations, if not by a
serious movement in Dublin.

The negotiations had occupied over a fortnight. During the first ten
days, Larry, who always kept watch outside the house Walter was visiting,
reported that nothing whatever had occurred that was in the slightest
degree suspicious. Then he told Walter, on his retiring to their
lodgings, that he fancied their footsteps were followed.

"Do you think so, Larry?"

"I do, yer honour," Larry replied earnestly. "Three times, when you were
in the house, the same man came along the street, and each time I saw him
look up at the windows, and somehow I felt that he was follo