ming."

"Nor do I," and Brian laughed grimly as he thought of that fight with
his enemy.

Certain men had been wounded in those frays, and he left them to follow
after him, so that he turned south with a hundred and a score men at his
back. He did not think that the Dark Master would face him, but since
those men were all O'Donnells who would obey him utterly, he looked to
have some fighting; in which he was not far wrong.

An hour after the day was broken they thundered up to the bridge that
spanned the Garravogue, and ten wild and silent men were holding that
bridge behind an overturned cart for barricade. Brian would waste no men
on a storm, but slew six of the men with musketry and rode over the
other four; even so, those four brought down three of his men before
they were done with.

Brian baited the horses in Sligo, remaining there a scant half-hour.
From the townfolk he learned that the Dark Master was but two hours
ahead of him, and Brian had great hopes of running him to earth that
same day. So he set forth again and they rode hard to Ballsadare, at the
south branch of Sligo Bay, and on to Coolany at the edge of the Storm
Mountains.

At this latter place they found different work, however, for here was a
small garrison of Cavan pikemen who stopped them, lined with their pikes
three deep across the road before the church. Brian was no long time in
learning that the Dark Master had spread word of him as a plunderer and
Parliament man.

"I have no time to waste on you," he said shortly to the leader of the
pikemen. "Here is a safe-conduct, and I am Stephen Burke."

"None the less, you must stay until I have looked into this," said the
other, pulling out his pistol with some determination.

"Stay I will not, but I think you shall," replied Brian, and thrust as
the man fired. The bullet glanced from his jack, but the officer fell
back among his pikes, and Brian spurred after him in great anger. His
Scots troopers were in the van, or what was left of them, and they came
down galloping, and rode over the pikemen leaving a sea of smitten men
in the roadway behind.

Also, ten of Brian's men were left.

By the evening they were back at Tobercurry again, where Turlough had
hung those two men after torturing them. The Dark Master was something
over an hour ahead of them, and he had stayed to fire the church and the
town. Brian's heart was sore for the townfolk, but he could pause no
longer than to bait horses