"The Dark Master will not suspect your return so suddenly," spoke up
Nuala. "Pay no heed to Shaun, Brian--he was ever a croaker. When think
you we had best start?"

"I am no seaman," laughed Brian. "Get there at dawn, that is all. I will
send on my men at once, then; since we have only two horses, Cathbarr
and I will ride after them later and catch them up. Will you take the
men, Turlough, or bide here out of danger?"

"I think it will be safest with the Lady Nuala," hesitated the old man
craftily.

"Little you know her, then," roared Lame Art, his cousin joining in the
laugh.

So Turlough had decided, however, and he stuck to it. Brian then
described closely how the four pirate ships lay in the bay under
Bertragh, while Shaun went out to arrange the distribution of his men on
Nuala's ships.

The arrangements having been perfected, Brian saw his three hundred men
troop off on their march over the hills, after which he told Nuala at
greater length all that had taken place in the castle since his parting
with her at sea. Bitter and unrestrained were the curses of the
O'Malleys as they heard of how his men had been poisoned, while Nuala's
eyes flamed forth anger.

"There shall be no quarter to these O'Donnells," she cried hotly. "Those
whom we take shall hang, and the Scots with them--"

"Not the Scots," exclaimed Brian quickly. "They are honest men enough,
Nuala, and may serve us well as recruits. If we find them in the castle,
as I think we shall, we may leave them there until we have finished the
Millhaven men; however, it is possible that my men will find the castle
almost unguarded, and so take it at the first blow. However that turns
out, the Dark Master shall not escape us this time."

During the afternoon, when the two O'Malleys were busily getting their
ships in order for the coming fray, Brian sat in the tower with Nuala.
He told her freely of himself, and although neither of them referred to
that reward of which he had spoken at their meeting, Brian knew well
that he would claim it.

He did not conceal from himself that the Black Woman had guided him to
more than conquest by sword. The Bird Daughter was such a woman as he
had dreamed of, but had never found at the Spanish court, and he knew
that whether there was love in her heart or not, his own soul was in her
keeping.

Perhaps he was not the only one who knew this, for as Lame Art rowed out
with his cousin, the latter nodded back at the tower.