ked over on the winding road beyond. Neither of them spoke, but
Brian's eyes glinted suddenly, for he beheld a train of four wagons
convoyed by some two hundred troopers. He touched Cathbarr and they
returned.

"A party of Ormond's Scottish troopers," he said quietly when they had
rejoined the men. "Cathbarr, take thirty men and work around them. When
you strike, I will lead over the hill and flank them."

The giant nodded, picked his men, and rode away. Brian led his seventy
closer to the rise of ground, and as they waited they could hear the
creaking of wagons and the snap of whips. It was a Royalist convoy, and
since there was no love between the Scots and the Irish of any party,
Brian's men were hungry for the fight.

They got their fill that day.

A rippling shout, a scattering of shots, and Brian spurred forward. The
road wound a hundred yards below, and Cathbarr had already fallen on the
vanguard. The Scots were riding forward to whelm him when Brian's men
drove down with a wild yell and smote the length of their flank.

Brian hewed his way to the side of Cathbarr, and then the sword and ax
flashed side by side. The captain in command of the troopers pistoled
Cathbarr's horse, but the huge ax met his steel cap and Cathbarr was
mounted again. Meanwhile, Brian was engaged with a cornet who had great
skill at fencing, and his huge Spanish blade touched the young officer
lightly until the Scot pulled forth a pistol, and at that Brian smote
with the edge.

The muskets and pistols of the troopers worked sad havoc among Brian's
men at first, but there was no chance to reload, and when the officers
had gone down the Scots lost heart. They would have trusted to no Gaelic
oaths, for men got no quarter in the west, but when Brian shouted at
them in English they listened to him right willingly. A score broke away
and galloped breakneck for the south again, and perhaps fifty had gone
down; the rest gathered about the wagons stared at Brian and Cathbarr in
superstitious awe as the two lowered bloody ax and sword and offered
terms.

"I offer service to you," said Brian. "I am Brian Buidh, and if you will
ride with me you shall find war. Those who wish may return to Ennis."

Now, at the most Brian had some seventy-five men left, and those
clustered at the wagons were over a hundred and a score, with muskets.
But their officers were down, they had received no pay for a year and
more, and they were for the most part Macdo