ours' sail, with a fair wind"--that same
"easterly breeze," the toast alluded to, that the French could throw
thirty, nay, fifty thousand troops into Ireland, yet never weaken their
own army to any extent worth speaking of--that England was distracted
by party spirit, impoverished by debt, and totally unable to repel
invasion, and, in fact, that if Ireland would be but "true to herself,"
her success was assured.

He told, too, how Irishmen were banded together in a sworn union to
assert the independence of their country, and that such as held back.
or were reluctant in the cause, would meet the fate of enemies. On
the extent and completeness of the organization, he dwelt with a proud
satisfaction, but when he spoke of large masses of men trained to move
and act together, Mark suddenly interrupted him, saying--

"Yes, I have seen them. It's not a week since some hundreds marched
through this glen at midnight."

"Ay, that was Holt's party," said Mary, composedly; "and fine men they
are."

"They were unarmed," said Mark.

"If they were, it is because the general didn't want their weapons."

"There's arms enough to be had when the time comes for using them,"
broke in Mary.

"Wouldn't you show him--" and Lanty hesitated to conclude a speech, the
imprudence of which he was already aware of.

"Ay will I," said Mary. "I never mistrusted one of his name;" and with
that, she rose from the fire-side, and took a candle in her hand, "Come
here a minute, Master Mark." Unlocking a small door in the back wall of
the cabin, she entered a narrow passage which led to the stable, but off
which, a narrow door, scarcely distinguishable from the wall, conducted
into a spacious vault, excavated in the solid rock. Here were a vast
number of packing-oases, and boxes, piled on each other, from floor to
roof, together, with hogsheads and casks of every shape and size. Some
of the boxes had been opened, and the lids laid loosely over them.
Removing one of these, Mary pointed to the contents, as she said--

[Illustration: 209]

"There they are--French muskets and carabines. There's pistols in that
case; and all them, over there, is swords and cutlasses. 'Tis pike-heads
that's in the other corner; and the casks has saddles and holsters and
them kind of things."

Mark stooped down and took up one of the muskets. It was a light and
handy weapon, and bore on its stock the words--"Armee de la Sambre et
Meuse"--for none of the weapons were n