Brian started in surprise, but needed no word from Nuala. He saw that the Dark Master must have sent this galley out to meet the Millhaven men, and that the crew had taken the two caracks for those pirate ships.
"We are the O"Donnells from Millhaven," he shouted, and ordered the seaman to cast down ropes to the galley. Her master, a stout man with bushy black beard, waved a hand in reply, and after another moment the two craft ground together. The master of the galley got aboard over the low waist of the carack, and Brian ordered a dozen of his own green-faced men down into the smaller ship. At this the galley"s master stared somewhat, but came up to the p.o.o.p.
"Lord, O"Donnell sends you these stores with a message. I am Con Teague of Galway."
"Let us have it," ordered Brian, liking the looks of the man not at all.
"He bade us say that he was leaving Galway to-morrow at dawn with a force of men, and that you should meet him at Bertragh Castle and fall on that place to take it."
"That is good," laughed Brian. "Now learn that you have found the wrong ships, my man. We are not the Millhaven pirates, but I am Brian Buidh, who holds Bertragh; and here is the Lady Nuala, for whom I hold it."
At that Nuala came forward, and Teague looked greatly astonished, as well he might, and all the Bird Daughter"s men fell roaring with laughter. But he could make no resistance, and stood chapfallen while Brian talked with Nuala.
"I must back to the Castle," he said, "and see if this news be true. Do you go on to Gorumna with my men, and I will let loose a pigeon to you.
If the Dark Master is indeed on the way, then come with all the men you can spare, and it will go hard if we do not best his royalists, and the pirates later when the latter come."
This was clearly the best plan, so Brian sent Teague down into the galley and followed him, as the light ship was faster than the caracks.
Replacing half of Teague"s men with O"Malleys, he had the ropes cast off, waved his hand at Nuala, and they drove to the eastward and Bertragh Castle.
Teague made so much moan over losing his ship that Brian promised it back to him when they had reached the castle; the stores and wine, however, he accounted good spoils of war. This put the seaman in better mood, and by noon the fast galley had covered the twenty miles to Bertragh, and cast down her anchor in the little bay beyond the castle, that same bay where Brian had come to grief through O"Donnell"s sorcery.
The men crowded down to meet him joyfully, and Brian found that Cathbarr had come home safe with his beeves and was hungry for fight. No sign had been heard of the Dark Master along the roads, however, so Brian set Turlough in charge of getting the stores and wine-casks off the galley, and fell to work putting the castle in shape for defense.
Since there was no need of loosing a pigeon until word came that the Dark Master was actually on the way, he sent out men to have a beacon built on the hills at the bay"s head as soon as the enemy was sighted.
What with seeing that the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds and other shot were cleaned and loaded, and stationing his hundred men to the best advantage, he found that the afternoon soon wore away.
"Those are good wines," said Turlough when they sat at meat that evening, the men eating below in the courtyard around fires. "But I do not like that ship-master."
So far Brian had said nothing of how the galley had been taken, save that they had chanced on it at sea and had heard from Teague that the Dark Master might be on them in another day. As for the O"Malleys, they kept to themselves and talked not at all, so that neither Turlough nor Cathbarr had heard the way of that capture.
"Is she unladen?" asked Brian.
"All save a few barrels. That ship-master was so eager to be off,"
grunted old Turlough spitefully, "that I stayed the work and put a guard on the galley until morning."
"Give the men a cask of the best wine," ordered Brian shortly.
Having taken upon himself the duties of seneschal, Turlough departed grumbling. While he was gone, Brian"s tongue was a little loosened with wine, so that he told Cathbarr of how he had taken the galley, at which the giant bellowed with laughter. Presently from the courtyard came shouting and singing, and Turlough appeared with a beaker of wine.
"The men like it well enough," he said, "yet to me it seems soured.
Taste it, Brian; if it be so, then you have made a poor haul on that cruise."
Brian sipped the wine, and in truth it seemed to have soured. Cathbarr made little of that, and would have drunken it except that his clumsy hand knocked it from the table and emptied it all. But as it happened, that mischance saved his life.
A little after, Brian pulled out a Spanish pipe he had got that day from one of the O"Malleys, with some tobacco, and began puffing in great good-humor, for it was long since he had tasted tobacco. Cathbarr watched in awe, never having seen this done before, so that Brian and Turlough had great fun with him. All his life the giant had lived in the mountains and he knew no more than his ax had taught him; though he had seen men smoke before, he had ever accounted it sorcery of some kind, nor could Brian get him to as much as touch the pipe with his finger.
Brian was sorry that the wine had proved sour; the b.u.t.ts were huge ones, and he had counted on their lasting him and his men all the winter through. However, he dismissed the matter from his mind and fell to talking with Turlough and Cathbarr over their arrangements in case of an attack. In the midst, one of the men who had been watching from the tower ran in to say that he had caught sight of a beacon on the hills, which meant that the arch-enemy was on the road.
"Good!" exclaimed Brian, springing up. "Turlough, go fetch me that cage of pigeons. Cathbarr, see that the men are set on the walls--"
He had got no further than this when there came a strange noise from the doorway. Turning, he saw a man staggering forward, choking as he came, and recognized him as one of the Bird Daughter"s seamen. The fellow held a b.l.o.o.d.y sword in his hand.
"What"s this?" cried Brian angrily, noting that there was silence upon the court-yard. "Has there been wrangling again--"
"Death!" coughed the O"Malley, staring at him with starting, terrible eyes. "Con Teague--I slew him--too--too late--"
"Man, what is forward?" Brian leaped out and caught the seaman in his arms, for the fellow"s head was rolling on his shoulders.
"Death!" whispered the man again. "They are--all dead--"
His head fell back in death, and the sword fell from his hand with a clatter. But from Cathbarr, who had gone to the doorway, came one terrible shout of grief and rage.
"Brian! Our men lie dead--"
"I think the Dark Master has sent us a kindly gift," quoth Turlough Wolf, as Brian rose with horror in his face and let the seaman"s body fall. "Now I know why that wine was sour, master!"
TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT WEEK. Don"t forget this magazine is issued weekly, and that you will get the conclusion of this story without waiting a month.
Nuala O"Malley
by H. Bedford-Jones
Author of "Malay Gold," "The Ghost Hill," "John Solomon, Supercargo,"
etc.
This story began in the All-Story Weekly for December 30.
CHAPTER XVIII.
BRIAN YIELDS BERTRAGH.
"I dare not trust birds alone in this strait, Cathbarr. Go to that galley with the two O"Malleys and hasten to Gorumna. Bid the Bird Daughter stay and wait further word from me; but take those hundred men of mine with her galleys, and hasten back. If the beacon on the tower is burning, I will be here; if not, and if I can make terms, I will meet you at that tower of yours. Now hasten!"
"But--"
"For G.o.d"s love go, or my heart will burst!"
Brian sank down on the horse-stone with a groan, and Cathbarr, catching up his ax, fled through the open gates and was gone into the night.
Brian gazed up after him, and on the hills he saw that dim beacon-fire heralding the Dark Master.