“Very well, sir; then I will tell you where they are to be found.  I can’t take you there, your honor, but I can tell you whereabout it is.  There is a footpath turns oft from the road at the end of the village, and goes straight down to the top of them big rocks that come out of the sea.  Well, sir, a few hundred yards to the right of that there is a sort of break in the rocks, and there is a track goes down there.  You won’t see it onless you look close for it, and it gets lost a little way down, becase the rocks are all broken about and heaped on each other.  It’s down there they go.  There’s always a man on watch not far from the top; and there is generally a gossoon from their friends here somewhere at the edge of the bog behind, who would run forward and tell the man on watch if he saw any soldiers coming from here.  So you will have to be mighty careful; but they are down there, sure enough, somewhere.

“Denis tould me there was no chance of their being taken, for they have got a little boat hid away down among the rocks by the water, and if the alarm was given they would make off in that.  I can’t tell you any more than that, you honor; but I should think that may be enough to help you to find them.”

“I should think so too, Mrs. Moore.  And what do you propose doing yourself?”

“I shall go off, sir, at once.  Folk have been wondering at me, and asking where I came from and what I was doing here, and I want to get away.  If it came to the Red Captain’s ears there was a woman about he might guess it was me, and if he did he would like enough shoot Denis and make away.  I can’t see as I can do any good by stopping, and I may do harm; so I will go over to Dunmanway and stop there till I hear what your honor has done.  If I find Denis has got hurted I shall come back, if not I shall go home to the farm.  Maybe your honor will tell him I shall be expecting him there.”

Captain O’Connor accompanied her outside to see that no one spoke to her, and when he saw her disappear in the darkness he returned to the room.

“I think you have had a lucky escape, Conway,” he said as he entered.  “The matter is explained now about your being watched and questioned, and it is very lucky that they did not quite make up their minds you were a spy; for if they had you may be sure they would have had no more hesitation in putting an ounce of lead into you, and throwing you over the cliff, than they would in shooting a sparrow.  Well, this is an important piece of news.  The authorities have for a long time been trying to lay their hands on this scoundrel and his gang, and if we can catch him it will be a feather in our caps, for he has defied all their efforts for the last three years.  Now, we must arrange the line of battle, how it is to come off, and when.