by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER XIII.
STARTLING NEWS.
"What do you think is the best thing to be done now doctor?" Ralphasked.
"I don't know," he replied. "I don't see how on earth we are going toget them over these rocks and up to the top. A slip or a fall wouldcost either of your friends their limbs, and that poor fellow hislife. I don't see how it is to be managed. It's hard work for a man toclimb those rocks, and how a litter is to be carried I can't see. Ifit were anywhere else I should say build a hut for them; but it wouldbe a tremendous business getting the materials down, and I don't thinkit could possibly be managed by night."
"I am sure it couldn't," Ralph said, shaking his head. "I think,though, if we got two long poles and slung a piece of canvas like ahammock between them we may possibly get them down to the shore. Yousee we have plenty of strength to get them over rough places."
"We could manage that easy enough," Lieutenant Adcock, who had sometime before joined the party, said. "There are some sixteen-feet oarsin the boat and some sails. We could easily rig up the hammock. Isuppose you mean to take them off in the boat, Mr. Conway?"
"Yes; that's what I meant," Ralph said. "Then you can land them inyour cove, and they might stop in the village till they are fit to bemoved."
"That would be an excellent plan," the doctor said. "Let us set aboutit at once."
In half an hour the sailors brought up the hammock.
"I will go first," Captain O'Connor said, "as I am the heaviest. Youwill see how you manage to get me down. If it's done pretty easily youcan bring down the two others; if not, they had better stop in thecave for to-night, and we will get a hut for them to-morrow. By theway, Conway, you had better get the dead carried out and taken down tothe seashore. Have them laid down out of reach of the tide. Some ofthem belong about here, and their friends will wish to give them adecent burial. Our own dead had better be put in the boat, if Mr.Adcock will allow it, and taken to the village with us. Then they canbe carried over to Ballyporrit for burial. A corporal with four menmust be left for to-night in charge of the caves."
"I shall want my men to row the boat," Lieutenant Adcock said. "In themorning I will send over a warrant officer and four men to take chargeof the cave till I can take its contents round to our stores."
Captain O'Connor was now lifted into the hammock, and six sailorscarried him down to the water. They managed it excellently, easing himdown with the greatest care over the rocks, and succeeded in gettinghim down to the sea without a single jerk. Lieutenant Desmond and thewounded soldiers were then taken down in the same way, while the mencarried down the dead bodies of their three comrades and of thepeasants who had fallen.
"I will take charge of the wounded," Lieutenant Adcock said, "and seethem comfortably housed and cared for. I suppose Dr. Doran will gowith us."
"Certainly," the doctor said, stepping into the boat. "I shall notgive up charge of them until I see them all safely in bed."
"I shall come over and see you O'Connor," Ralph said, "as soon as Iget the company back to the village. Shall I write a report of thisbusiness, or do you feel equal to doing so?"
"I will manage it, Conway. I can dictate it if I don't feel up towriting it. But you had better not come over to-day. There will be agood deal of excitement over this capture, and no doubt several of thekilled and prisoners belong to Ballyporrit; so it wouldn't do for youto leave the detachment without an officer. Be sure you have a strictguard put over the prisoners, and keep an eye upon them yourself. Youcan send over to inquire about us, but till you have got them off yourhands you had better not leave the village. If a party are wanted forstill-hunting send Sergeant Morris with them. I shall dispatch myreport to-night, and no doubt the colonel will send an officer out tohelp you as soon as he gets it."
The boat now pushed off. A corporal and four men were told off tooccupy the cave until relieved by the revenue men, and then, with theprisoners in their center, the party climbed the cliff, and again,having been joined at the top by the rest of the company, marched toBallyporrit. They found the village in a state of excitement. Thesoldier who had gone to fetch the doctor had brought the news that afight had take place down on the face of the cliff, but he could notsay whether any had been killed. As soon as the detachment returnedwith the prisoners in their midst many women flocked round with criesand lamentations, and exchanged greetings with the prisoners.
Ralph at once took possession of the stables at the inn, and saw thatthe prisoners were all handcuffed, the Red ruffian's legs being alsosecurely bound. Then he placed two sentries inside and two out. Thenews that some of the men had been killed soon spread, and many of thevillagers who did not see their relations among the prisoners hurriedoff toward the scene of action. Ralph informed the landlord that thedead had all been placed together on the seashore, and that theirfriends were at liberty to remove and bury them without any questionsbeing asked. He then sent a corporal over to bring back news how thewounded men had borne the journey, and how they were disposed. Butbefore his return the doctor drove up in a trap that he had borrowed.
"Adcock has put up the two officers in his own house," he said, "andhis wife will look after them, so you need not worry about them. Theother poor fellows are in the cottage next door. It belongs to thecoxswain of the boat, who is also a married man. So you need be underno uneasiness about any of them. As far as I can see, they are alllikely to do well. I shall go over the first thing in the morning, andwill bring you news of them as soon as I get back."
Ralph had given orders that Denis Moore was not to be treated as aprisoner; and he now told the sergeant to send him in to him.
"I have been thinking it over, Moore," he said; "and it seems to methe best plan will be to allow you to go quietly away. Your conduct inthe fight in the cave in itself showed that you were not voluntarilywith the others; and I do not think, therefore, that it is necessaryto report you among the prisoners. I suppose the Red Captain's ganghave not done any unlawful act beyond taking part in the stillbusiness since they took you away from home?"
"No, your honor. We just came straight down here, traveling at nightand hiding away by day."
"Very well. In that case you can give no special evidence againstthem. It is probable that at the trial evidence may be required fromGalway as to the deeds that that red-bearded scoundrel committedthere; and it is possible that you may be summoned with others, but Ishould think that the evidence of the constabulary will be sufficient.So, if you will give me your address there I will take it upon myselfto let you go at once. In that case you can join your wife thisevening and travel back with her."
"Thank you, sir," Denis replied. "I have no objection at all to giveevidence as to what I know, so that it does not come out it wasBridget who tould you where they were hiding."
"You need not be afraid of that, Denis. Captain O'Connor gave her hisword that her name should not be mentioned. At the same time I have nodoubt he will claim for her the hundred pounds reward that wasoffered; and if he obtains it he will send it to you, so that nobodywill be any the wiser."
"I should not like to take informer's money," Denis said.
"Not in ordinary cases," Ralph replied. "But you see she spoke out,not for the sake of money, but to get you out of their hands. Andconsidering how much mischief those fellows have done, and how muchmore they would have done had we not laid hands on them, it is a verydifferent case from that of an ordinary informer. None of yourneighbors will know that she has had anything to do with the captureof these men, therefore no one will be any the wiser, and no doubt ahundred pounds will be very useful to you. I am sure you deserve somesort of compensation for being dragged away from home, and for therisk you ran in that fight; for a bullet might just as well havestruck you as any of the others. I know that if I were in your place Ishould accept it without the least hesitation. And now, as I don'tsuppose they have left any money on you, and as your wife is notlikely to be very well provided, I will give you five pounds onaccount; and remember that I shall alw
ays feel your debtor for themanner in which you saved my life by springing upon that ruffian justat the critical moment."
"You will deduct it from the other money, your honor?" Denis said,hesitating.
"Certainly I will, Denis. I should not think of offering you money forsuch a service as you rendered me. Now, if you will just give me youraddress in Galway I will make a note of it; though I don't think it atall likely you will be wanted at the trial. They will most likelyproceed against him on the charge of shooting his officer anddeserting; for they will have no difficulty in proving that, as theregiment he belonged to is in Dublin."
Denis started at once to rejoin his wife, highly pleased to have gotaway so quickly. Two days later Captain Morrison and Mr. Stapletonarrived from headquarters.
"I congratulate you, Conway," the latter said heartily. "We all pitiedyour being ordered away to this dreary place; and now you have beengetting no end of honor and credit. O'Connor's report speaks in thestrongest terms of you, and says it was entirely owing to yourpromptness and courage that the band was captured, and his life andthat of Desmond saved. The Cork papers are full of the affair; and thecapture of that notorious scoundrel, the Red Captain, created quite anexcitement, I can tell you. The only bad part of the affair is that wehave had to come out here, for I am afraid there is no chance whateverof another adventure like yours."
"Oh, I fancy there are plenty more stills to be captured, Stapleton;and that's good fun in its way, though it involves a good deal ofmarching and hard work."
"And how are O'Connor and Desmond getting on?" Captain Morrison asked.
"I had a very good report of them this morning from the doctor, andnow that you have come I shall take a trap and drive over and see themat once. I had O'Connor's orders not to leave here till you arrived."
"You are to go back yourself to-morrow morning, Conway," CaptainMorrison said. "You are to take the prisoners in with an escort of acorporal and ten men, and to hand them over to the civil authorities;which means, I suppose, that you are to take them to the prison."
"I suppose I shall come straight out again?" Ralph asked.
"I should think so; for with all this still-hunting business threeofficers are wanted here. But of course you will report yourself tothe colonel and get orders. Here are the orders he gave me to giveyou. You are to start early, make a twenty-mile march, halt for thenight, and go on again the first thing in the morning. You are to hirea cart for the wounded prisoners, and to exercise the utmost vigilanceon the way. The men are to carry loaded muskets. It is not likelythere will be any attempt at a rescue; but such things have happenedbefore now. If anything of the sort should take place, and you findthat you are likely to get worsted, your orders are that you are notto let the Red Captain be carried off alive. Put a man specially overhim, with instructions to shoot him rather than let him be taken awayfrom him. The colonel will hold you harmless. The scoundrel hascommitted too many murders to be allowed to go free."
"I understand," Ralph said, "and will carry out the orders; and now Iwill be off at once, for it will be dark in an hour."
Ralph was glad to find that the two officers were going on better thanhe had expected. Lieutenant Desmond was already up, with his arm insplints and a great patch of plaster across his forehead. O'Connor wasstill in bed, and was likely to remain so for some time. Theregimental surgeon was with him, having left the other two officers atthe turn of the road leading to the village.
"I am glad to see you, Conway," Captain O'Connor said cheerfully. "Iwas expecting you. The doctor said Morrison and Stapleton had gone onto Ballyporrit. None the worse for your brush, I hope?"
"Not a bit," Ralph said. "The bump on my head caused by that musketblow hurt me a bit the first day or two, but it's going down now. I amglad to see you and Desmond looking so well."
"Oh, we shall soon be all right; though I am afraid I shall be kept onmy back for some little time. Desmond is rather in despair, because heis afraid his beauty is spoiled; for the doctor says that cut on hisforehead is likely to leave a nasty scar. He would not have minded itif it had been done by a French dragoon saber; but to have got it fromtumbling down a chimney troubles him sorely. It will be very painfulto him when a partner at a ball asks him sympathizingly in what battlehe was wounded, to have to explain that he tumbled head foremost intoa peat fire."
Desmond laughed. "Well, it is rather a nuisance; and you see Conway,the ashes have got so ground up in the place that the doctor is afraidit will be a black scar. O'Connor chaffs me about it, but I am sure hewouldn't like it himself."
"Why, my dear fellow, it's a most honorable wound. You will be able todilate upon the desperate capture of the noted ruffian the RedCaptain, and how you and that noble officer Captain O'Connor dashedalone into the cavern, tenanted by thirteen notorious desperadoes.Why, properly worked up, man, there is no end of capital to be madeout of it. I foresee that I shall be quite a hero at tea-fights. Abattle is nothing to such an affair as this. Of course it will not benecessary to say that you shot down into the middle of them like asack of wheat because you could not help it. You must speak of yourreckless spring of twenty feet from that upper passage into the middleof them. Why, properly told, the dangers of the breach at Badajoswould pale before it."
"I am glad to see that you are in such high spirits," Ralph said whenthe laugh had subsided. "There's no fear of your being lame after it,I hope?"
"No, Dr. Doran says it is a clean snap of the bone, and it will, hethinks, mend all right; and as Macpherson, who has been examining it,says the same, I hope it is all right. It is very good of the colonelsending the doctor over to us; but I think Doran understands hisbusiness well, and has made a capital job of both of us."
"How is Rawlinson going on?"
"Oh, I think he will do very well," the surgeon said. "Of course he'sa little down in the mouth about himself. It is not a pleasantprospect for a man to have to go about on two wooden legs all hislife. Still it's been done in the service; and as the fight was asharp one, and such an important capture was made, he will get hisfull pension, and I shall strongly recommend him for Chelsea Hospitalif he likes to take it. But he tells me he was by trade a carpenterbefore he enlisted, and I expect he would rather go down to live amonghis own people. His wooden legs won't prevent him earning a living athis trade; and as he is rather a good-looking fellow I dare say hewon't have much difficulty in getting a wife. Maimed heroes areirresistible to the female mind."
"That's a comfort for you, Desmond, anyhow," O'Connor laughed. "Thatblack patch on your forehead ought to add a thousand a year to yourmarketable value."
The next morning Ralph marched with his detachment, and arrived atCork without adventure. Here he handed his prisoners over to the civilauthorities of the jail, and then marched up to the barracks. He atonce reported himself to the colonel, who congratulated him warmlyupon the success that had attended the capture, and upon his ownconduct in the affair.
"I will not keep you now," the colonel said, "for the mess-buglesounded five minutes ago. I shall see you again in the morning."
As Ralph entered the messroom the officers had just taken their seats.He was greeted with a boisterous outburst of welcome. His comrades gotup and shook his hand warmly, and he had to answer many inquiries asto how O'Connor and Desmond were going on.
"Sit down, gentlemen!" the major who was president of the messshouted. "Conway has had a twenty-mile march, and is, I have no doubt,as hungry as a hunter. Let him eat his dinner in peace, and then whenthe wine is on the table he shall relate his adventures in detail. Bythe way, Conway, I hope you have lodged that ruffian safely in jail?"
"Yes, sir, I have handed him over, and glad I was to get him off myhands; for though I had him handcuffed and his feet tied, and broughthim along in a cart, I never felt comfortable all the way. The fellowis as strong as a bull, and as he knows what is before him he wascapable of anything desperate to effect his escape."
"I remember the man well," one of the officers said; "for, as youk
now, I was in his regiment before I exchanged into the Twenty-eighth.He was a notorious character. He had the strength of two ordinary men,and once or twice when he was drunk it took eight men to bring himinto barracks. I am heartily glad he is caught, for the poor fellow hekilled was one of the most popular men in the regiment--with thesoldiers as well as with us--and if they could have laid hands on thisfellow I believe they would have hung him up without a trial. I shallhave real pleasure in giving evidence against the scoundrel for I waspresent at the time he shot poor Forrest. I wasn't five yards away,but it was all over and the villain was off before I had time to lifta hand."
After dinner was over Ralph gave the full history of the capture inthe cavern, of which Captain O'Connor had sent but an outline.
"It was a sharp fight indeed," the major said when he had finished;"for, for a time you were greatly outnumbered, and in the darkdiscipline is not of much avail. I think on the whole you got verywell out of it, and O'Connor and Desmond were lucky in having got offwith a broken limb each."
Ralph was detained some days in Cork, as he had to be present at thecourthouse when the prisoners were brought up before the magistrates.After giving his evidence as to the capture, his attendance was nofurther required. All with the exception of the Red Captain werecommitted at once upon the charges of working an illicit still, and ofoffering a forcible resistance with arms to the authority of theking's officers. The Red Captain was charged with several murders, andwas remanded in order that evidence might be obtained from theregiment to which he belonged in Dublin, and of the constabulary andother people in County Galway. Ralph then returned to Ballyporrit.
A fortnight later the detachment was recalled, the colonel havingreceived the news that the regiment would be shortly under orders forAmerica. Lieutenant Desmond was able to travel to Cork at once,although still unfit for duty; and the surgeon reported that inanother fortnight Captain O'Connor would be also fit to be removed.
Ten days later definite orders were received for the regiment to beready for embarkation, as soon as the two transports which had beenordered round from Plymouth arrived. Soldiers are always fond ofchange; and although there were few more pleasant quarters than Cork,there was a general feeling of animation and excitement at the thoughtof service at the other side of the Atlantic. All officers and men onfurlough were at once recalled. The friends of many of the officerscame across from England, to be with them till they sailed upon whatwas then considered a long and perilous voyage. Balls and dinners weregiven to and by the regiment. Officers overhauled their kits andbelongings, getting what new things were required, bargaining withbrokers for their furniture, and making all preparations for aprolonged absence from England.
"Ah, Stapleton," Ralph said, as the young ensign came into hisquarters one day in high spirits, "there will be a sad change comeover you before long. You almost wished you might die on your wayround here from London. What will be your feelings when you have toface the waves of the Atlantic?"
"Don't talk about it, Conway. The very thought makes me feel queer.However, I expect I shall get on better now than I did last time. Whatan ass I was, to be sure, on that voyage!"
"Well, I do think your four months with the regiment have done you aworld of good, Stapleton. You certainly were a stuck-up sort ofpersonage when you came on board in the Thames. I think it is an awfulmistake for a fellow to be educated at home, instead of being sent toschool; they are sure to have to suffer for it afterward."
"Well, I have suffered for it to some extent," Stapleton said. "Thelessons I got at first were sharp ones; but they certainly did megood."
"There is no doubt about that," Ralph agreed; "and I think there is agood deal of credit due to you, Stapleton, for having taken things inthe right way. I wonder where we shall be stationed in America, andwhether we shall have any fighting? Upon the whole we have no verygreat reason to be proud of our feats of arms in America; but I hopewe shall do better next time. You see, in the last struggle we knewnothing of their tactics, and were at a great disadvantage; but afterfighting its way through the Peninsular, I don't think there is anyfear of the regiment not giving a good account of itself, if it iscalled upon to do so, out there."
The next day an orderly came into the room just after mess-dinner hadcommenced. He whispered to the adjutant, who at once rose.
"Mr. President," he said to the major who was at the head of thetable, "I must ask you to excuse me leaving the table. The colonelwishes to see me immediately at his quarters."
"What can be the matter now?" one of the officers said. "It must besomething of importance or the colonel would never have calledHallowes out in that way."
"Heard of some still away among the hills, I suppose. That means anight's tramp for some of us. Too bad to be put to this sort of workwithin a week of sailing on foreign service," grumbled another.
Various guesses were made as to the nature of the business, andseveral wagers were laid on the subject. In ten minutes the adjutantreturned. He was evidently excited, and all listened with greatinterest as, instead of resuming his seat, he remained standing.
"Gentlemen," he said, "I have great news for you. A vessel has justcome in from Plymouth with dispatches. Napoleon has escaped from Elba.He has landed in France, and been received with enthusiasm. The troopshave joined him, and he is already close to Paris, which he isexpected to enter without opposition. The King of France has fled."
For a moment there was silence, then the major leaped to his feet.
"Three cheers, gentlemen!" and all of those present joined in a heartycheer.
Then a sudden silence fell upon them. The first idea that had struckeach man was that the news meant their again taking the field foranother stirring campaign. Then the dismal thought occurred to themthat the regiment was under orders for America. It soon foundexpression in words.
"Why, major, they surely won't be sending us across the Atlantic nowthis news has arrived. The Powers will never permit all their work tobe undone, and Napoleon to mount the throne of France again. Why, in ashort time all Europe will be in a blaze, and how is England to takethe field again? The greater portion of Wellington's army arescattered over the world--in America, India, and the Colonies. I don'tbelieve there are half a dozen of the old fighting regimentsavailable, and even their ranks are half-filled with raw recruits.Almost all the regiments at home are mere skeletons. Surely they willnever be sending us away at such a moment?"
"That I can say nothing about," the adjutant replied. "Certainly nocounter orders have reached the colonel this evening. I don't supposeanything will be decided upon for some time. The Powers will allexchange notes and hold councils and spend weeks in talk before theymake up their mind whether anything is to be done, and if so what; andlong before they come to any decision on the subject we shall be onthe other side of the Atlantic, and then, possibly, after all thetrials and monotony of perhaps a two months' voyage, we may land thereonly to be fetched back again. I quite agree with you that England canput nothing worth calling an army in the field, and that it would bemadness to send a fine regiment out of the country at the presentmoment. But everyone knows the lack of wisdom with which we aregoverned, and the miserable slowness of our military authorities. Itis not likely even to occur to any one to countermand our orders, butit will certainly be disgusting in the extreme to have to start justat the present moment."
"Beside," another officer said, "it will be maddening to be two monthsat sea without news, and to know that perhaps all Europe is in armsand tremendous events going on and we out of it altogether."
"I should think nothing will be done just at present," the major said."Every country in Europe has been disbanding its armies just as wehave since peace was proclaimed, and it will be a long time before anyof them are ready to take the field in anything like force. EvenNapoleon himself, great organizer as he is, will take some time to putall France under arms again. An army is a machine that cannot becreated in a day. The soldiers have to clothed, arms to bemanufactured, th
e cavalry to be mounted, the artillery to beorganized, and a field train got together. No, I should say that atleast four months must elapse before fighting begins in earnest. Withanything like a favorable wind we should be across in America in amonth. If orders are sent out a month after we start we may be back intime for the opening ball. Judging from the past, it is likely to be along business unseating Napoleon again, and if we are not in for thefirst of it we may be in plenty of time for a fair share of thefighting, always supposing that the authorities are sufficiently awaketo the merits of the regiment to recall us."
"How is the wind this evening?" one of the officers asked.
"It was westerly when we came in," Lieutenant Desmond said. "Why doyou ask?"
"Why, as long as it blows from the west there is not much chance ofthe transports getting in here."
"That is so," the major agreed. "The question for us to consider iswhether we ought to pray for a fair wind or a foul. A fair wind willtake us quickly across the Atlantic and will give us a chance ofgetting back in time. A foul wind may possibly give them time to makeup their minds at the Horse Guards, and to stop us before we start. Itis a nice question."
"There is no hope whatever, major, that our government will make uptheir minds before the wind changes, not if it blew in one quarterlonger than it has ever been known to do since the beginning of theworld. Especially, as not only they, but all the governments of Europehave to come to a decision."
"Oh, if we had to wait for that it would be hopeless; but at the sametime, as it must be evident to any individual of the meanest capacitythat something or other for which troops will be required will have tobe done, surely a month ought to be sufficient for the idea to occurto some one in authority that it would be as well not to be sendingsoldiers abroad until matters are finally settled."
"I agree with you," the adjutant said. "Therefore I think we had bestdecide that our hopes and wishes shall be unanimous in favor of acontinuance of westerly winds."
Never were the weathercocks watched more anxiously than they were bythe officers and men of the Twenty-eighth for the next fortnight. Theelements certainly appeared favorable to their wishes, and the windblew steadily from the desired quarter, so that it was not until tendays after they were expected that the two transports which were toconvey the Twenty-eighth to America dropped anchor in Cork harbor.
Captain O'Connor rejoined the regiment on the evening before thetransports arrived. He walked with two sticks, but this was a measureof precaution rather than of necessity.
"I feel like an impostor," he said, laughing, as he replied to thewelcome of his comrades. "I believe I could safely throw away thesesticks and dance a jig; but the doctor has laid his commands on me,and my man, who has been ruling me with a rod of iron, will not permitthe slightest infringement of them. He seems to consider that he isresponsible for me in all respects, and if he had been master and Iman he could not have behaved with grosser despotism."
"I am glad to see you looking so well, O'Connor," Ralph said, shakinghis captain warmly by the hand.
"I don't know whether I do right in shaking hands with you, Conway,"O'Connor said. "I have been thinking it over while I have been lyingthere, and I have come to the conclusion that it's you I have to thankfor this affair altogether."
There was a general laugh. "How do you make that out?" Ralph asked.
"It's clear enough, now my eyes are opened. It was you who discoveredthat passage, and when you did so you said at once to yourself, now, Iwill get O'Connor and Desmond to go down this place, they are safe tobreak their necks, and then I shall get all the honor and glory of theaffair. And so it came about. There were Desmond and I lying on thetop of each other with the breath knocked clean out of our bodies,while you were doing all the fighting and getting the credit of theaffair. I appeal to all friends here if it is not a most suspiciousaffair."
There was a chorus of agreement. "We did not think it of you, Conway;""A most disgraceful trick;" "Ought to be sent to Coventry;" "Ought tobe drummed out of the regiment;" mingled with shouts of laughter.
"By the way, the trial of those fellows comes on next week," one ofthe officers said when the laughter subsided; "so if the transportsdon't come in you will be able to see the last of them, O'Connor."
"I shall have no objection to see that red rascal hung; but as to theother poor devils, I should be glad enough for them to get off. AnIrish peasant sees no harm in making whisky, and it's only humannature to resist when you are attacked; beside it was the RedCaptain's gang that set them to fighting, no doubt. If it hadn't beenfor them I don't suppose there would have been a shot fired. I hopethat's the view the authorities will take of it."
As it turned out this was the view taken by the prosecuting counsel atthe trial. The Red Captain was tried for the murder of his officer andfor the shooting of two constables in Galway, was found guilty, andhung. The others were put on trial together for armed resistance tohis majesty's forces, and for killing and slaying three soldiers.Their counsel pleaded that they were acting under the compulsion ofthe gang of desperadoes with them, that it was these and these onlywho had fired upon the soldiers as they ascended the rocks, and thatthe peasants themselves had no firearms; indeed, it was proved thatonly five guns were found in the cave. He admitted that in theirdesperation at the last moment the men had defended themselves withpikes and bludgeons; but this he urged was but an effort of despair,and not with any premeditated idea of resisting the troops. He pointedout that as all the soldiers had fallen by gunshot wounds, none of theprisoners at the bar had any hand in their death. The counsel for thecrown did not press for capital sentences. Two of the men, who hadbefore suffered terms of imprisonment for being concerned in runningillicit stills, were sentenced to transportation. The others escapedwith terms of imprisonment.
