Fitzmaurice was about to speak, but, changing his mind, walked away. De Vilela then asked me why I was in so great a hurry to be gone.
“My place is with my mistress,” said I briefly, for I could not tell him my thoughts.
“That is a true word,” said he; and there was a strange catch in his voice, so that I looked at him curiously, expecting him to say more, but he was silent.
No objection being made to our departure, my men and I left Tralee, and, before night had set in we were at Smerwick. Having saluted the officers of the Spanish ships, and acquainted them with my intention, I weighed out from Smerwick the following morning, and on the third day came up with The Grey Wolf and The Winged Horse, which were quietly riding at anchor in the bay, not far from the castle of Askeaton.
Many had been the questionings of my spirit as we had gone up the Shannon; many my doubts and fears of I knew not quite what; but the mere sight of the galleys, thus peacefully resting on the water like a pair of great sea-birds, dispelled them at once.
Tibbot, who had been in chief command during the absence of Grace O’Malley and myself, came on board of The Cross of Blood as soon as we had let go our anchor, and I could see from the very way he carried himself that all was well with the ships. He had nothing stirring to tell me, so it appeared, but was exceedingly anxious to hear about the men from Spain, and what was being done.
But before I had gratified him in this respect, I inquired when he had last seen or had word of our mistress, and he answered that she and the Earl of Desmond and a numerous party had visited the galleys a day or two after I had sailed down the river; and that, since then, he had had no tidings of her. Nothing, moreover, save vague rumours of Fitzmaurice and the Spaniards had reached him through the people living on the shore of the stream.
So far as was known, Desmond still lay at Askeaton, and had not joined in the rising against the Queen.
Tibbot seemed sure that everything and everybody remained at the castle in the same position as when I had left it; but I resolved to go thither without loss of time, and to see for myself how the land lay.