We meet with further adventures.
In spite of my uncle’s skill as a swordsman, and the pistols, on which I had placed so much reliance, we were overpowered before we could strike a blow in our own defence, and were completely at the mercy of our assailants. The major, however, all the time didn’t lose his coolness and self-possession.
“What are you about to do, boys?” he asked. “You have mistaken us for others. We are travellers bound to Cork, not wishing to interfere with you or any one else.”
“We know you well enough, Major McMahon,” answered the leader of the gang. “If you’re not the man we want, you’ll serve our purpose. But understand, we’ll have no nonsense. If you come peaceably we’ll not harm you; we bear you no grudge. But if you make further resistance, or attempt to escape, you must take the consequences; we care no more for a man’s life than we do for that of a calf.” The ruffian thundered out the last words at the top of his voice.
“Who are you, my friend, who talk so boldly?” asked the major.
“If you want to know, I’m Dan Hoolan himself, and you may have heard of my doings throughout the country.”
“I have heard of a scoundrel of that name, who has murdered a few helpless people, and who is the terror of old women; but whether or not you’re the man, is more than I can say,” answered the major in a scornful tone.
“Blood and ’ounds, is that the way you speak to me?” cried Hoolan, for there could be no doubt that he was the notorious outlaw. “I’ll soon be after showing you that it’s not only women I frighten. Bring these fine-coated gentlemen along, boys, and we’ll set them dangling to a branch of Saint Bridget’s oak, to teach their likes better manners. Och, boys, it’ll be rare fun to see them kick their legs in the air, till their sowls have gone back to where they came from.”
I fully believed the outlaws were going to treat us as their leader proposed.
“You dare do nothing of the sort, boys,” said my uncle.