The Storyteller

New Zealand Tablet, 23 October 1913, Page 5

The Storyteller

A STORY OF THE IRISH REBELLION That I, Wiillam Kavanagh, formerly pikeman in the army of Wexford, should set out to write a chronicle of my adventures at the Battle of Ross, seems a strange thing, for I am now an old man, and it ill agrees with me to recall those days of bloodshed." Indeed, it is only at your request, John Heywood, and because you are a relative of my dear friend, Laurence, killed on Vinegar Hill, that I would undertake the task at all. There was a time in my younger days when I loved to talk and boast of those wild times and wilder deeds. It stirred my blood to think of the pikemen surging down on Enniscorthy with the green flag overhead to recall how. we captured Fawcett's cannon at Three Rocks, and annihilated Walpole's dragoons at Tubberneering. To be frank with you, it may be the dream of a foolish old man, but I don't believe that the troops ever existed who could stand a charge of the Wexford pikemen of '9B. ;■..■. ; • Get them through the gunfire and into close quarters and then see the pikes flash! They would grip •them short when necessary and fight a man foot to tfoot, and the next instant the pike shot out and pinned an enemy fifteen feet away. -. At the time of which I wish to speak the insurgent army .was- camped on Corbett Hill, preparing to attack the town of Ross, which was well fortified, and garrisoned by a strong royal force. ■.■■■.*■■■ ........ I had just received most distressful news that my house had been burned down by the yeomanry-and that my only sister Eileen, who was praised far and near for her beauty and goodness, had been carried away by a certain Captain French, who led a yeomanry corps notorious for lawless deeds. v , I had known already that there was a mutual

attachment between young Laurence Heywood and my sister, yet I was not a little surprised .by the emotion he manifested on hearing my tidings. '. - . We were great friends and constantly together, and he was near me when I received ther letter. I see by 'your face,' he said with eager, agitation, 'that you've got news from home—not bad news, I hope.' 'Bad enough,' I replied,, and told him all. The young pikeman went white to the lips then a great: rage seemed to shake him. Do you know where French took your sister, or in what* direction V he asked, his lips trembling. .' The messenger says he took her into the town with a crowd of his fellows,' I answered. - 'Then I am going down there at once,' said Heywood, simply and quietly. • - .'. - '.• -- ' ' Easy, Laurence,' I protested. 'Don't go alone to your death, boy, but listen. I have just found out •that John Kelly, of Killan, the best pike-leader we have, will attack the Three-Bullet Gate to-day. - You and I will be there when he does.' ,' 'Tis good news,; William,' responded Heywood. ' I see a stir over there to the right maybe with God's help he's going down at once.' -' ' When , Laurence Heywood and I - came to the right flank of the rebel 'camp, we found young Kelly, of Killan; with five hundred picked pikes preparing to attack the gate. --_.-.- Kelly was a handsome young giant, a noble specimen of the Wexford peasantry, and was idolised by his ineh. He was laughing and chatting gaily how, as if he had but a pleasure excursion in "view, instead of a task that r would deter. trained and disciplined soldiers. His five hundred were mostly men from the baronies of" - Forth and Bargy, unequalled for skill with the pike. ■ , . ..... • . ■j' Bagenal Harvey had ordered that he was to take with him only this number, but when the main body saw him marching away, the men could not be retrained, and when he arrived on the plain below his command numbered several thousand pikemen rushing on with terrible impetuosity and uttering appalling cries. . ■•; t , " _ Heywood and I, keeping side by side, were well in front of that fearful rush; v . .-- .. '.- "■ Short work was made of the outlying sharpshooters who opposed the advance. The Three-Bullet Gate, guarded by two pieces: of artillery, with the army behind, was now in. full view; and the cannon shot ploughed through us again and: again.; But nothing short of annihilation could stop that onset of the veteran pikemen! ' _ .They would get to close quarters in spite of the guns and then woe betide the enemy. We burst over the cannon that were red hot beneath our feet, and the pikes jammed close,, a living wall of deadly blades a tidal-wave of death ! ' " " - ' ' - ' ""'

It was close quarters now, and how the pikemen exulted ! The troops penned close in the narrow streets, fought bravely, but their swords were' no match for the terrible weapons of the peasantry. Hundreds went *down transfixed, to be trampled in the = onrush. So frightful were the wounds inflicted by the pikes that men died with a horrid shriek on their lips—the protest •of the soul against such violent separation! "•'''■ But the insurgents as "well were suffering greatly as the army of the : King reeled back before them. Sharpshooters from the windows on either side of the street shot them down mercilessly. '. "....;•. Heywood as well as I was in a fever of anxiety to learn of the whereabouts of Eileen, and at last in one

of the houses we got some tidings. . ,~' - When we burst in we found a yeoman who had -evidently been engaged in shooting down- our men, for his smoking rifle, was still protruding-: from the raised window. When he saw us rushing in- with red dripping pikes he became palsied with terror. Heywood, with an angry growl, made forward to dispatch him, but the yeoman, recognising me, cried out: ' Save my life and I'll tell; you news of-" your sister.' the words Heywood desisted and questioned the man eagerly. The fellow was a nativeof my own district

and had been one of Captain French's corps of yeomanry. - - , He reported that the captain and one of his men 'Had taken - Eileen away about ten minutes previously, anu that their destination had been Deerfield Castle, a place about four miles from the bridge, in the County of Kilkenny.. A relation of the Captain's, a Colonel Moorhouse, owned the castle, and as the place was well fortified, he doubtless' considered that he would be safe there. •-; V •

And now with the thought in our minds- to overtake him we went out into the street. We took our way towards the bridge, along a roadway which literally ran with blood. In some places we had to walk, over a double layer of . dead - bodies of British and 'rebel' •alike. Hie King's troops had by this time been ■driven over the Barrow into the County Kilkenny. - Young Heywood had borrowed a musket from one of the Shilmalieres (a native of the Barony of Sh.ilmalier, in County Wexford) we had overtaken on our way, but he would not leave behind his beloved pike, so I carried it, as well as my own. ... The country around us being quite familiar, we knew that the road to Deerfield Castle, which a horseman would have to take, was a very circuitous one. Our nearest way Tay through the fields, a short cut, and this we took, running with all our might.. If luck were on our side Ave would intercept Captain Trench' and his captive after he had left the main army and turned to gain the Castle. Heywood,.who from the first moment he heard of the abduction of Eileen, semed to have but one thought in his mind, led off swift as a greyhound, ? I must confess that I was out of breath and glad of a rest when we came to the castle road, though my companion showed little signs of distress. As fortune would have it we had not long to wait. Heywood and I, screened from view by a large thornbush, were gazing intently into the distance, when suddenly I~hoticed his breathing becoming labored with excitement.

' They are coming/ he cried "in a joyful voice. ' Hide low, William, or the villian may see us and turn back.' We waited there until the hoof beats sounded near, then Heywood leaped to the middle of the road, and presented his musket. I was over, too, in a trice, and we faced the Captain. - He was caught finely, being all alone, and he was bearing Eileen, gaged and bound, before him. At sight of us he grew pale with fear and made as if to turn and fly, but a sharp word from Heywood showed him the folly of the attempt. ' Unbind the prisoner and set her down/ commanded Heywood, ' and then we'll talk with you.' Captain French complied. He was cooler by this time and saw that he might as well give in with good grace. I took my dear sister from his hands, and great was my joy when she assured me that she was unhurt and unharmed. In that moment of gladness I felt my desire of revenge on the Captain die away utterly. Not so with Heywood, however, for coming up to the Captain and keeping him covered with the musket, he ordered him to discard the pistols from his holsters. J Then he threw his musket aside, and taking his pike in his hand spoke sternly: . ' Now,. Captain French, we'll fight it out, man to man, sword against pike, horse against foot, and may the best man win.'

The Captain measured his opponent with. a soldierly eye, and with some irritation in his tone demanded 'Why should I fight you, a stranger,—were it her brother here I could understand.' , 'You fight me/ said Heywood, proudly, ' because I have the honor of being Eileen Kavanagh's accepted lover and future husband.' . * The Captain turned to me where I stood supporting my sister, who had grown suddenly, faint. 'Must! fight this man?' he asked, a kind of entreaty, in his tone. \ As God is above me,' I answered earnestly, you shall not, unless you so wish it. I have had enough of

■bloodshed for one day, and this poor girl can ill bear scenes of violence.' *% < : ,: ; ~

Then I decline to fight,' he said. -'I saw-those pike-men fight to-day"/*]? wouldn't have one chance in ten for my life with this bodkin I carry.' /' Heywood looked at me and I returned his look as steadily. " I saw that he desired to make the Captain fight. - ;.■". ■>'--■ " •<>-.:■''•■

-:-;' I meant what I said, Laurence,' said I. 'As God is my judge, I will have no bloodshed here.' *" ~\ But Heywood was still sullenly ; wavering when Eileen's voice called out 'Laurence!' The word and tone were enough. The fierceness died out of the pikeman's face, and he came at her call, a tender Took in his eyes. I made a swift -gesture to the Captain and he wheeled about and galloped off/ muttering a, word of thanks. " - ' . Leaving the lovers to their greetings, I walked away a short distance watching the receding horseman. Suddenly a startling thing occurred! The Captain had gone about three hundred yards, when/quick as a deer, a pikeman leaped from behind the hedge and confronted him. I heard a cry of surprise from the horseman, and the voice of the pikeman telling his-opponent to prepare, and then they closed on each other. The sword of the soldier failed to. ward off the pike, and he was lifted clean out of his saddle and flung violently to the road, where he lay a moment in the throes of death, and then became quite still. #S%-.-The pikeman looked an instant at his victim, then, turning, strode off in the direction of Ross. f But Laurence Heywood, running forward, musket in hand, shouted to him to come back, the man paused irresolutely. Something, however, -in the -look of Heywood deterred him and he came towards us with a slow and sullen gait. ' . ' So it's you, Maurice Brennan/ my -companion said, addressing him in a menacing voice; 'it's you who did that fine piece of work./ Tell us now why you took the life of a man who was spared by your betters The man regarded Heywood a moment angrily. 'Aye, I'll show you, Laurence, if'you/want to know,' said he. 'Look here, will you,.please.' , He flung off his hat, unwound a blood-stained cloth from his head, and showed a scalp deeply scorched and burned, entirely destitute of hair, a terrible sight, indeed ! - ■-' >:-• -/ ■ ' You have been pitch-capped!' exclaimed Heywood, with a gesture of horror. 'What fiends did this, my poor fellow?' -■">. .yz The pikeman pointed towards the dead body of Captain French. '■■;"-" ■■":,..:-.: •;.-.-. ..-:•-........-,.-..

' He did it— and the men he commanded, when they caught me near Taghmore a week ago. I vowed 1 would have his life, and I took it in fair fight; what have you to say about it?'"/ 'Nothing/ replied Heywood, in a subdued voice, 'nothing but that he deserved his fate richly, and that I'm sincerely sorry for you. Let us shake hands, for we are all brothers in a great cause.' •;--":-; ; // They did so, and the pikeman made \ part of our company in the slow journey back to the .town/ We found the Wexfordmen still in possession : and passed through in safety on our way to the camp at Corbett Hill, where we gave Eileen into the hands of friends. Then the three of us made our way back to Ross, and took part in the last scenes of that great battle, when the British again captured the town. / The rage and despair of those- last terrible days come back vividly to my mind as I write. After Ross came the final defeat on Vinegar Hill: It was at the end of that bitter day that Laurence Heywood, my dear friend, fighting heroically, got his death wound. /• A few hours after the battle Maurice Brennan and I found him lying among he dead. : He was still living and recognised us. 'Tell Eileen I died for Ireland, and thought of her at the last/ he whispered. Shortly afterwards he' died. „' '-- -- : - ..'-//•" ".r~«

Eileen never married/but I, her brother, cared for her tenderly till the end. It was" her comfort to- climb the hill and kneel over his grave in prayer, till she, too, was called away to that home of bliss where loving arid sundered souls are reunited.—Rev. J. B. Dollard.