"It's half-past four now, and will be pitch dark in another half-hour.

If we had not struck upon that stream we should have had another night out among the hills." Ralph's first measure after seeing his men quartered in the village was to inquire for a boy who would carry a message to Ballyporrit, and the offer of half a crown produced four or five lads willing to undertake it.

Ralph chose one of them, an active-looking lad of about fifteen, tore out a leaf from his pocketbook, and wrote an account of what had happened, and said that the detachment would be in by two o'clock on the following day.

Then directing it to Captain O'Connor or Lieutenant Desmond, whichever might be in the village, he gave it to the lad, who at once started at a trot along the road in the direction from which they had come.
"He will be there in four hours," Mr.Fitzgibbon said.

"It's a regular road all the way, and he can't miss it even in the dark.