Yet, for all that, I know not why, I had sooner he had remained, sword in hand, on the walls with us.
I scorned myself for my silly qualms, and hastened to call in our men, and bid them give fair field to Alexander and his company.

They obeyed with difficulty; yet, when they heard that it was Ludar's order that no man should baulk his brother, they came in, and lined the walls to view the combat.
The McDonnells on the cliff, when they saw the constable hang over the castle walls, and perceived the great bunch of heather on our topmost tower, stopped a moment to cheer and wave their bonnets.

Then Alexander shouted to them in a voice we could hear half-a-mile away, and they broke into a run.
Meanwhile, Captain Merriman's party was, as I said, taken aback by this new danger, and threatened to draw off.

But when they saw our party retire into the castle, and understood that the battle was between them and Alexander only, they stood their ground again, and wheeled round to meet him.

They were some five hundred men against the McDonnells' three hundred, and contained not a few of O'Neill's men in their number.
From where we stood we could see but little of the fight, except that within a few yards of the enemy Alexander halted his men, and then, stepping forward sword in hand, boldly dared the English leader, whoever he might be, to single combat.