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"Do not be surprised at the name," I spoke in Gaelic, "it is one I have
chosen to wear. He who owned it is now dead. He diedatour house, in fact, long
ago."
Hugo O'Connor studied me carefully. "It cannot be that you are ... ? No, no,
they are all killed."
"My father was killed. I escaped. I was advised, General, to tell my name to
no one, but I must assume that it is known to you. Do you
rememberBallycarberry ?"
"It was near there, was it?" He spoke in Gaelic and looked at me again. "Aye,
you have the look of them, great fighters all, and strong men, but thoughtful
men, too! Aye ... but how did you escape?"
"The story is over long for the telling here," I said, also in Gaelic. "I am
Don Vicente's prisoner, and he has spoken of ransom. I have no money, and no
friends. I have lived by trade and a little by writing. I have some ventures
now at sea, but unless I return toEngland  "
"ToEngland ? You are daft, lad. If they find you it is the headsman's axe or
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hanging."
"Nonetheless, I intend to buy back the land that was mine, or a part of it. I
wish to live again where we did when you came to visit us, when you hunted
upon the moors with my father. It is my home, and I long for the view of the
sea there, the rocky shores and the high meadows. I will have it again,
General."
"Aye," he said gloomily, "I miss it myself. But come! We cannot carry on in
Gaelic and leave our friend standing."
He turned to Don Vicente. "I do know him, and I cannot thank you enough for
behaving toward him as you have done. You have been gracious and considerate."
He paused. "It is a delicate matter, Don Vicente. This man is no ordinary
seafaring man, nor even a soldier. He is of the blood royal, although a man
without domains."
Don Vicente shrugged. "I guessed as much. He has the manner."
We seated ourselves and our talk was in Spanish, and pleasant enough it was.
General O'Connor I found to be an urbane and charming gentleman, a skillful
politician as well as a military man. To have survived and advanced himself to
his present status in a foreign country was proof enough of that.
"We must talk again," he said finally. "Do you come when you can." To Don
Vicente he said, "We can certainly reach some understanding."
Two days later we met again. "You must have a care," O'Connor warned me, "for
there are spies about."
"Spies for the Inquisition?"
"Yes. You are Irish. If they suspect who you are, you will be murdered. There
are also those inSpain who are spies forEngland . They suspect all Irishmen of
plotting againstEngland , so all are suspect."
"I am not thought to be Irish, but from theHebrides ."
"Ah? A nice thought, that. It may help. In the meanwhile, what is it you wish
to do?"
"To return toEngland . I have my ventures there."
"I am afraid that will be impossible. Ransom can be arranged, I think, and
luckily for you, Don Vicente is your friend. However, even he is powerless
against the Inquisition. And no matter what your beliefs, they will wish to
question you if you should draw attention to yourself. There are those among
them who do not take kindly to any foreigner in their land. Even we who fight
forSpain are suspect."
"Where then should I go? What should I do?"
"I would suggest theLowlands . I am taking a detachment of troops to join the
Duke of Parma there. You will volunteer. That will take you away from their
eyes to where much can be done."
"You are very kind."
"Kind? No, not land. We Irish serving abroad have learned we must stand
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together. You are one of us, even though what your family was they will never
be again not in the lifetime of any who now live, at least."
We talked the hours away, and planned the steps that must be taken. If I were
to volunteer to serve in the Spanish army no thought of ransom would remain,
although a small indemnity might have to be paid. I knew naught of such
matters and left negotiations in the hands of General O'Connor, who had much
experience.
In the meanwhile, I fenced each day and rode with Don Vicente over his
estates in the country. By night I read much in the admirable library Don
Vicente possessed. I say possessed, but this was all he did with the books.
For I discovered with some surprise that he could not read, disdaining the
practice as not befitting a gentleman. The library had been in the home when
it was taken by his grandfather from the Moors. Some of the books were in
Arabic, of which I knew nothing, but most were in Latin, at which I was
proficient.
Yet every day and every night I bethought me of ways by which I might escape
once I had reached the Lowlands, for my only wish was to return toEngland and
my ventures, such as they might be. And each day inSpain I must walk with
care, for I was free only upon a whim of circumstance and might at any time be
imprisoned.
Carefully, I had avoided women. InEngland those I met were not the sort who
appealed to me. Those I was meeting inSpain were ladies of great houses and
ladies of the court. To give attention to such women even if they wished for
it was to incur trouble from some other less favored man. And true it was that
with Don Vicente and General O'Connor I constantly met women, many of whom
were lovely.
Although I was permitted to move about with seeming freedom I knew I was not
free, that I was under observation most if not all the time. My movements,
comments, and actions were subject to scrutiny.
Meanwhile I was learning a good deal about the Spanish army from General
O'Connor. "Many Germans and Irish serve with us," he explained. "Young Spanish
men of good family wish to avoid service, as do many of the others. A few
years ago volunteers thronged to serve, but now they grow fewer. Yet it is a
good army, and the men are well trained."
"How long," I asked him, "will it remain so if the citizens themselves do not
wish to serve? In ancientRome the mercenaries soon controlled the government, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]