Infinite Devotion (36 page)

“All right, you won, you won!” I say, panting a bit and wipe the bit of blood that came from biting my tongue.

He sits, panting also. “So, you’re really O’Hanlon?”

“I don’t know, you just hit me so hard I can’t even remember what I am.”

He laughs at this. “Why for did you come looking for me?”

“We’ve been robbing this whole area for some time. We’ve all heard about each other. More militia and bounty hunters have been pouring in. I think it’s time we started teaming up together to do this job right.”

He considers it a moment. “But I don’t keep most of what I take. I give it away to those I see needs it.”

“Well, we’re all doing the same thing, sonny. I barely keep anything for ourselves besides what we need for supper and supplies. Everything else we find a good home for. I just don’t want the damn planters and Protestants having it all.”

He’s nodding, and then he sticks his hand out. “Well, then, count me in.”

Chapter 9

I sit watching from the woods at the time Art says Muirin always comes down for her ride. ’Twas an unusually sunny day, and I know she’ll be coming for a ride. Every minute feels long, and even Ghost is fidgeting. Finally, I see her. She’s wearing a brown velvet bodice over a cream petticoat. Her hair is tied in a long braid, and she seems to shine as she walks down with her substitute for Art. The man goes into the stables, brings out a white good-sized pony, and puts a step down for her to mount sidesaddle. She thanks the man and takes off at a trot down to the trail I wait by. As soon as I see the fellow go back into the house, I go after her. She sits well on her horse and takes a few jumps over some fallen trees smoothly. When she reaches a clearing, I kick into a gallop to go along side her. She almost falls off at the sight of me, but as soon as she regains composure, she’s smiling. She pulls her horse to a stop.

“Hello, Muirin!” I beam.

“You’re making me feel like you can sneak up on me anywhere I go,” she says as I keep Ghost walking in slow circles around her.

“That’s because I
can
sneak up on you wherever you go.” I smile.

She slides off her horse and walks it over to a large rock she sits on. I jump off too and let go of Ghost to graze, and stand in front of her. I can tell my nearness makes her nervous since she picks a piece of fern beside her and focuses on tearing each leaf off.

“Would you like me to stop following you?”

She laughs slightly and shrugs. “Tell me about some of your adventures.”

I sit on the ground in front of her and tell her the story about being tricked by Pedlar Brawn and what happened when I stole my first horse. She’s laughing hard by the end.

After a pause, she glances up at the house on the hill. “I’m so bored here.”

I stay quiet.

“Every day I do the same things. Every day I go to bed wondering where my day went. What made this day different from the rest.” She looks away.

“Until I came robbing your carriage, throwing coins at your window, and interrupting your ride.”

“Exactly, that’s what I’m saying.” She smiles at me and peers into my eyes for the first time. “You’re so… alive.”

“Well, maybe not for long.” I try to lighten her mood.

“Oh, don’t say such things.” But she still laughs.

“I’ve a fantastic idea. We can meet out here every day this time to talk, and I can tell you stories about the crazy shenanigans I escaped the night before.” I peer straight in her eyes and say, “This way you have something unexpected to look forward to, and I’ve something to stay alive for.”

She smiles so sweetly, it makes my chest tight. “I would like nothing better.”

She steps on the rock to get on her saddle, and I try to show off by whistling for Ghost and hop on at a canter. Muirin seems impressed, and I follow her all the way back to her stable before retreating through the woods.

∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

Over the next week, I have the men take a vacation from their looting and gather all of my gang at the largest cave we found at the bottom of a rocky cliff deep in the woods. The cave’s extraordinary in that it leads down to a first chamber that appears like the end, where there’s a small crevice in the rocks on the right under which a nimble man can squeeze. The only one who has trouble fitting through is “Strong John,” who’s a giant of a man‌—‌over six feet in height and weighing more than fifteen stones. Two men on either side of the crevice have to push and pull him through, John grunting the whole time with the squeeze. Once through, there’s one high-ceilinged cavern that can sleep twenty average men comfortably. But when Strong John comes hunching in and sprawls his massive girth, it fits only him and fifteen others. The two spaces off that room are perfect for storing guns, ammo, swords, and all of the clothing we steal and use for disguise.

As soon as everyone’s through, I pull out a crate of fine liquor I got from the last carriage I hit and say, “I gathered you all tonight to discuss the rules of our gang.” I point down to Art. “Give them all their own bottles, since we’re celebrating tonight.”

Pedlar Bawn reads the label once he’s handed his. “This bottle alone is a good reason to celebrate.” He pulls the cork out and takes a long swig.

“First rule,” I say. “No killing unless it’s in self-defense. Not only would you be breaking one of the Ten Commandments, the more killing there is, the more militia they’ll send here from Ulster.”

The men nod in agreement.

“Second rule: No drinking to excess—”

“What the hell do you mean?” Art interrupts.

“Are we joining a convent here?” asks Paul Liddy with his olive green eyes opened wide.

“Listen to me first before you all get your knickers in a knot. We need to be on guard at all times. All times! There is no safe time to dull your senses. I make this rule for the safety of the individual as well as for the safety of the group.”

“It makes good sense,” Ned agrees.

“That’s because you’re dry as a nun’s gusset!” Brian Kelly says to the amusement of everyone but Ned.

Ned retaliates, “It is sweet to drink but bitter to pay for. When the drop is inside the sense is outside.”

“Look, I’m leading this flock, and I say three times I find you intoxicated, you’re out. Not another word said about it.”

Everyone’s quiet, either in agreement or anger.

“Lastly, I speak of the fairer sex. I want no harm coming to them. You lay a finger on any of them, Protestant, planter, Scotch-English, Irish, old, young, ugly or comely, you’re out. One time, you’re out.”

They seem to agree on this, at least.

“Oh, I forgot one other thing: we must be able to gather at a moment’s notice. I’ll use this flute here to blow a high-pitched whistle. If you’re in range, you meet here at the main cave. If you know where another of your brothers is, you go get them too. We need to be able to assemble in emergencies.”

I come and sit among them.

“Okay, now that the rules are laid out, the next thing to discuss is the business side.

Seeing as we’ve teamed up all the bandits a day’s travel from here, we’re in a nice position to start a whole new business.” I pause for a minute for suspense. “I’m thinking we start charging for protection.”

“Protection from what?” Bawn asks.

“From us.” I laugh and so does everyone else.

“So we’re going to charge people a monthly fee to keep us from stealing from them?” Strong John asks.

“Us and any other bandits that move in on our territory.”

“And how are we going to go about collecting these fees without the law nabbing us?” Ned asks.

“We can hire collectors from our loyal townspeople. People we know we can trust. If someone doesn’t pay, we steal their horses or cattle away until they pay us back. Each of you can be in charge of an area and report back to me. Easy as that.”

“How much will we charge, and what area are we going to cover?” asks Hogan.

“Well, I was thinking two shillings and six pence a month, and stretching from North Tyrone to Monaghan.”

Kelly gives a long whistle.

“The peasants aren’t going to be able to pay that a month, Redmond,” Berragh says.

“We’re not going to be collecting from the natives, Berragh. They already have our protection,” Art scoffs. “This one’s fit to mind mice at a crossroads.”

“Sure.” I nod. “Rob the Brits, charge the Scots, and give to the peasants.”

“So, we’re going to hand it all over to the peasants?” Bawn asks.

“Well, no, we need to keep some for our expenses, and need a hefty amount to acquire the spies we’re going to need. Plus the money for bribes. After all of that, we give it where we can.”

I look around at their compliant faces. “So, if I have everyone in agreement here, I’d like to make a toast. Raise your bottle and stand if you are with me!” I stand up and hold my bottle almost to the top of the cave. “To Ireland‌—‌to all that we hold dear and will fight to the death to get back!”

They all say together, “Sláinte!”

“Now with all these new recruits and collectors we’ll be adding, where are we going to go get so many horses and guns?” I say rhetorically.

“’Twould take us all weeks to get that many horses and weapons,” Ned says.

“I know just where to get them in one night,” I say as they appear doubtful. “Bawn, help me pick out something fancy.”

Chapter 10

The guards stop me at the garrison gates. “What’s your business here?” one asks, holding his musket at my chest.

I put my arms up and say, “I am a merchant and need safe passage with a fortune to the Newry ferry tonight.”

He replies without inflection, “Dismount, then, so we can check you for arms.”

I jump off and allow them to pat me down.

“All right, you can enter.”

“Whom can I speak to for an escort?”

“Lieutenant William Lucas,” he says, sitting back down on the wooden chair they left for the guards.

I leave Ghost with the guard at the door and bring my bag, heavy with coin, inside the large stone building.

“Direct me to Lieutenant William Lucas,” I say to a guard in the hall.

“I’ll take you to him, sir.”

Hearing the coin jingle as I walk down to the fourth room off the hall, Lucas is already on his feet when I enter.

“Sir, how can I be of service to you?” He eyes my fine black velvet coat with gold buttons over my black silk gold embroidered waistcoat.

I tip my velvet hat to him and say, “My good man, I have passage back to London tonight, and with the fortune I’m carrying, I’m in dire need of a large and heavily armed military escort. Of course, I will make it worth your while.”

His steel eyes flash at the promise. “Well, when you say it that way, how can I say no?”

I chuckle along. “This is but one of ten bags I have. I didn’t trust these roads with it all, so I will need to meet you and your men at the inn I’m staying at, say within the hour?”

“I think that can be arranged. At which inn are you staying, sir?”

“Ballymore.” I turn to leave. “Bring your best horses and weaponry.”

Two hours later, I sit in the tavern with my bags, full of ha’pennies, of course. The sound of many hoof beats stops outside the tavern door.

“Seany, boy, here we go.”

He smiles nervously with excitement.

A soldier opens the heavy wooden door for Lucas, and he steps into the low-ceilinged room with his high hat scraping the plaster. He stands in front of me with only one other man with him. “Sir, we are ready.”

“Oh, I think we have some time before my ferry.” I check my jeweled gold pocket watch. “Why don’t I buy you and your troops a pint?”

He sees the bottle of fine liquor I’m drinking from and sits beside me, sweeping his long tails of his coat. He motions his man to go out to bring his men in.

I turn to Sean. “Barkeep, bring me a glass for the good lieutenant here and a round for every man in uniform.” I notice Sean’s beading with sweat, and his face is turning red.

The men file in and find seats at the tables around the bar, all pleased with the offering of a free drink. I stand and hold my glass up. “Here’s to a long life and a merry one. A quick death and an easy one. A pretty girl and an honest one. A cold pint‌—‌and another one!”