Page:Surprising life and adventures of the gentleman-robber, Redmond O'Hanlon (2).pdf/18

18 the passage, to prevent any in the lower room from looking up into the other, stood there and made some kind of a noise, not only to drown the voice of those with the prisoner during the scuffle, but to hinder the others from coming out to see what the matter was, if there arose any suspicion. In the mean while seven of the north-country robbers entered into the little room, and taking advantage of the small guard, dispatched the four men so suddenly, that they had no time to cry out; and having cut the cords wherewith the prisoner was bound, he followed them out, and mounted one of the horses with very little noise, and so made his escape to the mountains. Redmond himself was the first who gave notice of the escape, and assisted the sheriff in pursuing the rescuers for several miles, until finding opportunity in the evening, he turned off short, and followed his comrades directly to Longford pass, near the bog of Allen.

When the soldiers, in the barrack erected at Carradelvin, had marched out of their quarters, and fresh ones had supplied their room, Redmond took out with him eighteen men, and went in the night to the barrack, to be revenged on the soldiers for the severe hunting he got when he made his very surprising escape. It seems the soldiers had no suspicion of captain O'Hanlon's adventure, for they were all asleep, otherwise it appears improbable that the raparees could open the door, and steal away eighteen horses, unknown to the guard. However, so it was, the eighteen O'Hanlonians made off with eighteen horses, to Ballibey, where there stood an old castle in the valley, at the foot of a great hill. Here they alighted to observe how the army behaved.

How the robbery was discovered is not known, but this is a fact: eighteen horsemen, each with foot soldier behind him, began the pursuit early