Читать книгу The Whitest Flower - Brendan Graham - Страница 18

They came at first light, Beecham and a trio of the constabulary. Mountain and marshland alike they combed, Beecham writing it all down in his book and drawing lines on some map he had. Roberteen followed them and saw it all.

As they rode off again through the village, Beecham shouted, ‘Tell O’Malley that Sir Richard thanks him.’

That evening, after dark, three men called to speak to Michael.

Ellen recognized Johnny Jack Johnny’s son from Glenbeg, but the Shanafaraghaun man, as he was referred to, was a stranger to her. She was surprised that Roberteen made up the three.

She put the children to bed, although Patrick wanted to sit up with the men. ‘Are they Young Irelanders?’ he whispered. She wondered that herself.

They sat with Michael at the hearth for a while, then all four went outside. She noticed that the unnamed Shanafaraghaun man did most of the talking. ‘He was in Dublin with O’Connell,’ Roberteen had said when he introduced the man to Michael, ‘but he broke from O’Connell again.’

An hour or so later, Michael came back alone.

‘O’Connell is for repealing the Union with Britain without violence – “Not a single drop of blood,” he says – but the Young Irelanders are for the sword, and the Shanafaraghaun man is for the Young Irelanders. He says the sword is a sacred weapon,’ Michael told her, his face animated in the firelight, ‘and that moral force should be backed by musket force!’

Then he handed her a piece of paper which the Shanafaraghaun man had given him.

When Grattan rose, none dared oppose;

The claim he made for freedom;

They knew our swords to back his words;

Were ready, did he need them.

‘What do you think, Michael?’

‘This is not the moment for hasty decisions. We should think – work out a plan. Without a plan, Pakenham will split us, then pick us off, one by one, with the backing of the Crown. The Shanafaraghaun man’s headed back for Dublin again. He said the priests and bishops were against any rebellion, but I think Father O’Brien’s a good man – he’ll stand behind us against Pakenham. I’ll go to Clonbur tomorrow and let him know what’s happening.’

She read the four lines of the poem again. Swords to back words – it would have to come to that, she knew.