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capable officer, Captain Williams. Sir Conyers Clifford forced his way across the Erne and laid siege to O'Donnell's castle at Ballyshannon. But the garrison, commanded by a Scotchman named Crawford, after desperate fighting, forced the attacking party to retire with considerable loss. Clifford was attacked daily by O'Donnell and reduced to great distress; till at last he was forced to recross the river in great haste just above the waterfall of Assaroe, and retreat back to Connaught, abandoning all his cannons, carriages, and stores to O'Donnell, and losing many men in the deep and dangerous ford.

As to young Barnewell: he marched towards the north with 1000 men; but he was intercepted in a well-planned ambuscade by Captain Tyrrell at Tyrrell's Pass, where his army was exterminated, and he himself was taken and sent prisoner to the earl of Tyrone.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

THE BATTLE OF THE YELLOW FORD.

A.D. 1597-1598.-Elizabeth.

ORTMORE was now occupied by Captain Williams and his garrison of three hundred. No sooner had lord deputy Borough turned southward after his defeat at Drumflugh than O'Neill laid siege to it; and watching it night and day, tried every stratagem; but the vigilance and determination of Williams completely baffled him. At last he attempted a storm by means of scaling ladders (A.D. 1597); but the ladders

turned out too short, and the storming party were met by such a fierce onslaught that they had to retire, leaving thirty-four of their men dead in the fosse. After this, O'Neill, having had sufficient experience of the captain's mettle, tried no more active operations, but sat down, determined to starve the garrison into surrender. When this had continued for some time, Williams and his men began to suffer sorely; and they would have been driven to surrender by mere starvation, but for the good fortune of having seized and brought into the fort a number of O'Neill's horses, on which they now chiefly subsisted. Even with this supply they were so pressed by hunger that they ate every weed and every blade of grass they could pick up in the enclosure: but still the brave captain resolutely held out.

When tidings of these events reached Dublin, the council sat in long and anxious deliberation, and at first decided to order Williams to surrender; but Marshal Bagenal arriving at this moment, persuaded them to entrust him with the perilous task of relieving the fort. Marching north, he arrived at Armagh with an army of 4000 foot and 350 horse. The five miles highway between this city and Portmore was a narrow strip of uneven ground, with bogs and woods at both sides; and right in the way, near Bellanaboy or the Yellow Ford, on the little river Callan, two miles north of Armagh, O'Neill had marshalled his forces, and determined to dispute the passage. His army was perhaps a little more numerous than that of his adversary, well trained and disciplined, armed and equipped after the English fashion, though not so well as Bagenal's army— they had no armour, for instance, while many of the English had; and he had the advantage of an excellent

position selected by himself. He had with him Hugh Roe O'Donnell, Maguire, and Mac Donnell of the Glens of Antrim, all leaders of ability and experience. At intervals along the way he had dug deep holes and trenches, and had otherwise encumbered the line of march with felled trees and brushwood; and right in front of his main body extended a trench a mile long, five feet deep, and four feet across, with a thick hedge of thorns on top. Over these tremendous obstacles, in face of the whole strength of the Irish army, Bagenal must force his way, if he is ever to reach the starving little band cooped up in Portmore.

But Bagenal was not a man easily daunted: and on

the morning of the 14th August he began A.D. 1598 his march with music and drum. The army advanced in six regiments, forming three divisions. The first division-two regimentswas commanded by colonel Percy: the marshal himself, as commander-in-chief, riding in the second regiment— the general's regiment, as it was called; the second division, consisting of the third and fourth regiments, was commanded by colonel Cosby and Sir Thomas Wingfield; and the third division by captains Coneys and Billings and these six infantry regiments marched one behind another at intervals of 600 or 700 paces. The horse formed two separate divisions, one on each wing, right and left, under Sir Calisthenes Brooke, with captains Montague and Fleming.

On the night before, O'Neill had sent forward 500 light-armed kern, who concealed themselves till morning in the woods and thickets along the way; and the English had not advanced far when these opened fire from both sides, which they kept up during the whole march past. Through all obstacles-fire, bog, and

turned out too short, and the storming party were met by such a fierce onslaught that they had to retire, leaving thirty-four of their men dead in the fosse. After this, O'Neill, having had sufficient experience of the captain's mettle, tried no more active operations, but sat down, determined to starve the garrison into surrender. When this had continued for some time, Williams and his men began to suffer sorely; and they would have been driven to surrender by mere starvation, but for the good fortune of having seized and brought into the fort a number of O'Neill's horses, on which they now chiefly subsisted. Even with this supply they were so pressed by hunger that they ate every weed and every blade of grass they could pick up in the enclosure: but still the brave captain resolutely held out.

When tidings of these events reached Dublin, the council sat in long and anxious deliberation, and at first decided to order Williams to surrender; but Marshal Bagenal arriving at this moment, persuaded them to entrust him with the perilous task of relieving the fort. Marching north, he arrived at Armagh with an army of 4000 foot and 350 horse. The five miles highway between this city and Portmore was a narrow strip of uneven ground, with bogs and woods at both sides; and right in the way, near Bellanaboy or the Yellow Ford, on the little river Callan, two miles north of Armagh, O'Neill had marshalled his forces, and determined to dispute the passage. His army was perhaps a little more numerous than that of his adversary, well trained and disciplined, armed and equipped after the English fashion, though not so well as Bagenal's armythey had no armour, for instance, while many of the English had; and he had the advantage of an excellent

position selected by himself. He had with him Hugh Roe O'Donnell, Maguire, and Mac Donnell of the Glens of Antrim, all leaders of ability and experience. At intervals along the way he had dug deep holes and trenches, and had otherwise encumbered the line of march with felled trees and brushwood; and right in front of his main body extended a trench a mile long, five feet deep, and four feet across, with a thick hedge of thorns on top. Over these tremendous obstacles, in face of the whole strength of the Irish army, Bagenal must force his way, if he is ever to reach the starving little band cooped up in Portmore.

But Bagenal was not a man easily daunted: and on the morning of the 14th August he began A.D. 1598 his march with music and drum. The army advanced in six regiments, forming three divisions. The first division-two regimentswas commanded by colonel Percy: the marshal himself, as commander-in-chief, riding in the second regimentthe general's regiment, as it was called; the second division, consisting of the third and fourth regiments, was commanded by colonel Cosby and Sir Thomas Wingfield; and the third division by captains Coneys and Billings and these six infantry regiments marched one behind another at intervals of 600 or 700 paces. The horse formed two separate divisions, one on each wing, right and left, under Sir Calisthenes Brooke, with captains Montague and Fleming.

:

On the night before, O'Neill had sent forward 500 light-armed kern, who concealed themselves till morning in the woods and thickets along the way; and the English had not advanced far when these opened fire from both sides, which they kept up during the whole march past. Through all obstacles-fire, bog, and

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