"I don't think, Walter, his senses are quite right now. He is crazed with
religion and hate, and I believe, at the time, he fancied himself in the
meeting house. Anyhow, there he was, while two sergeants, who were
supposed to be in command of the troop, were sitting on a table, with a
flagon of wine between them, looking on with amusement. Their expression
changed pretty quickly, when we rushed in.
"It needed all my father's efforts to prevent the whole party being hung,
so furious were all the rescuers at the outrage upon the good ladies of
the castle. But my father pointed out to them that, although such a
punishment was well deserved, it would do harm rather than good to the
ladies. They had orders of protection from the lords justices; and he
should proceed at once, with four or five witnesses, to lay the matter
before the general at Dublin, and demand the punishment of the offenders.
But if the party took the law into their own hands, and meted out the
punishment the fellows deserved, the facts of the case would be lost
sight of. There would be a cry of vengeance for the murder, as it would
be called, of a party of soldiers, and it would serve as an excuse for
harrying the whole district with fire and sword.
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