'Tis a wily fox," added the man (talking as they all did in their Irish tongue), "among these score of lights, who shall say which is his, or whither he foregathers?
But _we_ know!" Presently we dropped into the marshland at the base of the hill, and lost all save the red glare in the sky above us.

By many a cunning path the man led us, between bogs, through woods, and over piled-up rocks, till we stood on a new hill-side, and caught sight again of the distant beacons.

That on Knocklayd, behind us, was already burning low; but it had done its work.

For, as we mounted higher, a dozen new fires inland met our view; and, standing for a moment to look, our ears caught a distant sound of shouting, and the clattering of horses' feet.
We were now, our guide told us, looking down into the deep vale of Glenshesk, at the head of which the chieftain lay.

A wild impassable valley it looked, crowded with forest, and flanked with rugged mountain.
I could scarcely wonder, as I looked down, at the tales the man had told us, of how, in time of war, the country people would drive their cattle, together with the women and children, far into the depths of these glens for safety, while they went out to meet the enemy on the seaboard; or of how, tempting him to follow the booty up one of these, they had caught him many a time in a trap between two fires, and cut him to pieces.
The descent into the valley was perilous enough even for us.