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He was cordially received by Mr Concannan and his wife, who had several sons and daughters, one of whom, in the course of time, became my father's wife and my mother.
"They are living in a cottage hastily put up near your old house, which your father is engaged in rebuilding," answered the doctor; "and I understand that your uncles are re-roofing and repairing Castle Concannan." I asked him if my father had received any intelligence from Don Fernando Serrano whether his house had escaped an attack from Aqualonga. "Yes," he said.
Though smaller than I had supposed, I at once knew the house to be that in which I was born. "And beyond it there, higher up the hill, you see Mr Concannan's mansion Castle Concannan, we call it, you'll remember and a pretty dacent castle it is, with its high, thick walls and courtyard; it would take a pretty strong earthquake to shake it down.
The burning of our house was the signal for us to prepare for an immediate attack, as the enemy would not take long in traversing the distance between the two places; and unless they should take it into their heads to destroy the village, they would very soon appear before Castle Concannan. Those of the garrison who had lain down to sleep were aroused, and all the men were ordered to their posts.
He was too good a soldier to omit sending out scouts to bring us timely notice of the approach of an enemy; but we pushed on as fast as we could move, with our firelocks ready for instant use, hoping that, even if attacked, we might fight our way to Castle Concannan, the distance not being great. Our anxiety was soon relieved by our arrival at our destination.
Among the various friends about whom my uncle made inquiries was our relative, Don Fernando Serrano, whose estate was a few leagues off, though it abutted upon that of Mr Concannan, which extended a considerable distance to the southward. Properties in that country are of great extent, and a visitor to Don Serrano's house had to travel a dozen leagues through his estate before reaching it.
He replied that it was my duty to forgive insult, and asked what Tom Rudge had said to me. I told him. "I thought that you were an orphan," he observed, "the son of Mr Concannan's sister, and that your father was dead." "Mr Concannan is my uncle, sir," I replied; "but my father is alive and well, I hope, in South America."
At length they reached the region I have described, where their wanderings were over; for my father here found a fellow-exile, Mr Denis Concannan, who had some years before arrived in the country and married the daughter of a Spanish hidalgo of considerable wealth.
They are friends, and will be here anon!" In another minute he had reached us. "Who do you think they are?" he exclaimed. "The labourers of your father and Senor Concannan, with a number of villagers and blacks; and some of my people, headed by Senor Denis, your young brother, and your Irish servant.
He may have been mistaken; but discretion is the better part of valour, and though we might beat them off, it would be unwise to run the risk of a fight when it can be avoided." "You are a wise man, Mr Concannan," observed the doctor. "Why should people spend their lives in fighting, when they would be so much happier living at peace with each other?
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