The Irish standard., 1907-11-09

diers. fired their pieces, flung their
Srenades and in q few moments had
mounted the breach. But the Irish
were not unprepared, for an entrench-
ment had been made inside the breach,
and De Boisseleau had planted a few
cannon, from which he opened cross
hre on the assailants, under which
they staggered and halted until a
bloody hand-tohand struggle ensued.
Spear and dagger, sword and musket
were brought into deadly requisition.
William fung forward his supports by
Thousands the moment he found the
stormtng party had fastened on the
breach. The Irish, however, finding
wool plentiful in the city, packed it
into strong cases and hung them out
over the walls of the city, deadening
the effect of the enemy's fire. When
the Williamites burst into the town
q second time, instead of causing dis
may or dependency to the garrison it
acted on them as magic in strengthen
ing their defense. The women, armed
with whatever weapons they could lay
hold of. bricks. glass bottles. delftware
and other missiles, fought the William
ties with fury. 1t was their sturdy be-
havior which inspired the poem, the
quotation from which is given at the
opening Of the story.
A Costly Experiment to tho Enemy.
William gazed on the struggle from
Cromwell fort" ordering every now
and then additional troops forward to
sustain his assault. This bloody hand
to-hand conflict lasted for three hours
In the streets until by o'clock in the
evening the Williamites had been
driven out of the city and back into
their own trenches. A shout of vic
tory went up from the defenders, but
William still had a grip on tho walls
and his Bradenburgh regiment, the
sturdy Dutchmen who had ridden with
him on the Continent, got in in dense
mass at the rear Of one of the Irish
batteries. But 1t was to them a costly
experiment. They did not know that
every foot of the ground beneath them
had been mined. and while they were
exultinE over what they thought
would be victory, the earth opened and
yAwned beneath their feet. and with a
roar like thunder mingled with des-
pairing death shrieks, the battery and
Bradenburshers went flying into the
air.
I. sarsfeld's success at Ballyneety had
been repeated inside the walls Of Lin
erick and amid the most awful car
mage. The williamites were finally
nung back from the walls, while with
a shout Of triumph from the defend
ers, which was caught up and echo-
ed on the ',Thomond shore across the
Shannon, final salvo from the un-
conquered battlements proclaimed that
Sarsf1eld and his force We're victorious
William resolved to renew the assault
on the following day, but his men
could not be persuaded to advance
after the two terrible experiences they
had gone through. In a rage he left
the camp and never stopped until he
reached Waterford. where he took shin
Tor England. His army in th. mean
time retired at night from before the
walls Of Limerick.
Tho Dsssrtion Of tho Freneh,
The cowardice of James at the Boyne
which earned for him a title i'm irish
history more euphonistic than polite,
had Not vet become known to his
Rsench allies. He represented in France
THAT all was lost in ireland. and to
cover his own cowardly retreat did
not hesitate to Islander the Irisl, allies
who had stood and fought for hit, cause
after he had himself ran away from it.
The result was that while Williams
army, cowed and beaten. We're nung
back from Limerick, after being
threshed by ssarsf1eld. Lauzun and his
French allies embarked on French
feet anchored in Galway for the re-
turn to France. Tyrconnel, going to
France at the same time, Intended rem
resenting to James what a mistake he
had made in flying from Ireland. and
endeavoring to secure a fresh French
expedition. ,.
Bes The following May another French
neet arrived in the Shannon, bringing
some provisions, clothing, arms an6
ammunition for the Irish troops. but
they brought no money and no troops
With the fleet came the brave Lieuten.
ant General st. Ruth, a French office,
OF energy and experience, to take com.
s mand of the Irish army. sarsfield. tc
II !. whom more than ANYBODY else tha osl,