About five o'clock
At first he thought he must have been taken prisoner by some of the police , whilst roaming about in the neighbourhood ; and although he ultimately heard that Father John and he had gone together to Counsellor Webb 's , still he never could learn how Thady had fallen into the priest 's hands . Joe , however , did not forget that Thady had done what he considered the good service of ridding the country of Ussher , and he swore that he would repay it by punishing the man , who in his estimation was robbing Thady of his right and his property ; he had long since declared at Mrs. Mulready 's , as we are aware , that if Thady would come over and join his party , Keegan should not come upon the estate with impunity , and he was now determined to keep his word . Keegan , trusting to the assurance of Pat , that the tenants were all quiet and peaceable , at length began to go among them himself , and had , about the beginning of February , once or twice ridden over portions of the property . About five o'clock one evening in that month , he was riding towards home along the little lane that skirts Drumleesh bog , after having seen as much of that delectable neighbourhood as a man could do on horseback , when his horse was stopped by a man wrapped in a very large frieze coat , but whose face was not concealed , who asked him , `` could he spake to his honer about a bit of land that he was thinking of axing afther , when the man that was on it was put off , as he heard war to be done . '' As the man said this he laid his hands on the bridle , and Keegan fearing from this that something was not right , put his hand into his coat pocket , where his pistols were , and told the man to come to him at Carrick , if he wanted to say anything . The man , however , continued , `` av his honer would n't think it too much throuble jist to come down for one moment , he 'd point out the cabin which he meant . '' Keegan was now sure from the man 's continuing to keep his hand on the bridle , that some injury to him was intended , and was in the act of drawing his pistol from his pocket , when he was knocked altogether from off his horse by a blow which he received on the head with a large stone , thrown from the other side of one of the banks which ran along the road .