About noon
The Dark Master looked along the walls for a moment , then signed to his men , and they rode off through the driving snow again . Turlough looked at Brian and Brian at him , and the same thought was in the minds of both . If those Millhaven men had four ships driving down before that storm , as seemed probable enough , the Bird Daughter 's two little caracks would never land men under the guns of Bertragh . About noon the snow fell less thickly , though the storm had risen to great power , and Brian made out that the Scots were bringing forward that cannon of theirs . Having some little knowledge of artillery himself , he drew the charge of bullets from a bastard and put in more powder , then put the bullets back , a full bag of them . He did the same with two more of the bastards on that wall , and when the Scots had halted aimed all three very carefully , and set men by them to fire at his order . The Scots were turning their cannon about , a score of men being in their party , and Brian judged that they were eight hundred paces away -- just within range of his bastards .