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influential group of men. If he could convince them that his plans had merit, their donations could turn the tide of the rebellion.
    Colm pulled the top off a crystal decanter and poured himself a tall glass of whiskey. He took a long pull, waiting for the liquid to warm his body then said, “I want you to write a speech for me.”
    India straightened up. She had written several speeches for him years ago, but nothing of this magnitude. “Why?” she asked.
    “Because I have no time! I have a hundred important things to attend to and writing this speech is not one of them. If I give you the main points to cover, can you do it?”
    "I--I suppose,” she stammered.
    “Good,” announced Colm.
    After giving her an outline, he dashed out the door, and India sat down at the desk to begin writing. She finished an hour later just as he burst into the room demanding the copy.
    Her speech convinced the gentleman to donate money to the cause of Irish freedom. They had been so moved by her eloquence that they donated far more than Colm had ever anticipated.
    India continued writing his speeches. Every night Colm would give her the main points to include, and she would prepare his talks. India wrote speeches so profoundly moving and persuasive that notables across Ireland and America began to take notice. Funds and support tripled. By late fall, thanks to India Fitzpatrick, Colm was able to fund an entire army for the rebellion. 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 4
     
    India had found her niche at last. She not only composed all of Colm's speeches but began drafting all of his letters too. She obtained benefactors for the cause all over Ireland, and she was wildly successful in the American Colonies. She found patrons from Massachusetts to the Carolinas. One gentleman in Delaware alone funded over one third of their operation. India learned that although Irishmen left their country to find their fortunes elsewhere, they never abandoned hope for an independent homeland.
    Every evening she would sit at her desk in whatever manor they happened to be occupying and worked until the candles burned low. She not only courted new sympathizers, but regularly corresponded with current benefactors updating them on the progress of the rebellion. To keep support ongoing, it was necessary for the patrons to see growth and success. Not compromising these benefactor’s identities was important as well, so India employed several cryptology techniques when corresponding with them. She designed a stencil called a mask, concealing it inside a quill which she gifted to the benefactor. She would then post innocuous letters to the patron filled with mundane news, and they could put the mask on top of the letter to reveal secret correspondence about the rebellion. India also began writing codes into music for the pianoforte, but Colm found this foolishness and suspended the project.
    The repparees had been very successful in the southern and central counties; blocking landlords from requisitioning land for grazing, harassing troops quartered in Irish homes and obtaining protection money from landholders. It was time to expand to Western Ireland. They started in Galway training sub-groups for the organization then they moved to County Mayo. The Fitzpatrick's changed residence more often now because of the heightened danger. Colm found he had to increase the number of guards to patrol the estates they requisitioned because local authorities were on heightened alert.
    The house they occupied in Mayo was a weather-beaten manor located on the North Atlantic, a land of rock, wet peat and thin soil. In spite of the rugged terrain and weather, India walked several times a day. Her woolen cloak did little to shelter her from the damp icy winds and mist blowing off the ocean as she walked late one autumn afternoon. She looked down the rock face at the coves and inlets, sprayed with foam and she shuttered. This was rough country, and she wondered how people survived.
    India's