An accidental spark set the fire materials alight. Hugh Maguire, reigning chief of Fermanagh, had been exasperated by the outrages inflicted on his people by a certain Captain Willis and his band of disorderly followers, who had come into his territory in a supposed official capacity, and he had driven the intruders out. In 1593 a campaign was organised against him, in which, very reluctantly, Hugh O’Neill took part. In 1594 the Deputy again invaded Fermanagh, and planted a garrison in Enniskillen, which was at once besieged by Maguire and Hugh Ruadh O’Donnell.

Towards the end of the year a force was sent to relieve it. Cormac O’Neill, the Earl of Tyrone’s brother, came with 300 men to the assistance of the besiegers, and he and Maguire defeated the English at a ford on the river Erne The battle became known as that of ” the Ford of the Biscuits ” (” At n& mt>tuof5<yb.”), because of the great stores of provisions intended for. the Enniskillen garrison which were captured by the victors. Enniskillen was at once surrendered.

Although it was strongly suspected that Hugh O’Neill had been a party to his brother’s action in assisting Maguire,this could not be proved. With characteristic boldness, Hugh went down to Dublin and confronted his accusers at the Council Board. Again his wonderful powers of persuasion—his enemies would give it a harder name—were successfully exerted ; the Council permitted him to depart.

Hugh O’Neill had not favoured the Spaniards, at least openly. Indeed, he professed zeal against them, but the English authorities appear to have had considerable doubt as to the sincerity of his professions. They had begun to entertain doubts even of his loyalty, and indeed with reason. He had probably long before this conceived the idea of uniting all Ireland in one great effort to shake off the yoke of the stranger, and attain actual or virtual independence.

Still, Hugh was in no haste to begin the contest. At home in Tir Owen, he was drilling the men of his clan ; hiring English captains to teach them the new methods which were to replace the old tribal tactics, as the muskets were to replace the bows and arrows and the spears. He succeeded well, for later we have Essex’s testimony that, in the use of these arms, the rebels were better skilled than were his own soldiers. Meanwhile, to the authorities in Dublin, Hugh ” played the good subject.” In 1589 Hugh Gaveloch, one of Shane’s sons, informed the English authorities that he had learned in Scotland that the Earl of Tyrone was preparing to rebel, and had been seeking aid from Spain.

The Earl gave the luckless accuser no time to furnish proofs of his charge. He got him into his hands, and at once caused him to be hanged. Such an act required an explanation, and Hugh had one to offer. Hugh Gaveloch, he said, had committed several murders and other acts of violence in Tir Owen, and Irish customs, still followed by many other chiefs, allowed him to put malefactors of this sort to death. When summoned to London, he repeated this explanation to the Privy Council there, and showed himself so ” loyal ” and so anxious to enter into all their plans that they were delighted with him, and he returned to Ireland without a stain on his character.