The ROYAL DRAGOONS landed at Highlake, in Cheshire, in the early part of August. The alarm of invasion, however, soon subsided; and they were ordered to return to Ireland, in which country they again landed on the 20th of October, and proceeded into extended cantonments in the county of Cork. Many thousands of the Roman Catholic peasantry of Ireland were, at this period, in arms in behalf of King James: they were called _rapparees_, and being formed into bands they made frequent incursions into the cantonments of the English regiments. Several men of the ROYAL DRAGOONS were murdered in their quarters by these _rapparees_; and detachments of the regiment were frequently sent out to scour the country and chase these bands of marauders from the English cantonments. [Sidenote: 1691] Towards the end of December a detachment of the ROYAL DRAGOONS proceeded, with some other troops, on an expedition commanded by Major-General Tattea, and on the 1st of January, 1691, attacked an Irish fort near _Scronclaird_, which was taken in two hours, although the enemy had employed five hundred men during two months to build it.[31] In the spring, when the army took the field, the ROYAL DRAGOONS were ordered to remain in the county of Cork to restrain the incursions of the _rapparees_, and to prevent the several forts and small garrisons from being attacked. In the early part of June Major Culliford, with a detachment of the ROYAL DRAGOONS and some militia, penetrated that part of the country from whence the enemy received their supplies, defeated the Irish troops, and captured several droves of cattle. At length General St. Ruth, who commanded the French and Irish forces, detached two thousand horse and foot to cover this part of the country. Major Culliford, however, continued to make inroads, and having advanced with one hundred and twenty men of the ROYAL DRAGOONS, and fifty militia foot, he encountered two troops of Irish cavalry. The English dragoons advanced boldly to the charge, defeated their opponents, killed twenty men upon the spot, and pursued the remainder to Newmarket, where the Irish, being reinforced, made another stand. The ROYAL DRAGOONS, however, attacked them again with great bravery, and having sabred fifteen, the remainder fled in disorder, leaving a quantity of provision and some cattle behind. Major Culliford despatched eleven dragoons and twenty-four of the militia to the rear with the booty, and then pursued the fugitives four miles farther, when he encountered five hundred of the enemy's horse commanded by Sir James Cotter. Notwithstanding their disparity of numbers, the ROYAL DRAGOONS boldly confronted their opponents, and made a gallant resistance, but were eventually overpowered; and forty men having fallen, Major Culliford made good his retreat with the remainder. In retiring, the dragoons,--chafed in spirit and burning with revenge,--often turned round upon their pursuers;