In Wexford a gentleman named Browne was murdered by the O'Byrnes, among whom Feagh MacHugh was rising into distinction as a guerilla chief. Agard, the seneschal of Wicklow, took immediate vengeance on some of the mountaineers, and was then inclined to hold out hopes of mercy as the best chance of catching the most guilty parties, such as Matthew Furlong and others, who had employed the O'Byrnes. But Nicholas White, the seneschal of Wexford, went 'thundering' about saying that the Queen would never pardon anyone who had a hand in Browne's murder. Fitzwilliam wished devoutly that White had stayed in England. The revenge already taken might have been severe enough even for White's taste. Led by a mountaineer whom he had captured, and whose life was the price of his service as guide, Agard entered the south-west corner of Wicklow, where he burned sixteen villages, then passed through the valley of Imail, where he killed a foster-brother of James Eustace, afterwards the famous rebel Lord Baltinglass. A sister of Simon MacDavid's was captured, 'whom, if she do not stand me in stead, I mean to execute.' Had plunder been the main object a very large number of cattle might easily have been driven off, but the guide, who may have had a quarrel of his own to avenge, offered to take the soldiers where they might 'have some killing.' Captain Hungerford and Lieutenant Parker preferred killing to kine, and went in at the head of Glendalough. 'They slew many churls, women, and children,' brought away much kine, and lost 500 more 'while they were killing.' Feagh MacHugh just escaped, but two of his sisters and two foster-brothers were slain. Much blood was destined to be shed before the blood of Robert Browne should be finally expiated. Sometimes the English officers seem to have set a very indifferent example. Robert Hartpole, sheriff of Carlow and constable of the Castle, and his sub-sheriff were accused upon oath of having seized a vast number of cattle on all sorts of pretences, of forcing labourers to work, and in general of every sort of violence and corruption. These misdeeds were said to have been committed by virtue of letters from the Earl of Ormonde. In the following year, Hartpole was one of those licensed by the Lord Deputy to cess Ormonde's lands for protection against the O'Mores and O'Connors. No particular notice seems to have been taken of the charges against him, for he remained in Carlow to found a family, and to be remembered as a chief actor in one of the most horrible tragedies recorded even in Irish history.[232] [Sidenote: Bad effects of reducing the army.]