The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-02-13
BENIGHTED HIBERNIANs.
An Adventure ON the Western Coast OF
Ireland.

of Hays Head, has been the scene of
many fearful marine accident. The
mroning sun succeeding the night of
storm, when the bay of Liscannor was
chauldron of seething foam, and the
| tishermen's skiffs were drawn far beyond
the reach of the waves, has shone on
many a stifened corpse, hurled in the
| darkness from the decks of the strug-
| CLING ship. Pieces of wreck-wood, kegs,
sodCen bales, trunks, hen-coops, etc.
strew the beach the morning after these
terrible autumnal gales, and the peas
antry are early on the scent to CLEAN
| this strange harvest. The courage of
the fishermen in assisting the crew to
escape from their reef-torn vessel, and
| finding for them comfort when rescued,
is unparalleled in any of the coast
| countries.
The resources of their cabins are at
the disposal of the shipwrecked sailors,
and, rs they generally express it, tbs
"share and share alike" have known,
in my own experience, of more cases
of unrecorded and unrewarded heroism
among those poor fishermen than the
book devoted to the recital of such ex-
ploits contains. A people whose every
hour is one of toll in wrestling from the
sea at best a miserable livelihood, a
| task in which young and old, irrespec-
tive of sex, are engaged, have no time
for the acquisition of the most ordinary
education. Few can read or write, and
the class of which speak live beyond
the pale of newspaper literature. OF
the most stirring events of the times
they have no knowledge. They do not
enjoy the elective franchise, and there.
fore have no interest in the county
elections. The advent of a shoal of
herrings is to them of more Importance
than wars or accessions and thus we'd
ded to their old traditions, a life of
unusual toll and danger is passed.
Everything in and pertaining to the
sea is utilized. The weed or kali, which
after high winds is cast ashore in
large masses, is gathered up and piled
in heaps for manuring purposes. OF
this occupation l shall speak more full
ly hereafter, and shall confne myself
to the history of one incident of ship
wreck, which though ridiculous in one
sense, is, on the other hand, q painful
illustration of the ignorance of those
western fishermen.
cts blowing a hard gale of wind,
sir, remarked the signal man of the
coast guard station, as walked home
ward by his post, on clustering even
ing in October.
"Aye, indC ed it is, Donaghue Have
any vessels been signalled from Hays
Head?"
81 have had nothing from the men
there, sir; but Considine, who lives
closely 10y the point, told me he saw a
brig close-hauled, beating out sea-
ward"
Among these coast-guards Ihad many
friends. As they were all old sailors,
any one who followed blue water was
taken at once into their confidence.
1 had hard y reached my bedroom and
secured my window-shutters against
the fury of the wind, which was rising
rapidly, when the hall door bell was
RING. AS the servants were all in bed,
and suspected the summons might be
from my friends, the coast guards, l
slipped on dressing gown and opened
the door. Donaghue, the signal man,
wrapped in a monkey jacket and inter
minable neck muller, stood outside.
"Step in out of the breeze, Donag-
hue; what's up now?" I asked.
ga vessel ashore, sir" he answered,
"and firing guns of distress. She is
on the Ballyvaughan reef, and / have
the gig outside for you, if you'd like to
come along. The captain and the rest
of the men are already on thewsy."
After seating the coast guard in the
! dining-room, with decanter of whisky
| and a bundle of cigars for his amuse-
ment, while got into my hard-weather
/ clothes, ran up stairs and in a few
minutes was ready for the road.
The grandeur of that midnight ride
! I shall never forget. The sky was COW
cred with dark, sullen clouds, through
which the moon shone at intervals.
| Our road lay within a few yards of a
bold bluff, some seven hundred feet
above the sea, and the roar of the surf
I beneath sounded like the peals of q
whole round of artillery. Distant and
faint at first, bat as we proceeded grow
ing clearer, rang the guns of the stran-
ded vessel.
"She must be a ship of war;" re-
sci carries such heavy metal. Notice
how regular they are discharged"
"Is there any chance of her working
off ?"
| "None in the world, sir. The Bal
lyvaughan reef keeps a tight hold of
any craft that gets into its clutches"
Ballyvaughan is small fishing village
and inhabited by the sturdy but ignor-
ant class I referred to in the intr0duc-
ton to this sketch. When we drove
along the single and only row of cabins
that stand few hundred yards from
the beach, we we're somewhat surprised
that none of the people were abroad.
'This is STRANGE" said to my COM
panion. "These people generally are
the first to scent a shipwreck, and the
first on shore to render assistance or
pick up the drifting goods which old
Father Neptune may send Them"
"'Tis rather curiors-but here comes
Capt. Wells with the men,"
In the few minutes of moonlight that
followed, we could perceive the dark
outline of the vessel, and the flash of a
gun st that moment showed her lying
on her beam ends, with the seas break
ing heavily over her.
"Where are the fishermen, captain %
1 said, as that individual hurried to-
ward us.
"I CAN'T tell what's the matter with
them. have knocked at every door in
the village, but cannot get a soul out. "
"Ill try them" said ]. There's
one fellow here whom they call in the
Irish Mihaul Tabac, because he's so
fond OF his pipe, and his cabin lies just
opposite us"
Jumping from the gig, approached
Mihaul's dwelling. Through the chinks
of the rudely constructed door I could
see the glare of the rush light inside.
! knocked and shouted "Come out,
Mihaul, man; there's ship on the
rocks. Come out and lend hand.
1.-The devil a step you will stir from
this cabin to night" muttered a female
Aoice, soto VOce inside.
"Let me out, tell you; It's the
young master himself"
"Never an out you'll go while that
murders going on. Who'd take care of
us if you we're gone %
"Come out, Mihaul," 1 repeated :;
"what are the women holding you back
for ?"
"Oh, master, master, don't ask him,
and he wild big family; don't ask him,
master, DEAR" implored one of thy
women. ''Oh, but this is the unlucky
night for us all, and the ould boy fe
away wild Hoche for bothering Bally-