The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-09-30
AMONG THE CONNEMARAS.
A Sketch of the Irish Famine.

I was ordered to headquarters-an
invitation anything but complimentary.
L felt oE"codingly uncomfortable when
confronting my commanding officer in
the orderly room; instead of cordiality
he merely recognized me, frowned, and
whispered to old Trennery, the adjutant,
whom all of us subalterns hated cordi-
ally. Trennery was the perfection of
cavalry drill he paid no respect to
rank, title or anything else, and the way
he used to abuse us, when in adjutant
field day, would have gladdened the
heart of the bitterest Communist that
ever lived. They sent for my captain,
who, though his military and social rank
was high i'll the land and peerage, could
do nothing with old Trennery, who as
serted, III the most matter f-1act way, 1
had connived at the escape of Smith
OBrien, and hinted at the reason, sub
rosa. This was enough. The colonel
was furious at such plebeian insinua-
ton; [ became excited my captain
called in tho orderlies, and went to my
room to await further orders. Those
orders were read at night stables, that l
should Immediately join the squadrons,
under Sir William Russell, then stationed
namara mountains. Three days after l
reported myself ready for duty to the
officer, Sir William Russell, commanding
tbree squa'lrons of the Seventh Hussars.
AuwardlY | thanked the stars | had es-
capped old Trennery. I had necessarily
to undergo Il certain amount of what is
known III such benighted places as
messroom chaff"; but the state of that
mess on the first evening of my arrival
somewhat astounded me. Ny comrades
munched at bread crusts; there was no
wine, only small jugs of table beer. /
ordered from a batman some wine; he
said, politely enough, the messman had
none. | looked to the president of the
mess, who was, in fact, the officer COM
manJing, for an explanation.
"My dear boy" he exclaimed, in
subdued voice, "we have relinqllished
our mess Injuries for awhile, the de-
mands of our soup kitchens are 50 very
Imperative. You know there are thou
sands around us actually starving to
death"
"Starving to death Why, Sir Viii
liam, dined at the castle four nights
sgo and we had Indian meal pudding.
and were invited expressly to taste it by
the chamberlain at the request of his ex-
cellency. 1t was really delicious, and
his grace afterwards informed us, in a
nice little speech, that the Americans,
with a generosity beyond all praise, were
shipping cargo after cargo of it for the
relief of Ireland"
"Most true, my dear fellow" he re
piled, with sigh, "but the misfor-
tune is, Indian meal is not potatoes-and
they have not, neither viii they learn,
how to cook it"
"Why ?"
"Whyl simply, it is supposed to be
some invention to destroy them-some
idea that the English wish to poison
them. They call it Peel's Birthstone
and though there is, have no doubt,
enough of it in the country to sustain
the population--and it has been we'll dis
ributed-there is no one here or else
where to show them how to cook it. l
do get angry at times to see so many
starving people dying around us, day
after day, knowing full well they are
what can one do? / don't understand
how to cook the stuff myself-do youY 2"
| acknowledged my ignorance then,
little thinking how, in subsequent years,
that ignorance would be very considera-
bly, enlightened.
Well" continued Sir William, 81
have turned my troopers into sportsmen
after parade they are detailed off for
wild fowl shooting, and we have three
splendid soup kitchens, tell you, my
boy, and we are supporting them on
good solid broth, and not fighting them,
thepOor, good hearted souls as we were
last year, and between you and l,
Frank - but military discretion pre-
vented the completion of the sentence.
Sir William Russell, the lineal de-
scandant of the great man of that ilk,
had heart too great for the colossal
frame that inclosed it.
! was then, and still am, an habitually
early riser, and on the morning succeed
ing my arrival at the detachment, the
first opal blush in the eastern sky found
me in my bath !; but few minutes
more, with my hy-rod fixed, was step
ping out, happy as a bird, toward the
mountains which overshadowedt the small
village, in the center of which our bar
racks lay, with gloomy, forbidding
aspect. l passed one or two videttes in
ulI ploSiSSn, NIp1 uipOl piO OibihuiJ
challenge which l was prepared to an
swer, regarded with some degree of
The men looked hungry and
aud the dashing chargers of
a year ago hung their heads, and the
flank bones were painfully obtrusive. l
felt an oppressiveness in witnessing this,
that only what followed can explain.
Is it possible, L thought, that what
Sir William said can be truel That we
are in a land where people are dying of
That even our own troops
have to share the common fate? was
thus when 1 struck small
stream, and, arranging my
flies, commenced casting. The trout,
though not very large, rose eagerly to
the fly, and by the time I had ascended
to the summit had killed three parts of
a creelful of fair average brook trout.
Upon attaining the summit, found
that was on the immediate border of
an extensive lake. 1 threw rod, creel
and coat under the shadow of fallen
tree, and then myself, and, lulled by the
desolation of surrounding objects, /
must hn, I'm asleep,