Omaha daily bee., 1888-11-04
A VAST SETTLING CAULDRON.
The CIR eat Maelstrom Off the Coast
T.. -. of Norway. "'
THE INCARNATION OF DYNAMITE.
Two Beautiful Bays-The Wonderful
Spouting Rock-HobgoDlins ofthe .
Donegal Mountain Region
Ireland's North Coast.
Aroot.in Ireland.

tne region OF Ine biant ) SHuSe-
way and the Skerries, past the shining
mouth of Lough Foyle. our route lay
westward along the misty coast OF In
ishowen whose eternal mountain senti-
mel, Sieve Snaght, rises grim and
lonely above the gray fogs of the north;
and we were soon gliding between Ma
lin Head, the most northern mainland
ground of Ireland. and Ennistrahul, the
ultima thule of Irish islets towards Ice
land. It is through this wild ocean
path the steamer travels in her norther-
most way between America and Europe;
and as the mainland and island are less
than five miles apart, a noble view of
both may be enjoyed. The Head has
less wiidness and magnificence than any
portion of the Irish coast | have so far
seen. Yet, capped by its gigantic
lighthouse, its purples and grays,
broken by dark assures of lonely glens
and the deep blacks of cavern mouths,
rounding boldly into sea-walls of red, or
here and there into stretches of sand
dunes, intensified in their solitariness
by dreary hut or cabin; coupled with
glimpses of the wild and rocky crags Of
Ennistrahul, where as fearful II record
vi NItth lS htDU db ANoNu otolit
Sable Island, that sand-grave Of the
sea: give one a shudder of dread upon
the calmest waters beneath the fairest
sky.
Fair as that sky may be, danger is
ever near. This whole coast is but part
of the rim of a vast devils cauldron
whose contents seethe and whipl cease
lessly. The great gulf stream. de-
bouching from our own shores. sweeps
to the northeast across the Atlantic.
The mighty arctic current rushing
from polar seas between the eternal
ice-shores Of upper Scandinavia and
Iceland to the southwest, and meeting
the former, the great maelstrom
and the inconceivably tremen-
dous elemental struggles are
continued, in either direction towards
the southwest and northeast from the
vortex with lessening fury, as the bro
ken sea-forces loose somewhat their
awful power. Thus the entire north
west Irish coast is sklrmish-ground,
in advance and retreat, for these terri
BILE ocean conflicts; and its shores WV
idly suggest in their stony, steely,
jagged crag-teeth and heights, the
picture of some chained Titanic crea-
ture, growing, moaning and flashing
its worn fangs at the ceaseless savagery
of conflicts which through ages have
broken upon it in surprising oceanic
commissions. Well it is at these wild
times for the fishers and coasters that
| they scud behind the foamlngs and
| thunderings into the restless bosoms of
cove and lough; and we'll it was for US
that our canny skipper, tasting the
hell in the air. as he graphically put
it made all possible speed for the safe
waters of Lough Swilly, behind the
| sandy shores and hideous huts of the
| half-savage fishermen of Fannat Head.
And here occurred a little incident
| illustrating the fact that all the genuine
| banditti of civilization are not among
the guarda civil Of forlorn Cuba. No
sooner were we in safe anchorage than
| a boat-load of blue-b' oused pirates in her
| gentle majesty's service, put out from
| the great cOasS-guard station at Bun
crana, and with frowning looks and ac-
cusative mien, gave us all, with the
craft from stem to stern, n lively over
| hauling. Surely there was something
rakish, something positively treason
acle, in our unsavory little vessel. 1t
was correctly licensed. Everything
was according to requirements of the
stately board Of admiralty regulations.
| But alack and aha! its skipper was a
hated Irishman from the west coast. BY
token Of nature, heredity and history,
| here was crime. Far. more dire than
all that, was the culpable fact that his
only passenger was an American, and
| that one browner, grimer and more
wild Irish skipper himself Here could
be no less than the very incarnation of
dynamite. They accordingly ap-
preached me with caution and severity
| commensurate with the certain import
ance of this luckily-found Balfourian
prize.
company ye're in the day!" This men
acingly to the skipper, who really be-
gan to feel cause for alarm). "An' wud
ye step ford like man, an guv rock
water account o. y'rsel'?-with many
other scornful queries and portentious
commands were showered upon me
| glibly. l never before so thoroughly
appreciated good Mr.. Bayard's majestic
passport parchments as at that lumin.
Gus moment. And / took my own time
about releasing it from its great blue
envelope, That done,I unfolded its two
cross-folds with positive dignity; the
conscious, operative dignity of easy and
negligent delay. Then, as the sun was
shining across Aileach down over the
Swilly basin through delicate mists
until the whole space was flooded witt
light like IL goblet of amber wine
l suddenly lifted the yard-squart
document between our tormentors ant
the southern sun. For moment was
myself enthralled in its pridoful con
temptation. There sat the American
eaglelike anaggressively y-detensive set
ting hen, rising in fury upon her dis
heveled nest, her naughty head ani
Kissing open beak disturbing the uppe1
air, her right claw as il clutchins
blades of mouldy hay, her lett gripins
thunderbolts and arrows, and below her
startling nebule OF stars, like s
spilled nestful Of flashing eggs tum
bling into space beneath.
"Aha!' faith an its aigle bird, goo,
for sore eyes. Ye can fairly sec he
scrame!" shouted my skipper gleefully
and with mighty reinsurance.
1t should have quailed them; and i
did TO the degree that they Withdrew
for sullen counsel.
Faith an it's the 'bobs' the spal
poems are wantin';" whispered my skip
per, now itching for dilcmmas.
But gave them the "bobs,"a shill
ing apiece, with my CHEEKY compli
ments.
"Belikes ye're quare traveler!" the,