, 1888-11-15
AFLOAT IN IRELAND
Held Up by a Band Of Irish
Coast Banditti.
Beautiful Scenery Among the
Wild Loughs.
A Coasting Trip to DoucgaI--Idioms Of the
Irish--I.ife In tio "Ouid Sod"
Fidelity In Courtsbip.

From the region or the uiahts y Cause'
way and the Skerries, past the shining
mouth Of Lough Foyie, our route lay west
ward along the misty coast OF lnishowen
whose eternal mountain sentinel, SLEEVE
Snai9ht, rises grim and lonely above the
gray fogs of the north; and we were soon
gliding between Malin Head, the most
northern mainland ground OF Ireland,
and Ennistrahul, the ultima thule OF Irish
islets toward Iceland. 1t is through this
ocean path the steamers travel in their
northernmost way between America and
Europe; and as the mainland and islands
are less than five miles apart, a noble view
of both may be enjoyed. The Head has
less wildness and magnificence than any
portion of the Irish coast ] have so far
seen. Yet, capped by Its gigantic light
house, its purples and grays, broken by
dark assures of lonely glens and the deep
blacks sf cavern mouths, rounding boldly
into a-walls or red, or here and there
into stretches Of sand dunes. intensified in
their solitarineas by q dreary hut or cabin
coupled with glimpses of the wild and
rocky craes OF Ennistrahul. where as fear
full record of wreck is kept as at Nova
Scotias Sable Island, that sand-grav 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 vast DEVILS caldron whose con-
tents seethe and whirl ceaselessly. The
great gulf stream, debouching from our
own shores, sweeps to the northeast across
the Atlantic. The mighty Arctic current
rushing from the polar seas between the
eternal ice-shores of Upper Scandinavia
and iceland to the southwest, and meeting
the former, the great maelstrom off the
Norway coast is formed; and the incon-
ceivably tremendous elemental struggles
are continued, in either direction toward
the southwest and northeast from the yor-
tex with lessening fury, as the broken sea-
forces lose somewhat their awful power.
Thus the entire northwest Irish coast is
skirmish-ground, in advance and retreat,
for these terrible ocean conflicts; and its
shores vividly suggest in their stony,
steely, Jagged crag teeth and heights. the
picture of some chained Titanic creature
growing, moaning and flashing its worn
fanQs at the ceaseess savagery OF conflicts
which through ages have broken upon it's
SURPRISING oceanic convulsiens. Well it is
all these wild times for the fishers and
coasters that they scud behind the foam
ings and thunderings into the restless
bosom of cove or lough; and we'll is it 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 shore
and hideous huis Of the half.savage fisher
men of Fannat Head.
And here occurred little incident il.
lustrating the fact that all the genuine
banditti Of civilization are not among the
Ruarda civil OF forlorn Cuba. No sooner
were we in safe anchorage than a
boat-load of blue.bloused pirates in her
gentle majesty's service put out from the
great coast guard station at Bunciana, and
with frowning looks and accusative mien
gave US all, with the craft from stem to
stern, lively overhauling. Surely there
was something rakish. something positive
ly reasonable, in our unsavory little ves-
sci. II was correctly licensed. Everything
was according TO requirement Of the state.
ly board of admiralty regulations. But.
alack and aha! its skipper was hated
lrishman from the west coast. BY token
of nature, heredity and history. here was
crime. Far more dire than all that, was
the cu pable fact that his only passenger
was an American. and that one browner,
Qrimicr and more travel-stained and fero.
cious than the wild Irish skipper himself
Here could be no less than the very incar-
nation of dynamite. They accordingly APP
proaced me with caution and severity
Commensurate with the certain Import
ance Of this luckily fonnd Balfourian
prize.
'An' whew ar YEP" "An' it's fine
company ye'r'e in the day!" This men
acingly to the skipper, who really began
to feel cause for alarm.) "An' wud ye
step ford like a man an guv rock-water
account O. y'rsel ?"-with many other
scornful queries and portentious COM
mands, were showered upon me glibly.
! never before 80 thoroughly appreciated
good Mr.. Bayard's majestic passport
parchments as at that luminous moment.
And took my own time about releasing
it from its great blue envelope. That
done. 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 wide Swilly basin,
through delicate mists. until the whole
space was flooded with light like goblet
Of amber wine, suddenly lifted the yard
square document between our tormenters
and the southern sun. Fer q moment ]
was myself entbralled in its prideful con-
temptation. There sat the American
eagle like an aeRressively defensive set
ting. g.hen, rising in fury upon her dis.
heveled nest, her haughty head and
kissing open beak disturbing the upper
air. her right claw as il clutchiug blades
of mouldy hay, her left gripping thunder
bolts and arrows. and below her,
startled nebule of stars, like spilled
nestful of eggs tumbling into space be.
meath.
"Aha!--faith an its the aigle. bird, good
for sore eyes. Ye can fairly see her
scrame" shouted my skipper Rleefully,
and with mighty reinsurance.
IL should have quailed them; and it did
TO the degree that they withdrew for sui
len counsel.
Faith an it's the 'bobs' the spalpeens
.re wantin':" whispered my skipper now
itching for dilemmas.