THE IRISH ARAN, 49 
bucket of water to keep them pliable and enable them to cling 
closely to the foot. 
The race isa prolific one, and the population is only kept within 
bounds by emigration to America, certain districts of which are 
chiefly peopled from these islands. The women mostly stay there, 
but the men frequently return ; they find the streets too wide, and 
cannot endure the boots—they want their pampoutties again. 
We found the people to be as a rule both hospitable and obliging, 
and the begging propensities mostly confined to the children. We 
were much indebted to Mr. Kilbride, the Protestant rector, and to 
Mr. Keen, the only doctor on the three islands, for help and 
information. 
The people are to some extent superstitious, but my ignorance 
of Erse, which is the only language spoken by many of them, 
prevented my gaining much knowledge of the folk-lore. I was, 
however, shown pools said to be inhabited by strange monsters, 
and told that they very frequently see enchanted lands out in the 
ocean to the west ; probably this is the remnant of a tradition of 
the fabled continent of Atlantis. 
