EVENING MEAL. 269 



the fire, a large, deep, red, flaraeless peat one, placed in the 

 middle of the floor. The room was rather spacious, and by 

 degrees you could make out various forms of men, women, 

 and children in the dingy distance. They are said to be 

 very kind to each other, and certainly on this occasion the 

 supply of potatoes seemed ample. They had been emptied 

 from the boiler into a large trough, into which the children 

 of the mist ever and anon extended their tarry paws. At 

 one time, I found somebody poking me between the side 

 and arm, and on turning round I found it was only a cow 

 wanting its accustomed share of the peat-fire, and to attain 

 this object it was very gently boring me with its left horn. 

 Several other cows, I afterwards found, by treading on 

 their tails and toes, were lying about the room, there being 

 here no invidious distinction between the housing of man 

 and beast. 



" About nine at night we came to a kind of farm-house, 

 near a lonely creek by the sea-shore, called Dalbeg, and 

 there we turned in. The gudewife made a thousand 

 apologies for want of preparation, but she soon produced 

 tea, trouts, honey, biscuits, scones, and oat-cakes. These 

 we despatched. On looking out, the sky seemed on fire, 

 as if the sun had come back again with a blue eye, after 

 kicking up a row in the west country. It was the aurora 

 in great magnificence. I went out for half an hour to 

 enjoy it and a cigar, and then returning, Mr P and I 



