i82 DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 



CHAPTER XVIII 



A GRAND TIME IN CONNEMARA — BONIFACE AND HIS 

 GUESTS — PAT AND KITTY — BRIAN O'mALLEY 



Ireland stands foremost, next after my native 

 Devon, to inspire thoughts of happy days among 

 fun-loving folk with roguish faces and twinkling 

 eyes. It may be that my upbringing under the close 

 influence of a man who was always boyish, as the 

 Irish are, and very Irish in wit and manner, may 

 be held accountable for this, or he may have had 

 Irish blood within his veins, some of which be gave 

 to me. 



A profound remark from a child's tongue caused 

 an astonished father to observe that his prodigy 

 must have had some prior existence. Now if this 

 be possible, within the realms of Nature's ordering, 

 there comes in the chance that I have been an Irish- 

 man, or shall be if the whirligig goes on. WTio can 

 be more pleased to tread Irish soil, who happier on an 

 Irish car, who loves the blarney more, or goes oftener 

 to fish Irish streams than I? 



My boys need a breath or t\vo of the Old Country's 

 air occasionally, almost as much as I do, and it's the 

 one we call Harry that is drooping for it now; so 

 we are off, and it's a fine time we intend having in 

 Connemara. 



• ;Mid-September is a little late for a start on a 

 somewhat lengthened tour during which, if Fortune 

 favours us with weather fitting, we are going to test 

 the charts that tell the depths where pollack should 

 be found round many an island 'twixt AchiU and 

 Arranmore. 



Eight days of wind and rain, wind that meant 



