200 DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 



that wouldn't keep gintlemen waiting ; good luck to 

 yer honours, and may the divil take the driver that 

 should be minding pigs.' 



With this he pulled his horse to the side and gave 

 us room to pass. Pat took advantage of this without 

 response, and, though he had a few remarks for us, 

 he gave most attention to his horse, which needed 

 more of it than Kitty had done. 



We found the boatmen busy covering with coarse 

 sacking those portions of their boat which had, on 

 the previous day, been so generous to our hands and 

 clothes with that black, sticky stuff which some 

 time during a hot day is nearly sure to make good 

 its effort to produce a smudge upon the face, more 

 probably near the eye or on the nose. I rather hke 

 the smell of tar, and am fortunate in that, as I want 

 to make the Norfolk suit I am wearing last the trip; 

 and at present it smells very strong. 



The air on the beach was not inviting, but, when 

 out beyond the sand-bar and we were lifted high on 

 the smooth rolling waves to gUde down to troughs 

 that filled at our coming ana raised us again, we 

 got whiffs of pure salty breezes. The waves sped 

 us on our way, ajid soon we were paying out our lines 

 some two miles up the rocky coast. I noticed that 

 our boatmen had left their fishing gear at home, and, 

 judging by the difference in their manner, while 

 yesterday they had wished to be benevolently neutral 

 until such time as their lines were needed, to-day they 

 pinned their faith to ours. Waiting silence was changed 

 to talk of rocky homes in useful depths that excited 

 hopes of fish, and yet seemed free from the Irish 

 readiness to favour your fondest wishes. 



The waves broke upon the cliffs with a pleasant 

 clash and then fell back seething with the impact, 

 giving a varied movement to the lures we were trund- 

 ling through the sparkling water. What fish could 

 sleep while Nature moved the sea \vith soft south 



