39 



on an outside car for that memorable drive over the high- 

 lands of Ireland to Gweedore. For rugged barrenness and 

 utter waste of rocky desolation, I doubt if anything in the 

 United Kingdom can be found to approach what we met 

 with in this long drive. 



Let me here explain that an " Irish mile " is in reality, 

 about equal to a mile and a quarter by oui" English measure- 

 ment — one of the few national institutions which have 

 escaped the reforming hand of "Saxon" ofKcialism ! 

 This drive of thirty Irish miles, over the Donegal moun- 

 tains, takes the traveller through the wildest and most 

 desolate portion of Ireland. There is too much of it for one 

 day's journey, but our car-driver intimated his intention 

 of making the return journey that same night. These 

 Irish car horses are made to do journeys which would not be 

 attemj.teU by an English driver. AVe eased our poor 

 beast by walking some of the steepest bits of road, and even 

 then our horse was knocked up when we were five mile.^ 

 short of our destination. Lough Veagh, shown in our 

 picture of the " Poison Glen," is a very pretty piece of trout 

 water, but the fish it contains are only small " brownies," 

 that are white-fleshed, and not particularly good eating. 

 Xt th(! bead of this valley stands a beautiful mansion 

 erected by the late Mr. Adair. There is a police barracks 

 at our end of the lake ; and when we express astonish- 

 ment to find such an establishment in this desolate wilder- 

 ness, we are reminded of the fierce conflicts which occurred 

 between Mr. Adair and his evicted tenants. He cleared the 

 whole countiy - side of its scattered population, and the 

 peasants ruthlessly retaliated by murdering his agents. 

 After some very stiff climbing, we eventually emerged 

 from a gorge where the Loughs Dunlewy and Nacung spread 

 out before us bathed in the golden rays of the setting sun. 

 This view was exceedingly beautiful, and, tired as we were, 

 we loitered to note the chief points of interest in this pan- 

 orama. I'pon arrival at Gweedore Hotel we were calmly 

 informed tlat there was no bedroom disengaged ! As we 

 had engaged our bedrooms ten days in advance, and had 

 wired from Belfast advising the hotel people of our cominii;, 



