244 DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 



descents John Grady's oar failed to get a grip and 

 he lost his balance. He fell upon his back, but 

 when he got his seat again he was pressing his 

 Sunday waistcoat as if the pain was under that ; 

 and so it proved. Bow was the next to be affected, 

 and the boat with fewer oars made less progress 

 but danced the more. The sergeant proved him- 

 self a resourceful man and quickly saw the necessity 

 of filling bow's seat if we were to round the island, 

 and himself volunteered to take it ; he rose to do 

 so and then sat down again. Mr M'Cabe was 

 roused at this and nearly rose, and I have no doubt 

 would have aided much if he had reached his 

 destination at the other end, but the need passed 

 away with bow seating himself to his work again. 



The grandeur of this headland, the rocks of which 

 tower up from depths below to heights where your 

 eye can scarcely reach from a boat that is being 

 tossed by the waters at their base, would have im- 

 pressed me more had the waves been kinder and 

 not played such havoc with the crew. 



Mike Malley, stroke, fought a noble fight with his 

 inner self and conquered. I was sitting opposite him 

 and was interested from start to finish. He wasted 

 no breath in talking, while wrestling with the foe, 

 although his cheeks puffed out as if he had much to 

 say. I was glad to see him smile once more not a 

 great effort and hear him say : " It's the currints 

 here that would make the divil himself sorry if he 

 iver wint to say, and sure yer honour would be bad 

 yerself if ye hadn't kept the whisky in ye." 

 Perhaps it was the tossing that upset the crew 

 for when we turned the next headland and had 

 smoother water, every man of them was himself 



