DAYS STOLEN FOR SPORT 257 



I told him where we had been and of our day's 

 doings. 



" Rough diamond, Darby Green, but of the right 

 water. You were lucky to get here to-night, Mr 

 Geen." 



" And delighted, I assure you, Mr Shimmer." 



" You could not have seen my name on a box, Mr 

 Geen, as I did yours. Perhaps Macdonnell has 

 told you my business, too." 



4< He has, and I am hoping to get information 

 from you that will prevent our being stranded on 

 another Inishbofin." 



After dinner we adjourned to the landlord's sanc- 

 tum, where we had a most enjoyable chat. "The 

 Chairman of our Board and the Chief Secretary for 

 Ireland were at Clare Island a few days since; did 

 you see them ? " said Mr Shimmer. 



"Yes, we did," I said, "and were much amused 

 by their doings. They first inspected Grace 

 O'Malley's castle but their stay inside was for a 

 moment only and then all their followers went in 

 and came out as quickly. I was not surprised, for 

 my son and I had come out from there in great 

 haste. The chief interest seemed centred on, I 

 should say "in," the empty fish casks on the quay. 

 The right honourable gentleman looked into quite 

 a number, and, wherever his nose went, your chair- 

 man's followed, and, after his, all the other noses. 

 Quite an imposing procession started, with deter- 

 mined strides, to climb the hill to get a general 

 view of the Board's work but the determination 

 of the start lessened rather quickly and soon ended 

 in a halt and turn that brought it down again. An 

 inspection was then made of the boats on shore. 



