142 THE UPPER RAPIDS. 



on which to dry their nets and build their 

 fish-houses. They had thus been able to 

 take complete possession of the mouth of 

 the estuary, extending their nets on stakes 

 some hundred yards into the sea from the 

 lands of Kildoney. This whole establish- 

 ment had now been at work some three or 

 four weeks, under the superintendence of an 

 agent. 



Hector of Kildoney must have been as bold 

 a man as his namesake of Troy ; for the tide 

 of popular feeling ran strong against him, 

 and that, in Ireland at least, is no joke. 

 The tenants were clamorous against what 

 they considered an invasion of their land- 

 lord's rights. The water-keepers were as 

 firm in their partizanship towards the renters 

 of the fishery; besides, they were quite aware 

 that if the fishery were destroyed their own 

 occupation was gone. The fishermen, of 

 course, were outrageous, and not very tem- 

 perate in their remarks, and equally, as a 

 matter of course, these feelings were partici- 

 pated in by their attendants' followers, and 

 followers' followers ; and, lastly, Hector was 

 a Scotchman and a Presbyterian, and as 

 such, obnoxious to the priests. 



