CHAPTER XXXIII 



LITERARY WORK, ETC., 1887-1905 



LEAVING Quebec early in the morning of Friday, August 12, 

 after a week of cold and dull weather, we anchored at 6 a.m. 

 on the 17th off Portrush, on the north coast of Ireland, to 

 leave mails and passengers for Londonderry. Here and all 

 along this coast I gazed upon the intensely vivid green of the 

 grassy slopes, and for the first time understood the appro- 

 priateness of " Emerald Isle " as a name for Ireland ; for the 

 colour is altogether unique, and such as I have never seen 

 elsewhere. Two hours later we passed the grand range of 

 basaltic cliffs above the Giant's Causeway, and here, too, 

 all the grassy patches and slopes were of the same vivid tint. 

 Then the Mull of Cantire, in Scotland, came into view, and 

 later Port Patrick and the Mull of Galloway, just catching 

 sight of Ailsa Craig between them. In the afternoon we 

 passed south of the Isle of Man, and reached Liverpool late 

 at night, having thus seen a portion of the British Isles that 

 was quite new to me. Between 6 and 10 a.m. I managed 

 to get all my baggage through the Custom House and taken 

 to the station, had a good breakfast at the hotel, and was off 

 by the 11.5 a.m. express to London, then to Waterloo, and 

 home to Godalming at 5.30. 



On my way from Godalming old station to Frith Hill in 

 a fly, an extraordinary event happened. Suddenly I per- 

 ceived that the driver's coat was on fire behind — actually in 

 flames I I called out to him. He looked round, beat it with 

 his hands, said, "All right, sir!" and went on. After a few 

 minutes it began smoking again. I called out louder, it 



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