"The pig that we meant
To drynurse in the parlor to pay off the rent."
The pig is becoming an institution of the past. I was told by a
gentleman of the first respectability in Derry, that sucking pigs are
sold in that market for thirty shillings. These would be precious to the
peasant if he had them, but he has not, nor means to get them. This
great resource for paying the rent is gone.
Up the Lough we sailed into beautiful Ramelton, an exceptionally pretty,
clean little place, boasting of a very nicely kept hotel. The scenery
all around is delightful. Across the Lannon River, on the banks of which
is one of the principal streets, is a lofty ridge crowned with grand
trees. The Lannon runs into Lough Swilly, and is affected by the ebb and
flow of the tide. The trees on the ridge are tenanted by a thriving
colony of rooks, very busy just now with their spring work. Two
delightful roads, one above another, run along the brow of the hill
under the shade of the trees.
I discovered that rooks know a great deal; that there is infinite
variety of meaning in their caw. The young couples who are starting
housekeeping have not only to provide materials and build their homes,
but to defend their property at every stage from the rapacity of their
neighbors.
