The gist of most of the speeches which I heard, or heard of,
was, advising to hope, to firmness, to stand shoulder to shoulder, and a
counsel to be law-abiding, wrapped up in a little discreet blarney.
As we drove away in the direction of Carndonagh we passed on the way a
wing of the Ladies' Land League, marching home in procession two and
two. A goodly number of bareheaded sonsie lasses, wrapped in the
inevitable shawl; rather good-looking, healthy and rosy-cheeked were
they, with their hair snooded back, and gathered into braids sleek and
shining. Brown is the prevailing color of hair among the Irish girls in
the four counties I have partly passed through. These Land League
maidens reminded me of other processions of ladies which I have seen
marching in the temperance cause. They were half shame-faced, half
laughing, clinging to one another as if gathering their courage from
numbers.
Carndonagh, which we reached at last, is another clean, excessively
whitewashed little town, straggling up a side hill, with any amount of
mountains looming up in the near distance.
A little after we arrived the Carndonagh contingent of the police on
duty at the evictions came driving in, horses and men both having a
wilted look. The drivers came in for some abuse as they took their
horses out of the cars on the street. One old man could not at all
express what he felt, though he tried hard to do so, and screeched
himself hoarse in the attempt.
The police, as they alighted down off the cars, made for their barracks -
a tall white house standing sentry at a corner. As one entered, a
little child toddled out to meet him with outstretched arms. He stopped
to kiss and pet the child, looking fatherly and human. I am sure the
little kiss was sweet and welcome after the howls and hoots of the crowd
and the sarcastic eloquence of Miss McConigle. I pity the police; they
are under orders which they have to obey. I have never heard that they
have delighted in doing their odious duty harshly, and the bitter
contempt of the people is, I am sure, hard to bear.
XIV.
THE PEASANTRY - DEARTH OF CAR DRIVERS - A PRESBYTERIAN MINISTER'S OPINION
OF THE LAND LAWS - PADDY'S LAZINESS - ILLICIT WHISKEY.
After dinner at Cardonagh, went down to the establishment of Mrs. Binns,
an outlying branch of the great factory of Mr. Tillie, of Derry. Saw the
indoor workers, many in number and as busy as bees. Some of them were
very, very young. Mrs. Binns informed me that the times were harder in
this part of the country than a mere passer-by would ever suspect; that
the clothing to be worn when going out was so carefully kept, from the
ambition to look decent, that they appeared respectable, while at the
same time sorely pinched for food.
