'Will you come out with me on revenue duty to-day, and try some
still-hunting?'
The speaker was the District Inspector of police at Lisnamore, where
I was spending my Long, as usual, some years ago. He was almost the
only civilized being within miles of us, and as I discovered he
hailed from the same public school as myself, we soon struck up an
acquaintance and saw a great deal of each other.
On the present occasion, however, I hesitated a moment before
accepting his invitation. The fact was, that it was his duty to
search for illicit whisky, and only part of his ordinary routine, so
that no one would think any the worse of him for doing it. But it
was not mine: I was very good friends with the peasantry all about,
and didn't wish to make myself unpopular by interfering with their
making 'a sup of putcheen,' when they liked. On the other hand there
wasn't the least chance of our finding any just then. The priests
had lately taken a dislike to the practice of the illicit trade as
having a deteriorating influence on their flock, and had preached a
crusade against it, and, what the police had been utterly powerless
to effect for years, they had accomplished in a couple of months. To
an Irishman it is a positive temptation to break the law--what else
is it for? But to disobey the priests, at the risk of his soul's
damnation, is quite another thing. So the convictions had dwindled
immediately, Fitzgerald told me, from twenty a week to none at all,
at which he was not a little chagrined, as besides being a sarcasm on
the efficacy of the civil as opposed to the religious arm, the
cessation of confiscations had deprived him of a source of income in
the royalty upon captures.
Under these circumstances it couldn't be much harm to accompany him
upon his rounds. It only meant walking a certain number of miles
through the surrounding bogs and mountains with a chance of an
occasional shot, so I said, 'All right, wait till I get my gun and
some cartridges, and I'm with you,' and we set off.
The construction of these private stills is primitive in the extreme,
as they consist almost entirely of a coil of copper piping called a
'worm,' for distilling the fermented barley. This is boiled, and,
passing through the 'worm,' which is placed in a tub of cold water,
the steam comes out at the other end raw spirit: the operation is
repeated a second time to increase the strength of the brew. The
potheen thus made, is, like all pure spirit, a colorless liquid.
But, when desired, it is colored by the simple process of taking a
red-hot poker and a lump of sugar-candy and dropping the burnt sugar
into the whisky until the required tinge is reached.
The most usual method of concealing the still when not in use is to
choose a lonely part of the mountain, cut a circular piece out of the
sod large enough to sink a barrel, containing the plant, and then
replace the sod. This hiding-place is called by the peasantry a
'coach,' probably from some corruption of the French _cache_, and the
only means of discovering its secret is that a trained eye can detect
the very slight difference between the color of the turf on the
circular patch and the grass around it. So, as may be imagined, it
is possible to walk a good many miles and pass a good many stills
without making any discovery.
Sometimes the barrel is concealed by sinking it at the end of a piece
of rope into a mountain lough; to the rope a thick piece of string is
attached; to that a thinner piece; to that again a piece of thread,
which is fastened round an ordinary bottle-cork. To recover the
barrel, it is necessary first to find the cork, and then to haul up
the lengths of increasing thickness until the original rope is
reached. Of course it is a hopeless task for any one not acquainted
with the exact spot of concealment to try and find one of these corks
except by tracking the owner.
An instance has even been known, when the barrel was sunk in the
middle of a highway, and the road levelled over it to look the same
as usual; a quick-eared policeman, however, noticed the hollow sound
as he drove over the place, and earned the praises of his superiors
and the curses of the owners by unearthing a fine cask of malt.
Fitzgerald and I were not so lucky; the only bag we made was a few
hares and snipe, and to get these we walked upwards of thirty miles.
We had six of Fitzgerald's policemen with us to help in our search,
fine long-legged men like all the members of the force. The D. I.
himself was considerably the smallest of the company, for naturally
the standard is not so high for the officers as for the ordinary rank
and file. So for the first fifteen miles he was clean out of it in
walking powers, but every mile after that length of stride told for
less and stamina for more, and by the end of the day Fitzgerald with
his long back and duck legs had walked us all to a standstill.
Our way lay across wild mountainous slopes clad in heather, varied by
swampy patches where the rushes grew thickly, and studded with large
boulders. Spread out on either side of us the policemen made a fine
line of beaters, which roused every living thing before us that there
was to rouse. To tell the truth we did not take the trouble to look
for much else, knowing it hopeless, and my adventures did not begin
until the business of the day was over.
It was in the evening on our return that we struck the coast a couple
of miles from home, near the Giants' Castle. This was an old ruin,
built on a projecting headland, concerning which the legends current
in the country-side were more numerous than I could mention. That
dearest to the minds of children and the simple peasantry about was
embodied in its name, and had its origin in the Cyclopean nature of
the masonry that yet remained. Another account had it that this was
one of the castles of the O'Donnells, the ancient kings of Ulster,
while yet later stories described its inhabitants as smugglers, who
had run many a valuable cargo at this out-of-the-way spot.
The Castle was built on an immense slab of rock which completely
overhung the sea, and a feature in all the legends was the existence
of a well at the outermost corner of the building, which was bored
clean through the solid rock with a perpendicular drop into the sea
beneath. In the legends of the Giants they had used this well as a
rubbish hole for the bones of the victims they had devoured; by the
O'Donnells it had been employed as a means of escape in time of
danger; while it was through its cavity that the smugglers had raised
their goods from the boats below. The champions of each account
clinched their several legends, with the triumphant argument, 'an' av
ye don't believe me, ye can go an' see far yersilf av the well isn't
there,' which of course was irrefutable.
Well, to return to my story, I wanted a specimen of the large
black-backed gull to stuff, and thought this a good opportunity of
getting one. It was their habit to come in round the cliffs at
sunset, and the well, which was now choked with rubbish, would make a
very good place to lie in wait for them; there was a breach in the
walls just at the corner where it was situated, which would afford an
opening for a shot when the birds came opposite to me, while I should
be completely concealed from them.
Fitzgerald was hungry, so he went on home with his policemen, and
left me sitting in the well. I was tired, and my moss-lined
resting-place proved so comfortable, that I fell asleep almost
immediately, and didn't wake until it was already too dark to be able
to see to shoot.
I started up, and was just going to clamber out of the hole, when I
heard the sound of voices near me, and presently perceived that just
when I least expected it, I had come across the owners of what was
probably the last still in the country-side.
There were about a dozen men sitting in a group, evidently waiting to
begin operations when it grew darker. It was even then too dark to
see their faces, but I could tell by their voices they were all the
worst characters of the neighborhood, most of them being fishermen
belonging to that part of the coast.
Why I didn't go up to them at once and explain matters I really
cannot tell, for I had nothing to fear from them. They all knew
'young Master Harry,' and under ordinary circumstances would not
dream of doing me any harm, or think that I should do them any. But
I suppose, remembering my occupation during the day, I had an uneasy
conscience. Besides, the danger they ran of excommunication might
render them rougher than usual. They certainly would not be pleased
to see me there, while I could tell by their tones that they had
already been partaking rather too freely of their own manufacture.
If I stopped where I was they would never be any the wiser, as some
scattered stones concealed me from them. I could tell from what they
said that the 'coach' where they had their still hidden, was close at
hand, and that they were going to fetch it soon; when they did, I
could slip out and get away unperceived.
But my plans were upset by an unforeseen accident. Once or twice
since I stood up in the well, I had heard a faint splash, as of earth
or stones dropping into the sea beneath, and now of a sudden the
ground under my feet gave way and disappeared with a sudden rushing
sound. Instinctively I dropped my gun, which I have never seen since
from that day to this, spread my arms out over each side of the hole,
and was left dangling there with my feet over the abyss.
I was in no further danger from that source, as I could easily draw
my body up onto the ground, but the sudden shock upset my nerve, and
caused me to take the most unwise course possible in my position, one
which I should never have chosen had I not been thus startled out of
my presence of mind. I scrambled up onto the level ground, and as I
saw the men coming towards me I dodged behind the outer wall of the
ruin and ran off as hard as I could.
Of course they saw me almost immediately, and in a moment I had the
whole crew yelling at my heels, making a clamor that sufficiently
attested their condition. I had a pretty fair start, and at first my
course lay along level ground. But presently I came to a dip, and I
took the slope at a pace that would have made my reputation forever
on the 'Varsity running-track.
But when I reached the bottom of the hollow I suddenly received a
check. The ground disappeared from under my feet for the second time
that day, and at the same instant rose up and hit me on the head. I
felt stunned by the shock, which almost rent me in pieces, but had
not time to indulge in luxuries just then, so without understanding
exactly how I did it, I pulled the ground down over me again, and
covered myself up not a moment too soon, as immediately afterwards I
heard my pursuers tearing past my place of concealment. It was
fortunate for me that the night was so dark, and their brains so
muddled, that the fact of their not seeing me when they reached the
top of the ridge did not rouse their suspicions, and they would go
some way before they found they had lost me.
When I had time for reflection I discovered I was in the same hole
with the smugglers' still. I had trod on the lid of the barrel which
worked on a swivel in the middle, and as I pitched forward the
opposite side had risen and caught me in the face; the wonder was it
had not taken the head off me. Besides that my legs had fared badly
amongst the smugglers' apparatus in the barrel, and my shins and
their 'worm' had done about an equal amount of damage to each other.
As I lay there rubbing my bruises, I bitterly regretted the foolish
impulse which had led me to take flight. If I had stood my ground at
first, the fishermen's knowledge of me would have preserved me from
the suspicion of spying on them and from consequent injury, but now
that I had provoked these suspicions and fully roused the latent
savagery of their natures, I could expect no better treatment than
the merest stranger, if I were caught; while in their drunken state
this chase after a human quarry would have such zest for them that
they would not easily abandon it.
This thought roused me to action, for soon they would be coming back
to the 'coach' for their still, and I should have grave reasons for
fear if they found me there in the midst of the _débris_ of their
property.
I crawled out of the barrel at once, but even then I was too late,
for already they were coming back and caught sight of me, and once
again they were in full cry after me.
This time I had a better start, but I was crippled by the injuries I
had received, and they gained upon me rapidly; to add to my troubles
the shouts of my pursuers were answered by others who had been
searching further afield and were now in front of me, and I found I
was surrounded on all sides except towards the sea.
For a moment I was in despair, but suddenly a memory of my boyish
days flashed across me, and I made straight for the cliffs. My
pursuers thought they had me safe, and shouted with drunken glee, for
the cliffs were fully two hundred feet in height and quite
perpendicular.
I struck the top at almost exactly the spot I intended, and quickly
found a narrow funnel-shaped ravine, down which I had often climbed
to fish when a boy; but this time there was no leisure to climb.
Digging my heels into the loose slack of the crumbling rock, and
pressing my elbows against the sides of the chimney, I let myself go
with a rush and roar of falling pebbles and slate, and arrived at the
bottom minus all the skin on my elbows, ribs, and knees. But this
bottom was in reality only a wide platform in a niche of the cliff
half-way down its side, which, as it proceeded, dwindled into a
narrow ledge on the face of the rock. Along this ledge I made my
way, until I finally arrived at a point where there was a gap
altogether of two or three feet in width, while the wall of the cliff
overhung the place so closely that it was impossible to cross the
break without going down on my hands and knees and crawling over it.
This peculiarity had earned the ledge the name of 'the dog's pass'
amongst the few who knew of its existence, or would dare its perils
for the sake of the rock-fishing to be had in the otherwise
unapproachable cove below.
Once I had got to the further side of the gap I felt comparatively
safe for the present, and, gathering some large stones, sat down a
couple of yards from its edge; the break occurred at a projecting
corner of the rock in such a position that any one on the other side
of it could not see me until he had crawled across it.
Presently I heard the noise of rattling stones, which told me that
one or more of my pursuers were descending the gully, but more
cautiously than I had done, and then came the sound of shuffling
footsteps along the ledge. There was a pause for a couple of
minutes, before a large hand was laid on my side of the gap; I
promptly dropped a rock upon it, and with a yell and a volley of
curses it was rapidly withdrawn.
After that I knew my citadel was safe from attack in that quarter as
there was a drop of over a hundred feet from the ledge onto the naked
rocks beneath, which, even in the condition they were in, none of the
smugglers would be very anxious to face. But I also knew that it was
only a question of time, until they fetched a boat from the adjacent
village, and took me in the rear from the side of the sea.
With a view to that event the sooner I was off the ledge the better,
lest I should be caught between two fires. From the point I had
reached the path sloped rapidly and easily down, and I was soon
standing on the rock-strewn shore.
And now what was the next thing to be done? Besides the plan of
hiding in one of the holes or caverns of the rocks, which was
ignominious, and could only delay my discovery for a short time,
there was only one other means of escape I could think of; a
desperate hazard it was at the best, but desperate diseases require
desperate remedies, so I made my preparations to take advantage of
the eventuality should it occur.
I didn't exactly know what I had to fear in the event of capture. I
could hardly suppose they would deliberately murder me, but I had no
wish to try the experiment. The fishermen on that coast are almost a
distinct race; they are incredibly savage for a civilized country in
this nineteenth century, and like most semi-barbarous people hold
human life in very light esteem, except when it is their own that is
in question. I had known more than one instance where a man had been
kicked or stoned to death in their drunken brawls. By this time they
must be thoroughly enraged with me, and what with drink and the
excitement of the chase, it was evident that the dogged pertinacity
of their characters was roused to the utmost.
About the middle of the cove in which I was standing, there was a
reef of rock running out into the sea, one side of which descended
abruptly into deep water, while on the other side it shelved
gradually, but the bottom was strewn with boulders, so that the point
of the reef was the only spot at which it was possible to land from a
boat.
To that point I proceeded; having first taken off my coat and boots,
and sunk them in the sea, I let myself gently down into the water,
and swam carefully along close under the reef, so that no one could
see me from above; then I hid myself close to the point, with
everything but my head underneath the water, and that covered with
seaweed.
Not long afterwards I saw the boat coming round the next headland,
and my heart gave a great leap, as I saw fortune had favored me in
the first step in that it was a sailing and not a rowing boat that
they had brought.
Quickly she neared the point, and half-a-dozen men leapt out, pushing
her off again at once and leaving two men in her, evidently to tack
about until they returned. Then I dived beneath the water, came up
by the stern of the boat, and before she gathered way I had twisted
my handkerchief in one of the iron hinges on which the rudder was
hung, and clinging to that, was towed through the water, taking care
the while to keep the rudder between me and the party on shore.
Happily too, it was not one of the whale boats ordinarily used for
fishing on the coast that they had got hold of, but an old-fashioned
pleasure-boat, half-decked, and with a projecting stern which hid me
from the steersman, so that I was safe from his observation as well.
One of the men remarked once that the boat sailed very heavily and
the rudder was very stiff, but the other seemed to think that that
was only to be expected of such a tub; so nothing further troubled me
beyond the smart of the salt water in my cuts, until the boat reached
the end of her stretch and tacked; then I let go my hold, and,
diving, rose within the shadow of the cliffs out of sight of my
enemies, and near a shelving promontory, where I landed.
After that I made the best of my way home, arriving there with no
bones broken indeed, but coatless, bootless, gunless, and in such a
state of bruises and abrasions as I believe man never was in before.
Since then I have gone on no more still-hunting expeditions.