Olphert and his tenants, or with the
"boycotting" of Ballyconnell.

The dragoons from Dunfanaghy had just ridden away as we came up. They
had come over in full fig to show themselves, and to encourage the
respectable Catholics of Falcarragh, who side with their parish priest,
Father M'Fadden of Glena, and object to the vehement measures, promoted
by his young curate, Father Stephens, recently of Liverpool. The people
had received them with much satisfaction. "They had never seen the
cavalry before, and were much delighted!"

Before we sat down to luncheon young Mr. Olphert came in. It was curious
to see this quiet, well-bred young gentleman throw down his belt and his
revolver on the hall table, like his gloves and his umbrella. "Quite
like the Far West," I said. "And we are as far in the West as we can
get," he replied laughingly.

Our luncheon was excellent--so good, in fact, that we felt a kind of
remorse as if we had selfishly quartered ourselves upon a beleaguered
garrison. But Mr. Olphert said he had no fear of being starved out.
Personally he was, and always had been, on the best terms with the
people of Falcarragh. The older tenants, even now, if he met them
walking in the fields when no one was in sight, would come up and salute
him, and say how "disgusted" they were with what was going on. It was
the younger generation who were troublesome--more troublesome, he added,
to their own parish priest than they were to him. Three or four years
ago a returned American Irishman, an avowed unbeliever, but an active
Nationalist and one of Mr. Forster's "suspects," had come into the
neighbourhood and done his worst to break up the parish. He used to come
to Falcarragh on a Sunday, and get up on a stone outside the chapel
while Father M'Fadden was saying Mass or preaching, and harangue such
people as would listen to him, and caricature the priest and the sermon
going on within sound of his own voice. "I am myself a Protestant,"
said Mr. Olphert, "but I have a great respect for priests who do their
duty; and the conduct of Father M'Fadden of Gweedore, in countenancing
this man, who tried to overthrow the authority of Father M'Fadden of
Glena, excited my indignation. As to what is going on now," said Mr.
Olphert, "it is to Father M'Fadden of Gweedore, and to Father Stephens
here, that the trouble is chiefly to be charged." This tallies with what
I heard at Gweedore from my Galwegian acquaintance. He thought Mr.
Olphert,