velling in county Mayo is a
very considerable modification of the opinion formed at the first
glance at this, the most disaffected part of Ireland. On reaching
Claremorris, in the heart of the most disturbed district, I certainly
felt, and not for the first time, that as one approaches a spot in
which law and order are supposed to be suspended the sense of alarm
and insecurity diminishes, to put it mathematically, "as the square of
the distances." Even after a rapid survey of this part of the West I
cannot help contrasting the state of public opinion here with that
prevailing in Dublin. In the capital--outside of "the Castle," where
moderate counsels prevail--the alarmists appear to have it all their
own way. I was told gravely that there was no longer any security for
life or property in the West; that county Mayo was like Tipperary in
the old time, "only more so;" and that if I would go lurking about
Lough Mask and Lough Corrib it was impossible to prevent me; but that
the chances of return were, to say the least, remote. It was in vain
that I pointed out that every stone wall did not hide an assassin, and
that strangers and others not connected either directly or indirectly
with the land were probably as safe, if not safer, on a high road in
Mayo than in Sackville-street, Dublin. It was admitted that,
theoretically, I was quite in the right; but that like many other
theorists I might find my theory break down in practice. I was
entertained with a full account of the way in which assassinations are
conducted in the livelier counties of Ireland, and great stress was
laid upon the fact that the assassins were always well primed with
"the wine of the country," that is to say whisky, of similar quality
to that known in New York as "fighting rum," "Jersey lightning," or
"torchlight procession." It was then impressed upon me that
half-drunken assassins, specially imported from a distant part of the
county to shoot a landlord or agent, might easily mistake a stranger
for the obnoxious person and shoot him accordingly, just as the
unlucky driver was hit in Kerry the other day instead of the land
agent. Furthermore, I was taken to a gunsmith's in Dawson-street,
where I was assured that the sale of firearms had been and was
remarkably brisk, the chief demand being for full-sized revolvers and
double-barrelled carbines. The weapon chiefly recommended was one of
the latter, with a large smooth bore for carrying buck-shot and
spre