The men were quartered in the houses of the
villagers, and the officers took rooms at the inn. Except when engaged
in expeditions to capture stills--of which they succeeded in finding
nearly a score--there was not much to do at Ballyporrit. All the
gentry resident within a wide circle called upon them, and invitations
to dinners and dances flowed in rapidly. As one officer was obliged to
remain always in the village with the detachment, Ralph seldom availed
himself of these invitations. O'Connor and Lieutenant Desmond were
both fond of society; and, as Ralph very much preferred staying
quietly in his quarters, he was always ready to volunteer to take duty
upon these occasions.
Ballyporrit lay within a mile of the sea, and Ralph, when he had
nothing else to do, frequently walked to the edge of the cliffs, and
sat there hour after hour watching the sea breaking among the rocks
three or four hundred feet below him, and the sea-birds flying here
and there over the water, and occasionally dashing down to its
surface. A few fishing boats could be seen, but it was seldom that a
distant sail was visible across the water; for not one vessel in those
days sailed for the west to every fifty that now cross the Atlantic.
The rocks upon which he sat rose in most places almost sheer up from
the edge of the sea; but occasionally they fell away, and a good
climber could make his way over the rough rocks and bowlders down to
the water's edge.
Pages:
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232