tion king," said Cahoon, "let them. It won't matter to us."

This showed me that Cahoon, at least, has a statesman's mind. In
unessential matters he is ready to yield to the sentiments of his
inferiors.

"I understand then," I said, "that the Lord Lieutenant with the purely
ornamental part of the Viceregal staff is to be allowed to remain on
the condition that he gives--shall we say eight balls and eight
dinner-parties every year?--and that every other Englishman leaves the
country at once. Those are your terms."

"And no more talk about Home Rule," said the Dean firmly.

"Very well," I said, "I'll start at once."

Bob Power was waiting for me in Conroy's motor when I had packed my
bag. The streets were very crowded as we drove through them, and the
people cheered us tremendously. It was the first time I had ever been
cheered, and I found the sensation agreeable. Besides cheering, the
crowd sang a great deal. Some one had composed a song especially for
the occasion, which had caught the fancy of the Belfast people, and
spread among them with wonderful rapidity. The tune, I am told, dates
from the days of the eighteenth-century volunteer movement.

"Do you think I'm a fool
To put up with Home Rule?
For I'm not, as you'll quickly discover, discover.
For soldier and rebel
I'm equally able;
I'll neither have one nor the t'other, the t'other."

As poetry this is scarcely equal to Dr. Isaac Watts' version of the
ninetieth of David's psalms. The rhyme of "rebel" with "able" is
defective, and "discover" and "other" jar rather badly; but poets of
high reputation have done worse in times of patriotic excitement, and
the thing expressed the feelings of the Belfast people with perfect
accuracy. A better poet might very well have failed to understand
them.

Bob and I made the sea-passage as short as possible by steaming to
Port Patrick. I spent an anxious half-hour while we passed through the
squadron of warships. Bob assured me that they would not do anything
to us. When I complained that they had a truculent and angry look
about them he said that that was nothing out of the common. All
warships look truculent. I dare say they do. Warfare has become much
more civilized and scientific than it used to be; but we cannot any
of us afford as yet to neglect the wisdom of the mediaeval Chinese.
They wore masks in order to terrify their foes. Our battleships are
evidently designed with the s