ir up to
that time. We could not see down the main street, but we could hear the
smashing of glass windows and the rattling of stones could be easily made
out. And then came our surprise. Suddenly our little side street became
full of men and women, rushing towards the main street, no doubt to
obtain further points of advantage. I can see the women now, holding
their petticoats up with both hands, in which the munitions of war in the
shape of road metal were being carried, and from which the men helped
themselves as they wanted. They came straight at us. What could twelve
men do on horseback against such a rush? They were on us, round us,
through us, before we could get our breath. I suddenly felt one of my
feet had been taken out of the stirrup-iron, and the next thing was that
I was pulled out of my saddle and fell, to my surprise, on something
comparatively soft. It happened to be a lady who was paying me this
delicate attention, and, as I fell on her, she sat down on the ground,
dropped her petticoat out of her hand, and out fell her stock of
munitions. It was some little time before she found breath sufficient for
her to let me know just what she thought of me for coming there to
"interfere with their business." I must have hurt her and annoyed her,
for as I got up and was just mounting my horse, which one of the troopers
was holding, the lady, a big strapping, fine Irishwoman, picked herself
up off the ground, seized the handiest piece of road metal, and threw it,
from about three yards away, at the back of my head.

I saw nothing more of the procession that day. I heard no more sounds of
revelry. I woke up, late in the afternoon, not in my little side-street
but in a very comfortable bed with my head duly bandaged and a nurse
sitting alongside of me. I didn't ask why or wherefore I was there. I
felt it. All I said to her was, "One whisky and soda, please, quick!"
which she brought and which I drank, and then she told me that it had
been reported that the tail end of the procession had reached the
cathedral at last. So all was well. I bear that honourable scar to this
day.

CHAPTER X

SPORT IN IRELAND

Roller-skating had become the fashion in England, and three or four of us
became anxious to introduce it into Ireland. We formed a small company
and appointed our directors, whose business knowledge was about equal to
their knowledge of the art of roller-skating at that moment. However, all
went well. T