"The Poaching Earl."

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13644, 11 July 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

"The Poaching Earl."

(By G. I. Hewson.) Mv name's John Sullivan —Long John they call me , just to distinguish me from the rest of the local John Sullivans round, spalpeens that don't come up to my shoulder. Well, I've been a bog-ranger and waterbaliff these fifteen years or more, "and what I don't know about poaching and <mimnn isn't worth knowing—not. here on the Oola river, anyway. But the smartest bit of poaching work ever you see, or heard of, either, was done on this river forninst my own eyes. The Oola is a short river about seven miles long, draining a couple of mountain uw jnto the sea. It wasn't much known, either; not in those days, anyway, but the dmL a finer bit of water for its length and breadth you ever wet a line on. February, and March were the best months, and the fish ran so big and were that strong, fresh from the sea, that 'twould take a small bull to honld wan of them. Anyway, soma years back, when I was about the age of a man, salmon fishing was easy to get, and was that chape you could buy the fishing of a houl for half the - price of an ould cow. Well, some Englishman, a lord he was, I heard after, bought up the houl fishing rights of the , Oola, nets and all thrown in, and I got the job as head bailiff, which 1 hould to this very day. Well, when Lord Crawford (that was my master's name) got possession, he knocked off all the nets, and a grand job it was for the river. My master never ■wet a line in the Oola all these years, but used to send over his friends to fish it nearly every season, though some years 'twas never fished, at all. Well, after a time, with what very little fishing, less poaching, and no netting, the fish was that plintiful they were actually jostling wan another, and when the water was fit, there was no knowing what a good man would kill. Now, through all this time, though I got my month's cheque nate and regular from Lord Crawford, not so much aa wan eye did I ever lay on hhn, and if I jn«t him I wouldn't know him from Saint Patrick. 'Twas the 20th of January,' I remember it well—for wasn't it fair day at Ruthduane—so in I went with my couple of pigs, and a good price there was for them +W. self-same day. Well, I had my money in my pocket, and just went into Mrs. Maloney's, which public-house and post-offlce wae all in wan, to get a small drop of the crathur to warm myself and shorten the road home to Kilmore. "Good-morra, Mrs. Moloney," savs L " Good-morra," kindly says she. " Cold weather we're havin, ma'am," Bays I. " 'Tie so, thanks be to God," says she, and with that she handed me out a letter, 'which I put in my pocket and off home with me. I always gob a letter from his lordship about this time, just before the opening of the fishing on the Oola, which was on the Ist of February, telling me whether any gintlemen were coming to fisch, and to get the lodge at Kilmore ready for them. When I got home I told my ould woman I had his lirdship's letter, which I opened, but hardly wan word could the two of us make out, the writing was that quare. So we had to send out for one of the neighbours more larned than ourselves to read it. 'Twas from his lordship sure enough, saying that this year he would coma to fish the river himself for the first tame, but he wouldn't come till the Ist March, so as to give time for plinty of salmon to run trp. Some days after—the day before the river opened, it was—l was down watching the river, and, coming up to the bridge ■ whiclr CTOsses it on the -Kathdune Boad, I stood watching the pool below me to see if .a salmon would throw himself. The whole river was a sight with fish from top to. bottom, and I was sorry his lordship would not be there for the opening day. Soon I heard a car coming from the direction of town, and shortly after it came into view, and the farmer pulled up his horse on the bridge. There were two gintlemen on the car and I heard the jarvery say to wan of thim: • "There's the very man your lordship was aring ttia about—long John Sullivan, The gintlemen looked round, the water-bailiff." , "Here, my man," says he, "I'm Lord Crawford, and I've changed my mind, and here I am in time to fish the opening day on the Oola." I " Welcome, my lord," says I, "welcome to Kilmore."

"Thank yon, my man," says he. Away they drove tip to the lodge, and I hurried after them as quick as I could, when the thought* struck me that all the gmtlemen who- had ever come to fish told me Lord Crawford was a middle-aged man, ntont, and not too tall. But Lord Crawford as I saw him in the car was no more than thirty years of age, anyway, well up to six feet' high, and so straight yon d think he swallowed a ramrod every morning for his breakfastWhen I came np to the lodge I unlocked the door and welcomed them in. •What more could I do before the jarvey ? Well, when his lordship had paid off the car, and I had brought all thim bags, guns and rod-cases into the house, I s®? 8: _ ' . " Beg pardon, my lord, if I may make so bould on your" honour as to ax you, for some certificate or ivMence that yon are Lord Crawford, my master, and no other man- I've never seen your honour before," savs.l, ."and I want to make sure of you before you wet a line on the Oola that his lordship and his friend roared laughing. • "WiMman," said-his lordship, did yon ever before or since hear theilike, the man actually wants me to proved am myself. "Well, my.man," says he, 'Tm glad ta we von dome my duty," says he, and with that he pulls out a bundle of letters from his pocket. "Bead these." says he. SmnTof them were- addressed to the Earl of Crawford, Springfort Hall, Chest*r and mor* of them to Lord Crawford. Springfort Hall, Chester. That was his address, sure enough; well I Then he pulls out his card case, on which to engraved the Earl of Crawford, and his cards printed the same way. Heipomted to his bags and gun-cases, which had his name painted on them all. "Beez pardon, my lord, savs I, that s enough ividence for me, and T hope your lordshio won't- blame me. I ve heard of taken in like that before now So I made them welcome and sent for mv daughter and my ould woman.- and thev soon ** them sitting down to a fine" meal of hot cream cakes, eggs and tea before the bie truf foe. Soon after swing all wns reactv for the night. I wished them pood evening, and left them with ' orders to be Teady to start at eight o clock next morning. So home I went and told my onld tt»Wn the haul thine, and got called an ould fool for mv trouble. _ I was np earlv next mormnsr, and a crand 'day it was. . There had been a. 'light frr ><* the- nifht before, an" now it •wafl all gone: there was a nice wind blowinsr straight in from the W**. against the flow of the river, which is the best wind yon can have. The water was just the right height, too. and iMmew it ■would make a sweeping day for fish. About seven o'clock T went np to the lodge, and soon mv onld woman had the fire going and n slashing Tireakfast of hot cakes, eggs, and bacon Teady, and ! never saw two men eat more in my life than hi lordship and his friend Captain Wildjnan. , „ "Great place for an appetite, my man,

says his lardship, while I was putting their rods together." " 'Tis so, my lord," says I. " You have either the mountain or the sea air to choose from, and. not wan penny extra need yon pay." They seemed in no hurry to get to the river, and, after breakfast, stood outside the door smoking their pipes admiring the view, and a grand sight it was, too. Tlia great heather-clad mountains rising on either side of the river, their lower

slopes ablaze with yellow furze. The broad silver- band of the rushing rifer be-

low, getting smaller and smaller as the eye followed-its winding course westward, till it was lost in the sea five miles away. 1 had their rods put together by this time, and faith them were the rods. I never saw the like; very light they were, but as 6trong as steel; and Captain Wildman told me his rod had a steel centre all

through, and I believed him well. But 'twas them flies that knocked me speechless altogether. You could count them by the hundred, and some of them were that large and fierce-looking with double books and every colour in the rainbow, that they'd put the fear of God in every salmon in the river. " There isn't one single fly in the houl lot your honour," says I, "that's any use here*; but I have plinty of my own tying that will do the work." So I mounted one of me own flies on each casting line, and away we started for the river.

> I've seen every kind of angler, good and bad, gintle and simple, but the divil a man ever I seen could hould a candle to his lordship and the captain. It did my heart good to see them covering the pools. They had luck, too, by gorra! What is fishing if yon have no luck T Every salmon they rose' used to roll up with a rush and take their fiy as if his very life depended on it; they gave their fish great time, too, and always let him take the fly down before striking

him, and the hook went home in a good hould ivery time. They played their fish fierce hard, and you'd think something would burst every minute, and I often had the gaff home and the fish on the bank before he knew whether he'd' been hooked or not. i

Well, they fished all day, and killed seventeen salmon between them. These

were at once packed in fish boxes, which had come down by train, and sent off to the English market. They fished hard all day, and all night they played cards—ecarty they called, it—and sure doesn't the King bate his own ace in it; and drink, I never saw two men get outside so much whisky in my life. His lordship got ft all up on credit from Rathduane. Faith, they nearly drank the place dry. And not wan penny did they ever pay for it either.

And so the days went on. Wet or, dry they fished, and hardly wan blank day. Every evening off went the fish to the English markets, and a great price it made. Sure, wasn't it four shillings a pound all through that self-same month of February. Whenever the river was too high or in flood, they went on the mountains after cock. I always had a brace of good dogs, and God help the cock or snipe either, that got up before them, they wouldn't miss one bird in a houl week, and any day we shot I could hardly stagger down the mountain in the evening with the load of birds on my back, and they were all sent to the market the same as the salmon.

After they had been at Kilmore something over three weeks, his lordship gave me orders to have a car ready in the morning of the twenty-seventh, after seeing the two of them to the river, I went into Rathduane to order the car. I wasn't leng in town when the sergeant of police comes up to me. "Long John," says he, "there's a gintleman came in last night by the train, he's below at McCarthy's Hotel now, and wants, to see you."

" Who is he, sargeant " says I. "Lord Somebody or other," says he, "but begorra! I forget his name." Down we went the two of us to the hotel, and the sergeant sent in word to tell his' lordship I was below. Down he comes in a minute.

" Well, my man," 6ays he, "I hope you've got everything ready for me out at Kilmore, according to the orders I sent you last month?" "Beg pardon, sir," says I. "If I might make so bould, to ax who you are?" "I'm Lord Crawford," says he.

"Beg pardon, sir, says I, "woul yon be so kind as to prove your identity, not that I doubt your lordship's -word for a moment. But there are a lot - of lords comiig to Rafchduane this year, and bedad I might get mixed Bp." " What do you mean?" says he. "Oh, nothing at all, my lord," says I. So Mr McCarthy, the owner of the hotel was sent for.

" McCarthy," flays his lordship, "kindly oblige by teling this man who I am.". " Yon're Lord Crawford," says he. Then he shows me his letters and his card-case and his bags, all with his name and address on them, just the Game as my master's out at Kilmore. "Beg pardon, my lord," says I, "that is evndence enough for me, and I bid you welcome to Kilmore, but not having ever seen your lordship before, I wanted to make sure." ■ ■ "That's all right* my man," says he "Is there any prospect of fish?" "There's plinty of salmon, my lord," says I, "but begorra! there's two fish out at Kilmore,-" says I, "that I fear will be more than a match for yonr honour." His lordship ordered a car. to be ready in half-an-honr, and told me I could drive out with him. I thought in my own mind that whichever lord was the right lord, I'd lose my job, so says 1 to myself 111 bring the two of thim face to face, and then they can square their differences j between thimselves. Anyhow I "ed the icrtreant to drive out to Kilmore after his lordship's car, as l tould him_ that I was afeared he and a couple of men ■S 1 m io,a,Mp .I«r tu., we were soon driving away in the direction of Kilmore, his lordship asking me questions all the way about the river and the shooting. 1 told him iveiything, but not wan word of the two gintlemen he was to meet when he got to the lodge. The sergeant and his car of police caught us up before we had gone two miles of the road, and, kept behind us right to the lodge gate, where they pulled np while we drove np to the door Down my lord jnmps off the car, and 1 opened the hall door for him. When he saw the table laid for two, the guns and bags and things, he says; . " Here, my man, what's the meaning of

this?" * t " Meaning of what*, my lord. says I- " Somebody is living here in my house, says he. Then he goes into the fish house, where some fish were lying. killing my salmon?" he roared. mats what I want to know." "Mv lord," savs I. "Wan Lord Crawford 'and his friend I've had here this past month fishing and shooting, and now I've' another Lord Crawford, come to fish, and, when I bring the two_ of ye face to face, 'tis for ye to settle beween ye who is the Teal lord and who isnt, for 'tis more than I can do." The words weren't out of my mouth when in walks the first lord and the captain, carrying a couple of with the sergeant at' the heels of them?"^ "Who is this fellow, Long John?" " That's what I want to find out myself, my lord," says I "and you're the man that I expected to do the trick." " I'll have yon know, 6ir," said the second lord, "that I am Earl of Crawford, of Springfort Hall, Chestelr, and this is, my house and my land, and that those are my salmon you are carrying, 3nd what's more, sir t IH give you in

charge for poaching my river and impersonating me." "Is that all?" says the first lord taking hould of him by the neck and shaking him-till''l thought his teeth -would drop out. " I'll teach you, sir, to take away my character." And with that he threw him nearly, black in the face across the room.

•■Come, gintleinen," says the sergeant, "no violence, if you plaze." " Take this imposter in charge, sergeant,"says the first lord. " Don't touch me," says the second lord. "I can prove, have proved, my identity here, and this man," pointing to the first lord, "is a blackguard and a poacher, and I'll see that he gets his desserts." " Say one word more," says the first lord, "and your own mother won't know you J' Well, the sergeant was perplexed, and, begorra! no wondet, arid axed me what to do.

; " Faith," says ly "first come first served, and. the first lord has been with me for the past three weeks or more, and if he wasn't the right man I'd have heard by this."

"And to tell the truth, whether he was or not, I had no small gragh (liking)) for him, he was such a grand fisherman and a dead shot. So. I puts in my vote for the first lord, and with that the second lord was marched off by the sergeant to gaol, till evidence could be goti against him. ■ ,

After that we all went in to Rathdaune,. but the news had got round the country and the town, was packed, we could hardly move with the crowd. "But at last we got to the station, for my lord and the captain had to go they said, but. would be back in a couple of days for the trial. Well, " God speed them," says I. They were rale gintlemen, anyway. A five pound note a man they gave me, and that was the last myself or any wan else! in Rathduane saw of them, and all the .money for drink and groceries they left owing in the town. Well, you may bet your oath, the tele-, graft wires got 1 that much work 'twas a wonder they didn't melt away intirely, messages ' coming and ' going' to Mr. McMahon, the attorney, who was. being employed by the aecond lord to work the case, and' in the morning Mr. McMahon went down to the barracks and said it was all a mistake, that the man in gaol was the real.Lord Crawford. So he was released, with many, apologies-; from the sergeant, for the, mistake. Then the telegraft wires were set going again to try and find-the two pbachers, 'aß they now proved to be; and though Lord .Crawford offered a reward of wan hundred. pounds for any information that would lead to their arrest, the divil a sight of either of-them did they ever see again, wan way :or another. 1 Well, though my master stayed a while with me- to fish, he had no'luck and was no fisherman either, and the divil a fish he •killed but wan. But thanks be to God he never sacked me, though he took himself off, cursing ■ his bad luck, and the poaching lord in particular. .