| Show DAMON AND PYTHIAS A RACE CONFLICT AND HOW I ENDED Ireland vs Iceland A Record of Lord Dufferins Diplomacy Not Pound I Blue Books I BY 1 GERARD BRENAN Copyright 1897 byS S McClure I The man who told me this story has I been governor general of Canada and viceroy of India in his time Moreover he is a marquis and a very great personage per-sonage in the worlds eye besides being a grandson of that wonderful wit Richard Brinsley Sheridan S Many years ago before the marquis of Dufferin and Ava had attained to much fame or distinction he made a voyage to the island of Iceland The episode of Terry McGhee and Erik Eckholm a memory of that trip is set I down herewith taken faithfully from their patrons lips Terry McGhee was a truculent redheaded red-headed strongarmed youngsterthe son of a decent widow woman on Lord Dufferins Irish estate When Iceland was reached Terry accompanied ac-companied his patron into the interior and formed one of the party which traveled from Reykjavik to the geysers and back I was after the visit to the boiling springs that Lord Dufferin and his companions came to spend a few days at the comfortable farmstead of Lovekking near Thingvalla The head of that lonely glaciersurrounded home was one Snorro Eckholm a stalwart Icelander in his day champion wrestler of the island and the eldest son of farmer Snorro was little Erik Eckholm an urchin of exactly the same age as Terry McGhee The hnsnitalitv of Iceland farmers is matter of worldwide repute and everything or I erything went merrily for a time at least beneath the roof of Lovekking The dried fish mutton and skiercheese disappeared rapidly before the hungry travelers and they were about to turn their thoughts toward repose when I from the extremity of the common living liv-ing room there came the unmistakable sounds of conflict Lord Dufferin and his host both sprang to their feet only to see that the combatants were a little redhaired lad of sturdy build and an equally stronglyconstructed boy with lank straight locks of yellow In a few words Terry McGhee assistant cabin boy on the Foam had encountered Erik Eckholm son of the farmer of Lovek king with regrettable results Why is I that small boys on meeting meet-ing for the first time so frequently feel impelled to fight Whatever the cause may be on this particular occasion occa-sion when the farmhouse guests looked around they found the two youngsters fighting furiously Erik had the best of it when i came to wrestling but at long range and in boxing Terry Mc Ghee appeared to be the champion Not for long however were they permitted per-mitted to fight Dr Fitzgerald Lord Dufferins companion seized hold of the redhaired Terry while Erik was dragged from the fray by his Inother Then they were both well cuffed and sent to bed by way of punishment But Fate in the person of goodwife Eckholm assigned to them the same bed and hardly had everyone retired to rest when the din of battle broke out afresh Investigation showed that Terry was pummeling Erik and Erik throttling Terry each one with all his might Once again were they separated sep-arated and this time different beds had to be allotted to them All was peace until earJY morning when the household house-hold assembled for breakfast Then just as hosts and travelers had begun to congratulate themselves and were in the act of sitting down to a hearty meal there arose a terrible outcry and the sound of blows Looking through the window they saw Terry McGhee and the little Icelander engaged in fierce combat and cudgeling each other ferociously with broken boat oars ferocous 4 At this Lord Dufferin threw UD his S hands despairingly and was inclined I counsels to let the prevailed lads fight Each it out one but was gentler or dered into solitary confinement until unti the expedition should start on its re turn march to Reykjavik But Ice landic farmhouses are not large and mainly built of wood so that the two although divided by the length of the structure continued to fling defiances at one another all day and even all night long Eventually the return voyage began Terry McGhee being marched as a sort of prisoner under the personalsu pervision of Lord Dufferins man Wilson son while his biter foe Erik Eckholm was not permitted to leave the little box bed wherein he lay confined lest unseemly strife should mar the harmony har-mony of the departure As long as the farmhousfr Was within ear shot Terry McGhee continued to hurl bitter taunts In his northofIreland brogue at the imprisoned tiJ while from he house came i faint ccnOs of angry house tion t e S S But wonder of wonders hardly had the little band traversed the neighbor ing pass and come out on the straight path towards the capital city when the rebellions redheaded Terry was seen to break into a storm of impassioned weeping In vain Lord Dufferin kindliest est of mortals endeavored to find out what the trouble was Terry obstinate obstnate ly refused to tell but he wept woefully and was net to be consoled All the way to Reykjaivik he bemoaned his fate and far into the night the valet Wilson heard him sobbing and crying as he tossed upon his bed in the little wooden house wherein the servitors lay Next day he was still unconsol able and another night only seemed to add to his sorrow Dr Fitzgerald prescribed medicines but all in vain Apparently Terry McGhees trouble was not to be 10t cured by such means On the morning of the third day as Lord Dufferin went forth to take the air in one of the two quaint little turf I hutted suburbs which flank the tiny capital of Ireland he became aware of I a tall and sf outly built man coming toward him leading by the ear a tearbegrimed youngster of a dozen years or thereabouts The pair coming closer he was astonished to perceive in them his recent good friends the farmer far-mer Snorro Eckholm of Lovekking and that worthys son Erik the fierce enemy of Terry McGhee Interpreters were quickly called and the former I told Lord Dufferin that for two whole I days Ir4 t his boy Had rCI been 4nn a pry to bitter 0 4n UI LVVU OUU 116 bitterly from morn till night Here was a coincidence Terry Mc Ghee and his yellow haired foe were afflicted in precisely the same manner What could be the cause Suddenly an inspiration came to the grandson Sheridan and chuckled merrily as he bade the farmer of Lov ekking bringrnis boy to breakfast while he himself went off to interview Terry To a diplomatist of the Dufferin type it did not take long to pump poor redhaired Terry The boy confessed that hewas highly unhappy when separated sep-arated from his chosen chum Erik Eck holm and begged Lord Dufferin either to leave him behind in Iceland or else to bring Erik back on the Foam I Me lord said Terry hes the only I boy o nle ageI ever met that couldnt lick Please me lord cant tli I i stay behind an see Erik Lord Dufferin was noncommittal j i Away he posted to where little Erik I sat gloomily eschewing breakfast and i i there he learned what he already sus I pected namely i that young Eckholm I 7 JrT S 5 S I I ERIK WAS DRAGGED FROM THE FAY BY HIS ZXTOTHER was also pining for another meeting with the only boy he had ever met who could stand up to him Last Icelanders follow the sea and Lord Dufferin was not long in persuading persuad-ing farmer Snorro Eckholm to allow his son to accompany the party on their cruise to England promising good care of the lad both on land and water These preliminaries satisfactorily adjusted ad-justed he led Erik to the house where Terry McGhee sat lamenting and thereafter ensued a meeting between the two boys so affectionate and so heat that all who witnessed it were deeply moved Yet that very evening as the good ship Foam moved slowly out of Faxa bay from the after cabin arose the sound of a furious struggle I can lick ypu shouted the shrill voice of Terry McGhee and Erik Eck holm answered with the Icelandic equivalent This time nobody interfered inter-fered Let them be happy in their own way wisely remarked the leader of the expedition Theyre only fighting each other in fun By and by they will fight side by side against the world Lord Dufferins prophecy came true To this day Erik Eckholm and Terry McGhee are friends and partners They have given up trying to lick i each other and are quite satisfied at being able to conquer fame and fortune shoulder for-tune by battling gallantly shoulder to |
