The Heir of Kilfinnan

The Heir of Kilfinnan, by W.H.G.
Kingston

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Title: The Heir of Kilfinnan A Tale of the Shore and Ocean
Author: W.H.G. Kingston
Illustrator: Holloway
Release Date: October 31, 2007 [EBook #23269]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ASCII
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OF KILFINNAN ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

The Heir of Kilfinnan
by W.H.G. Kingston.

PREFACE.
The following tale contains materials for a full-sized novel, but my
readers probably will not object to have them condensed into a single
modest volume.
The scene of a considerable portion of the story is laid on the coast of
Ireland, where the peasantry mostly speak the native Irish, and I have
therefore translated what my characters say into ordinary English rather
than into the generally received brogue, which would be, coming from
their lips, as inappropriate as Spanish or Dutch.
When English is spoken, it sounds somewhat high-flown, but is
certainly purer than the language of the same class in England. Thus,
my hero talks more like a well-educated young gentleman than a
humble fisher lad. If that is considered a defect, I hope that it may be
redeemed by the stirring incidents with which the tale abounds, and that
old and young may alike find as much amusement as they expect in its
perusal.
WHGK.
CHAPTER ONE.
The west coast of Ireland presents scenery of the most beautiful and
romantic character. Here grey peaks rise up amidst verdure of emerald
green; trees of varied hue come feathering down close to the water;
yellow sands line the shores of many lonely bays; dark rocks of
fantastic shape extend out into the ocean, while deep blue lochs mirror
on their bosoms the varied forms of the surrounding heights. On the
south-west part of the coast a wide bay is to be found. At the extreme
southern end, up a deep loch, a castle, the seat of an ancient family,
reared its towers high above the waters. The bay came sweeping round
at some places with a hard sandy beach; then, again, the ground rose,
leaving but a narrow ledge between the foot of the cliffs and the waters.
Thus the shore extended on for some distance, forming a lofty headland,

when it again sank to its former level. A reef of rocks ran out a
considerable distance into the ocean, forming a natural breakwater to
the bay. Here and there to the north were several deep indentations, in
which fishing-boats and several coasting craft might find shelter. In
some of these little bays fishermen had formed their habitations, mostly
out of the wrecks of stout ships which had been cast on their rocky
shores. In some of the coves or bays several huts had been congregated
together, but a short distance north of the promontory which has been
spoken of stood a single hut. It was strongly built of ships' timbers and
roofed with stout planks, kept down by heavy stones, so that, though
the furious blasts which swept across the Atlantic blew against it, it had
hitherto withstood the rough shocks to which it had been exposed.
The day was lovely; not a cloud dimmed the blue heavens, while the
sun setting over the distant ocean shed a glow of light across the waters,
rippled by a gentle westerly breeze. Several boats were approaching the
shore. In one of them sat a lad. No other person was to be seen on
board. The dark nets were piled up in the centre of the boat, at the
bottom of which a number of fish, still giving signs of life, showed that
he had been successful in his calling. Every now and then he looked up
at the tanned sail to see that it drew properly, and then would cast his
eye towards the shore to watch the point to which he was steering. He
could scarcely have numbered twelve summers, though his figure was
tall and slight. His trousers were rolled up above the knees, showing his
well-turned legs and feet. His shirtsleeves were treated in the same
manner, while the collar, thrown back, exhibited his broad and
well-formed chest. His eyes were large and dark, and the hue of his
skin gave indication that Spanish blood was flowing in his veins; while
his dark locks escaping from beneath his fisherman's red cap, gave a
still more southern look to his well-chiselled features. His practical
knowledge and activity seemed