Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Expulsion

In early 1882, the Mark Cartys found themselves in this situation.Little Trick just turned 10 years old.This period of life is certainly short in terms of time, but judging from the sufferings suffered, it is already very little.All in all, he only lived a happy life for three years, that is, the three years since he came to the farm. The hardships he had experienced in the past, now fell on the person he loved most; it fell on the family that had become his own, and this misfortune would suddenly break the bond between mother and son and brother.They were forced to separate, to go their separate ways, perhaps to leave Ireland, because there was no way they could live on their home island.Hadn't three and a half million tenant farmers been evicted in recent years, and wouldn't this fate also befall the Mark Carty family?

God have mercy on this country!Famine matches like plague, matches like war, turning this place into a desolation.The same disaster, the same consequences.We always remember how many people starved to death in the winter of 1740, and 1847 was even more terrible, known as the "Black Year", when the population dropped by half a million. In times of famine, many villages are emptied, and the doors of the farmhouses are all left open, so you can come and go as you please: no one lives.The tenants were evicted without mercy.The heart of agricultural production is struck with love.If only wheat, rye, and oats fail, it is possible to wait for a bumper year.However, if the winter is long and the weather is harsh, which kills the production of potatoes, then the country people will have to flee to the cities, take refuge in "factories", and some simply go into exile overseas.How many people have left their homes, this year, many farmers decided to go this way.It is precisely because of such disasters that the population of some cities has plummeted.In the past, there were about 12 million Irish people. Now, in the United States alone, there are six to seven million Irish immigrants.

Isn't it the fate of the Mark Carty family to emigrate abroad?Yes, and as soon as possible.Neither the denunciation of the Land League nor the rally attended by Maddock can change the status quo of the matter.There are too many victims, and the food relief is not enough. The donations from the "Zommunal Self-Government" Association will soon run out.As for launching an uprising against the landlords to rob the big households, the governor was determined to suppress it by force. His intentions can be seen from the deployment of Dali police in the suspicious county, that is, the poorest Shao.Maddock, therefore, had better be careful, but he would not, he was so enraged that he threw himself at it, and incited the peasants to riot.His father and brother were led by him to work together with him, and nothing could dissuade them. Little tricks were worried about the police coming, and they kept watch around the farm every day.

During this time, they lived on the last of their income: a few pieces of furniture sold for a little money, and the winter continued for several months! ...How can I persist until the beginning of spring?It seems that this new year is directly affected, so what can we expect? ... These sorrows of the present and the future were added to the grief caused by the physical condition of the grandmother. The poor old lady was weakened by the shock of life's accidents, and she was not long to die.She never left the room, nor did she even get out of bed.Little Trickster is always by her side, smiling at her with the two-and-a-half-year-old Jenny in his arms; she likes having two children by her side, and sometimes takes the little girl, and they smile at each other... She looks forward to the future of this girl, is it What a worry.So she said to the little trick:

"You like her very much, don't you? . . . " "Yes, grandma." "You will never abandon her, will you? . . . " "No...never!" "God bless her with a happier life than us! . . . Don't forget, she's your goddaughter! . . . When you're a boy, she'll be a little girl! . . . A godfather is like a father . . . Once she Parents are gone..." "No, grandma," replied Little Trickster, "don't think so! . , sitting in the big round chair, Jeanne playing beside you..." Little Trickster said this on his lips, but felt very uncomfortable in his heart, and tears welled up in his eyes, because he knew that his old grandmother was ill, very ill.However, he tried to restrain himself, at least in front of her.If you want to cry, go outside and don't let anyone see you.Also, he was always afraid that the agent Halbert would bring someone again and drive the family away from this only residence.

During the first week of January, the old woman's condition worsened.Passed into a coma several times in a row, and once did not wake up for a long time, making people think that he passed away forever. On the 6th came a doctor, one of Tralee's benevolent doctors who would not refuse to treat poor people even if they could not make money.He rode around the remote countryside as he did in ancient times.Just happened to pass by here, Little Trick knew him, he had seen him in the county capital, and this time he saw him passing by on the main road, so he begged him to come in and have a look.The doctor entered the room and took a look, only to see that the place is poor, and the patient is old, depressed and unhappy, and I am afraid it will be precarious.

It is difficult to hide this situation from the family. How long the old grandmother can live is not a few months, not even a few weeks, but only a few days.Her mind was still fully lucid, and she kept it until her last breath.She was born as a country woman, full of vigor, she has endured many hardships, she is persevering, and she has to fight with death at the end of her life. This scene is really heart-wrenching.However, the person was about to faint again, his breathing stopped, and his heart finally stopped beating... The doctor prescribed a dose of medicine to ease the old man's dying pains, and then left the farm, where he had been led by thoughts of doing good, and left the farmhouse with grief.

It takes 24 hours to go to Tralee to get the medicine, and back and forth... But, what to pay for the medicine? ... After paying the taxes, the money was gone, and the whole family only lived on the vegetables they produced, and did not buy anything.Not a single shilling in the drawer.All the furniture and clothes have been sold, and there is nothing left to sell... Poverty reaches the limit of darkness. The little trick just now reminded me that the gold coin that Miss Anna Weston gave him at the Limerick Theater was still there, as far as the actress was concerned, it was purely a joke, but he played Xibo seriously, thinking that The money is well deserved.So he placed the gold carefully in the cash-box, in the same clay pot where he put the stones. . . . and at this moment, could he hope that some day those pebbles would be exchanged for pennies or shillings?

No one on the farm knew that Little Trick had the gold coin, and he had an idea to use the money to buy medicine for the old grandmother.It would at least ease her pain and maybe give her a few more days, who knows? ...Maybe it's getting better...Even though people are dying, there is always hope in the little trick. He was determined to carry out the plan, but said nothing about it.There is no doubt that what he does with the money is his right.However, time is running out and there is no room for delay.He therefore intended to set off at night, so as not to be seen.From here to Tralee, 24 miles round trip, was too much for a boy, but he didn't even think about it.On weekdays, when he wasn't with the old grandmother, he was out on the watch, running a mile or two, watching the road to see if the agent was coming to evict the family, and if the police officer was coming to arrest Maddock, so he To grab medicine, at least a whole day without seeing each other, will others pay attention?

The next day, at two o'clock in the morning on January 7th, Little Trick kissed the sleeping grandma without waking him up, gently pushed the door out of the room, stroked Burke, and the dog came up to him, as if asking him: " Take me away?" No!He would leave the dog on the farm, and while he was out, his faithful dog would sound the alarm in case of anything suspicious.He crossed the yard, opened the gate, and walked up the road to Tralee alone. It was still dark.It is now early January, just three weeks after the winter solstice, and here is located at 52 degrees west longitude and 53 degrees north latitude. The sun does not rise from the southwest horizon until very late.The little trick rode about halfway through the night, and he was not afraid.

The weather was particularly sunny and cold, although it was only minus 12 degrees, the sky was full of stars, twinkling, and a white line on the road stretched as far as the eye could see, as if illuminated by snow.The sound of clucking footsteps was very crisp. Little Trick left at two o'clock in the morning, intending to return before dark.According to his calculations in his notebook, he would be in Tralee by eight o'clock. To walk 12 miles in 6 hours is not difficult for a little boy who is not afraid of fatigue. He spends two or three pennies in a tavern in Trallicher for two hours, and eats a piece of bread and a piece of cheese. I drank half a liter of beer, took some medicine, and started on the road at about 10 o'clock, returning in the middle of the night. The plan is well arranged, and he will strictly implement it if there are no accidents.The road is easy to walk, the weather is favorable, and you can speed up your pace.He was thankful that the cold kept the wind down. Indeed, if the bitter westerly wind whips the snow particles, it is impossible for the little trick to travel against the wind.God help, he thanked God. Of course, he is also afraid of danger on the road, what if he encounters wolves?The danger is very real.Although the winter weather was not too bad, the forests and plains of the county always echoed with the howling of wolves.It was not that the little trick had not thought of this, so when he came to the wilderness and walked the long road alone, his heart beat hard when he saw the ghostly skeletons of the frost-covered trees. Our little boy walked so fast, 6 miles without a break for 2 hours. It is now about 4 o'clock in the morning, and the west is still dark, but faint spots are appearing, and the belated stars are starting to pale, and it will be 3 hours before the sun rises above the horizon. Little Trick felt that he needed to take a breather, rested for about ten minutes, picked a tree stump and sat down, took out a large cooked potato buried in the ashes of the fire from his pocket, and ate it voraciously, so that he could reach Tralee At 4:30, he was on the road again. He didn't need to confess his little tricks and didn't worry about getting lost. He knew the road from Kelvin to the county capital very well, because Martin Maccarty always took him to the market, and he didn't know how many times he took the car.But those were good years, when they lived happily... so far from now! The avenue had been deserted, and there was not a single passer-by, and Trickster paid no attention to the situation, but there wasn't even a coach for Tralee, and if he could catch a passing one, he would Less tired.It seemed that he had to rely on his own little legs--little legs, good but strong, anyway, another 4 kilometers, maybe not as fast as the first 6 miles, but after all, there were only two miles left, It is only half past seven, and the last stars in the western sky have disappeared.The bleak twilight in the high latitudes, dimly illuminates the space, and has to wait for the sun to penetrate the dense fog in the low-lying areas.The eyes can see farther. At this moment a party from Tralee appeared at the end of the road. The little trick's first thought was to keep them from seeing it; but what could they say when they saw the child?So, without thinking twice, he instinctively ran behind the bushes and crouched there so as to spy on the approaching party. It was a gang of 12 policemen, led by a police officer.Since the district was closely watched, it was impossible to meet such patrols by order of the governor. There is no need to make a fuss when the little trick encounters a group of policemen.However, he almost screamed when he saw Halbert, the rent-collector, walking in the procession, followed by the four thugs who were evicting the tenants. What a foreboding!Did the agent take the thugs to Kelvin Farm?And this team of policemen, are they going to arrest Maddock? The tricky mind didn't want to dwell on it, and as soon as the gang was gone, he sprang out onto the road, ran as hard as he could, and arrived at the house on the edge of Tralee at about half past eight. The first thing is to go to the pharmacy and wait for the pharmacist to fill the medicine according to the prescription. Then, he takes out all his wealth, the gold coin to pay for the medicine. Since the medicine is very expensive, the pharmacist only gives him 15 shillings. .This is not the time to bargain, is it? ... Since it was for the old grandmother, Little Trick didn't want to bargain at all. On the contrary, he wanted to save money from his own meal. He didn't ask for cheese and beer, but bought a large piece of bread, gnawed it, and bought a piece of ice , put it in your mouth and melt. Just after 10 o'clock, he left Larry and embarked on Kelvin's return journey. Usually, at this hour of the day, the countryside will be somewhat busy.Vehicles pass by on the road, there are cars carrying people and carts pulling goods, driving to various towns in the county, which makes people feel the life of commerce and agriculture.well!The dreadful famine and poverty caused by the Year of Calamity have greatly depopulated the province.How many peasants couldn't live on, so they had to leave their hometowns!Even in a normal year, not one hundred thousand Irish people go to the New World, Australia or Southern Africa every year, in search of a piece of land where they can hope not to starve to death.Isn't there an immigration company that charges immigrants all the way to the coast of South America for two pounds? Therefore, this year, the scale of immigration in the western part of Ireland was even greater. These roads, which used to be bustling, now seem to have turned into deserts, or even worse, they have become places abandoned by residents... Little Trick has been walking fast, ignoring his fatigue and exerting extraordinary strength. Of course, the gang of patrolmen was two or three hours ahead of him, and he could not catch up. However, the policeman and his men, as well as Halbert and His thugs left footprints in the snow along the road leading to Kelvin's farm.This prompted our little man to rush back as soon as possible. He didn't care about his legs that were stiff from the long journey, and he didn't even stop halfway like he did when he went, and he refused to stop for a few minutes to catch his breath.He went on, on and on, and at about two o'clock in the afternoon, he was only two miles from Kelvin's farm.Half an hour more, in the middle of a white plain, all the houses of the farm appeared. The little trick was taken aback: there was no smoke rising from the kitchen, and the big room was not short of fuel. Furthermore, there was an indescribable feeling of neglect and abandonment in the atmosphere that emanated from the place. Little Trick quickened his pace and ran vigorously, got up again after falling, and ran to the shed door in the yard... What a scene!The gate was broken, the yard was in a mess, the roofs of the houses, barns, and barns were all removed, leaving only four walls, the thatch of the roof was all pulled down, and there was no door or window frame. , is it to demolish the house and make it uninhabitable, so as to prevent the family from staying here? ...was it deliberately destroyed by human hands? The little trick froze, he felt a wave of fear, he dared not step through the gate... dare not approach the house... However, he still made up his mind to go in and have a look, what if his father or one of his sons was inside... Little Trick walked to the door and called out... No one answered. So he sat down on the threshold and wept. This happened while he was out. Such scenes of inhumane evictions are not uncommon in the counties of Ireland.Not only the farms but the villages were deserted by the expulsion of the tenants, and yet the poor souls, driven from the dwellings in which they were born, grew up, and expected to die, could find no shelter elsewhere. So, maybe they still have to call back, break into the door and stay temporarily? Ok!The way to stop them is very simple: destroy the houses uninhabitable.It is necessary to set up a "battering ram", that is, a tripod hangs an iron chain, and a thick beam of wood is bolted.This kind of battering ram is invincible. It can knock off the roof, knock down the chimney, hit the stove, break the door, knock out the window, leaving only the wall... Such a ruin can't stop the strong wind, and it can accumulate rain and snow. The landlord and his agents were relieved that the family would never seek refuge again. How often is this expulsion repeated, to such barbaric proportions, that it is any wonder that the Irish peasants should have so much resentment in their hearts! Kelvin's eviction scene is even more brutal here. In fact, this inhumane behavior also has elements of venting anger.Halbert wanted to make Madock pay for his rude words, not only brought thugs to execute the second landlord's eviction order, but also reported on the tenant farmer, knowing that he was the target of pursuit, so the police were ordered to arrest him. First, the thugs drove Mr. Martin, his wife and son out of the house and smashed the things inside.They showed no mercy to the old grandmother, and dragged her out of the bed into the yard; and the old woman stood up, and cursing these murderers, that they were killing the Irish, fell down dead. Maddock would have had time to escape, but now he was furious, took an axe, and threw himself on the villains... His father and brothers, like him, wanted to defend their family... But the thugs and the police were outnumbered People, the law has force: the so-called law destroys justice and humanity in this way. The defiance of the police was so evident that not only Maddock but Mr. Martin and Sim were arrested.In this way, although from 1870 onwards, all tenants who were evicted must be compensated, but they lost the benefits provided by this law. The old grandmother is a Christian, so she cannot be buried on the farm, but must be transported to the cemetery.So the two grandsons put her body on a stretcher, and they carried it away, followed by Mr. Martin, Martina, and Katie with the child in their arms, escorted by the police and the gang of thugs. Funeral procession on Limerick Avenue.Who can imagine a more tragic and tragic scene than the arrested family escorting the body of a poor old woman? ... Little Trick finally restrained his fear and ran through every room after the catastrophe, but there were wreckage of furniture lying on the ground. He kept calling...but there was no answer...no one was there! When he hurried back, he saw the house like this; this house was the only place where he spent the only few years of happy life... How many layers of relationships made him attached, but unexpectedly it was destroyed in the last disaster! ... He thought again of his treasure, the stones marking the days since he had been at Kelvin's farm.He went to find the stones and clay pots, and saw that the pots were intact and still in the corner. what!The pebbles, which the little trick sits on the threshold, have to be counted: 1,540 in total. This means that he lived on the farm for 4 years and 80 days, from October 20, 1877 to January 7, 1882. Now he had to leave the farm and try to find the family he considered his own. Before leaving, Little Trick found his clothes from the half-destroyed drawer and packed them.He went back to the yard, dug a hole at the foot of the tree planted when his goddaughter was born, and buried the clay pot containing stones... Then, he bid farewell to the ruined houses and rushed up the twilight-drenched avenue.