The boys at
school were hideously jealous of our loopholes when they heard of
them, though they affected to despise any one who, enjoying such
undreamed-of opportunities, had, on his own confession, failed to
take advantage of them, and had never even fired through the
loopholes, nor attempted to kill any one through them.
The Fenians were supposed to have the secret of a mysterious
combustible known as "Greek Fire" which was unquenchable by water.
I think that "Greek Fire" was nothing more or less than ordinary
petroleum, which was practically unknown in Europe in 1866, though
from personal experience I can say that it was well known in 1868,
in which year my mother, three sisters, two brothers and myself
narrowly escaped being burnt to death, when the Irish mail, in
which we were travelling, collided with a goods train loaded with
petroleum at Abergele, North Wales, an accident which resulted in
thirty-four deaths.
Terrible as were the results of the Abergele accident, they might
have been more disastrous still, for both lines were torn up, and
the up Irish mail from Holyhead, which would be travelling at a
great pace down the steep bank from Llandulas, was due at any
moment.
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