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1Some hours passed thus; but by degrees, as the sun declined towards the horizon, the wind died away into a gentle breeze
2and the sea became free from breakers. But these gave place to a heavy swell; I felt sick and hardly able to hold the
3rudder, when suddenly I saw a line of high land towards the south. Almost spent, as I was, by fatigue and the dreadful
4suspense I endured for several hours, this sudden certainty of life rushed like a flood of warm joy to my heart, and
5tears gushed from my eyes. How mutable are our feelings, and how strange is that clinging love we have of life even in
6the excess of misery! I constructed another sail with a part of my dress and eagerly steered my course towards the land.
7It had a wild and rocky appearance, but as I approached nearer I easily perceived the traces of cultivation. I saw
8vessels near the shore and found myself suddenly transported back to the neighbourhood of civilised man. I carefully
9traced the windings of the land and hailed a steeple which I at length saw issuing from behind a small promontory. As I
10was in a state of extreme debility, I resolved to sail directly towards the town, as a place where I could most easily
11procure nourishment. Fortunately I had money with me. As I turned the promontory I perceived a small neat town and a
12good harbour, which I entered, my heart bounding with joy at my unexpected escape. As I was occupied in fixing the boat
13and arranging the sails, several people crowded towards the spot. They seemed much surprised at my appearance, but
14instead of offering me any assistance, whispered together with gestures that at any other time might have produced in me
15a slight sensation of alarm. As it was, I merely remarked that they spoke English, and I therefore addressed them in
16that language. "My good friends," said I, "will you be so kind as to tell me the name of this town and inform me where I
17am?" "You will know that soon enough," replied a man with a hoarse voice. "Maybe you are come to a place that will not
18prove much to your taste, but you will not be consulted as to your quarters, I promise you." I was exceedingly surprised
19on receiving so rude an answer from a stranger, and I was also disconcerted on perceiving the frowning and angry
20countenances of his companions. "Why do you answer me so roughly?" I replied. "Surely it is not the custom of Englishmen
21to receive strangers so inhospitably." "I do not know," said the man, "what the custom of the English may be, but it is
22the custom of the Irish to hate villains." While this strange dialogue continued, I perceived the crowd rapidly
23increase. Their faces expressed a mixture of curiosity and anger, which annoyed and in some degree alarmed me. I
24inquired the way to the inn, but no one replied. I then moved forward, and a murmuring sound arose from the crowd as
25they followed and surrounded me, when an ill-looking man approaching tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Come, sir, you
26must follow me to Mr. Kirwin's to give an account of yourself." "Who is Mr. Kirwin? Why am I to give an account of
27myself? Is not this a free country?" "Ay, sir, free enough for honest folks. Mr. Kirwin is a magistrate, and you are to
28give an account of the death of a gentleman who was found murdered here last night." This answer startled me, but I
29presently recovered myself. I was innocent; that could easily be proved; accordingly I followed my conductor in silence
30and was led to one of the best houses in the town. I was ready to sink from fatigue and hunger, but being surrounded by
31a crowd, I thought it politic to rouse all my strength, that no physical debility might be construed into apprehension
32or conscious guilt. Little did I then expect the calamity that was in a few moments to overwhelm me and extinguish in
33horror and despair all fear of ignominy or death. I must pause here, for it requires all my fortitude to recall the
34memory of the frightful events which I am about to relate, in proper detail, to my recollection. Chapter 21 I was soon
35introduced into the presence of the magistrate, an old benevolent man with calm and mild manners. He looked upon me,
36however, with some degree of severity, and then, turning towards my conductors, he asked who appeared as witnesses on
37this occasion. About half a dozen men came forward; and, one being selected by the magistrate, he deposed that he had
38been out fishing the night before with his son and brother-in-law, Daniel Nugent, when, about ten o'clock, they observed
39a strong northerly blast rising, and they accordingly put in for port. It was a very dark night, as the moon had not yet
40risen; they did not land at the harbour, but, as they had been accustomed, at a creek about two miles below. He walked
41on first, carrying a part of the fishing tackle, and his companions followed him at some distance. As he was proceeding
42along the sands, he struck his foot against something and fell at his length on the ground. His companions came up to
43assist him, and by the light of their lantern they found that he had fallen on the body of a man, who was to all
44appearance dead. Their first supposition was that it was the corpse of some person who had been drowned and was thrown
45on shore by the waves, but on examination they found that the clothes were not wet and even that the body was not then
46cold. They instantly carried it to the cottage of an old woman near the spot and endeavoured, but in vain, to restore it
47to life. It appeared to be a handsome young man, about five and twenty years of age. He had apparently been strangled,
48for there was no sign of any violence except the black mark of fingers on his neck. The first part of this deposition
49did not in the least interest me, but when the mark of the fingers was mentioned I remembered the murder of my brother
50and felt myself extremely agitated; my limbs trembled, and a mist came over my eyes, which obliged me to lean on a chair
51for support. The magistrate observed me with a keen eye and of course drew an unfavourable augury from my manner. The
52son confirmed his father's account, but when Daniel Nugent was called he swore positively that just before the fall of
53his companion, he saw a boat, with a single man in it, at a short distance from the shore; and as far as he could judge
54by the light of a few stars, it was the same boat in which I had just landed. A woman deposed that she lived near the
55beach and was standing at the door of her cottage, waiting for the return of the fishermen, about an hour before she
56heard of the discovery of the body, when she saw a boat with only one man in it push off from that part of the shore
57where the corpse was afterwards found. Another woman confirmed the account of the fishermen having brought the body into
58her house; it was not cold. They put it into a bed and rubbed it, and Daniel went to the town for an apothecary, but
59life was quite gone. Several other men were examined concerning my landing, and they agreed that, with the strong north
60wind that had arisen during the night, it was very probable that I had beaten about for many hours and had been obliged
61to return nearly to the same spot from which I had departed. Besides, they observed that it appeared that I had brought
62the body from another place, and it was likely that as I did not appear to know the shore, I might have put into the
63harbour ignorant of the distance of the town of ---- from the place where I had deposited the corpse.
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