A HIGHWAY ADVENTURE. 339 



a block of stone, bearing inscription "In detestation of the 

 murder of a sailor on this spot^ by [three persons whose names 

 are given], who were hung near here. ' Whoso sheddeth man's 

 blood, by man shall his blood be shed.' Look on the other side" 



I was still half kneeling and musing before this monument, 

 when I heard myself gruffly addressed, " Wull tell me what's the 

 time o' day?" 



Without rising, I turned my head and saw over my shoulder a 

 tall, heavily- whiskered, ruffianly-faced fellow, half sportsman, half 

 sailor in dress, carrying a stout stick and a bundle in a handker- 

 chief. How did he get there ? I must have seen him before if 

 he had come either way by the road ; he must have approached 

 from over the hill behind me, and that cautiously ; apparently he 

 had been concealed there. I confess that I wished for a moment 

 that I had in " my interior reservoirs a sufficient Birmingham 

 horse-pistol," wherewith to make myself alike tall with him if he 

 should give me need ; but, still bending over the memorial of 

 murder, I drew my watch and answered him civily, whereupon, 

 without even a " growl," he " sidled off," and soon passed from 

 my sight. My friends had seen the same man, in company with 

 another, near the same place, an hour and a-half before. 



On "the other side" oh, human vanity! was the name of 

 the man who had caused the stone to be placed there. Posterity 

 is requested to remember the murderers and the murdered, and 

 especially not to forget the dctester. 



