DEATH OF THE OTTER-KILLER. 333 



and with one exception, a quiet and respectful silence 

 supervened. A stout, though aged crone, occasionally 

 burst into wild lament, accompanied by a beating on 

 her breast, which, like the signal to a chorus, elicited a 

 fresh ebullition from the subordinate mourners. John, 

 however, interposed his authority effectually. " Bada- 

 hust, hanamondioul, badahust, I say ! ye may keinagh 

 at the funeral, but ye mustn't disturb the master and 

 the company." This jobation restored tranquillity, and 

 in " decent grief " the otter-killer's corpse was duly 

 laid out in its funeral habiliments. 



The evening wore on heavily my kinsman was 

 sensibly affected ; his old monitor in the gentle art was 

 gone ; and though full in years, and ripe for the tomb, 

 his master felt that " he could have better spared a 

 better man." There was heart-sinking about our party 

 which I had never marked before. The wine had lost 

 its charm ; and while the Colonel and the Priest com- 

 menced a game of piquet, my cousin ordered the gig, 

 and proposed that we should pull over to the herring- 

 boats, which, in the next estuary, and on the preceding 

 night, had been unusually successful. Accordingly, 

 having lighted our pipes and procured our boat-cloaks, 

 we left the pier-head in the four-oared galley. 



The night was unusually dark and warm ; not a 

 breath of wind was on the water ; the noise of the oars, 

 springing in the coppered rowlocks, was heard for a 

 mile off, and the whistle of sand-pipers and jack curlews, 

 as they took wing from the beach we skirted, appeared 

 unusually shrill. Other noises gradually broke the 

 stillness of the night the varied hum of numerous 

 voices chanting the melancholy songs which are the 

 especial favourites of the Irish, began to be heard 



