ST. MART'S ISLE. 63 



at. As night fell, they saw a dark mass looming in the dis- 

 tance some way down the river. It could be nothing else but 

 the boats of the spoliator returning with the crew to sack the 

 town. They manfully fired the cannon, when suddenly on their 

 left, the report was repeated; again it boomed, once, twice, 

 thrice ; they were going to be surrounded and massacred. Sud- 

 den as lightning the gallant townsmen fled, abandoning gun and 

 town, mansion and lady, wives and children. But morning 

 dawned ; the cannon was where they had left it ; what they took 

 for boats was a rock, an object they might have seen every day 

 of their lives ; the cannonading they had heard was the report 

 of their own gun, repeated ten times by echo. It was a bitter, 

 joke, which I have been told none who were parties to the sham 

 fight, but real flight, choose to hear spoken of. 



When Lord Selkirk returned and found the plate gone, he 

 stormed and swore that had he been but present, he would have 

 ate up Paul Jones and his crew ! Poor man ! I have heard that 

 he had more courage than sense ; very likely : but he must also 

 have been witty,, for whilst on the subject of the plate, he hinted 

 to his lady that her ladyship ought rather to have presented 

 Paul Jones with her own dowry. Witty, but severe ; and some- 

 what unmanly. Lady Selkirk was most beautiful ; but at the 

 same time a portionless lass with a long pedigree. 



Our search after the little mote being unsuccessful, we returned 

 to the inn, and to the town and river. They were taking salmon 

 with stage-nets, a mode of fishing I had never seen before ; we 

 had some for breakfast. There is no trout fishing here; the 

 banks of the river are low, muddy, influenced by the tide. 

 The people had an outlandish, half-Celtic look ; they call them- 

 selves Gallowegians. The goldfinch is found here, indicating a 

 mild and sheltered spot. I imagine the town to be a finished 

 town. On the western bank of the river were pointed out to 

 me the lands of Mr. Broughton Murray, of whom I had heard 

 much. 



The salmon we saw taken were not of large size ; of trout, we 

 saw none. In the stream below the mill, I have no doubt they 

 abound, and the river up to Loch Ken has unquestionably its 

 finny brood ; but I did not explore it, and cannot advise. I 



