ich I descended on the other side; and as the coffin was rather
heavy, I began to repent of having anything to do with it; for I was
by no means experienced in carrying coffins. The carriage of it was,
indeed, altogether an irksome and unpleasant concern; for owing to my
ignorance of using the rope that tied it skilfully, it was every moment
sliding down my back, dragging along the stones, or bumping against my
heels: besides, I saw no sufficient grounds I had for entering upon the
ludicrous and odd employment of carrying another man's coffin, and was
several; times upon the point of washing my hands out of it altogether.
But the novelty of the incident, and the mystery in which it was
involved, decided me in bringing it as far as Kelly's house, which was
exactly on my way home.

I had yet half a mile to go; but I thought it would be best to strap it
more firmly about my body before I could start again: I therefore set
it standing on its end, just at the turn of the road, until I should
breathe a little, for I was rather exhausted by a trudge under it of
half a mile and upwards. Whilst the coffin was in this position, I
standing exactly behind it (Kelly had been a tall man, consequently
it was somewhat higher than I was), a crowd of people, bearing lights,
advanced round the corner; and the first object which presented itself
to their vision, was the coffin in, that position, whilst I was totally
invisible behind it. As soon as they saw it, there was an involuntary
cry of consternation from the whole crowd; at this time I had the coffin
once more strapped firmly by a running knot to my shoulders, so that
I could loose it whenever I pleased. On seeing the party, and hearing
certain expressions which dropped from them, I knew at once that there
had been some unlucky blunder in the business on their part; and I would
have given a good deal to be out of the circumstances in which I then
stood. I felt that I could not possibly have accounted for my situation,
without bringing myself in for as respectable a portion of rank
cowardice as those who ran away from the coffin; for that it was
left behind in a fit of terror, I now entertained no doubt whatever,
particularly when I remembered the traditions connected with the spot in
which I found it.

"_Manim a Yea agus a wurrah!_"* exclaimed one of them, "if the black man
hasn't brought it up from the bridge! _Dher a larna heena_**, he
did; for it was above the bridge we first see