Year: 1876

smoking my pipe, when: Pete. the stew.
ards mate. came up and Summoned me
aft to see one of our two cabin passengers,
MIR. VIM. Grierson, who had been very
unwell during the night, and began to be
afraid that he was in for a touch of the
fever. I went aft and saw him, but there
did not appear to be any very alarming
symptoms just at present, so prescribed
some cooling medicine and left him.
| He was, however, worse the next day,
and the next, yet it was not case of
yellow fever, and there was something in
the symptoms that, am not ashamed to
say, fairly baff1ed me. On the Oath he
was so much worse that began to be
seriously alarmed, and communicated my
fears to the captain.


1T is not the yellow fever, of that am
sure.''


"What is it then, Doctor!''


swell to tell the truth, can hardly
say. Nothing that I can administer
seems to do him any good, and he is ev-
identity sinking rapidly"


'Humph?" said the captain, myster-
ious, to say the least Of it. Does he know
OF his conditione'


The conversation was cut short by the
arrival Of Pete, who informed us that Mr..
Grierson had been seized with sudden
access of pain, and was apparently dying,
adding that the patient wished to see me
at once and alone. In obedience to the
summons I went below, and having shut
the cabin door. and administered the nec-
essary remedies, asked the dying man
(for there could be little doubt he was
dying) the reason for his wishing to see
me.


81 wish to see you. because feel that
l am dying, and I can put off no longer
what I wish to say, if it is to be said at
all, y responded the patient, fcebly.


''Fetch that box from off the top of my
sea.chest, and listen-''


I brought it--a small oblong mahogany
box-and laid it by his side upon the
coverlet, and Mr.. Grierson, laying his
hand on it., and at the same time detach.
ing key from stringlby which it was
suspended round his neck, with which
his finger played nervously during his re.
cital, continued:


IL am murderer. Aye! you NAV
stare, and think perhaps my mind is wan.
dering, but is is the truth. twenty-five
years ago-twenty'five years of misery
l committed the deed which am now, in
the presence Of my maker about to con-
fess. was a clerk in clearinghouse
in London, and the facilities and opportu-
mites for speculation offered me were too
much for me to withstand, but circum.
stances occurred which convinced me
that discovery could hardly be much
longer delayed, and l was casting about
how to make my escape while there was
yet time. Just at this juncture one of
the senior clerks in tn. house had to be
sent down to Bristol in charge of very
large sum of money in gold, and was
deputed to accompany him to guard the
treasure. In those times matters were
differently conducted from what they are
in the present day, and weshad to take
the money in box, strongly secured and
sealed, with US, by the mail coach, which
started from one Of the old inns in the
city for the west of England. There was
sum of 1000 guineas in the box, and
the idea suggested itself to my mind that
If l could become master of such sum
could get clear away by seme ship leaving
Bristol for foreign parts before the bank
could become aware of the fact of my es-
cape. But how to get rid Of my compan.
ion: Briefly: for l feel my strength
sinking, and I must hurry forward to the
end of what have to tell you. pro-
cured poison, which poured into the
leathern bottle, in which carried my re-
freshment on the road, and, watching my
opportunity, offered it to him to drink.
He sank back into corner of the coach,
and in few minutes was corpse.
Emptying the remaining contents of the
bottle out of the window, and placing the
dead man in such an altitude as would lead
people to suppose he had died naturally
in his sleep. 1 hailed the guard with every
stimulation Of trepidation, and stopped
the coach. The outside passengers got
down, and scene of great excitement
occurred. At the next village. the local
doctor, who as it happened was . man of
no great skill, was sent for and dexter
ously insinuating to him that had nown
my companion to have suffered from the
heart disease: &c some years standing,
with many compliments to the profes.
slonal acumen of the doctor himself, that
worthy was not long in pronouncing it a
case of sudden death from disease Of the
heart: and was suffered, in view of nv
representations as to the urgency of my
mission to Bristol, to proceed on my
journey. This is the bare outline of my
crime, the details would only weary you
and my time is short, succeeded in
leaving England and reaching Brazile,
where have amassed fortune. That
fortune is within the box which lies be.
meath my hand,''


He paused, for violent spasm seized