the bamboo chairs on the cool verandah, | step entered his room. There he was and said with a yawn, found by Wilkins when the latter returned "Well, I have done my day's work. A towards six o'clock. Jervis now had to climate like that of this blessed country undergo another careful examination, and does not exist elsewhere! Nobody will that over, Wilkins said he would send be sick here. They should send life him a few powders, of which he was to insurance agents here; physicians have take two at once, - two before going to nothing to do. We were at M'Bean's bed, and two in the morning. He repeated until nearly three o'clock, and on coming his advice several times as if it were of out early this morning I met the two Ash-great importance, to which Jervis only bournes with Gilmore, coming back from replied seriously and thoughtfully, "All a long ride, and looking as bright and right, doctor; all right." fresh as if they had had their regular seven hours' sleep." Ah, until three o'clock at M'Bean's! Who won most?" "We didn't gamble." "Well, what did you do all night?" "Daniel Ashbourne told us a story of Limerick." Jervis remained silent. He was sitting in a bamboo chair a little behind the doctor, so that Wilkins could only see his face by turning round. The powders were brought; but Jervis did not take them. He sat down to dinner about seven o'clock, but hardly tasted the food that was placed before him, and retired early to his room, where he remained alone. When the servant brought the lamp he ordered it to be taken away again, telling the man to keep the parlor dark, as the mosquitoes had been very troublesome of late. Ashbourne's rooms were brightly lighted, and Jervis could distinctly see every. He waited a few seconds as if he ex- thing that was going on there. He seemed pected an invitation to repeat the Hiber- to take a great interest in this, for he had nian tale, but when Jervis kept silence, got out his opera-glass, and did not rethe talkative doctor began of his own move his eyes from the house. The two accord. He did not, it is true, give the brothers remained alone talking together story in detail like Ashbourne, but he did until nearly nine o'clock, when Thomas not, on the other hand, omit a single es- sat down at his desk to write, while Dansential circumstance. Jervis did not inter-iel, taking his hat and followed by a serrupt him, and the doctor was agreeably vant, left the house. surprised at the patient attention of his listener. 'Nothing at all." But Wilkins was determined to fulfil his duties as medical adviser, and the answer of his patient did not satisfy him. So he rose, felt Jervis's pulse and forehead, ordered him a sedative powder, and only went away when the patient expressed a wish to be left alone that he might lie down. "Lie in this hammock," said Wilkins. "It is cool and fresh out here. I will look in again before dinner." When Wilkins had gone, Jervis remained motionless for a long time, his usually restless eyes fixed upon the ground before him. Then he rose, wiped away the perspiration that was moistening his forehead, and with slow and unsteady On the following morning Dr. Wilkins called as usual on Jervis, and found his patient very much fatigued and in low spirits. In the hope of cheering him up a little, the doctor told him they had been very merry at the club the night before. "Daniel Ashbourne," he said, "is a bright, cheerful fellow, and for hours and hours he entertained the company with stories from Ireland." "And what did Thomas Ashbourne say," asked Jervis, "if another talked for such a long time?" "Thomas had to work for his newspaper, and Dan came along. We were all very glad to see him, and I am sure you will like him. He is anxious to make your acquaintance, for he is a thoroughbred Irishman, and would like to see the best horseman in the settlement. If it suits you, I will bring him with me to-morrow morning and introduce him." "No, thanks; I would rather not," replied Jervis calmly. “I am really not well enough just now to take any pleasure in making new acquaintances." "If "Well, just as you like," replied the doctor, adding, after a short pause, you care to take a little walk this evening, 66 I would be glad to call for you: I have About half an hour later Jervis called At nightfall Jervis summoned his Chinese comprador, the chief servant of his household, and said to him, "The porter will not be here to-night. Take care, therefore, that by ten o'clock every light in the house and in the stables is put out. People here are very careless with fire." pathway with their lanterns, while their masters were engaged in lively conversa. tion. They had reached nearly the middle of the swamp when one of them turned suddenly round, and saw a dark mass leap forward. At the same instant he heard a dull thud, followed by a short, terrible shriek, and saw his companion wildly beat the air with his arms, rush forward a few steps, and then fall with his face to the ground. "Help! Help! Murder!" The two servants darted back and held up the lanterns. About twenty yards ahead of them they saw a human figure flying across the moor. Two shots from a revolver followed at brief intervals, but the fugitive, apparently, was not hit, and he was soon lost in the darkness of the night. Thomas Ashbourne was working with open doors and windows when he was startled by a terrible shriek. Then the cry "Murder! Murder! Help!" resounded through the silent night. He rushed out on the verandah, and saw several lanterns, which, in the swamp, were flickering and moving to and fro. In a few seconds he was outside, rushing towards the place. Stretched on the ground, with a wide gaping wound in his back, a man was lying; by his side were Wilkins and the two servants. "He has been murdered," said the doctor, lifting up his pale, terror-stricken face. "What can I do, doctor?" shrieked Thomas Ashbourne. "For God's sake, help! Oh, Dan! My brother Dan! At nine o'clock Jervis was sitting on the dark verandah looking intently towards the brightly lighted dwelling of his neighbor Ashbourne. In one of the rooms he recognized three persons the two brothers and Dr. Wilkins. At half past nine Thomas sat down to his desk, and the two others left. Jervis heard them talking as they passed his verandah, and The murdered man was weltering in saw them take the road across the moorhis blood, giving still some signs of life. towards the Yankiro, followed by two native servants. The sound of their footsteps was soon lost on the soft turf. For a short time Jervis's eyes followed the two lanterns; these, also, were soon lost to sight in the sultry, dark night. Then everything around became deserted, silent, and lonely. The heavens were black; and the sea rolled heavily and gloomily on the shore, with a sound like distant thunder before an approaching storm. Jervis was still on the verandah, breathing hard, listening attentively to the slightest sound. The comprador had extinguished all the lights in the house. Everything lay buried in deep, black darkness. He knelt down and took hold of the hand which was already growing cold, and which, in the last deadly struggle, had clutched the damp, heavy soil. Wilkins could say nothing. The blow, which seemed to have been given with a butcher's axe, had split the back from the left shoulder to the middle of the spine. The dying man uttered a deep groan, drew a heavy, agonized breath-there was a convulsive quivering of the limbs — and then all was over. VIII. Towards midnight four men two MOST of the members of the English Europeans and two Japanese-left the community were assembled in the large Yankiro, and, walking leisurely, took the office of the English Consulate, where a road to Yokohama. The servants walked court had been constituted, with Mr. in front, lighting up the narrow, uneven | Mitchell as chairman, to make public in quiry into the murder of Mr. Daniel | suffering, and the court permitted him to Ashbourne of Limerick, Ireland. The sit down. Jervis indeed looked very ill. witnesses waited in an adjoining room. He replied to the usual preliminary quesThey were - Doctor Wilkins; James Jer- tions as to his identity in a low voice, but vis, with his Chinese comprador, Walter without hesitation. M'Bean, and Arthur Gilmore. Out of regard to their feelings, Thomas Ashbourne, the brother of the murdered man, and Patrick Inish had been privately examined, but the consul opened the public sittings by reading their depositions. It was stated that Mr. Daniel Ashbourne had no quarrel of any kind with any native, so that the murder could not possibly be the work of personal revenge. Dr. Wilkins was the chief witness. He related what had occurred on the swamp, and stated that Daniel Ashbourne's behavior in the Yankiro had been perfectly quiet and orderly. He maintained that the murdered man had given no cause to any one there to attack him. "How do you account, Dr. Wilkins, for the circumstance that neither Daniel Ashbourne nor yourself nor the servants noticed the approach of the murderer? "The night was dark; the lanterns being only a short distance ahead of us, the murderer could get behind us without being seen. I was chatting with Ashbourne and the servants in front were also talking. It was, therefore, possible for us not to hear a slight noise; but as it has been proved that the murderer wore sandals, and as the turf is very soft, it is probable that he approached us without making any noise whatever. The little I did hear was, in my opinion, the rustling of the assassin's dress as he lifted his arm to deal the blow." "James Jervis, you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth." "I was asleep, and was suddenly awakened by screams and shouts. Immediately afterwards I heard two pistol-shots fired in quick succession. I stepped to the window and saw several lanterns right before me, about the middle of the swamp. I dressed at once, but not feeling very well, and having no idea that such a misfortune could have occurred, I called my groom, whom I knew to be the swiftest of my servants, and ordered him to run to the spot indicated by the lanterns, and report to me what had happened. The man was sleepy, and it was several minutes before I saw him leave the house. The other servants meanwhile had been roused, and my comprador joined me on the verandah. There, at a very short distance from my house, we saw a man, who shot past us at lightning speed in the direction of the Japanese quarter on the hill. We could see him only for an instant. He was a Japanese or a Chinese, certainly not a European that I could see even in the moment it took him to fly past us. I called my second groom, and ordered him to run after the man, offering him a good reward if he could tell me what had become of the "He was a man who leaped away like a fugitive. Half a minute later the betto wild stag, and in a moment had disap- was on his track; but a quarter of an peared into the night. I had no time to hour afterwards he returned breathless, aim at him, although my revolver was having run half the way to Homura (a ready. He ran in the direction of the village in the neighborhood of Yokohama) Japanese quarter. He wore the usual dark-without seeing a living soul. About the colored native garment, but he seemed to me very tall for a native. I am inclined to think it was a s'mo" (wrestler). "And you say, Dr. Wilkins, that the murderer made use of a Japanese sword?" "Without doubt. There is no modern European weapon with which one could deal such a blow as killed Daniel Ashbourne." "What did you see of the murder er?" "Have you anything more to say?" "No." same time my first groom returned and told me of the murder of my neighbor. He had assisted in carrying the corpse to the house of Thomas Ashbourne. That is all I know." The Chinese comprador of Mr. Jervis, who could not be sworn in the usual manner, was simply examined for the better information of the court, and, on the whole, confirmed his master's statement. About the appearance of the man who rushed past the house he could say noth After Dr. Wilkins, Mr. Jervis was called into the witness-box. He was stilling. us. "Something like a shadow flew past | fore the funeral that he was very unwell, and that it would be impossible for him to be present. But the doctor was of opinion that his patient would do well not to absent himself. I could not even recognize that it was a man; and in the same moment, when Mr. Jervis called my attention to it, it had already vanished. I did not hear any footsteps." M'Bean, Ashbourne's second neighbor, had little to tell. He had been awakened by the noise and the shrieks, had dressed himself quickly, and had run towards the lanterns, where he found Dr. Wilkins, Thomas Ashbourne, and the two Japanese servants. Soon afterwards Mr. Jervis's betto joined them, and they all carried the body to the house. He had not seen the murderer; but he recollected that he had heard from his house a noise as of some one climbing over a wooden fence: he had paid no attention to it, as he had only one thought-to reach the moor as quickly as possible. "You were seen yesterday at the Consulate, and everybody knows that you can go out. People might make all sorts of unpleasant comments. Take my advice, Jervis, and come. I'll keep by your side all the time." After a little hesitation, Jervis had said that if he could possibly go out he would attend. He had come, but everybody could see how hard it was for him to climb the steep hill which led to the foreign cemetery. He looked pale and distressed. Several times he had to stop for breath, and to wipe away the heavy drops of perspiration that were gathering fast on his forehead. Everybody felt grateful to him for doing this last honor to Daniel Ashbourne; and many of his acquaintances who had avoided him for weeks shook hands with him, and asked kindly after his health. Mr. Gilmore, duly sworn, said he had left the club to go home a few minutes before midnight. On turning into his street, he was nearly knocked down by a Japanese who rushed against him. He thought the man was going to attack him, The cemetery was in a wonderfully but he leapt like a stag, and disappeared peaceful and beautiful little grove, forimmediately. He was a tall, slim man. merly belonging to a Japanese temple, the He could not see the face, which, in Jap-ruins of which were still visible. Trees, anese fashion, was covered with a piece of cloth. This closed the examination. The court retired, and, after a few minutes' consultation together, returned the following verdict: 66 hundreds of years old, formed with their mighty branches a leafy roof conferring shade and quiet. Entering the churchyard - which seen from Yokohama looked like a citadel one could look upon the majestic sea spreading its deep blue waAccording to the unanimous state-ters to the distant horizon; to the left, ments of all witnesses, we find that Dan- the city of Yokohama; to the right the iel Ashbourne, of Limerick, Ireland, was mountains of Hakkoni, and, towering murdered on the swamp of Yokohama, in the night between the 12th and 13th of June, by an unknown person, who, after the deed, disappeared in the direction of the Japanese quarter, and of whom noth-brushwood had taken root in the rocky ing further has been learned. The murder was committed with a sharp, heavy instrument, probably a Japanese sword." IX. Two days later Daniel Ashbourne was carried to his last resting-place. All the members of the English community, and most of the Germans, Americans, and other foreigners living in the settlement, assembled to pay their last respects to the dead. As chief mourner, behind the coffin walked the unfortunate brother of the murdered man. By his side was Patrick Inish, the faithful Irish servant; and then, in long procession, followed the members of the foreign community. Jervis had told Wilkins the evening be above all, the mighty crater of Fusi Yama. In these three directions the hill shelved down in steep, almost impassable declivities. Crippled trees and stunted clefts, and a slippery, rich, dark-green moss had covered the sides with a soft velvety carpet. At the foot of the hill were a few fishermen's huts. The foreign community of Yokohama had surrounded their burying-ground with a high stone wall, and appointed two Japanese watchmen to guard their graves from desecration by the natives. The coffin in which the remains of Daniel Ashbourne reposed now stood near the open grave. The clergyman read the burial service, and then the body was lowered. "Dust to dust," and all present approached to throw a handful of earth on the coffin. Thomas Ashbourne and Patrick Inish were the first to pay this last tribute; then they stepped back, and remained standing near the open grave. Ashbourne looked with tearful eyes upon the fresh flowers and green branches which covered all that remained of his brother. The gaze of Inish wandered mechanically from one to the other of the members of the foreign community, as they threw their handfuls of earth on the coffin. the other side. His pursuers reached "He is hiding behind the trees. He cannot escape!" The English consul, calmer than the others, called round him a few of the most intelligent of the foreigners, and proposed some plan of action. Jervis must have run round the narrow path. If they divided in two opposite directions, they could not fail to get at him, or drive him to the gate where the constable was keeping watch. Ashbourne and Inish, who had listened to the consul, were the first to reach the other side of the wall; and they were quickly followed by others. Then they separated, one party being led by Consul Mitchell, the other by Ashbourne. This solemn ceremony had lasted for several minutes, in the midst of profound silence, which was rendered still more impressive by the heavy thud of the earth as it fell upon the coffin. Some of the men could scarcely restrain their tears. Inish saw, as if in a dream, the strange faces that appeared and disappeared in turn at the grave of his master. But suddenly a wild expression animated his hard features. His eyes opened wide, and followed with terrible eagerness a man who was staggering back from the grave. His breast heaved with excitement, his lips moved convulsively - but not a sound came from them. The path from which one could look Thus he stood for a moment, a picture down the precipice was narrow. The of mute terror, till at last, stretching out rock went down almost perpendicularly his right hand, and pointing his trem-in some places; in others it was still so bling finger at Jervis, he stammered out, steep that it seemed impossible for any in a scarcely audible voice, "Helling- man to reach the bottom alive. Every ton!" Then as if his tongue were loos- step was dangerous; every tree, every ened by some spell, he shrieked, corner in the wall, had to be examined carefully; and though Mitchell and Ashbourne led their men with much daring, at least twenty minutes passed before the two met at the gate. "Murder! Murderer! Hellington! Help! Help!" "We have seen nothing of Jervis !" they exclaimed almost simultaneously. The policeman stated that nobody had gone down by the road. He would an swer for that. "Then he must have fallen from the rock, and we shall find his body below," said Mitchell. All eyes were for a moment fixed on Inish, and then followed the direction indicated by his finger. Somebody had suddenly stepped back from the deep circle of the mourners, and disappeared in the grove. The white figure of the fugitive appeared again and again between the trees, like a hunted beast, and was now fast approaching the wall at the spot where it separated the cemetery from the city. They ran down the hill, but they had All now started in pursuit. The tomb to take a roundabout way to get at the was deserted; the clergyman alone re-huts at the foot of the rock. There eve mained, standing on tiptoe, and watch-erything was quiet. In vain did they ing the chase. One man, however, had look for the mutilated corpse they exnot followed the crowd. This was the pected to find. consular constable, an experienced Lon- A few half-naked fishermen were standdon policeman, who had captured many a ing at the doors of their huts looking criminal in his time and who, coolly cal- curiously at the heated and excited stranculating in the midst of the general ex-gers. Óne of the natives began to speak, citement that the fugitive could only es- and everybody listened to him. cape by one way namely, the small "Mr. Jervis? I know him well. Many road which led to the settlement-rushed a time we have sailed out together in forward to the opening on that road. stormy weather. I saw him here in front Jervis had a good start of his pursu-of my house about half an hour ago. I ers, and he was now only a few yards from the wall. With the agility of a cat he climbed the top and disappeared on can't tell how he came there. I heard the rolling of loose stones, and stepped outside, and there he stood before me |