“Why,” said he, “it was just so as has been said.  I wished not to hurt the fellow; but he called me a swindler.  Well, I knew the man was in a passion, and I did not care.  I only said, ‘How dare you, Sir?’ and I threw the piece of iron just to frighten him.  Well, to be sure, the blackguard fell down like a bull, and I thought it was a humbug.  I laughed and said, ‘None of your gammon;’ but he was dead.  I think the thing must have struck something on the way, and so swerved against his head.  I wished not to kill the fellow—­I be damned if I did.”

The jurymen looked at each other with a significant and approving air, which could be translated as accidental death.  Gabriel touched the merchant upon the shoulder, “You should have said to him, that you merely wished to kill a musquito upon the wall.”

“Capital idea,” cried the defendant “I be d——­d if it was not a musquito eating my molasses that I wished to kill, after all.”

At that moment one of the jurymen approached the merchant, and addressed him in a low voice; I could not hear what passed, but I heard the parting words of the juryman, which were, “All’s right!” To this dispenser of justice succeeded another; indeed, all the jurymen followed in succession, to have a little private conversation with the prisoner.  At last the judge condescended to cease his whittling, and come to make his own bargain, which he did openly: 

“Any good saddles, Fielding? mine looks rather shabby.”

“Yes, by Jingo, a fine one, bound with blue cloth, and silver nails—­Philadelphia-made—­prime cost sixty dollars.”

“That will do,” answered the judge, walking back to his seat.

Ten minutes afterwards the verdict of manslaughter was returned against the defendant, who was considered, in a speech from the judge, sufficiently punished by the affliction which such an accident must produce to a generous mind.  The court broke up, and Fielding, probably to show how deep was his remorse, gave three cheers, to which the whole court answered with a hurrah, and the merchant was called upon to treat the whole company:  of course he complied, and they all left the court-house.  Gabriel and I remained behind.  He had often tried to persuade me to abandon my ideas of going to the States and Europe, pointing out to me that I should be made a dupe and become a prey to pretended well-wishers.  He had narrated to me many incidents of his own life, of his folly and credulity, which had thrown him from an eminent station in civilized society, and had been the cause of our meeting in the Western World.  He forewarned me that I should be disappointed in my expectations, and reap nothing but vexation and disappointment.  He knew the world too well.  I knew nothing of it, and I thought that he was moved by bitterness of spirit to rail so loud against it.  He would fain persuade me to return with him to my own tribe of Shoshones, and not go in search of what I never should obtain.  He was right, but I was obstinate.  He did not let pass this opportunity of giving me a lesson.