Page:Celebrated Trials - Volume 1.djvu/492

two large flitches of bacon, out of a cheesemonger's shop; and as they came along were talking of a vintner hard by, who sold a bottle of extraordinary wine. Sawney was somewhat relieved from his fears at hearing this conversation. He had not been at his post long, before he had the satisfaction of seeing this company put their bacon, which was in a sack, into an empty cellar, and knock the master of the tavern up to let them in. The coast being now clear, Sawney conveyed the dead lawyer into the cellar, and taking out the purloined goods, put his uneasy cargo in the sack, and then marched home. Meanwhile, the thieves were carousing, little dreaming what a change they should presently find in their sack. Little or no money was found amongst them, and the flitches were to answer the full reckoning, so that they continued drinking till they thought the bacon was become an equivalent for the wine they had drank. One of them, addressing the landlord, told him:—

"That he must excuse him and his comrades for bringing no money in their pockets to defray what they had expended, especially at such an unseasonable time of night, when he bad been called out of his bed to let them in; but landlord, in saying this, we have no design of doing you any wrong, or drinking your wine for nothing. For we have got two flitches of bacon in a cellar hard by, which will more than answer our expences, and if you care to have them they are at your service."—" Gentlemen," said the vintner, "if the flitches of bacon, you say you have, are good, I'll take them off your hands, and quit scores with you, so they but answer my demands."

Immediately one of them said he would go and fetch them, and accordingly coming into the cellar strove to hoist the sack up:—

"Zounds," says he, "why, I think the bacon is multiplied, or I am deceived, What a load is here to gaul a man's shoulders; the vintner will have a rare bargain."

And so saying, he carried the corpse on his shoulders to the tavern. On opening the mouth of the sack, they were surprised to see a man's head peep out. The vintner presently knew the lineaments of the deceased's face, and cried out,

"Rascals, this is the body of Mr. Hamliton, the lawyer, and you have murdered him,"