"He took his boat to the spot, but, sir, to Jim's surprise, he found it
was not only a shawl, but a bundle. He thought he had found a treasure,
and hastened to get it quickly off the hooks. It had been caught more
tightly by accident than it could have been placed there by human
hands. It was tight on the hooks, and he had to tear the shawl to get it
off. He lost no time opening it, and there was a little, fair child,
drowned and dead.

"It was not a pleasant sight, sir, on a bright morning, when the
sunshine was dancing over the waves. Jim said his heart turned quite
faint when he saw the little white body--such a fair little mite, sir,
it was enough to make the very angels weep! Some woman, sir--Heaven
forbid that it was the mother--some woman had dressed it in pretty white
clothes. It had a white gown, with lace, and a soft white woolen cap on
the little golden head. A sorry sight, sir--a sorry sight! Jim said that
when he thought of that little tender body swinging to and fro with the
waves all the night, he could not keep the tears from his eyes.

"It was meant to sink, you see, sir," continued the man, with rough
energy; "it was never meant to be caught. But the great God, He is above
all, and He knows the little one was not to sink to the bottom, like
lead. It is true, sir, and murder will out."

"But is nothing known?" I asked. "Surely such a thing could never be
done without some one seeing or knowing something about it."

"I am afraid, sir, no one knows but the one who did it. Some woman, sir,
had dressed the little thing--a man would never have thought of the soft
woolen cap. And I can tell you another thing, sir--a man would never
have killed a child like that; not that I am upholding men--some of them