Paul noticed the women
particularly. They looked strong and rosy. They all wore long cloaks
with a hood covering the head, and their feet were naked and as red as a
pigeon's. From the expressions he overheard, he concluded that the
coast-guard man had drawn on his imagination in explaining the
stranger's appearance in the station.
"Did he railly swim from New York?" he heard time and again.
"Oh, thin he's not human if he could do that," and many other
exclamations of like nature greeted the astonished Paul as he drowsily
turned out of the bunk.
The coast-guard man now approached and driving the curious villagers out
of the station, he invited him to breakfast in a little tavern across
the way. The entire village was out. Crowds blocked their way as they
crossed the street. While eating breakfast Paul learned that the most of
the excitement was created by a report that he had swam all the way from
New York. In conversation with the guard, he found out that the
village was called Baltimore, a little coast town about thirty miles
from where he had left the steamer; and also that there was no
telegraph office nearer than Skibbereen, a distance of nine miles. There
was but one conveyance in the village and as the driver was a very
eccentric character, it was doubtful if he could be induced to go out on
such a stormy morning.
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