The Highland monthly - National Library of Scotland

A 'J'ruc S/ory of Uic Intushcc. 761
A TRUE STORY OF THE HANSHEE.
The following story of the Banshee was rclaicd to me by an^
otificer of the Navy, at Queenstown, Cork Harbour, some
IT
years ago. I give it, as nearly as 1 can remember, in his
own words, suppressing, for obvious reasons, the real names
of [leople and j)laces. R. G.
was just after I had pa.^sed the College of Surgeons,
and was taking a short holida\- before presenting
myself as a competitor for an appointment in the Naval
Medical Service, that 1 went t'o spend two or three weeks
with an old family friend in Ireland. Good shooting and
fishing were the inducements held out to me, as in other
respects there was little amusement of any kind to be
found at Kilcorrie. M}' host was an old bachelor, the last
of his race, and his household consisted of an old butler
and an equally aged housekeeper.
For the first week after my arrival, my host (Mr Moran)
and I spent most of our time on the moors or by the ri\ cr
and glorious sport we had, the game and fish being plenti-
ful, and the weather all that could be desired. One ciay
during the second week of my stay, we were caught, while
shooting on a distant moor, in a violent thunderstorm.
The rain came down with a will, as it can do in the Green
Isle, and there being no shelter within miles of us, we were
soon drenched to the skin. Tim, the keeper, advised Iiis
master to mount the rough pon}- we had with us to cai ry
the game bags, and make his way home as fast as possibL,
This he did, and I did not see him again till we met at
dinner, when neither of us seemed any the worse of our
wetting. In the course of the evening, however, he com-
plained of feeling chilly, and next morning old Morgan, the
butler, met me with a message from his master, saying he
thought he had got a little cold, and would stay in bed,
Vu!t would be glad to have a visit from me after I had