t to keep," I continued. "I am trysted with your cousin
Charlie; I have passed my word."

"Braw trysts that you'll can keep," said Alan. "Ye'll just mistryst
aince and for a' with the gentry in the bents. And what for?" he went on
with an extreme threatening gravity. "Just tell me that, my mannie! Are
ye to be speerited away like Lady Grange? Are they to drive a dirk in
your inside and bury ye in the bents? Or is it to be the other way, and
are they to bring ye in with James? Are they folk to be trustit? Would
ye stick your head in the mouth of Simon Fraser and the ither Whigs?" he
added with extraordinary bitterness.

"Alan," cried I, "they're all rogues and liars, and I'm with ye there.
The more reason there should be one decent man in such a land of
thieves! My word is passed, and I'll stick to it. I said long syne to
your kinswoman that I would stumble at no risk. Do ye mind of that?--the
night Red Colin fell, it was. No more I will, then. Here I stop.
Prestongrange promised me my life; if he's to be man-sworn, here I'll
have to die."

"Aweel, aweel," said Alan.

All this time we had seen or heard no more of our pursuers. In truth we
had caught them unawares; their whole party (as I was to learn
afterwards) had not yet reached the scene; what there was of them was
spread among the bents towards Gillane. It was quite an affair to call
them in and bring them over, and the boat was making speed. They were,
besides, but cowardly fellows; a mere leash of Highland cattle-thieves,
of several clans, no gentleman there to be the captain: and the more
they looked at Alan and me upon the beach, the less (I must suppose)
they liked the looks of us.

Whoever had betrayed Alan it was not the captain: he was in the skiff
himself, steering and stirring up his oars-men, like a man with his
heart in his employ. Already he was near in, and the boat
scouring--already Alan's face had flamed crimson with the excitement of
his deliverance, when our friends in the bents, either in despair to see
their prey escape them, or with some hope of scaring Andie, raised
suddenly a shrill cry of several voices.

This sound, arising from what appeared to be a quite deserted coast, was
really very daunting, and the men in the boat held water instantly.

"What's this of it?" sings out the captain, for he was come within an
easy hail.

"Freens o' mine," says Alan, and began immediately to wade forth in the
shallow water towards the boat. "Davi