in James More's portmanteau; but I think he would as soon
have lost his life as cast away that booty which was his revenge; and he
ran so that I was distressed to follow him, and marvelled and exulted to
see the girl bounding at my side.

As soon as we appeared, they cast off all disguise upon the other side;
and the seamen pursued us with shouts and view-hullohs. We had a start
of some two hundred yards, and they were but bandy-legged tarpaulins
after all, that could not hope to better us at such an exercise. I
suppose they were armed, but did not care to use their pistols on French
ground. And as soon as I perceived that we not only held our advantage,
but drew a little away, I began to feel quite easy of the issue. For all
which, it was a hot, brisk bit of work, so long as it lasted; Dunkirk
was still far off; and when we popped over a knowe, and found a company
of the garrison marching on the other side on some manoeuvre, I could
very well understand the word that Alan had.

He stopped running at once; and mopping at his brow, "They're a real
bonny folk, the French nation," says he.

CONCLUSION

No sooner were we safe within the walls of Dunkirk than we held a very
necessary council of war on our position. We had taken a daughter from
her father at the sword's point; any judge would give her back to him at
once, and by all likelihood clap me and Alan into gaol; and though we
had an argument upon our side in Captain Palliser's letter, neither
Catriona nor I were very keen to be using it in public. Upon all
accounts it seemed the most prudent to carry the girl to Paris, to the
hands of her own chieftain, Macgregor of Bohaldie, who would be very
willing to help his kinswoman on the one hand, and not at all anxious to
dishonour James upon the other.

We made but a slow journey of it up, for Catriona was not so good at the
riding as the running, and had scarce sat in a saddle since the
'Forty-five. But we made it out at last, reached Paris early of a
Sabbath morning, and made all speed, under Alan's guidance, to find
Bohaldie. He was finely lodged, and lived in a good style, having a
pension on the Scots Fund, as well as private means; greeted Catriona
like one of his own house, and seemed altogether very civil and
discreet, but not particularly open. We asked of the news of James More.
"Poor James!" said he, and shook his head and smiled, so that I thought
he knew further than he meant to tell. Then we show