ead. See, now," he said, striking right and
left, as if to make sure, "down there a burn is running; and at the head
of it there stands a bit of a small hill with a stone cocked upon the
top of that; and it's hard at the foot of the hill that the way runs by
to Torosay; and the way here, being for droves, is plainly trodden, and
will show grassy through the heather."

I had to own he was right in every feature, and told my wonder.

"Ha!" says he, "that's nothing. Would ye believe me now, that before the
Act came out, and when there were weepons in this country, I could
shoot? Ay could I!" cries he and then with a leer: "If ye had such a
thing as a pistol here to try with, I would show you how it's done."

I told him I had nothing of the sort, and gave him a wider berth. If he
had known, his pistol stuck at that time quite plainly out of his
pocket, and I could see the sun twinkle on the steel of the butt. But,
by the better luck for me, he knew nothing, thought all was covered, and
lied on in the dark.

He then began to question me cunningly, where I came from, whether I was
rich, whether I could change a five-shilling piece for him (which he
declared he had that moment in his sporran), and all the time he kept
edging up to me and I avoiding him. We were now upon a sort of green
cattle-track which crossed the hills towards Torosay, and we kept
changing sides upon that like dancers in a reel. I had so plainly the
upper hand that my spirits rose, and indeed I took a pleasure in this
game of blindman's-buff; but the catechist grew angrier and angrier, and
at last began to swear in Gaelic and to strike for my legs with his
staff.

Then I told him that, sure enough, I had a pistol in my pocket as well
as he, and if he did not strike across the hill due south I would even
blow his brains out.

He became at once very polite; and after trying to soften me for some
time, but quite in vain, he cursed me once more in Gaelic and took
himself off. I watched him striding along through bog and briar, tapping
with his stick, until he turned the end of a hill and disappeared in the
next hollow. Then I struck on again for Torosay, much better pleased to
be alone than to travel with that man of learning. This was an unlucky
day; and these two, of whom I had just rid myself, one after the other,
were the two worst men I met with in the Highlands.

At Torosay, on the Sound of Mull, and looking over to the mainland of
Morven, there w