FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95  
96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   >>   >|  
I were to offer an opeenion, it would not be conscientious. For the plain fac' is, Mr. St. Ivy, that I div not ken. We have had crackit heids--and rowth of them--ere now; and we have had a broken leg, or maybe twa; and the like of that we drover bodies make a kind of a practice like to keep among oursel's. But a corp we have none of us ever had to deal with, and I could set na leemit to what Gillies micht consider proper in the affair. Forbye that, he would be in raither a hobble himsel' if he was to gang hame wantin' Faa. Folk are awfu' throng with their questions, and parteecularly when they're no' wantit." "That's a fac'," said Candlish. I considered this prospect ruefully; and then making the best of it, "Upon all which accounts," said I, "the best will be to get across the Border and there separate. If you are troubled, you can very truly put the blame upon your late companion; and if I am pursued, I must just try to keep out of the way." "Mr. St. Ivy," said Sim, with something resembling enthusiasm, "no' a word mair! I have met in wi' mony kinds o' gentry ere now; I hae seen o' them that was the tae thing, and I hae seen o' them that was the tither; but the wale of a gentleman like you I have no' sae very frequently seen the bate of." Our night march was accordingly pursued with unremitting diligence. The stars paled, the east whitened, and we were still, both dogs and men, toiling after the wearied cattle. Again and again Sim and Candlish lamented the necessity: it was "fair ruin on the bestial," they declared; but the thought of a judge and a scaffold hunted them ever forward. I myself was not so much to be pitied. All that night, and during the whole of the little that remained before us of our conjunct journey, I enjoyed a new pleasure, the reward of my prowess, in the now loosened tongue of Mr. Sim. Candlish was still obdurately taciturn: it was the man's nature; but Sim, having finally appraised and approved me, displayed without reticence a rather garrulous habit of mind and a pretty talent for narration. The pair were old and close companions, co-existing in these endless moors in a brotherhood of silence such as I have heard attributed to the trappers of the West. It seems absurd to mention love in connection with so ugly and snuffy a couple; at least, their trust was absolute; and they entertained a surprising admiration for each other's qualities; Candlish exclaiming that Sim was "grand company
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95  
96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Candlish
 

pursued

 

loosened

 
prowess
 
pleasure
 
enjoyed
 

journey

 

remained

 

reward

 

conjunct


toiling
 
wearied
 

cattle

 

diligence

 

whitened

 

lamented

 

scaffold

 

hunted

 

forward

 

thought


declared
 

tongue

 

necessity

 
bestial
 

pitied

 
absurd
 
mention
 

connection

 

attributed

 

trappers


snuffy

 

couple

 
qualities
 
exclaiming
 

company

 
admiration
 

surprising

 

absolute

 

entertained

 

silence


brotherhood

 

displayed

 
reticence
 

garrulous

 
approved
 
appraised
 

taciturn

 

nature

 
finally
 

unremitting