ge a ban-dog as
himself. His cry from a window, of 'How now, Tearum, what's the matter,
sir? down, d--n ye, down!' produced no abatement of Tearum's
vociferation, which in part prevented his master from hearing the sounds
of alarm which his ferocious vigilance was in the act of challenging. But
the mate of the two-legged Cerberus was gifted with sharper ears than her
husband. She also was now at the window. 'B--t ye, gae down and let loose
the dog,' she said; 'they're sporting the door of the custom-house, and
the auld sap at Hazlewood House has ordered off the guard. But ye hae nae
mair heart than a cat.' And down the Amazon sallied to perform the task
herself, while her helpmate, more jealous of insurrection within doors
than of storm from without, went from cell to cell to see that the
inhabitants of each were carefully secured.

These latter sounds with which we have made the reader acquainted had
their origin in front of the house, and were consequently imperfectly
heard by Bertram, whose apartment, as we have already noticed, looked
from the back part of the building upon the sea. He heard, however, a
stir and tumult in the house, which did not seem to accord with the stern
seclusion of a prison at the hour of midnight, and, connecting them with
the arrival of an armed boat at that dead hour, could not but suppose
that something extraordinary was about to take place. In this belief he
shook Dinmont by the shoulder. 'Eh! Ay! Oh! Ailie, woman, it's no time to
get up yet,' groaned the sleeping man of the mountains. More roughly
shaken, however, he gathered himself up, shook his ears, and asked, 'In
the name of Providence what's the matter?'

'That I can't tell you,' replied Bertram; 'but either the place is on
fire or some extraordinary thing is about to happen. Are you not sensible
of a smell of fire? Do you not hear what a noise there is of clashing
doors within the house and of hoarse voices, murmurs, and distant shouts
on the outside? Upon my word, I believe something very extraordinary has
taken place. Get up, for the love of Heaven, and let us be on our guard.'

Dinmont rose at the idea of danger, as intrepid and undismayed as any of
his ancestors when the beacon-light was kindled. 'Od, Captain, this is a
queer place! they winna let ye out in the day, and they winna let ye
sleep in the night. Deil, but it wad break my heart in a fortnight. But,
Lordsake, what a racket they're making now! Od, I wish we had some