he people of this land. Had it not been for you I might
even now have been afloat!"

"Had it not been for me," said Aasta, "you would even now have been
dead, for if I had let you use your dirk as you intended, Allan Redmain,
whose prisoner you now are, would certainly have slain you."

"That would I," said Allan, now bending down and taking hold of the lad
in his strong arms and carrying him to the boat.

"'Tis a long pull round to Rothesay Bay," said Aasta, "and it may be
that you will yet have trouble with your charge. Let me go with you."

Allan, standing knee deep in the water, held out his hand and helped her
into the boat. Then as she sat down he pushed off and sprang on board,
taking the oars.

Some four hours afterwards the boat rounded Bogany Point and entered the
bay of Rothesay. By this time many of the men of the castle, led by
Kenric and Sir Piers de Currie, were scouring the island in search of
the fugitive Harald, and when the boat touched at the little pier it was
as though it were one of the fishing craft returning after a night at
sea. Allan carried his prisoner up to the castle gates, followed by a
crowd of wondering children, and meeting the Lady Adela in the hail he
told her how he had passed his first night as watchdog over at Scalpsie.

CHAPTER XVIII. THE EXPEDITION TO THE ISLAND KINGS.

It was on a day in the month of August, 1262, that the armament of
twelve gallant ships of war, under Sir Piers de Currie and Earl Kenric
of Bute, entered the sound of Kilbrannan on their voyage to the outer
isles. There had passed six weeks of busy preparation, for there were
stores to be got ready and put on board, small boats to be made trim,
timbers to be caulked, sails to be mended, many hundreds of arrows to be
cut, pointed, and feathered, and longbows to be strung, swords and
battle-axes to be forged and sharpened, and bucklers to be stretched.
And now, with all these matters duly completed, the twelve vessels, with
their sails brailed up to the yards, and their long oars moving with
regular stride, crept down the channel between Kintyre and Arran.
Leading them was the great Dragon -- the same that had sailed to
Dumbarton -- commanded by Earl Kenric himself, who stood on the poop
clothed in armour of iron network and with the sword of Somerled at his
side, and wearing his shining brass helm crested with gold wings.

The lion banner of Scotland, woven in silk, fluttered at his bark's
masthead.