s nest."

"The castle of Rothesay?" repeated Kenric. "Set me none of your riddles,
Elspeth, for they are harder to read even than the abbot's missals. What
is your meaning? My father has not an enemy in all the isles. Who, then,
would do him an injury?"

"Speed you home to Rothesay and see with your own eyes," said Elspeth,
taking up her bundle of faggots again; "Earl Hamish of Bute is in great
danger, I say. Go to him now, I charge you, and give him my warning
against the enemy who is within his gates."

And at that she hobbled away down the hillside towards the little wooden
hut that was her home. As she went the red sun sank behind the dark
hills of Kintyre. Kenric stood in doubt.

"I marvel that you will dare to hold speech with that evil hag," said
Ailsa. "'Tis our own good fortune if she have not already cast her
eldritch spells upon us both."

"Nay, Ailsa; fear her not. She is but a poor harmless body," said
Kenric. "Only the witless carls and cottar folk are so simple as to
believe that she has aught of evil in her words."

"Ah, but I well know that Elspeth is a witch," declared Ailsa. "Never do
I see her but I must shrink away and cross myself in dread of her. Why
do all the brave men of Bute fear her more than they would fear a band
of armed Norsemen? She casts her spells upon our kine so that they give
no milk, and upon the fountains so that the clear drinking water is
turned rank and brown. Allan told me but yesternight that she rides over
to Inch Marnock in a boat that has neither sails nor oars, and that the
ribs of the boat are of dead men's bones."

Kenric smiled no more at Ailsa's fears; for, indeed, so great was the
superstition of that time, that deep in his heart he believed no less
strongly than did Ailsa that Elspeth was assuredly a witch.

"And what meant she by her warnings of an enemy in your father's
castle?" added Ailsa.

"Little reck I that," returned Kenric, "for never lived man in all the
Western Isles who had so few enemies as my good father."

"Right so," said Ailsa. "But none the less, Elspeth is a most wise
soothsayer, and you are unwise if you heed not her warning. And now I
mind me that on this very day, as I was returning from matins, a great
ship of twelve banks of oars came in from the west through Kilbrannan
Sound, and it let anchor in Scalpsie Bay. As I looked upon that ship
three tall warriors were brought ashore in a small boat, and, landing,
they walked along the s