tilled, and very productive.
Near the site of the log-house built by his father stood a comfortable
farm-house of stone. All this his neighbours saw, and called him a
prosperous man; and now and then they speculated together as to the
amount of bank-stock to which he might justly lay claim.

The world had not gone so well with Angus Bhan. There was not so much
land under cultivation, neither was what he had so well cultivated as
his cousin's. He had built a new house too, but he had been unfortunate
as to the time chosen to build. Materials were dear, and a bad harvest
or two put him sadly back in the world. He was obliged to run into
debt, and the interest of the money borrowed from his cousin was an
additional burden. He was not successful in the rearing of stock, and
some heavy losses of cattle fell on him. Worse than all, his health
began to fail, for then his courage failed too; and when there came to
that part of the country rumours of wonderful discoveries of the
precious metals in the western parts of the continent, he only faintly
withstood the entreaties of his eldest son that he might be permitted to
go away and search for gold among the mountains of California. His
going away nearly broke his mother's heart; and some among the
neighbours said it would have been far wiser for young Allister to stay
at home and help his father to plough and sow and gather in the harvest,
than to go so far and suffer so much for gold, which might be slow in
coming, and which must be quick in going should sickness overtake him in
the land of strangers. But the young are always hopeful, and Allister
was sure of success; and he comforted his mother by telling her that in
two or three years at most he could earn money enough to pay his
father's debt to Angus Dhu, and then he would come home again, and they
would all live happily together as before. So Allister went away, and
left a sorrowful household behind.

And there was another sorrowful household in Glengarry about that time.
There was only _sorrow_ in the hearts of Angus Bhan and his wife when
their first-born son went away; for he went with their consent, and
carried their blessing with him. But there were sorrow and bitter anger
in the heart of Angus Dhu when he came to know that his son had also
gone away. He was not a man of many words, and he said little to anyone
about his son; but in his heart he believed that he had been beguiled
away by the son of Angus