ll no' say but it might just be that," says Ronny, with a thinking
look in his eyes.

"There was a lass o' that name, on a Hielan' pony, met Dan and me at
Bothanairidh the day before the snow," says I. "She talked about ye
for a while."

"She would be having nothing good to be saying," says he with a laugh.
"For everything I did was a fault except just I would be sitting at
home with my old mother, and so I just fell in wi' McGilp, and left the
lassies to claver among themsel's for a year or two, for they will have
too many cantrips for a simple man."

"It would just be that lass that told us about the Preventives lying in
the cove near the Snib, and she was sore feart a lad Ronny McKinnon
would be transported."

"And would she be saying just that," says Ronny.

"She would just," says I.

"It's no like her temper at a', but I'll be thanking her for that kind
thought," says he, and commenced to his whistling o' pipers' tunes.

[1] Cormorants.

[2] Boghay.

CHAPTER IX.

MIRREN STUART BIDS HER DOG LIE DOWN.

It was after the burial of the Red Laird that we returned to the Quay
Inn in McKelvie's skiff, and this time we had McKelvie's lass and Ronny
McKinnon with us. The _Seagull_ was at anchor now over near Donal's
Point, for McGilp had much business to attend to. Little skiffs had
flitted in the night through the darkness of the bay. The cove was
empty, and in the sand ballast of many a smack sailing for the mainland
ports, there was that hidden that the smacksmen prized more than their
honest cargoes of coal or potatoes. Ronny McKinnon had been aye about
the cove, concealed in the daytime and busy in the night, for McGilp
trusted him much, and McKelvie's skiff had made a run with only the
innkeeper and swart Robin on board, except for a keg or two concealed
beneath a sail and a tangled long line. At the Quay Inn Mrs McKelvie
made a great work with her lass, and would not be letting her do a
hand's turn, but just sit and be resting, and every one was very merry
about the place. The two sons were scattering clean sand on the floor,
and the fine scent of cooking in the kitchen was wafted to the tap-room
and made my very teeth water for a square meal, for the sea had made me
hungry. Ronny left us at the inn and made his way homewards, and I
would be hearing his cheery cries to the folk he passed, for he would
be everybody's fair-headed laddie, and maybe Mirren Stuart would be
feeling surer of he