making choice of me, but my hand was quick on the dirk, and no man
spoke above a whisper, and then I looked over the bows, and I would be
seeing her coming, and the man of the Western Isles cried out in his
fear--

"'She's wavin', she's wavin', Chrisht's mercy.' He was pointing to the
grey seas, and the froth was on his lips.

"And as he was standing gazing I creeped round behind him like a cat,
so quiet, and I had my arms round him before his eyes were winking.

"'Go to your wet love,' I cried, and I flung him over the rail by the
poop, and the captain was at the laughing.

"'The curse is lifted, my lads,' he roared. 'Crowd the sail on her.
Heigh-ho for the North and the gay adventures!' But after that there
were two to be watching in the darkness when I took the tiller--ay, and
I crawled from the sea at last, and came to the hills again--in the
dark.

"Oh, the dark, the dark, and never mair the sun shining on the heather
howes of dark Glen Darruach." As we lay on the heather beds the
Nameless Man wandered through the cave, and the booming of his voice
rumbled in the heart of the hill, as he wandered through unknown
galleries in the dark. The day came at last, and I saw a wee shaft of
light filter down some way on the cavern walls, but we could only lie
still till the dusk would come again, and we might make our way among
the hills, for after our sleeping Dan and Ronny and me had a great
confab.

"I canna lie here like a rat in a hole a' my days," said Dan.

"Ye'll never sleep sound till there's many a mile o' blue sea between
you and Dol Beag's hunters," said I. "If we could pass the word for a
skiff. . . ."

"We're daft, we're clean daft," cried Ronny. "McGilp is lying at the
north end, standing off and on. If we can just make Loch Ranza, ye're
safe."

"Ay," said Dan. "I'm thinking it's the Low Country now for me, Hamish.
Whatever money is due me, ye'll leave wi' McGilp, and he'll find a way
for sending it on. I'm sair sweirt tae part frae my bonny horses for
yon mauk's sake. . . . And there's the bonny spaewife, Hamish; if
anything comes wrong tae that lass I'll be relying on you." And then
for a long time he sat brooding at the fire.

In the afternoon a change came over the Nameless Man. He crawled on
his knees about the cave, whining and howling like a beast. He glared
at the black pool, and pointed.

"She's there in the water." And then with a yell to the dog, "Had her,
Marr; tear he