e, and no rowing would get him back,
and who could get word to him.

There was the whiteness and stillness of snow over everything, and I
mind me how my mind would cling to wee things, like the footprints of
rabbits, and the wee bits of grey fur here and there, and the flight of
cushies in the trees, to come back with a start to the _Gull_ away out
in the Firth, and Dan on board of her.

Silently we ate our bannocks at a little burn under some stunted trees
and close to the shore, and wearily trailed on; and just at the
darkness I made out the lights of the big house, and came into the
kitchen, where Ronald McKinnon had a meal. He took away over the hill
for his mother's house then, as he said, but I'm thinking maybe Mirren
Stuart would have another way of it, and at his going I went to that
grim man, the Laird.

He was with his back to a red fire of peats, and looked dourly at me.

"What new devilry is this?" says he, and bit his lip. "Here are women
and men gane gyte wi' the tellin' o' death and murder--and where is Dan
McBride?"

"There is nae murder that I ken," said I, "and the hogs are doing
finely."

I believe the man had clean forgot about the sheep.

"Hogs," quo' he; "deil tak' the braxy beasts. Sir, where is Dan
McBride?" and at that I told him.

"And there's more yet," said I, for I had passed my word. "There's
more to tell yet."

"Ay," said he, "there will be. Well, tell on."

And I told him of Belle and the old hut. He was not so very
ill-pleased.

"See that the woman has what she will be needing," said he--"a cow and
such-like, Hamish, and peats and gear and plenishings. Poor lass, poor
lass. Hech, sirs, this will no' make bonny tellin' to the mistress.
The mistress will no' be pleased wi' this--she'll be in need o' siller
too."

* * * * * *

So it was on the first good day, with the sun red through a frosty
haze, and the snow melted for the most part, we yoked the horses to the
creels, and took gear and plenishing and peats to McCurdy's hut away in
the hills over beyond the peat hags, and it was a weary cow beast that
trailed behind, tied to the spars.

When we came over the last rise and stood to breathe the horses, I saw
Belle at her door, shading her eyes under her flattened palms from the
rays of the sun, and watching for us; and the horses looked in wonder
to see a house so far among the hills, and tossed their ropy manes.

Man, they were th