knowledge that the Macleods were
by far the most savage of the people living up there: and then you tried
to make out that the poor creatures whom they harried were as cruel as
themselves."

"What is cruel now was not cruel then," he said; "it was a way of
fighting: it was what is called an ambush now--enticing your enemy, and
then taking him at a disadvantage. And if you did not do that to him,
he would do it to you. And when a man is mad with anger or revenge, what
does he care for anything?"

"I thought we were all sheep now," said she.

"Do you know the story of the man who was flogged by Maclean of
Lochbuy--that is in Mull," said he, not heeding her remark. "You do not
know that old story?"

They did not; and he proceeded to tell it in a grave and simple fashion
which was sufficiently impressive. For he was talking to these two
friends now in the most unembarrassed way; and he had, besides, the
chief gift of a born narrator--an utter forgetfulness of himself. His
eyes rested quite naturally on their eyes as he told his tale. But first
of all, he spoke of the exceeding loyalty of the Highland folk to the
head of their clan. Did they know that other story of how Maclean of
Duart tried to capture the young heir of the house of Lochbuy, and how
the boy was rescued and carried away by his nurse? And when, arrived at
man's estate, he returned to revenge himself on those who had betrayed
him, among them was the husband of the nurse. The young chief would have
spared the life of this man, for the old woman's sake. "_Let the tail go
with the hide_," said she, and he was slain with the rest. And then the
narrator went on to the story of the flogging. He told them how Maclean
of Lochbuy was out after the deer one day; and his wife, with her child,
had come out to see the shooting. They were driving the deer; and at a
particular pass a man was stationed so that, should the deer come that
way, he should turn them back. The deer came to this pass; the man
failed to turn them; and the chief was mad with rage. He gave orders
that the man's back should be bared, and that he should be flogged
before all the people.

"Very well," continued Macleod. "It was done. But it is not safe to do
anything like that to a Highlander; at least it _was_ not safe to do
anything like that to a highlander in those days; for, as I told you,
Mrs. Ross, we are all like sheep now. Then they went after the deer
again; but at one moment the man that