twa."

Even as he spoke the dull growl of a cataract was heard, and, a few
minutes later, the party came upon the ford of the river.

It was situated not many yards below the picturesque waterfall, which is
now spanned by the Routen Bridge, but which, at that time, was
unbridged--at all events, if a bridge had previously existed, it had
fallen in or been carried away--and the wild gorge was impassable.

The sound of the fall alone told of its vicinity, for a dense mass of
foliage hid it completely from the troopers' view until they had
surmounted the steep bank on the other side of the stream.

"Are you well acquainted with this man Black?" asked the leader of the
party as they emerged from the thick belt of trees and shrubs by which
the Cluden was shaded, and continued their journey on the more open
ground beyond.

"I ken him weel, sir," answered the trooper. "Andrew Black was an auld
freend o' mine, an' a big, stoot, angry man he is--kindly disposed, nae
doot, when ye let him alane, but a perfe't deevil incarnate when he's
roosed. He did me an ill turn ance that I've no paid him off for
_yet_."

"I suppose, then," said the officer, "that your guiding us so willingly
to his cottage is in part payment of this unsettled debt?"

"Maybe it is," replied the trooper grimly.

"They say," continued the other, "that there is some mystery about the
man; that somehow nobody can catch him. Like an eel he has slipped
through our fellows' fingers and disappeared more than once, when they
thought they had him quite safe. It is said that on one occasion he
managed even to give the slip to Claverhouse himself, which, you know,
is not easy."

"That may be, sir, but he'll no slip through my fingers gin I ance git a
grup o' his thrapple," said the swarthy man, with a revengeful look.

"We must get a grip of him somehow," returned the officer, "for it is
said that he is a sly helper of the rebels--though it is as difficult to
convict as to catch him; and as this gathering, of which our spies have
brought information, is to be in the neighbourhood of his house, he is
sure to be mixed up with it."

"Nae doot o' that, sir, an' so we may manage to kill twa birds wi' ae
stane. But I'm in a diffeeculty noo, sir, for ye ken I'm no acquaint
wi' this country nae farer than the Cluden ford, an' here we hae come to
a fork i' the road."

The party halted as he spoke, while the perplexed guide stroked his
rather long nose and looked