cuse for the quarrel now ready. "Do you dare come here and call down
the credit of MacCailein Mor?" I demanded in the English, with an idea
of putting him at once in a fury at having to reply in a language he
spoke but indifferently.

His face blanched; he knew I was doubling my insult for him. The skin of
his jaw twitched and his nostrils expanded; a hand went to his dirk hilt
on the moment.

"And is it that you are the advocate?" he cried to me in a laughable
kind of Scots. I was bitter enough to mock his words and accent with
the airs of one who has travelled far and knows other languages than his
own.

"Keep to your Gaelic," he cried in that language; "the other may be good
enough to be insolent in; let us have our own for courtesies."

"Any language," said I, "is good enough to throw the lie in your face
when you call MacCailein a coward."

"Grace of God!" said he; "I called him nothing of the kind; but it's
what he is all the same."

Up came his valet and stood at his arm, his blade out, and his whole
body ready to spring at a signal from his master.

I kept my anger out of my head, and sunk to the pit of my stomach while
I spoke to him. "You have said too much about Archibald, Marquis of
Argile," I said. "A week or two ago, the quarrel was more properly
M'Iver's; now that he's severed by his own act from the clan, I'm ready
to take his place and chastise you for your insolence. Are you willing,
John?" I asked, turning to my friend.

"If I cannot draw a sword for my cousin I can at least second his
defender," he answered quickly. MacLachlan's colour came back; he looked
from one to the other of us, and made an effort to laugh with cunning.

"There's more here than I can fathom, gentlemen." said he. "I'll swear
this is a forced quarrel; but in any case I fear none of you.
Alasdair," he said, turning to his man, who it seemed was his dalta or
foster-brother, "we'll accommodate those two friends of ours when and
where they like."

"Master," cried the gillie, "I would like well to have this on my own
hands," and he looked at me with great venom as he spoke.

MacLachlan laughed. "They may do their dangerous work by proxy in this
part of the shire," said he; "but I think our own Cowal ways are better;
every man his own quarrel."

"And now is the time to settle it," said I; "the very place for our
purpose is less than a twenty minutes' walk off."

Not a word more was said; the four of us stepped out again