Leith, a worthy and enterprising shipowner, who had
won a snug fortune in the service of that fickle mistress, the sea.
After working his way up from cabin-boy to captain, he had settled down
on shore, while others commanded his craft for him, and being a shrewd,
far-sighted, close-fisted man of business, had prospered from year to
year, in spite of occasional inevitable losses.

He had held aloof from the Darien scheme at the start, as was indeed
characteristic of him, but when the London folk acted so shabbily his
Scottish blood was set a-boiling.

"Hech!" he exclaimed, in high indignation, "the Southrons would have
the world to themselves, eh? They're just dogs in the manger, and we
Scots shall teach them the lesson they need. I hadna thought of taking
ony shares in Mr. Paterson's company, but if it's only to spite the
English I'll put me doon for five hundred pounds." And he was not only
as good as his word, but he interested himself actively in securing
other subscriptions to a considerable amount.

Not having been blessed with bairns of his own, Mr. Blane had adopted a
nephew from the Inverness Highlands, whose own name had been foregone
in favour of his second father's.

Donald Blane, or Donalblane, as he soon came to be called for short,
was a pretty uncouth specimen of a boy when, at the age of ten, he was
taken into the Blane household. The term "halflin" would describe him
sufficiently to Scots folk, but for others some further particulars may
be required.

The son of a shepherd, whose tiny shieling with only a "but and ben"
seemed to shelter an impossible number of children, he had practically
run wild upon the mountains.

Bare-headed and bare-footed the greater part of the year, he had grown
up as sound, strong, and sturdy as one of the shaggy ponies which he
loved to bestride in a wild gallop over moor and heather, and although
his most partial friends could hardly pronounce him handsome, he bore a
frank, fearless, wide-awake countenance that did not fail to make a
good impression upon those who took the trouble to look into it. His
thick, tousled hair showed a slight tinge of red in the sun; his eyes
were deep-set and of a fine, clear grey; his mouth a trifle large, but
firm; his chin square, and full of character.

But the most attractive feature of the boy, if so it may be called, was
his smile. When Donalblane was pleased or amused his face lit up
wonderfully, and his parting lips reveal