Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1865-1872, 1866-10-19


moonlight, you could get shot at the sky
heron. He knew nif thc races Of dogs,
Ia tho warm lind pup he saw, at q a.glance,
the future terrier or stag-honnd He
could cure the distcmper, could crop ears
and dock tails. He could ounningly plait
all kinds Of fishing tackle; could carve
qHaichs, and work you curiously- patterned
dagger hilts out Of black dogoak. If you
wished tobacco pouch made OF the skin
Of an otter or a seal, you had simply to
apply to Angus. From his variety Of ac-
complshment he was an immense favor
ite. The old farmers liked him because
he was the sworn foo Of pole-cats, foxes
and ravens; the sons OF farmers valued
i bfni BECAUSE he was an authority in rifles
ftEd fotiing pieces, and knew tlsx-vs1fo foas
shelving rocks on which ullet-headed
seals slept, and the cairns on the sea
shore in which the otter lived; and be-
cause if any special breed Of dog was
wanted he was sure to meet the demand.
lie was little, thick-set fellow, of great
physical strength. and of the most oblig-
ing nature; and he was called Angus-with- :
the-dogs, because without Spoineag and
/ Fruich at his heels he was never SEEN
The pipe was always in his mouth--to him
tobacco was as much matter Of course as
peat reek is to turf hut.
Zone day, after Felowes had gone to
the landlords, where [ was to join him in
a week or ten days, young Nj Ian aud my
self waited for Angus with the dogs on
one Of the rising grounds at little dis
tance from the house. Angus in his per-
ordinations had marked a cairn in which
he thought an otter would be found, and
it was resolved that this cairn should be
visited on a specified day at noon, in the
hope that some little sport might be pro-
vided for the Sassenach About eleven A.
NJ, therefore, on the specified day, we lay
on the heather smoking. 1t was warm
aud sunny; NJ Ian had thrown beside him
on the heather his gun and shot belt, and
lay back luxuriously on his fragrant couch
meerschaum in mouth, bis left leg stretch
ed out, the right drawn up, and his brown
hands clasped around the knee. Of my
own position. which was comfortable
enough, was not atsthe moment specially
cognizant, my attention being absorbed by
the scenery around, which was wild and
strange. We lay on couches of purple
heather, as | have said; and behind were
the sloping birch woods-birch woods al
ways remind one somehow of woods in
their teens-which ran up to the bases of
white cliffs traversed only by the shepherd
and the shadows of hawks and clouds
The plateau on which VIC lay ran toward
the sea, and suddenly broke down to it in
little ravines aud gorges, beautifully grass
A ed aud messed, and p.uused With -buneaes
Of ferns. Occasionally a rivulet came
laughing and dancing down from rocky
shelf to shelf. OF course, from the spot
where we lay, this breaking down of the
hill face was invisible, but it was in my
minds eye all the same, for | had sailed
along the coast and admired it couple of
days before. Right in front flowed in
Loeb Eishar, with its islands and white
sea birds. Down in the right hand corner,
reduced in size by distance, the house sat
on its knoll, like white shell; and beside
it were the barns and outhouses, the smo-
king turf huts on the shore, the clumps
of birch wood, the thread Of road which
ran down toward the stream from the
house, crossed it by bridge little be-
yond the turf huts and the boat shed, and
then came up toward us till it was lost in
1.-The woods. Right across the Loch were
the round red hills that rise above Broad
ford, and the entire range Of the Cuchul-
lins-tho outline wild, splintered, Jagged,
as if drawn by hand shaken by terror or
frenzy. A glittering mesh of sunlight
stretched across the Loeb, binding, palpi-
tating, ever dying, ever renewed. The
bee came booming past, the white sea gull
swept above, silent as thought or dream.
Gazing out on all this, somewhat lost in
it, | was suddenly startled by sharp
whistle, and then | noticed that figure
was crossing the bridge below NJ Ian got
up. "That's Angus he said; 'let US 90
down to meet him." And so, after knock
ing tie ashes out of his pipe and filling it
anew, picking up his gun and singing his
shot belt across his shoulder, he led the
way.
At the bridge we found Angus seated,
with his gun across his knee, and Spoi-
noag and Fruich coursing about and beat
ing the bushes, from which rabbit would
occasionally bounce and skurry off. An
gus looked more alert and intelligent than
had ever before seen him-probab!y be.
cause he had business on hand. We
started at once along the shore at the foot
of the cliffs above which we had been ly,
ing half an hour before. Our way lay
across large bouldcrs which had rolled
: down from tie nights above, and progress
sion, at least to one uuaccustomed to suct
rough work. was by no means easy. An
gus aud NJ Ian stepped ou lightly enough
the dogs kept up continual barking ahC
yclping, and were continually disappear
ing in rents and crannies in the cliffs, anC
emerging more ardent than ever At
= likely plac Angus would stop for mo
' ment, speX word or two to the dogs
I aud then theyrushed barking at every ori
J; fee, entered with struggle, and ranged
. through all the passages of the hollow
S cairn. AS yet the otter had noN beer
: found at home. At last when we come
o in view of spur Of the higher grounc
o which, breaking down on the shore, termi
b mated in a sort Of pyramid Of loose stones
a Angus dashed across the broken BOULDER
!; at run, followed by his dogs. Wher
n they got up, Spoincag and Fruich, bark
{ ing as they had never barked before crep
: in all kinds of holes and impossible lis
5 sures, and were no sooner out than the,
u we're again in. Angus cheered and en-
: couraged them, and pointed out to Nj Ial
~ troeps of fha otteris nrespnee sat dnvi