The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-03-03
IChapter XVII Continued. ]

himself for what he deemed his duty,
that my mouth was closed. Mr.. Hen
derland's words came back to me-that
we ourselves might take lesson by
these wild highlanders. Well, here l
had taken mine. Alan's morals were all
tail first; but he was ready to give his
life for them, such as they were.
"Alan," said l, "I'll not say it's the
good Christianity as understand it, but
it's good enough. And here offer ye
my hand for the second time"
Whereupon he gave me both of his,
saying surely had cast a spell upon
him, for he could forgive me anything.
Then he grew very grave, and said we
had not much time to throw away, but
must both flee that country, he because
he was q deserter, and the whole of
Appin would now be searched like
chamber and every one obliged to give
q good account Of himself, and | be-
cause ! was certainly involved in the
murder.
"Oh," says l, willing to give him
little lesson, 81 have no fear of the JUS
tice Of my country"
he, scr as if We would be tried here, in
a country of Stewards"
"It's all Scotland" said l.
"Man, whites wonder at ye," said
Alan. "This is Campbell that's been
killed. Well, it'll be tried in Inverara,
the Campbell's head place, with fifteen
Campbells in the jury box, and the big
gest Campbell of all (and that's the
duke) sitting cooking on the bench.
Justice, David? The same justice, by
all the world, as Glenure found awhile
ago at the roadside"
This frighted me little, confess.
asked him whittier we should fee,
and as he told me "to the lowlands," /
was little better inclined to go with
him, for indeed l was growing impa-
tient to get back and have the upper
hand of my uncle. Besides, Alan made
so sure there would be no question of
justice in the matter that began to be
afraid he might be right. Of all deaths
would truly like least to die by the
gallows, and the picture of that uncanny
instrument came into my head with ex-
traordinary clearness (as had once seen
it engraved at the top of peddler's
ballad) and took away my appetite for
courts of justice.
"I'll chance it, Alan" said l. "I'll go
with you"
"But mind you," said Alan, "its no
small thing. Ye maun lie bare and
hard and brook many an empty belly
Your bed shall be the moorcock's, and
your life shall be like the hunted deer's,
and we shall sleep with your hand upon
your weapon. Aye; man, we shall taigle
many a weary foot or we get clear. |
tell we this at the start, for it's u life
that | ken well. But if We ask what
other chance We have | answer name
Either take to the heather with me or
else hang"
"And that's choice very easily
made" said /, and we shook hands upon
it.
"And now let's take another keek at
the redcoats," says Alan, and he led me
to the northeastern fringe of the wood.
Looking out between the trees we
could see q great side of mountain run
ming down exceeding steep into the wa
tiers of the loch. 1t was rough part,
all hanging stone and heather and bic
scrags of birchwood; and away at the
far end toward Balachulish, little wee
red soldiers were dipping up and down
over hill and howe, and growing smaller
every minute. There was no cheering
now, for / think they had other uses for
what breath was left them, but they
still stuck to the trail and doubtless
thought that we were close in front Of
them.
Alan watched them, smiling to him
self
"Aye," said he, they'll be gey weary
before they've got to the end of that
employ! And so you and me, David,
can sit down and eat bite and breathe
bit longer and take dram from my
bottle. Then We'll strike for Aucharn.
the house of my kinsman, James of the
Glens, where must get my clothes and
my arms and money to carry us along,
and then, David, we'll cry Forth, For
tuner and take cast among the heath
err"
So we sat again and eat and drank in
q place whence we cOulC see inc sun GO
ing down into field of great, wild and
houseless mountains, such as l was
now condemned to wander in with my
companion. Partly as we so sat and
partly afterward, on the way to Au-
charm, each of us narrated his adven-
lures; and shall here set down so much
of Alan's as seems either curious or
needful. 0
1t appears he ran to the bulwarks as
soon as the wave was passed, saw me
and lost me, and saw me again as
tumbled in the roost, and at last had
one glimpse of me clinging on the yard.
1t was this that put him in some hope
would maybe get to land after all and
made him leave these clews and mes
sages which had brought me Qor my
sins) to that unlucky country of Appin.
In the meanwhile those still on the
brig had got the slif launched and one
or two were OH board of her already,
when there came second wave greater
than the first, and heaved the brig
out of her place, and would certainly