Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1893-03-25

lHOuSu ne Was lliuS Stuue9leitu. dlld
like the other landed gentlemen Of Scot
land stripped by the late act of parlia-
ment of legal powers, he still exercised
patriarchal justice in his clan. Dis
putes were brought to him in his hiding
hole to be decided; and the men of his
country, who would have snapped their
fingers at the court of session, laid aside
revenge and paid down money at the
bare word of this forfeited and hunted
outlaw.
When he was angered, which was
often enough, he gave his commands
and breathed threats of punishment like
any king; and his gillies trembled and
crouched away from him like children
before a hasty father. With each of
them, as he entered, he tremendously
shook hands, both parties touching their
bonnets at the same time in n military
manner. Altogether had a fair chance
to see some of the inner workings Of
highland clan; and this with a pro-
scribed fugitive chief, lis c5tnt:y con-
quered, the troops riding upon al sides
in quest ef Kim, sometimes williiu' Il
mile of where he lsy, I'D when the ast
of the ragged fellows whom he ra.cl
and threatened could have made Il for
tune by betraying him.
On that first day, Gs soon az the. col
lops were ready, Cluny gaze them with
his own hand u squeeze Of q lcmof ,fo-
he was well supplied with lu:,urics) and
badc us draw il to our meal.
They" said. .he- meaning the collcps,
"ars such as ! gave his royal hiShness IN
this very house, batting the lemon Juice,
for ut that time we were glad 10 get the
meat ana never flashed for kitchen. In
decd there were mair Dragons thcn
lemons in my country il the year forty
six"
We were no sooner done eating than
Cluny brought ont an old, thumbed,
greasy pack of caids, such rs Jon may
find in Il mean i'm, and his eyes bright
oned in his face as he proposed that VIC
should fall to playing.
Now this was one of the things l had
been brought up to eschew like disgrace
To be sure l might have pleaded my
fatigue, which was excuse enough; but
/ thought ii behooycd that | should bear
a testimony. Imust have got very red
in the face, bat / spoke steadily, and
told them had TO call to be II judge of
others, but for my own part it was Il
matter III which had no clearness.
Cluny stopped mingling the cards.
"What in the deil's name is this?' says
lie. "What kind of Whiggish, canting
talk is this, for the house of Cluny Mac
phersolT'
Sir" said I, 81 am very wearied, and
what's more, as you are iaan that
likely has sons of your own, may tell
you it was promise to my father" 3,
"Sae nae mair, sac nae mair," said
Cluny, and pointed me to bed of heather
in the corner of the cage. For all thai
he was displeased enough, looked at me
askance and grumbled when he locked
What with the brandy and the venisoh.
a strange heaviness had come over me,
and had scarce lain'down upon the bed
before fell into kind of trance in
which / continued almost the whole
time of our stay i'll the Cage. Some
times | was bgoad awake and under
stood what passed; sometimes l only
heard voices or men snoring, like the
voice of silly river, and the plaidsupon
the wall dwindled down and sweiled
out again, like freight shadows on the
roof. l must sometimes have spoken
or cried out, for remember / was now
and then amazed at being answered; yet
l was conscious of no particular night
mare, only of general, black, abiding
horror-a horror of the place | was in,
and the bed lay in, and the plaids on
the wall, and the voices, and the fire
and myself.
The barber gillie, who vas a doctor,
too, was called in to prescribe for me,
but as he spoke in the Gaelic l nnder-
stood not a word of his opinion, AMI was
too sick even to ask for translation.
knew well enough was i'll, and that
was all cared about.
paid little heed while | lay in this
poor pass. But Alan and Cluny were
most of the time at the cards, and l am
clear that Alan must have begun by
winning, for remember sitting mp and
seeing them hard at it, and great gilt.
tering pile of as much as sixty or a
hundred guineas on the table. 1t looked
strange enough to see all this wealth IN
nest upon cliff side, wattled about
growing trees And even then ]
thought it seemed deep water for Allan
to be riding, who had no better battle
horse than green purse and u macter Of
five pounds.
The luck it seems changed ON the
second day. About noon was awakened
as usual for dinner, and as usual re
fused to eat, and was given a dram with
some bitter infusion which the barber
had prescribed. The sun was shining l.