Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1896-08-31
KIDNAP PED,
BEING MEMOIRS OF THE ADVENTURES OF DAVID
BALFoUR IN THE YEAR l75l
By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.
CHAPTER Xy.-(Continued.)

lie was quite blind, and told me he was
a catechist, which should have put me
at my ease. But his face went against
me; it seemed dark and dangerous and
secret. and, presently, as we begun to
so on alongside. saw the steel butt Of
a pistol sticking from under the
Zap of his coat pocket. To car
ry such a thing meant fine
Of t15 sterling upon first offense, and
transportation to the colonies upon a
second. Nor could l quite see why a
religious teacher should go armed, or
what a blind man could be doing with a
pistol
| told him about my guide, for / was
proud of what | had done, and my VAN
ity for once got the heels of my prU-
dence. At the mention of the shillings
he cried out so loud that | made up my
mind | should say nothing of the other
two, and was glad he could not see my
bushes
WAS It 700 much?' I asked, little
faltering
TOO much"' cries he. "Why, [ will
guide you to ToIosay myself for dram
of brandy. And give you the great pleas
ure Of .ny company (me that is a man
of some earnings in the bargain"
/ said [ did not see how blind man
ccTld he guide; but at that he laughed
aloud, and said his stick was eyes enough
for PA eagle.
In the Isle of Null, at least,' says
he, where l knew every stone and
hcatherbush by mark of head. See,
now" he said, striking right and left,
as if to make sure, down there a burn
is running: and at the head of it there
stands a bit Of small hill with a stone
cooked upon the top of that; and it's
hard at the foot of the hill, that the
way runs by to Torosay and the way
here, being for droves, is plainly trodden,
and will show grassy through the heath
err"
had TO own he was right in every
feature, aud told my wonder.
''Ha. says he. that's nothing Would
ye believe me. now. that before the Act
came out, and when there were weapons
in this country, | could shoot? Ay,
cOuld II cries he, and then with a leer:
III ye had such q thing as a pistol here
to try with. l would show We how it's
done"
Il told hila | had nothing of the sort,
and gave hisn a wider berth. If he had
known, his pistol stuck at that time
quite plainly out Of his pocket, and l
could sec the sun twinkle on the steel of
the butt. But by the better luck for me,
he knew nothing, thought all was COW
cred. and lied on III the dark
He then began to question me cunning
IL. where / came from, whether / was
rich, whether [ could change a 5-shill-
ing piece for him (which he declared he
had 81 that moment in his sporran), and
ali the time he kept edging UP to me.
and ] avoiding him. We were now upon
a sort of green cattle track which crossed
the hills toward Torosay, and we kept
changing sides upon that like dancers in
a reel, i had so plainly the upper hand
that my spirits rose, and indeed took
-
bluff; bar the catechist grew angrier and
angrier, aQd At last began to swear in
Gaelic and 20 strike for my legs with
his staff
Then | told him that, sure enough,
had pistol IN my pocket as well as be,
and il he did not strike across the Hill
due south | would even blow his brains
out.
He became at once very polite; and
after trying to soften me for some time,
but quite in vain, he cursed me once
more in Gaelic and took himself off
watched him str;ding along, through bog
and br;er, tapping with his stick, until
he turned the end of hill and disap-
peared IN the next hollow. Then l struck
on again for Torosay, much better
pleased TO be alone than to travel with
fEGl>y day; and these two, of whom |
haes just rid myself. one after the other,
were the two worSt men [ met with in
the Highlands
M Torosay, on the sound of Null and
looking OYER to the mainland Of Morven,
there N-as ali inn With an innkeeper, who
was a MacIean, it appeared, of a very
thought even more genteel in the High
lands than it is with US, perhaps as par
taxing of hospitality, OF perhaps because
the Jrade is idle and drunken. He spoke
good English, and finding me to be some
thing Of scholar, tried me first in
IHr@neh, whore he easily beat me, and
them IN Latin, in which | don't know
wAich Of us did best. This pleasant
riral%y pat us a. once upon friendly
TERMS; and | sat up and drank punch
Wi|; him tor to be more correct, sat up
aaj watched him drink it, until he was
SO .ifsy that he Wept upon my shoulder.
t.io3 him. as il by accident, with
sisat Of Alan's button; but it was plain
he had neyer seen or heard of it. In
decd, he bore some grldge against the
fssa:!y and friends Of Ardshiel, and be-
fore i.e waS drunk he read me lam
pooa. in very good Latin, but with very
i'll iacanng, which he had made, III
clcg;Gr verses upon person OF that
house.
when I told him of my catechist, he
shoot, his head, and said | was lucky to
ba.t. cot cieav off 'fThat is a very dan
garous man" he said; Duncan Mac
k,egi, is has name; he can shoot by the
en-. III several yards, and has been often
aacf'Sed Of Highway robberies, and once
OF mnrder.'
The cream Of it is says I, ''that he
called himself catechist,"
,d why should he not?" says he,
'&ncn that is what he is? 1t was Mac
lcaa Of Quart gave it to him because he
was blind But perhaps, it was
eeety." says my host. 'for he is always
90 t.ac road, going from one place to an
other to hear the young folk say their
religion: and doubtless that is a great
tes3tation to the poor man"
st last, wteu my landlord could drink
no more, he showed me to a bed. and
lag down in very good spirits; having
tra vcic; the greater part of that big and
ceQo.eli island of Null, from Earraid to
Vacosay. ffty miles as the crow flies. and
Gvtft ny wanderingsl much nearer a
t>t.,ty2;'. IA four days and with little
.atjsnr. Itdeed. / was by far in better
heart and health of body at the end of
t5to! !n,e tramp than | had been at the
beGiaoiug.
800.