The herald., 1897-10-17

might scarcely De aDle TO give an dc-
count of the quarrel he had with the
tyrant's laws.
So, during his absence my brothers
and I had the work of the farm to at
tend to. No dawn of day sitting from
the east through the greenery of the
great soughing beeches and frs about
the door ever found any of the three Of
/ us in our beds. For me, was up and
away to the hills. Sometimes in the
full lambing time I would spend all
night on the heathery fells or among
the links and hidden dells Of the noun
tain Businesses.
| And, o, but it was pleasant work,
and liked it well! The breathing airs,
the wide starry arch looked up into,
when night had drawn it's nightcap low
down over the girdling blue-black hills,
the moon glinting on the breast of
Loch Ken, the oor-birds, whaup and
snipe, plover and wild duck cheeping
and chummering in their nests. while
the wood-doves' moan rose plaintive
from every copse and covert. 1t was a
fit birthplace for a young lads soul.
Though, indeed, at that time none was
farther from guessing it than Quintin
Mac Clellan, for as I went hither and
thither, I pondered on nothing except
the fine hunger the hills gave me, and
the glorious draughts of whey and but
termilk my mother would serve out to
me on my return, calling me meantime
. nd 1,a sill act Of 1an
calves, besides tweaking my ears at
the milk house door if she could catch
me-
| For the time being I say nothing OF
my father, "douce John Of Ardarroch,"
as all the parish called him, a moderate
described himself-yet out of whom his
wife (and my good mother) had by the
constant dropping of argument made a
Covenant man and even a fairly con-
sistent follower Of the Hill folk. Neither
will I bide to speak Of my brothers.
Hob and David, for their names and
characters will have occasion to appear
as I write down my own strange his
tory. Nor yet can pause to tell of the
sweetness and grace Of my sister Anna,
whose brown eyes held a charm which
even my boyish and brotherly insensi-
bility acknowledged and delighted in.
being my elder by half a dozen years
and growing up among us rough louts
of the heather like white rose in the
stocky corner Of an herb-garden.
For I must tell of myself and what
befell me on the Bennan top the twen-
ty-f1rst day Of June-high midsummer
day of the Year Terrible, and of all
that it brought to me.
had heard, indeed, often enough of
chasings, of prisonments, of men and
women sent away over seas to the cruel
plantations, Of the boots and the
thumb-screw, of the blood of slain
men reddening the heather behind
dyke backs. There was. indeed, little
talk of anything else throughout all the
land of the South and West. But it so
chanced that our house of Ardarroch,
being set high up on the side of Ben
nan and with no prominent Covenan-
ters near by to be mark for the fury
of the prosecutor, we Mac Clellans had
thus far escaped unquestioned and
scathless.
But to my tale of midsummer day of
the Year Terrible.
had been out all day over the rough
rigs of heather, looking tentily to my
sheep, for I had been "hefting" Gas
the business is called in our Galloway
, land) a double score of lambs which
| had just been brought from a neighbor-
| ing lowland farm to summer upon our
scanty upland pastures. Now, it is the
nature of sheep to return, if they can,
to their mother-hill, or at least to stray
further and further, seeking some we'll
known landmark. So, till such new
comers grow satisfied and "heft" Cor
attach) themselves to the soil, they
must be watched carefully, both night
and day.
1 was at this time thirteen years of
age, we'll nourished and light of
foot as a goat. Indeed, there was not a
goat in the herd that 1 could not run
down and grip by the neck. And when
Hob, my elder brother, would take after
me because of some mischief 1 had
wrought 1 warrant he had long chase
and a sore sweat before he caught me,
if I got but ten yards start and the
heather free before me.
This day 1 had a couple of fine muckle
scones in my pocket, which my mother
had given me, besides one 1 had pur-
loined for myself when she was not
looking, but which my sister Anna had
seen me take and shaken her head.
That, however, 1 minded not fly.
snatched up also a little square book
from the window sill, hoping that in 1t
might find some entertainment to
while away the hours in the bield of
some granite stone or behind some bush
of heather. But found it to be the
collect of Mr.. Samuel Rutherford, his
letters from Aberdeen and Anwoth, and
at first I counted the readin. of it dull
enough work. But afterwards, because
of the names of kenned places in our
Galloway and also the fine well-smack-
ing Scottish words in it, 1 liked it none
so i'll.
Ashie and Gray, my dogs, sat on
either side of me. Brother and sister
they were of one year and letter, vet
diverse as any human brother and sis
| ter-Ashie being gay and frisky. ever