Year: 1860

oSSu peou hiouy3 ouu io"Se' oonSeAiA
appeared impossible; yet his reveugeful
Temperament was unsubdued and, turning
a desperate glance on his humble friend,
who bent over the corpse absorbed in the
contemplation of the blighted flower, he had
seen blasted so untimely in its full perfec'
ton, said,


You know me now, therefore, beware
This wretched being has escaped my ven.
geance; let her carcass be cast out, ere the
sun gilds the morrow, to feed the corbies,
and her bones to bleach in the winter storm.
No hesitation. I leave you to execute my
orders, and let your actions testify obedi-
ence or your lifeless corpse may be dangling
in the wind, from the top tower of the castle.
Nay, remonstrance is vain


The chieftain quilted the apartment and
Ronald shuddering at the Developments he
had witnessed, stood rejecting silently up,
on what be had heard. Evan had always
been favorite, and Ronald had more than
once entertained ideas that the youth was
not of peasant birth. His surmises were
now realized, but in a fearful way; for Evan
was shown to be the rightful heir of Nor,
land, and the usurper had wilfully shed
his blood, though conscious of the consan-
guinity which ought to have claimed his
fostering protection. Evan had lived as a
vassal in the castle of his ancestors, basely
deprived of his inheritance and though
Ronald knew not he had welded his young
and lovely relative, their attachment was
not to be concealed from his observant eyes.
His tears fell unrestrained upon the palid
face of the dead as he moralized over her.


Thy career is forever closed; and thou
art, now, forever beyond the reach of malice.
What is reserved for me, have yet to
learn; but sooner would suffer thousand
deaths than change places with the Chief OF
Norland, stained as he is with blood ? ~


He spread large coarse cloth over the
evanescent remains, and mournfully with
drew, with large drops of sympathy in his
eyes.


X 4


The sun had nearly reached his meridian
altitude over that arm of the sea which ex-
pands like majestic lake, called Firth of
Forth, and gilded the rocks and precipices,
that still exhibited few remnants of the
wood which once clothed them. These tow
ering heights skirt the northern side of the
water; and form the chief object of attraction
to travellers in search of the picturesque, by
their bold resistance to the savage assaults
of old ocean, whose wild waves they drive
back in featbery scud, as if thousands OF
sea-birds were beating the air with their
wings, and vanished with hoarse screams in
the driving mist. The day was beautiful
and seemed to invest with extraordinary at
fractions one large oak that stood alone,
where few roods Of clear ground extended
round the foot of huge rock, that had
rolled adown the mountain. Under the
shade of this tree sat two men, whose ath-
letic frames showed that nature had been
bountiful in her benson of strength; and
there was a hardy daring in their looks,
that bespoke at once their mode of life to
be turbulent and dangerous. Their dress
was of Tartan, with black belt passing
round the waist to support the usual append.
ages of Caymore, dirk and pistol; broad
blue bonnets were laid with their guns on
oneside, and they stretched their limbs like
men who were wearied from long watching.


well, Alaster,' said one of them to his
companion; fortune has not favored us
much to-day. begin to be weary of this
drouing way of life. I feel sullen indig'
nation at being compelled to rob the de-
fenceless traveller of his little pittance.-
Give me a creagh, where we sweep off a
hundred head of cattle or so, in one drove.
That's the triumph for daring cateran.'


aye replied the other, Those were the
days to enjoy life, when it was shame to
want anything that could be taken; but
great change has taken place in the coun'
try, and the stormy sons of the sword are
Strengthened on every hand. Since the royal
Stuart abandoned Scotland, the world is
our estare-our land is conquered; its lights
are quenched, and a disgraceful and unpitied
death would be ours were we to follow the
practices that gave our fathers credit and
power. We have to walk in consonance
with the times


Still, Alaster! I do not see why we
have not an equal right to levy on the Low
land herds and harvests, as the HanoVerian,
who substituted military violence for civil
order, and takes by strength and threats Of
vengeance from friend as we'll as foe.'


True and they say the Highlands will
soon raise the standard of rebellion again.
l do not like these German strangers and
will freely fight under any leader who takes
the field


sYou cannot mean it, that you would
fasten chains upon your limbs, and barter
liberty with q new chief whom our fathers
only knew as mortal enemies? Our band
has always been the terror of the adjoining
counties, and all we have to do, is but tc
Join heart and hand, and we shall hold out
to the last


liam not unsatisfed with my companions
Donald. but our present idle life. Our lead
er's pr6tracted absence has given the leuten
ant an opportunity for dividing the opinions
of the men to get himself chosen in hisstead.
For my part, I will return and hurl confu
sion on such base designs. He has the
firm attachment of the company, and though
the youngest man amongst us, yet he is the
most brave and most powerful


Il can uphold you in that last part, by
the dreadful gripe he gave me for letting
mad Moll escape I feel it in every limb It