Year: 1879

One winter evening about fifty years ago,
a post-chaisc with Il single gentleman in
side IL drove up to the North of Scotland,
where passengers who were going to cross
to Orkneys usually spent the night. The
gentleman, whom we will call MIR. McT
Was the owner Of n large estate, and an old
house which had belonged to his family for
hundreds of years, in the mainland, or chief
of the Orkney islands, and was now about
to visit his property. 1t was Il clustering,
stormy night, but that only made more
pleasant the cigar and glass Of whisky, and
the crackling of The wood-iire by which
MacT. sat chatting with the landlord, who
was an old friend both Of his father and
himself, and who was proud Of entertain
ing the young laird" as he called him,
with his widest tales Of adventure OH the
sea. They did not, however, sit late, for
the Orkney packet sailed very early in the
! morning, .nd AlacT. soon found himself in
his cozy wcll-appointcd little bedroom -
The wind was chanting Il grand Hcrscrkcr
melody, and the sen was roaring deep
bnss accompaniment. NIacT. loved those
sounds, for they had often been the lullaby
OF his childhood. and soon fell asleep For
some hours hc slept without an image or
thought reaching his mind but at length,
when The morning was glimmering gray in
The East, strange dream came to trouble
him. lie dreamed that he was in the an
cicnt ban4ueting hall Of his old house in the
Mainland, sitting at the head Of very long
table. The banquetting hall was now in
reality almost ruin, but in his dream Mac
Il. saw it hung with hundred lights. The
table was filled on both sides, and he
thought he glanced curlously down its
length to sec who his guests were. AS lie
looked, he shuddcrcd in his dream. Those
who sat at tho table with him were all his
dead ancestors for many generations back.
lie knew their faces and dresses well from
their portraits in the picture gallery. Next
to him sat his father, who had died about II
year before. And at the bottom of the ta-
bic sat Il fair-haircd man ina dress of skins,
who was a Morse chieftain, the forn-
der of the family. 1t seemed to HIM
that he sat for some minutes as if spell
bound, while the spectators murmur, d to-
gcthcr in low, hollow tones. At length
they all rose, and slowly, one by one, in
turns left the hall. But before they went


each one paused at the door, and turning,
raised his hand in warning attitude, fixed
his eyes Oh Macr., and said in deep
voice. the word "Bcwarc." ''rhe packet
starts in twenty minutes, sir" cried loud
voice at the door, rousing MncT suddenly
from his sleep. Confused ut first, yet soon
remembering where lie was, he sprung out
of bed and began huricdy to dress him
self. Being a bad sailor, his first glance
was naturally enough at the sea, close to
which the inn stood. The wind had risen
in the night The waves thundcred on the
shore, and the little Orkney packet was
tossing up and down like limpct she'll


AS he gazcd, his strange dream arose up
with sudden distinctness before MacT. 8
mind. He was infected with good deal


of thorough Scotch superstition Besides
he did not much like the look of the sea,
and SO lie resolved not to 60 till to-mor-
row. That day the Orkney packet was
lost with every man on board, and MacT.
and his little wife who was left at home
with the babies, had to thank that warning
dream for his life.