Year: 1879

One winter evening about fifty years ago,


a post-chaise with a single gentleman in


side 1t 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 Mr.. Met /,


was the owner of 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 a clustering


stormy night, but that only made more


pleasant the cigar and glass of whisky, and


the cracking of the wOod-fire 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 on the
sea. They did not, however, sit late, for


the Orkney packet sailed very early in the
morning, and MacT. soon found himself in
his cOZy well-appOinted little bedroom -
The wind was chantinga grand Rerserker
melody, and the sea was roaring a deep
bass accompaniment. MacT. loved those
sounds, for they had often been the lullaby
of his childhood. and soon fell asleep. For



thought reaching his mind but at length,
when the morning was glimmering gray in
the East, strange dream came to trouble
him. He dreamed that he was in the an
cient banqueting hall of his old house in the
Mainland, sitting at the head of very long
table. The banquetting hall was now in
reality almost rum. but IN his dream Mac
T. saw it hung with hundred lights. The
table was filled on both sides. and he
thought he glanced curlously down its
length to see who his guests were. AS he
looked, he shuddered in his dream. Those
who sat at the table with him we're all his
dead ancestors for many generations back.
He knew their faces and dresses well from
their portraits in the picture gallery. Next
to him sat his father, who had died about
year before. And at the bottom of the ta-
bic sat haired man ina dress of skins,
who was a Morse chieftain, the foun-
der of the family. 1t seemed to HIM
that he sat for some minutes as if spell
bound, while the spectators murnured to-
gether 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 on MacT., and said in deep
voice, the word Beware" ''The packet
starts in twenty minutes, sir" cried loud
voice at the door, rousing MacT. suddenly
from his sleep. Confused at first, yet soon
remembering where he was, he sprung out
of bed and began hurriedEy to dress him
self. Being 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 thundered on the
shore, and the little Orkney packet was
tossing up and down like a limpet she'll
AS he gazed, his strange dream arose up
with sudden distinctness before MacT. s
mind. He was infected with good deal
of thorough Scotch superstition. Besides
he did not much like the look of the sea,
and so he resolved not to go 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.