"My name, sir, is Donald Sutherland. I belong originally to the county
of that name; and I was bred a farmer on the estates of the Duchess of
Sutherland. But there was neither duke nor duchess then, oh dear!"
(Hereupon the old man absolutely cried; having, however, checked himself
by observing that he was an old fool, he again proceeded):--"I had, as I
said, a small sheep-farm, of about one thousand acres, in the western
district of that county. I see, sir, you are surprised at my saying
_small_; but, sir, when land is let at a shilling an acre, as it was in
my day, such a farm is but small--a thousand shillings, ye ken, is just
fifty pounds o' yearly rent: and that was my rent at _Edderachills_,
near by Loch Assynt. I am now, as ye see, an auld man, and a grey; but I
was ance young, and stout, and foolish too, nae doobt. I thought
naething wad war me, sae I just married whan I was a young,
inexperienced callan, about nineteen; and, having got a brother of my
puir father's to be security (ye see my puir father was only a hind on
the estate o' Sutherland, and had neither money nor credit), I took my
dear Helen M'Roy home to no that ill a bigging--wi' a hantle o'
blankets, a peat-fire, a herd callan, and twa as canny and sensible dogs
as ever followed a herd, or turned a hirsel. Aweel, ye ken, Helen and me
war very happy, for we loved each other dearly; we had been acquainted
frae the time we could climb a brae or eat a cranberry; and things went
on no that ill ava. We had twa bairns in the course o' twal years, a
lassie, and a fine lad, wha was drowned, as ye shall hear; but oh my
heart is sair whan I think o't. It was one awful night in the month of
January. A vessel had stranded in Loch Assynt. The men were seen,
through a stormy moonshine, hanging to the topmast, which, however, went
from side to side, with a fearful swing. At every turn or jerk, another
and another human being was plunged into the roaring foam. My son
Archibald, my shepherd, and I, pushed from the shore in a fishing-boat,
which was lying high and dry--we heard the fearful screams of perishing
men--we rowed off at all hazards, but had not neared the vessel, when
our boat fairly swamped. We were still, however, within wading depth,
and with difficulty regained our feet and the boat. We again pushed hard
from land, and at last came under the lee of the wreck. My son was
young, active, and daring; and, in order to ascertain how matters were,
or what remain