e whaup to signal Donald Roy. From a clump of
whins in the gorse the whistle echoed back to us, and presently Captain
Macdonald came swinging down to the shore. It appeared that another
boatload of soldiers had been landed during the night, a squad of clan
militia under the command of a Lieutenant Campbell. We could but guess
that this portended some knowledge as to the general whereabouts of the
Prince, and 'twas my mission to learn the extent and reliability of that
knowledge if I could. That there was some danger in the attempt I knew,
but it had been minimized by the philibeg and hose, the Glengarry bonnet
and Macleod plaid which I had donned at the instance of Malcolm.

I have spoken of chance. The first stroke of it fell as I strode along the
highway to Portree. At a crossroad intersection I chanced on a fellow
trudging the same way as myself. He was one of your furtive-faced fellows,
with narrow slits of eyes and an acquired habit of skellying sidewise at
one out of them. Cunning he was beyond doubt, and from the dour look of
him one to bear malice. His trews were like Joseph's coat for the colour
of the many patches, but I made them out to have been originally of the
Campbell plaid.

"A fine day, my man," says I with vast irony.

"Wha's finding faut wi' the day?" he answers glumly.

"You'll be from across the mountains on the mainland by the tongue of
you," I ventured.

"Gin you ken that there'll be nae use telling you."

"A Campbell, I take it."

He turned his black-a-vised face on me, scowling.

"Or perhaps you're on the other side of the hedge--implicated in this
barelegged rebellion, I dare say."

Under my smiling, watchful eye he began to grow restless. His hand crept
to his breast, and I heard the crackle of papers.

"Deil hae't, what's it to you?" he growled.

"To me? Oh, nothing at all. Merely a friendly interest. On the whole I
think my first guess right. I wouldn't wonder but you're carrying
dispatches from Lieutenant Campbell."

The fellow went all colours and was as easy as a worm on a hook.

"I make no doubt you'll be geyan tired from long travel, and the
responsibility of carrying such important documents must weigh down your
spirits," I drolled, "and so I will trouble you"--with a pistol clapped to
his head and a sudden ring of command in my voice--"to hand them over to
me at once."

The fellow's jaw dropped lankly. He looked hither and thither for a way of
escape and found none.