me good humour
he would have displayed at a gathering of his clan gentlemen where the
table groaned with usquebaugh, mountain trout, and Highland venison.
Creagh's philosophy too was all for taking what the gods sent and leaving
uncrossed bridges till the morrow. Was the weather foul? Sure, the sun
would soon shine, and what was a cloak for but to keep out the rain? I
never knew him lose his light gay spirits, and I have seen him at many an
evil pass.

The clatter of a horse's hoofs in the courtyard put a period to our
festivities. Presently rug-headed Hamish Gorm entered, a splash of mud
from brogues to bonnet.

"What news, Hamish? Has Volney started?" I cried.

"She would be leaving directly. Ta Sassenach iss in ta carriage with ta
daughter of Macleod, and he will be a fery goot man to stick a dirk in
whatefer," fumed the gillie.

I caught him roughly by the shoulder. "There will be no dirk play this
night, Hamish Gorm. Do you hear that? It will be left for your betters to
settle with this man, and if you cannot remember that you will just stay
here."

He muttered sullenly that he would remember, but it was a great pity if
Hamish Gorm could not avenge the wrongs of the daughter of his chief.

We rode for some miles along a cross country path where the mud was so
deep that the horses sank to their fetlocks. The wind had driven away the
rain and the night had cleared overhead. There were still scudding clouds
scouring across the face of the moon, but the promise was for a clear
night. We reached the Surrey road and followed it along the heath till we
came to the shadow of three great oaks. Many a Dick Turpin of the road had
lurked under the drooping boughs of these same trees and sallied out to
the hilltop with his ominous cry of "Stand and deliver!" Many a jolly
grazier and fat squire had yielded up his purse at this turn of the road.
For a change we meant to rum-pad a baronet, and I flatter myself we made
as dashing a trio of cullies as any gentlemen of the heath among them
all.

It might have been a half hour after we had taken our stand that the
rumbling of a coach came to our ears. The horses were splashing through
the mud, plainly making no great speed. Long before we saw the chaise, the
cries of the postilions urging on the horses were to be heard. After an
interminable period the carriage swung round the turn of the road and
began to take the rise. We caught the postilion at disadvantage as he was
flogg