hich their own market-place afforded.

The envoy of Montrose was not quite so indifferent; and, hearing a word
or two of English escape from a Highlander of decent appearance, he
immediately halted Gustavus and addressed him, "The Provost-Marshal has
been busy here, my friend. May I crave of you what these delinquents
have been justified for?"

He looked towards the gibbet as he spoke; and the Gael, comprehending
his meaning rather by his action than his words, immediately replied,
"Three gentlemen caterans,--God sain them," (crossing himself)--"twa
Sassenach bits o' bodies, that wadna do something that M'Callum More
bade them;" and turning from Dalgetty with an air of indifference, away
he walked, staying no farther question.

Dalgetty shrugged his shoulders and proceeded, for Sir Duncan Campbell's
tenth or twelfth cousin had already shown some signs of impatience.

At the gate of the castle another terrible spectacle of feudal power
awaited him. Within a stockade or palisade, which seemed lately to have
been added to the defences of the gate, and which was protected by two
pieces of light artillery, was a small enclosure, where stood a huge
block, on which lay an axe. Both were smeared with recent blood, and
a quantity of saw-dust strewed around, partly retained and partly
obliterated the marks of a very late execution.

As Dalgetty looked on this new object of terror, his principal guide
suddenly twitched him by the skirt of his jerkin, and having thus
attracted his attention, winked and pointed with his finger to a
pole fixed on the stockade, which supported a human head, being that,
doubtless, of the late sufferer. There was a leer on the Highlander's
face, as he pointed to this ghastly spectacle, which seemed to his
fellow-traveller ominous of nothing good.

Dalgetty dismounted from his horse at the gateway, and Gustavus was
taken from him without his being permitted to attend him to the stable,
according to his custom.

This gave the soldier a pang which the apparatus of death had not
conveyed.--"Poor Gustavus!" said he to himself, "if anything but good
happens to me, I had better have left him at Darnlinvarach than brought
him here among these Highland salvages, who scarce know the head of
a horse from his tail. But duty must part a man from his nearest and
dearest--

"When the cannons are roaring, lads, and the colours are flying,
The lads that seek honour must never fear dying;
Then, s