o had bearded us on the
brae-face by the school, with her little brother Alec in her hand, was
the daughter of Roger Allison, a great preacher of the hill-folk who had
come to them over from Holland, to draw them together into some of their
ancient unity and power.

Westerhall, then, knew not as yet in whose house she was dwelling, but
only that she had been received by one of his people. But this, if it
should come to Claverhouse's ears, was enough to cause him to set a fine
upon the Johnstone--so strict as against landlords were the laws
concerning intercommuning with rebels or rebels' children on their
estates. This was indeed the cause of so many of the lairds, who at
first were all on the side of the Covenant, turning out Malignants and
persecutors. And more so in the shire of Dumfries than in Galloway,
where the muirs are broader, the King's arm not so long, and men more
desperately dour to drive.

All of a sudden, as we went along the edge of a morass, we came upon
something that stayed us. It was, as I say, in Hutton parish, a very
pleasant place, where there is the crying of many muir-fowl, and the
tinkle of running water everywhere. All at once a questing dragoon held
up his arm, and cried aloud. It was the signal that he had found
something worthy of note. We all rode thither--I, for one, praying that
it might not be a poor wanderer, too wearied to run from before the face
of the troopers' wide-spreading advance.

However, it was but a newly-made grave in the wilderness, hastily dug,
and most pitifully covered with green fresh-cut turves, in order to give
it the look of the surrounding morass. It had very evidently been made
during the darkness of the night, and it might have passed without
notice then. But now, in the broad equal glare of the noon-tide, it lay
confessed for what it was--a poor wandering hill-man's grave in the
wild.

"Who made this?" cried Westerhall. "Burn me on the deil's brander, but
I'll find him out!"

"Hoot," said Clavers, who was not sharp set that day, perhaps having had
enough of Westerhall's dealing with the bairns yesterday, "come away,
Johnstone; 'tis but another of your Eskdale saints. Ye have no lack of
them on your properties, as the King will no doubt remember. What
signifies a Whig Johnstone the less? There's more behind every dyke, and
then their chief is aye here, able and willing to pay for them!"

This taunt, uttered by the insolent scorning mouth of Claverhouse,