In his ship's waist, toiling at the heavy oars, were two score
of well-trained retainers, with a reserve of yet another two score and
ten of his sturdy islanders crowded at the prow.

Side by side with the Dragon was the Eagle, the galley of Sir Piers de
Currie, having on board young Harald the hostage; and in their wake
sailed two other ships of Arran and four of Bute, one of Dunoon, and
three of Galloway, and they were the stoutest and tallest ships that had
ever sailed in those deep blue waters.

On the /Kraken/ of Rothesay was Allan Redmain. Right proud was he of his
command, for even until the fifth week he had dreaded that he might not
be of this expedition by reason of his being bound as watcher of the
farmstead of Scalpsie. Night by night, in starlight or rainstorm, he had
duly fulfilled his unwilling charge, albeit he ofttimes slept through
half the night, and it so befell that on each occasion that he had
slept, on the next day thereafter the farmer claimed that he had lost
yet another two or three of his ewe lambs, and Sir Oscar Redmain was
perforce bound to make good the loss.

Now, as time went on this thing happened so often that Allan began to
think strange thoughts, for never but on the first night of his watching
had he seen aught of either wolf or fox. Seeking for a reason, he found
that on those nights that he had slept it was then that he had drunk
deepest of the crafty farmer's strong posset, and he was thereafter wary
of that drink. One night, having thrown the posset away without tasting
it, he made pretence of sleeping, and as he lay there on the heather and
watched with one eye open, behold the wolf came and carried off two
young goats.

Now it was not by any chance a four-legged wolf that did this thing. The
marauder was indeed none other than the wily farmer himself, who carried
the goats off to another place, there to keep them in secret, with the
many lambs that he had in like manner stolen, until he might, just as
secretly, take them over to Ayr market.

When Allan discovered the trick that had been played upon him he went
straightway to Earl Kenric and told him of it.

"If this be so," said the young king, "then David Blair shall be
severely punished, and you, Allan, shall be freed from this dog's work
at the next assize. But methinks that long ere this you might have
avoided this nightly watching. Know you not of that custom of old time
which holds that an offender against the laws