guarded by my good right arm, and by the still more potent right arm,
if I may believe his own statement, of my friend, Jamie MacDonald of
Sleat."

With bent brows MacDonald pondered for a few moments, then looking up,
said,--

"Will your majesty trust yourself in the wilderness with a prisoner?"

"There is no question of any prisoner. If you refer to yourself, you
have always been at liberty to come and go as pleased you. As for
trusting, I trust myself to a good comrade, and a Highland gentleman."

The king rose as he spoke and extended his hand, which the other
grasped with great cordiality.

"You will get yourself out of Stirling to-night," continued the king,
"as quietly as possible, and hie you to my Castle of Doune, and there
wait until I come, which may be in a day, or may be in a week. I will
tell the court that you have gone to your own home, which will be true
enough. That will keep the gossips from saying we have each made away
with the other if we both leave together. You see, Jamie, I must have
some one with me who speaks the Gaelic."

"My advice has been slighted so far," said MacDonald, "yet I must give
you another piece of it. We are going into a kittleish country. I
advise you to order your fleet into some safe cove on the west coast.
It will do the west Highlanders good to see what ships you have, for
they think that no one but themselves and Noah could build a boat.
When we come up into my own country we'll get a gillie or two that can
be depended on to wait on us, then if we are nipped, one or other of
these gillies can easily steal a boat and make for the fleet with your
orders to the admiral."

"That is not a bad plan, Jamie," said the king, "and we will arrange
it as you suggest."

The court wondered greatly at the sudden disappearance of James
MacDonald, but none dared to make inquiry, some thinking he had
escaped to the north, others, that a dungeon in Stirling Castle might
reveal his whereabouts. The king was as genial as ever, and the
wiseacres surmised from his manner that he meditated going off on
tramp again. The fleet was ordered to Loch Torridon, where it could
keep a watchful eye on turbulent Skye. The king spent three days
in settling those affairs of the realm which demanded immediate
attention, left Sir Donald Sinclair in temporary command, and rode
off to Doune Castle.

From this stronghold there issued next morning before daylight, two
well-mounted young men, who stru