e the
best-looking and most hypocritically urbane, when you choose, I think we
could not do better than devolve the duty upon you."

"Right, Bob, as usual; but don't you think," said Barret, helping
himself to another ladleful of the porridge, "that my going may cut in
two directions? Doubtless the laird would be agreeably surprised to
meet with me; but then that will raise his expectations so high, that he
will be woefully disappointed on meeting with _you_!"

"Come, friends," cried Jackman, "it is dangerous to play with edged
tools immediately after a meal. My medical knowledge assures me of
that. I quite approve of Barret forming the deputation, and the sooner
he starts off the better. The rest of us will assist Ian to fish in his
absence."

Thus authorised and admonished, Barret finished breakfast, put on his
own garments--which, like those of his companions, were semi-nautical--
and sallied forth for an eight miles' walk over the mountains to the
mansion of the laird, which lay on the other side of the Eagle's Cliff
ridge, on the shores of Loch Lossie.

He was guided the first part of the journey by Tonal' with the ragged
head, who, with an activity that seemed inexhaustible, led him up into
wild and rugged places such as he had never before dreamed of--rocky
fastnesses which, looked at from below, seemed inaccessible, even to
goats, but which, on being attempted, proved to be by no means beyond
the powers of a steady head and strong limbs.

Reaching the summit of a heather-clad knoll that projected from a
precipitous part of the mountain-side, Barret paused to recover breath
and look back at the calm sea. It lay stretched out far below him,
looking, with its numerous islets in bird's-eye view, somewhat like a
map. The mists had completely cleared away, and the sun was glittering
on the white expanse like a line of light from the shore to the horizon.
Never before had our Englishman felt so like a bird, both as to the
point of vision from which he surveyed the glorious scene, and the
internal sensation of joy which induced him not only to wish that he
could fly, but to think that a very little more of such exultation of
spirit would enable him to do so!

"Is that the Cove down there?" he asked of the ragged companion who
stood beside him.

"Ay, that's the Cove!"

"Why, Donald, it looks like a mere speck in the scene from here, and the
men look no bigger than crows."

As this observation called for