ed by him that he would take a kindly interest in the boy, and
allow him to return at the end of the year if he wished, he fully
decided to let him go.

When this was communicated to Donald, he had great difficulty in
restraining the impulse to give a great shout and fling his
tam-o'-shanter to the ceiling, but by an heroic effort he kept himself
in hand, and, after expressing his gratitude to his uncle, hurried away
to the dominie with the good news. Thus was this momentous matter
settled, and now came the business of getting ready.

Owing to the withdrawal of the English subscribers and the consequent
decrease in the amount of capital aimed at, the expedition could not be
fitted out on so large a scale as Mr. Paterson had at first intended.
Nor was this the only difficulty he had to encounter. If the funds
were somewhat deficient, there was no lack of enthusiasm. The chivalry
of Scotland had been aroused, and hundreds of men of high family were
ready to exchange their prospects in their own country for the golden
hopes held out by America, recking little of doubts and dangers.

It became a delicate and troublesome task to select from such a throng
of eager volunteers, for, of course, all could not go, and, alas! for
the success of the enterprise, in too many cases family interest or
personal influence prevailed to find a place for some good-for-nothing
scapegrace instead of an honest, hard-working man, who would have been
a valuable addition. If only Mr. Paterson had been able to inspire
those associated with him with his own unselfish zeal and high
integrity, there might have been a different story to tell. Unhappily,
he stood almost alone in seeking no advantage or profit. Everybody
else had a keen eye to number one. As a natural consequence,
numberless jealousies, suspicions, and antagonisms arose. Instead of
working harmoniously together, the council in charge of affairs plotted
and counterplotted, wrangled and fought, until poor Paterson's patience
was utterly exhausted, and he had good reason to wish himself well out
of the business.

Not only were the members of the expedition ill-selected, for the
reasons given, but the ships that were to carry them, the arms,
provisions, goods, and entire equipment, were all contracted for in a
manner that greatly enriched the merchants at the expense of the
enterprise, and led to the loss of many a life in the after-days.

The ships were old and rotten, but so p