There was no fear, only a sort of surprised
observation in them. And as she passed she uttered, without a smile,
some brief and laconic salutation in Gaelic, which of course the young
man could not understand. He raised his cap, however, and said
"Good-morning!" and went on, with a fixed resolve to learn all the
Gaelic that Duncan could teach him.

Surely the tall keeper was in excellent spirits this morning. Long
before he drew near, Lavender could hear, in the stillness of the
morning, that he was telling stories about John the Piper, and of his
adventures in such distant parts as Portree and Oban, and even in
Glasgow.

"And it wass Allan M'Gillivray of Styornoway," Duncan was saying as he
industriously whipped the shallow runs of the stream, "will go to
Glasgow with John; and they went through ta Crinan Canal. Wass you
through ta Crinan Canal, sir?"

"Many a time."

"Ay, jist that. And I hef been told it iss like a river with ta sides o'
a house to it; and what would Allan care for a thing like that, when he
hass been to America more than twice or four times? And it wass when he
fell into the canal, he was ferry nearly trooned for all that; and when
they pulled him to ta shore he wass a ferry angry man. And this iss what
John says that Allan will say when he wass on the side of the canal:
'Kott,' says he, 'if I wass trooned here, I would show my face in
Styornoway no more!' But perhaps it iss not true, for he will tell many
lies, does John the Piper, to hef a laugh at a man."

"The Crinan Canal is not to be despised, Duncan," said Ingram, who was
sitting on the red sand of the bank, "when you are in it."

"And do you know what John says that Allan will say to him the first
time they went ashore at Glasgow?"

"I am sure I don't."

"It wass many years ago, before that Allan will be going many times to
America, and he will neffer hef seen such fine shops and ta big houses
and hundreds and hundreds of people, every one with shoes on their feet.
And he will say to John, 'John, ef I had known in time I should hef been
born here.' But no one will believe it iss true, he is such a teffle of
a liar, that John; and he will hef some stories about Mr. Mackenzie
himself, as I hef been told, that he will tell when he goes to
Styornoway. But John is a ferry cunning fellow, and will not tell any
such stories in Borva."

"I suppose if he did, Duncan, you would dip him in Loch Roag?"

"Oh, there iss more than one," said