by John Galt
CHAPTER L
It seems that shortly after Robin Finnie had departed from the gallantcavalier, a lad, called Sandy Macgill, who was colleagued with him inthe plot, came towards the captain with looks cast to the earth, and sofull of thought, that he seemingly noticed nothing. Going forward inthis locked-up state of the outward sense, he came close upon Swaby,when, affecting to be startled out of his meditations, he stoppedsuddenly short, and looked in the lieutenant's broad face, with all thealarm he could put into his own features, till he saw he was frightenedout of his judgment, when he said,--
"Gude be about us, sir, ye hae gotten scaith; the blighting blink o' anill e'e has lighted upon you.--O, sir; O, sir! tak tent o' yoursel!"
Sandy had prepared a deal more to say, but finding himself overcome withan inward inclination to risibility at the sight of Swaby'sterrification, he was obligated to flee as fast as he could from thespot; the which wild-like action of his no doubt dismayed the cavalierfully as meikle as all he had said.
But it's the nature of man to desire to do whatever he is forbidden.Notwithstanding all their mystical admonitions, Swaby still perseveredin his evil intents, and accordingly he was seen lurking, without hissword, about the heel of the evening, on Hallowe'en, near the skirts ofthe clachan where Mysie Gilmour lived. And, as it had been conspiredamong her friends, Mungo Affleck, her gude-brother, a man weel strickenin years, but of a youthy mind, and a perfect pen-gun at a crack, cameacross the cavalier in his path, and Swaby having before some slightacquaintance with his garb and canny observes, hovered for a little indiscourse with Mungo.
"I counsel you, sir," said the pawkie auld carl as they were separating,"no to gang far afield this night, for this is a night that there is nathe like o' in a' the year round. It's Hallowe'en, sir, so be counselledby me, and seek your hame betimes; for mony a ane has met with things onHallowe'en that they never after forgot."
Considering the exploit on which the cavalier was then bowne, it's no tobe thought that this was very heartening music; but for all that, hesaid blithely, as Mungo told me himself, "Nae, not so fast, governor,tell us what you mean by Hallowe'en!"
"Hallowe'en!" cried Mungo Affleck, with a sound o' serious sincerity."Do ye no ken Hallowe'en? but I need na say that. Ye'll excuse me,captain, what can you Englishers, that are brought up in the darkness o'human ordinances in Gospel things, and who live in the thraldom ofepiscopalian ignorance, ken o' Hallowe'en, or o' any other solemn dayset apart for an occasion?--O, sir, Hallowe'en among us is a dreadfulnight! Witches and warlocks, and a' lang-nebbit things, hae a power anda dominion unspeakable on Hallowe'en. The de'il at other times gi'es,it's said, his agents a mutchkin o' mischief, but on this night it'sthought they hae a chappin; and one thing most demonstrable is;--but,sir, the sun's down--the blessed light o' day is ayont the hill, andit's no safe to be subjek to the whisking o' the mildew frae the tailso' the benweed ponies that are saddled for yon awfu' carnavaulings,where Cluty plays on the pipes! so I wis you, sir, gude night and weelhame.--O, sir, an ye could be persuaded!--Tak an auld man's advice, andrather read a chapter of THE BOOK, an it should even be the unedyfyingtenth of Nehemiah, than be seen at the gloaming in this gait, about thedyke-sides, like a wolf yearning for some tender lamb of a defencelessfold."
Mungo having thus delivered himself, went away, leaving Swaby as it werein a swither; for, on looking back, the old man saw him standing halfturned round as if he was minded to go home. The power of the sin was,however, strong upon him, and shortly after the dusk had closed in, whenthe angels had lighted their candles at their windows in the sky, towatch over the world in the hours of sleep, Swaby, with stealthy steps,came to Mysie Gilmour's door, and softly tirling at the pin wasadmitted; for all within was ready for his reception.
Robin Finnie and Sandy Macgill having carried thither Zachariah Smylie'sblack ram, a condumacious and outstropolous beast, which they had laidin Mysie's bed, and keepit frae baaing with a gude fothering ofkail-blades and a cloute soaken in milk.
Mysie, on opening the door, said to the gallant cavalier,--
"Just step in, ye'll fin' a' ready," and she blew out her crusie whichshe had in her hand, and letting the captain grope in by himself,hirpled as fast as she could to one of the neighbours; for, although shehad covenanted with him to come without his sword, she was terrifiedwith the fear of some dreadful upshot.
As soon as he was in, Robin Finnie and Sandy Macgill went and hearkenedat the window, where they heard the gay gallant stumbling in the floor,churming sweet and amorous words as he went groping his way towards thebed where the auld toop was breathing thickly, mumbling and crunchingthe kail-blades in a state of as great sensual delight and satisfactionas any beast could well be. But no sooner had the cavalier placed hishand on the horned head of the creature than he uttered a yell ofdespair; in the same moment the toop, in little less fright, jumpit outof the bed against him and knocked him down over a stool with a lounder.Verily Providence might be said, with reverence, to have had a hand inthe mirth of his punishment; for the ram recovering its senses beforethe cavalier, and being in dread of danger, returned to the charge, andbegan to butt him as if it would have been his death. The cries thatensued are not to be told; all the neighbours came running to the door,to see what was the matter, some with lighted sticks in their hands, andsome with burning coals in the tongs. Robin Finnie and Sandy Macgillwere like to die of laughing; but fearing the wrathful ram might duntout the bowels or the brains, if he had any, of the poor young cavalier,they opened the door, and so delivered him from its horns. He was,however, by this time, almost in a state of distraction, believing thebeast was the real Evil One; so that he no sooner felt himself free andsaw the lights, than he flew to his quarters as if he had been pursuedby a legion.
Some of his own soldiers that were lying in the clachan, and who hadcome out with the rest of the folk, saw through the stratagem, and,forgetting all reverence for their afflicted commander, laughed louderand longer than any body. In short, the story was o'er the whole parishnext day, and the very weans, wherever the cavalier appeared, used tocry ba at him, by which his very life was made a shame and a burden tohim, insomuch that he applied for leave to give up his commission, andreturned home to his kindred in the south of England, and we never heardtell of him after.
