Flower o' the Heather: A Story of the Killing Times

by Robert William MacKenna

  *CHAPTER XXXI*

  *THE CAVE BY THE LINN*

  We took turns at the bottle, and found the wine of excellent quality.After a short rest we resumed our journey. The moon had set and fromsome distant farmyard a cock crew lustily, and I knew that daybreak wasnot far off.

  The wine, or the exercise, or the knowledge that he had escaped from asituation of grave danger, had an exhilarating effect upon the packman,who was now in high spirits. I ventured, while congratulating him uponhis escape, to ask where we might be going, for I was at a loss to know.Now and then I heard the sound of running water, and in the grey of dawnI was able to catch a glimpse of a stream to our right, which I thoughtmust be the Nith.

  "We're drawing near Auldgirth," he said. "Beyond that we'll come toCloseburn, and no' lang after that we'll be snug hidden in a cave atCrichope Linn."

  Soon we came to a bridge, with three arches spanning the brown river.Hector scrambled down through the bushes by the roadside and made hisway under the nearest arch, and I followed him. A little grassy banklay between the pier of the bridge and the water, and here we sat down.The packman unstrapped his wooden leg, and, with some groaning, for theprocess evidently caused him discomfort, removed his great shaggy beard.

  "I'll bury my tree-leg here, for the time being, but the beard I'll tak'wi' me in my pooch. That's sufficient disguise for me: as for you,you'll be nane the waur o' a bit o' disguise as weel."

  He took from his pack a pair of scissors, and set to work upon my beardand whiskers. As he did so, doubt assailed me and I called to him tostop. To be clean-shaven once again was to expose myself to more readyrecognition, if it should ever be my lot to encounter one of my formercompanions among Lag's troopers.

  "Ay, lad, ye're richt," said Hector. "I should ha'e thocht o' thatmysel'. But never mind, I've no' done muckle damage yet. Were youclean-shaven when you were a trooper?"

  "Yes," I answered.

  "Weel," he said, "I'll do a bit o' fancy work on your face, and I'llleave your upper lip alane and wi' some o' my magical salve you candress your moustachios to make you look like a Cavalier. Forby, I'llleave you a wee tuft on your chin, like the King. I'll warrant neitherthe folk that saw you in Dumfries wi' a fortnicht's growth on yer face,nor the troopers that kent ye as a clean-shaven man, will be likely torecognise you."

  When he had finished his work he stood back and looked at me carefully,poising his head upon one side, and as was his wont half closing hisleft eye. He was evidently satisfied, for, with characteristicself-complacency, he said:

  "Man, Hector, ye're a lad o' mony pairts."

  Out of his pack he produced a small looking-glass of burnished steel andhanded it to me. In the uncertain morning light the reflection of myface was not very distinct, but enough to show that my disguise waseffective, for I hardly recognised myself.

  "Come on," said Hector, swinging up his pack, and crossing the bridge wecontinued our journey.

  The country had the glamour of early summer upon it. Every bush wascrowned with a coronal of green: the fields were smiling with promise:the hill-sides were dimpling with sunny laughter, and the river, whichnow ran beside us, babbled cheerfully as it sped on its way to the sea.

  After a few more miles we saw, in the distance, a long row of cottagesflanking our way. Hector suddenly quitted the road, and, hidden behinda hedge, we made a long detour in order to avoid them.

  "Yon," said he, "is the village o' Closeburn. The curate's a spy and atyrant. It behoves us no' to be seen."

  Making use of all the cover we could, and continuing our way tillCloseburn was left behind, we came out upon a narrow and unfrequentedroad overshadowed by beech and oak trees. The air thrilled with thesong of birds, and the spirit of the hour seemed to have descended uponthe packman, for as we trudged along he whistled merrily. By and by wecame to the edge of a wood. Just on its margin we crossed a rusticbridge which spanned a little brown rivulet that trickled sinuously inand out between its mossy banks. Following the line of the stream weentered the wood, Hector leading the way. The ground was a great carpetof luscious green, save where it was spangled over with beds of bluespeedwell. The foliage of the trees--beech, oak and mountain ash, pineand fir--broke up the rays of sunlight and the air within the wood wasdelightfully cool. Our path led steadily up from the bed of the streamtill it looked like an amber thread meandering through a gorge a hundredfeet beneath us. Here and there its course was checked by a quiet pool,so still that one might think the stream had ceased to flow; and wheresome branch of a bush or tree touched the surface of the water it wasgarlanded with a ball of tawny froth from which little flakes broke awayand studded the surface of the pool like scattered silver coins.

  We penetrated deep into the wood--the stream chattering far belowus--and at last Hector, half-turning, and saying earnestly "Tak' tent,"began to clamber down the slope towards it. I followed, and in a fewmoments we had reached the edge of the water. Leaping from stone tostone, Hector led the way past a waterfall upon our left which, thin asveil of gossamer and iridescent in the sunlight, fell from anoverhanging rock into the burn.

  Just beyond us and to the right the stream issued from a defile. Aboveus, on both sides, the sandstone rocks towered, and looking up from thedepths one could see the sky through the leafy screen of foliage thatovershadowed us. Carefully choosing every footstep, we continued up thestream. The way, though difficult, seemed quite familiar to thepackman.

  Suddenly the great sandstone walls which flanked the stream began toclose in upon us, rising sheer from the water edge. The stream thusconfined into straiter bounds became a broiling torrent. To makeprogress we were compelled to bestride it, finding precarious footholdin little niches on the opposing walls. After a few more difficultsteps the narrow defile widened out and we stood upon the edge of agreat broad cup which was being steadily filled by an inrush of waterthrough a gorge at its upper end similar to that along which we hadcome. In shape the cup was almost circular and looked like a hugemisshapen bowl of earthenware. From its sides the sandstone cliffs rosealmost perpendicularly, but a few feet above the water was a ledge broadenough to walk upon. It was a curious natural formation. The basin atour feet was deep, so deep that I could not see the bottom. The waterleaped into it through the upper defile, churning its nearer edge intoyellow froth; but the turbulence of the leaping stream swooned intoquietness when it came under the spell of the still water that lay deepand impassive in the heart of the pool. Half-way round itscircumference, poised on the ledge and heaped one upon another inseeming disorder, stood a pile of boulders. Hector seized one of themwith both hands. He tugged at it vigorously and it moved, disclosing acleft in the wall of the precipice through which a man might crawl.

  "We're here at last," said Hector. "Doon on your hands and knees, andcrawl in; there's naething to fear."

  I did as he bade me, and, carefully feeling the way with my hands,thrust head and neck and shoulders into the aperture. After the lightof the outer world the interior of the cave was impenetrably dark.Steadying myself with my hands, I proceeded to drag my body after me andwas about to rise to my feet when suddenly something leaped upon me. Apair of hot hands closed upon my throat from behind and a great weighthurled itself upon my back. I tried to scream, but the lithe fingersgripped my neck and stifled me. There was a clamour in my head asthough a thousand drums were rattling; lights danced before my eyes.Again I tried to scream, but my tongue hung helpless out of my mouth andI could hardly breathe. I struggled fiercely, but the hands thatgripped my throat did not relax and suddenly I seemed to be fallingthrough infinite space and then ceased to know anything. I rememberednothing until, at last, I felt somebody chafing my hands. Then out ofthe darkness I heard the voice of Hector say quite cheerfully:

  "Ye'll do. Ye'll be a' richt in a minute or twa. Noo I maun ha'e a lookat the minister."

  "What has happened?" I asked, but Hector did not reply, so I raisedm
yself and found him stooping over the body of another man lying not farfrom me.

  "Thank God," he said, "I ha'ena killed him. His skull is evidently assoond as his doctrine, and that's sayin' a lot."

  "Tell me what has happened?" I exclaimed. "Who is this man?"

  "As far," said he, "as I can mak' oot by the licht o' these twa tallowcandles, he is the Rev. Mr. Corsane, the ousted minister o' Minniehive.I canna exactly tell what happened afore I cam' into the cave, but juistas your feet were disappearing into the hole, they began to dance in theair, remindin' me o' the cantrips I ha'e seen a man perform when thehangman had him in haun'. I was at a sair loss to ken what ye micht bedaein', and I was mair puzzled still when, just inside the cave, I hearda terrible struggling. Hooever, as ye weel ken, I'm nae coward, so in Icrawled, wi' my auld frien' 'Trusty' in my kneive. Though it was awfu'dark, I could mak' oot twa men strugglin'. Ane o' them was astride theother and I judged that you were the nethermost. I shouted, the man thathad you by the throat let ye go and flung himsel' on me. I caught him adunt wi' the point o' my elbow juist ower his breist-bane. He reeledback, but when he got his breath he rushed at me again. By this time mye'en were better used to the darkness, so I up wi' 'Trusty' and gi'edhim a clout on the side o' the heid, and here he lies. Then I lichtedthe candles I had brocht wi' me, and found that he had gey nearthrottled you deid. By the look o' him I jaloused that he was the Rev.Mr. Corsane, and then the whole thing was plain to me. Maist likely hehas been hidin' in this cave--a cave weel kent by the Covenanters--sowhen you cam' crawlin' in withoot word said or signal given, he maunha'e thocht it was ane o' the dragoons and like a brave man he made uphis mind to sell his life dearly. That's the story so far as I can mak'it oot and I ha'e nae doot it's the true ane.

  "But I wish ye would lay your hand ower his heart and tell me I haenakilled him, for I wouldna' like to ha'e the death o' sic a godly man onmy conscience."

  I did as I was requested and I was able to reassure the packman that theman's heart was beating regularly and strongly, although somewhatslowly.

  "Thank God," he said fervently. "I'll see what my salve will dae forhim," and he opened a pot of his ointment and proceeded to rub it gentlyinto the lump which his stick had raised upon the minister's temple.The effect, however, was far from being immediate. The minister laywith lips half parted and eyes half open, breathing heavily, withoutsigns of returning consciousness. Hector began to show signs of alarm.

  "If," he said, "this was only a dragoon I wouldna worry: but this is aminister, a different breed o' man a' thegither. A clout that would daenae mair than gie a dragoon a sair heid micht kill a minister. He maunbe in a bad way if my salve winna revive him."

  "Give him time," I said, "and let us see what cold water will do."Crawling out into the open, I leaned over the pool and, filling mybonnet with water, returned to the cave and sprinkled the minister'sface copiously. I saw his eyelids flicker as the first cold droptouched his forehead, and a few minutes later he moved one of his hands.

  "He's recovering," I said, and taking off my coat I folded it and placedit beneath his head. We waited in great anxiety, and by and by sawother signs of returning vitality. The better part of an hour hadelapsed before the minister endeavoured to raise himself upon his elbow,an effort which we gently resisted. Immediately afterwards, with eyesstaring up to the roof of the cave, he said:

  "Where am I? What has happened?"

  I motioned to Hector to reply.

  "Oh, ye're a' richt, and we are frien's. Ha'e nae fear. Settleyoursel' doon, if ye can, for a sleep: and when you ha'e rested we'lltell you everything."

  Without demur the minister closed his eyes again, and we were able totell from his regular breathing that he had fallen asleep.

  Hector rose, whispering behind his hand: "If you'll sit by the ministerI'll close the door," and he crawled noiselessly through the apertureand returned, pushing his pack before him, and then closed the opening,cutting off the thin shaft of daylight that had been coming through it.

  About an hour later the minister stirred in his sleep, and turning overupon his side opened his eyes and looked at me inquiringly. Hectorproduced the bottle of Malvoisie with which we had refreshed ourselveson the roadside, and held it to the minister's lips.

  "This will refresh you," he said, and without protest he drank. He madesome attempt to speak, but Hector forbade him. "No, no, sir, haud yerwheesht a wee langer. Dinna fash yoursel'. We are your frien's. Ha'enae fear and settle yoursel' to sleep."

  Like an obedient child, the minister did so.

  The day passed and still the patient slept. By and by Hector went tothe mouth of the cave and peered through one of the chinks between therocks.

  "The nicht has come," he said. "It's time we were bedded." Taking upthe candle, he searched the floor of the cave. "Dae ye think," heasked, "we daur lift the minister? Here's his bed," and he pointed to aheap of withered brackens in a corner. I suggested that it might be aneasier thing to carry his bed to the minister, and, stooping down, Igathered up an armful of the leaves, which I spread upon the floorbeside him. So gently that he did not stir we lifted the minister on toit, and once more I slipped my folded coat under his head for a pillow.Hector drew off his coat and spread it over the minister's chest, thenseizing a corner of his pack he pulled it up, scattering the contents ina jumbled heap on the floor, and spread the canvas covering over thelower part of the minister's body.

  "That will keep him warm," he said. "Now you mak' your bed where yewill. I'll keep watch for the first pairt o' the nicht and I'll wakenyou by and by, and ye can tak' yer turn."

  Worn out with the experiences of the previous night and day, I lay downnot far off. My neck still ached from the strangling grip of theminister's fingers, and the floor of the cave was a hard bed. But I hadlain in many strange places ere this and soon I was fast asleep. Onceduring the night I awoke and peering through the shadows could discernthe figure of the minister on his bracken couch, and, with hands claspedround his bent knees, the packman sitting beside him. But I judged thatmy time had not yet come, for Hector made no sign and soon I was asleepagain.

  I awoke cold and stiff as though I had been beaten. Looking towards thedoorway I could see a thin streak of light filtering through, and I knewthat day had come. Hector still sat motionless: he had kept his vigilthe whole night through.

  I ventured to upbraid him because he had not kept his word and wakenedme in the night to share the watch with him. He laughed.

  "It was a kind o' penance," he said. "I ha'e twa things on myconscience that will want a lot o' expiation. _Imprimis_, I felled theminister; _secundo_, I gi'ed him some o' Lag's wine. In the nicht I'vebeen thinkin' the second is the mair serious transgression. To godlessmen like you and me, Lag's wine could dae nae hairm, but hoo think yethe wine o' a persecutor will agree wi' the body o' a saint? As like asno it will turn to gall in his blood and dae him a peck o' hairm."

  I laughed quietly. "You may set your mind at rest," I said. "The winewas good. Even though it came from Lag's cellar, it will do theCovenanter no harm."

  While we were talking the minister began to move, and in a few secondsopened his eyes. In a moment Hector was bending over him.

  "Hoo are ye this morning, sir?" he said. "I hope ye ha'e rested weel?"

  The minister raised himself upon his elbow, and looked at Hectoranxiously. "Thank you," he said, "I have had a good sleep, but my brainis in a strange whirl and my head is very sore. Have I been ill?"

  "A' in good time, sir, a' in good time," said Hector, cheerfully. "Youare in nae danger. By and by I'll tell ye a'. Meantime ye maun breakyer fast."

  The packman rose and going to a shelf of rock on which the candle stoodpicked up a bowl.

  "Here, Bryden," he said. "I'll open the door if you crawl oot and fillthis bowl at the linn."

  He gripped the movable boulder and swung it round and I crawled out intothe open air. The morning sky above me was fleecy with soft c
louds; theair was full of melody; all the feathered world was awake. Thrush viedwith blackbird, blackbird with linnet, and linnet with the far offtremulous lark. I stood on the little sandstone platform above the poolfilling my lungs with great draughts of morning air. The hauntingbeauty of the place--the mystical and impenetrable depths of the pool,the tender foliage above me mirrored on its surface, the soft wind ofthe morning throbbing with melody--all conspired to cast a spell overme. But I woke from my dream as I remembered the stern realities thatbeset me. Leaning over I filled the bowl and returned with it to thecave. Hector had already laid out the morning meal, but at the moment adesire more urgent than hunger was upon me.

  So I crawled once more into the open air and, quickly undressing, divedinto the pool, and swam round it a dozen times. Greatly refreshed I wasabout to swing myself out, when I saw the shoulders of Hector protrudingfrom the aperture in the wall. He shook his head and smiled at me,saying:

  "You gi'ed me a terrible fricht. I heard the splash and thocht ye hadfa'en in. Ye're a queer chiel; ye like cauld water a lot better than Ido," and he drew his head back into the cave.