There was the whiteness and stillness of snow over everything, and I mind me how my mind would cling to wee things, like the footprints of rabbits, and the wee bits of grey fur here and there, and the flight of cushies in the trees, to come back with a start to the _Gull_ away out in the Firth, and Dan on board of her.
Silently we ate our bannocks at a little burn under some stunted trees and close to the shore, and wearily trailed on; and just at the darkness I made out the lights of the big house, and came into the kitchen, where Ronald McKinnon had a meal. He took away over the hill for his mother's house then, as he said, but I'm thinking maybe Mirren Stuart would have another way of it, and at his going I went to that grim man, the Laird.
He was with his back to a red fire of peats, and looked dourly at me.
"What new devilry is this?" says he, and bit his lip. "Here are women and men gane gyte wi' the tellin' o' death and murder--and where is Dan McBride?"
"There is nae murder that I ken," said I, "and the hogs are doing finely."
I believe the man had clean forgot about the sheep.
"Hogs," quo' he; "deil tak' the braxy beasts. Sir, where is Dan McBride?" and at that I told him.
"And there's more yet," said I, for I had passed my word. "There's more to tell yet."
"Ay," said he, "there will be. Well, tell on."
And I told him of Belle and the old hut. He was not so very ill-pleased.
"See that the woman has what she will be needing," said he--"a cow and such-like, Hamish, and peats and gear and plenishings. Poor lass, poor lass. Hech, sirs, this will no' make bonny tellin' to the mistress. The mistress will no' be pleased wi' this--she'll be in need o' siller too."
So it was on the first good day, with the sun red through a frosty haze, and the snow melted for the most part, we yoked the horses to the creels, and took gear and plenishing and peats to McCurdy's hut away in the hills over beyond the peat hags, and it was a weary cow beast that trailed behind, tied to the spars.
When we came over the last rise and stood to breathe the horses, I saw Belle at her door, shading her eyes under her flattened palms from the rays of the sun, and watching for us; and the horses looked in wonder to see a house so far among the hills, and tossed their ropy manes.