the naked hand. It's a queer tale,
and no' very creditable, the way you tell it; and I'm far frae minting that is
other than the way that ye believe it. As for yoursel', ye seem to me rather a
dacent-like young man. But me, that's aulder and mair judeecious, see perhaps a
wee bit further forrit in the job than what ye can dae. And here is the maitter
clear and plain to ye. There'll be nae skaith to yoursel' if I keep ye here; far
frae that, I think ye'll be a hantle better by it. There'll be nae skaith to the
kintry - just ae mair Hielantman hangit - Gude kens, a guid riddance! On the
ither hand, it would be considerable skaith to me if I would let you free. Sae,
speakin' as a guid Whig, an honest freen' to you, and an anxious freen' to my
ainsel', the plain fact is that I think ye'll just have to bide here wi' Andie
an' the solans.«
    »Andie,« said I, laying my hand upon his knee, »this Hielantman's innocent.«
    »Ay, it's a peety about that,« said he. »But ye see, in this warld, the way
God made it, we canna just get a'thing that we want.«
 

                                   Chapter XV

                       Black Andie's Tale of Tod Lapraik

I have yet said little of the Highlanders. They were all three of the followers
of James More, which bound the accusation very tight about their master's neck.
All understood a word or two of English; but Neil was the only one who judged he
had enough of it for general converse, in which (when once he got embarked) his
company was often tempted to the contrary opinion. They were tractable, simple
creatures; showed much more courtesy than might have been expected from their
raggedness and their uncouth appearance, and fell spontaneously to be like three
servants for Andie and myself.
    Dwelling in that isolated place, in the old falling ruins of a prison, and
among endless strange sounds of the sea and the sea-birds, I thought I perceived
in them early the effects of superstitious fear. When there was nothing doing
they would either lie and sleep, for which their appetite appeared insatiable,
or Neil would entertain the others with stories which seemed always of a
terrifying strain. If neither of these delights were within reach - if perhaps
two were sleeping and