CHAPTER XXVI
The Elliots and Armstrongs did convene, They were a gallant company!
Ballad of Johnnie Armstrong
Without noticing the occupations of an intervening day or two, which,as they consisted of the ordinary silvan amusements of shooting andcoursing, have nothing sufficiently interesting to detain the reader,we pass to one in some degree peculiar to Scotland, which may be calleda sort of salmon-hunting. This chase, in which the fish is pursued andstruck with barbed spears, or a sort of long-shafted trident, called awaster, is much practised at the mouth of the Esk and in the othersalmon rivers of Scotland. The sport is followed by day and night, butmost commonly in the latter, when the fish are discovered by means oftorches, or fire-grates, filled with blazing fragments of tar-barrels,which shed a strong though partial light upon the water. On the presentoccasion the principal party were embarked in a crazy boat upon a partof the river which was enlarged and deepened by the restraint of amill-wear, while others, like the ancient Bacchanals in their gambols,ran along the banks, brandishing their torches and spears, and pursuingthe salmon, some of which endeavoured to escape up the stream, whileothers, shrouding themselves under roots of trees, fragments of stones,and large rocks, attempted to conceal themselves from the researches ofthe fishermen. These the party in the boat detected by the slightestindications; the twinkling of a fin, the rising of an airbell, wassufficient to point out to these adroit sportsmen in what direction touse their weapon.
The scene was inexpressibly animating to those accustomed to it; but,as Brown was not practised to use the spear, he soon tired of makingefforts which were attended with no other consequences than jarring hisarms against the rocks at the bottom of the river, upon which, insteadof the devoted salmon, he often bestowed his blow. Nor did he relish,though he concealed feelings which would not have been understood,being quite so near the agonies of the expiring salmon, as they layflapping about in the boat, which they moistened with their blood. Hetherefore requested to be put ashore, and, from the top of a heugh orbroken bank, enjoyed the scene much more to his satisfaction. Often hethought of his friend Dudley the artist, when he observed the effectproduced by the strong red glare on the romantic banks under which theboat glided. Now the light diminished to a distant star that seemed totwinkle on the waters, like those which, according to the legends ofthe country, the water-kelpy sends for the purpose of indicating thewatery grave of his victims. Then it advanced nearer, brightening andenlarging as it again approached, till the broad flickering flamerendered bank and rock and tree visible as it passed, tingeing themwith its own red glare of dusky light, and resigning them gradually todarkness, or to pale moonlight, as it receded. By this light also wereseen the figures in the boat, now holding high their weapons, nowstooping to strike, now standing upright, bronzed by the same red glareinto a colour which might have befitted the regions of Pandemonium.
Having amused himself for some time with these effects of light andshadow, Brown strolled homewards towards the farm-house, gazing in hisway at the persons engaged in the sport, two or three of whom aregenerally kept together, one holding the torch, the others with theirspears, ready to avail themselves of the light it affords to striketheir prey. As he observed one man struggling with a very weightysalmon which he had speared, but was unable completely to raise fromthe water, Brown advanced close to the bank to see the issue of hisexertions. The man who held the torch in this instance was thehuntsman, whose sulky demeanour Brown had already noticed withsurprise. 'Come here, sir! come here, sir! look at this ane! He turnsup a side like a sow.' Such was the cry from the assistants when someof them observed Brown advancing.
'Ground the waster weel, man! ground the waster weel! Haud him down! Yehaena the pith o' a cat!' were the cries of advice, encouragement, andexpostulation from those who were on the bank to the sportsman engagedwith the salmon, who stood up to his middle in water, jingling amongbroken ice, struggling against the force of the fish and the strengthof the current, and dubious in what manner he should attempt to securehis booty. As Brown came to the edge of the bank, he called out--'Holdup your torch, friend huntsman!' for he had already distinguished hisdusky features by the strong light cast upon them by the blaze. But thefellow no sooner heard his voice, and saw, or rather concluded, it wasBrown who approached him, than, instead of advancing his light, he letit drop, as if accidentally, into the water.
'The deil's in Gabriel!' said the spearman, as the fragments of glowingwood floated half-blazing, half-sparkling, but soon extinguished, downthe stream. 'The deil's in the man! I'll never master him without thelight; and a braver kipper, could I but land him, never reisted abune apair o' cleeks.'[Footnote: See Note 4] Some dashed into the water tolend their assistance, and the fish, which was afterwards found toweigh nearly thirty pounds, was landed in safety.
The behaviour of the huntsman struck Brown, although he had norecollection of his face, nor could conceive why he should, as itappeared he evidently did, shun his observation. Could he be one of thefootpads he had encountered a few days before? The supposition was notaltogether improbable, although unwarranted by any observation he wasable to make upon the man's figure and face. To be sure the villainswore their hats much slouched, and had loose coats, and their size wasnot in any way so peculiarly discriminated as to enable him to resortto that criterion. He resolved to speak to his host Dinmont on thesubject, but for obvious reasons concluded it were best to defer theexplanation until a cool hour in the morning.
The sportsmen returned loaded with fish, upwards of one hundred salmonhaving been killed within the range of their sport. The best wereselected for the use of the principal farmers, the others divided amongtheir shepherds, cottars, dependents, and others of inferior rank whoattended. These fish, dried in the turf smoke of their cabins orshealings, formed a savoury addition to the mess of potatoes, mixedwith onions, which was the principal part of their winter food. In themeanwhile a liberal distribution of ale and whisky was made among them,besides what was called a kettle of fish,--two or three salmon, namely,plunged into a cauldron and boiled for their supper. Brown accompaniedhis jolly landlord and the rest of his friends into the large and smokykitchen, where this savoury mess reeked on an oaken table, massiveenough to have dined Johnnie Armstrong and his merry-men. All washearty cheer and huzza, and jest and clamorous laughter, and braggingalternately, and raillery between whiles. Our traveller lookedearnestly around for the dark countenance of the fox-hunter; but it wasnowhere to be seen.
At length he hazarded a question concerning him. 'That was an awkwardaccident, my lads, of one of you, who dropped his torch in the waterwhen his companion was struggling with the large fish.'
'Awkward!' returned a shepherd, looking up (the same stout young fellowwho had speared the salmon); 'he deserved his paiks for't, to put outthe light when the fish was on ane's witters! I'm weel convincedGabriel drapped the roughies in the water on purpose; he doesna like tosee ony body do a thing better than himsell.'
'Ay,' said another, 'he's sair shamed o' himsell, else he would havebeen up here the night; Gabriel likes a little o' the gude thing asweel as ony o' us.'
'Is he of this country?' said Brown.
'Na, na, he's been but shortly in office, but he's a fell hunter; he'sfrae down the country, some gate on the Dumfries side.'
'And what's his name, pray?'
'Gabriel.'
'But Gabriel what?'
'Oh, Lord kens that; we dinna mind folk's afternames muckle here, theyrun sae muckle into clans.'
'Ye see, sir,' said an old shepherd, rising, and speaking very slow,'the folks hereabout are a' Armstrongs and Elliots,[Footnote: See Note5] and sic like--two or three given names--and so, for distinction'ssake, the lairds and farmers have the names of their places that theylive at; as, for example, Tam o' Todshaw, Will o' the Flat, Hobbie o'Sorbietrees, and our good master here o' the Charlie's Hope. Aweel,sir, and then the inferior sort o' people, ye'll observe, are kend bysorts o' by-names some o
' them, as Glaiket Christie, and the Deuke'sDavie, or maybe, like this lad Gabriel, by his employment; as, forexample, Tod Gabbie, or Hunter Gabbie. He's no been lang here, sir, andI dinna think ony body kens him by ony other name. But it's no right torin him doun ahint his back, for he's a fell fox-hunter, though he'smaybe no just sae clever as some o' the folk hereawa wi' the waster.'
After some further desultory conversation, the superior sportsmenretired to conclude the evening after their own manner, leaving theothers to enjoy themselves, unawed by their presence. That evening,like all those which Brown had passed at Charlie's Hope, was spent inmuch innocent mirth and conviviality. The latter might have approachedto the verge of riot but for the good women; for several of theneighbouring mistresses (a phrase of a signification how different fromwhat it bears in more fashionable life!) had assembled at Charlie'sHope to witness the event of this memorable evening. Finding thepunch-bowl was so often replenished that there was some danger of theirgracious presence being forgotten, they rushed in valorously upon therecreant revellers, headed by our good mistress Ailie, so that Venusspeedily routed Bacchus. The fiddler and piper next made theirappearance, and the best part of the night was gallantly consumed indancing to their music.
An otter-hunt the next day, and a badger-baiting the day after,consumed the time merrily. I hope our traveller will not sink in thereader's estimation, sportsman though he may be, when I inform him thaton this last occasion, after young Pepper had lost a fore-foot andMustard the second had been nearly throttled, he begged, as aparticular and personal favour of Mr. Dinmont, that the poor badger,who had made so gallant a defence, should be permitted to retire to hisearth without farther molestation.
The farmer, who would probably have treated this request with supremecontempt had it come from any other person, was contented in Brown'scase to express the utter extremity of his wonder. 'Weel,' he said,'that's queer aneugh! But since ye take his part, deil a tyke shallmeddle wi' him mair in my day. We'll e'en mark him, and ca' him theCaptain's brock; and I'm sure I'm glad I can do ony thing to obligeyou,--but, Lord save us, to care about a brock!'
After a week spent in rural sport, and distinguished by the most frankattentions on the part of his honest landlord, Brown bade adieu to thebanks of the Liddel and the hospitality of Charlie's Hope. Thechildren, with all of whom he had now become an intimate and afavourite, roared manfully in full chorus at his departure, and he wasobliged to promise twenty times that he would soon return and play overall their favourite tunes upon the flageolet till they had got them byheart. 'Come back again, Captain,' said one little sturdy fellow, 'andJenny will be your wife.' Jenny was about eleven years old; she ran andhid herself behind her mammy.
'Captain, come back,' said a little fat roll-about girl of six, holdingher mouth up to be kissed, 'and I'll be your wife my ainsell.'
'They must be of harder mould than I,' thought Brown, 'who could partfrom so many kind hearts with indifference.' The good dame too, withmatron modesty, and an affectionate simplicity that marked the oldentime, offered her cheek to the departing guest. 'It's little the likeof us can do,' she said, 'little indeed; but yet, if there were but onything--'
'Now, my dear Mrs. Dinmont, you embolden me to make a request: wouldyou but have the kindness to weave me, or work me, just such a greyplaid as the goodman wears?' He had learned the language and feelingsof the country even during the short time of his residence, and wasaware of the pleasure the request would confer.
'A tait o' woo' would be scarce amang us,' said the goodwife,brightening, 'if ye shouldna hae that, and as gude a tweel as ever camaff a pirn. I'll speak to Johnnie Goodsire, the weaver at theCastletown, the morn. Fare ye weel, sir! and may ye be just as happyyoursell as ye like to see a' body else; and that would be a sair wishto some folk.'
I must not omit to mention that our traveller left his trusty attendantWasp to be a guest at Charlie's Hope for a season. He foresaw that hemight prove a troublesome attendant in the event of his being in anysituation where secrecy and concealment might be necessary. He wastherefore consigned to the care of the eldest boy, who promised, in thewords of the old song, that he should have
A bit of his supper, a bit of his bed,
and that he should be engaged in none of those perilous pastimes inwhich the race of Mustard and Pepper had suffered frequent mutilation.Brown now prepared for his journey, having taken a temporary farewellof his trusty little companion.
There is an odd prejudice in these hills in favour of riding. Everyfarmer rides well, and rides the whole day. Probably the extent oftheir large pasture farms, and the necessity of surveying them rapidly,first introduced this custom; or a very zealous antiquary might deriveit from the times of the 'Lay of the Last Minstrel,' when twentythousand horsemen assembled at the light of the beacon-fires.[Footnote: It would be affectation to alter this reference. But thereader will understand that it was inserted to keep up the author'sincognito, as he was not likely to be suspected of quoting his ownworks. This explanation is also applicable to one or two similarpassages, in this and the other novels, introduced for the samereason.] But the truth is undeniable; they like to be on horseback, andcan be with difficulty convinced that any one chooses walking fromother motives than those of convenience or necessity. Accordingly,Dinmont insisted upon mounting his guest and accompanying him onhorseback as far as the nearest town in Dumfries-shire, where he haddirected his baggage to be sent, and from which he proposed to pursuehis intended journey towards Woodbourne, the residence of JuliaMannering.
Upon the way he questioned his companion concerning the character ofthe fox-hunter; but gained little information, as he had been called tothat office while Dinmont was making the round of the Highland fairs.'He was a shake-rag like fellow,' he said, 'and, he dared to say, hadgipsy blood in his veins; but at ony rate he was nane o' the smaiksthat had been on their quarters in the moss; he would ken them weel ifhe saw them again. There are some no bad folk amang the gipsies too, tobe sic a gang,' added Dandie; 'if ever I see that auld randle-tree of awife again, I'll gie her something to buy tobacco. I have a greatnotion she meant me very fair after a'.'
When they were about finally to part, the good farmer held Brown longby the hand, and at length said, 'Captain, the woo's sae weel up theyear that it's paid a' the rent, and we have naething to do wi' therest o' the siller when Ailie has had her new gown, and the bairnstheir bits o' duds. Now I was thinking of some safe hand to put itinto, for it's ower muckle to ware on brandy and sugar; now I haveheard that you army gentlemen can sometimes buy yoursells up a step,and if a hundred or twa would help ye on such an occasion, the bitscrape o' your pen would be as good to me as the siller, and ye mightjust take yer ain time o' settling it; it wad be a great convenience tome.' Brown, who felt the full delicacy that wished to disguise theconferring an obligation under the show of asking a favour, thanked hisgrateful friend most heartily, and assured him he would have recourseto his purse without scruple should circumstances ever render itconvenient for him. And thus they parted with many expressions ofmutual regard.