Page:010 Once a week Volume X Dec 1863 to Jun 64.pdf/279

27, 1864.] throat, as he planted himself on the settle, and began fumbling at some pigtail tobacco to fill his pipe.

"Ye maun ken, sir," said the shepherd, in reply to my wondering look, "ye maun ken, that auld Maartie myad a mistake about a coow—kind o' lifted her; an' he was taken up afore Sir James, an' committed to Caarle gaol; an' they e'en sentenced him to be hangit on a tow on Haribee hill. Aw went, in coorse, to see auld Maartie dance at the woodie; an' sae did Jock Heslop an' some ithers, just to see fair play like; but, sauve us, sir, he gat nae fair play ava. Gin a Border man be fairly streeckit at the woodie, nouther him nor anybody else can hae ony reason to complain, ye ken; for it's like natural death ti a Border man ti dree the woodie. But, ye see, Maartie didna get nae fair play ava; for hangie e'en boggled with the rape, an' contrived sae badly that whan he loupit frae the cairt tail, the knot e'en slippit anunder the chin o' him; an' then he raxed and couldna settle til hang canny nor coomfortable ava; for ye maun ken he was born i' the silly how, was Maartie, an' that gars ane unco kittle owther to hang or droon; till i' the lang run, the rape brack, and doon he came wi' a cloor to the grun'. Aweel, sir, our birse was a bit raised, because, ye see, he hadna gotten fair play; sae the lads an' me made in wi' our bits o' rungs, an' 'nounted the hows o' the puir auld doited constable bodies till they war fain to loup Rab Morris's fling; an' we weised Maartie ontil a spare powny, an ow'r the Border wi' him het foot; an' when we gat him safely housed, we gied him a canny soop o' the grey-hen, and he was sune hissel' agean; forbye, as ye'll obsaarve, be gat a bit twist o' the craig; an' he's been gay an' roupy in the thropple o' him sin' syne; forbie that his eyne tuik an unco' gleg an' uncanny glower. But ne'er fash, auld Maartie, ma mon; thou'lt live ti get fair play, an' croon thy death verse on Haribee hill wi' the brawest o' them. Teak anither soop o' the grey-hen, auld corbie, and ne'er cry craven."

The ancient Martin during this recital sat rolling his head, and chuckling, as if at the narration of something vastly pleasant and facetious, and joined in the general laugh which ensued with such a mixture of guggles and eldrich shrieks as were absolutely astounding to ears unaccustomed to his peculiarities.

For my own part, I easily perceived this to be a little fiction which the narrator was pleased to palm upon my presumed inexperience, but I refrained from the expression of any misgivings on a point so delicate as Border death from natural causes; and I presently edged up to the taciturn hostess, who having consulted in a few whispered words with the good-man, said, "Aweel, au could hae a bed," and lit a rushlight, and ushered me into a room at the end of a long passage, on the first story of the house. Too weary to notice the appearance of my dormitory, I was soon huddled in among the blankets, and sound asleep. But it was not written in the book of my destiny that my rest should be uninterrupted; I know not how long I had slept, when I was aroused with a violent start, and rising up in bed, I became aware of a heavy tramping which seemed directly under the floor of my chamber, accompanied by a rattling and clanging of chains, suggesting the notion to my faculties, dazed as they were by being startled from heavy and profound slumber, that mine host must have some forlorn captive in the chamber below, who was bumping his head against the wall of his solitary dungeon, and clattering his chains in accompaniment to this desperate action. Immediately upon this there arose sundry frightful cries of murder, with guggles, and smothered cries, groans and panting sobs, like the utterance of some unhappy wight being at once strangled and having his throat cut. At length all this uproar subsided, and was succeeded by a frequent scuffling noise, and opening and shutting of doors, which went on from time to time, till, overcome by drowsiness, I again slept heavily. But I was destined to further disturbance. Again I was roused, this time by a crash against the window of my chamber; heavy rain was driving in sheets against the house, and the night was pitch dark. I concluded that the dash of rain against the panes must have awakened me, or perhaps the bough of a tree, swayed by the wind, might have struck the window. As I lay and listened to the sound of the storm, and the wild whooping of an owl that appeared to have taken refuge on the window-sill, I again dozed off, only, however, to be re-awakened by another crash louder than before. I immediately sprung up, and opening the casement, thrust forth my head as far as I could maintain my balance, and called out, "Who is there? Who and what are you, and what do you want? Speak, speak, or I'll fire, whom or whatever you be!" And while thus engaged I look far into the night, but so dark was it that I seemed to be built in by a wall of solid blackness. My conjurations brought no response, and I called again repeatedly, until at length there arose a most abominable howling and mowing, as if in mockery of my vociferation. I repeated my interrogation, and