his sheep and a little 'long shore fishing for the necessary bread. If

it was sometimes weariful to me, who was there but a month or two, you

may fancy what it was to her who dwelt in that same desert all the year

round, with the sheep and flying sea-gulls, and the Merry Men singing and

dancing in the Roost!

CHAPTER II. WHAT THE WRECK HAD BROUGHT TO AROS.

It was half-flood when I got the length of Aros; and there was nothing

for it but to stand on the far shore and whistle for Rorie with the boat.

I had no need to repeat the signal. At the first sound, Mary was at the

door flying a handkerchief by way of answer, and the old long-legged

serving-man was shambling down the gravel to the pier. For all his

hurry, it took him a long while to pull across the bay; and I observed

him several times to pause, go into the stern, and look over curiously

into the wake. As he came nearer, he seemed to me aged and haggard, and

I thought he avoided my eye. The coble had been repaired, with two new

thwarts and several patches of some rare and beautiful foreign wood, the

name of it unknown to me.

'Why, Rorie,' said I, as we began the return voyage, 'this is fine wood.

How came you by that?'

'It will be hard to cheesel,' Rorie opined reluctantly; and just then,

dropping the oars, he made another of those dives into the stern which I

had remarked as he came across to fetch me, and, leaning his hand on my

shoulder, stared with an awful look into the waters of the bay.

'What is wrong?' I asked, a good deal startled.

'It will be a great feesh,' said the old man, returning to his oars; and

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