dragging me to the edge of the abyss from whence arose that deafening

clamour and those clouds of spray; 'see to them dancin', man! Is that no

wicked?'

He pronounced the word with gusto, and I thought it suited with the

scene.

'They're yowlin' for thon schooner,' he went on, his thin, insane voice

clearly audible in the shelter of the bank, 'an' she's comin' aye nearer,

aye nearer, aye nearer an' nearer an' nearer; an' they ken't, the folk

kens it, they ken wool it's by wi' them. Charlie, lad, they're a' drunk

in yon schooner, a' dozened wi' drink. They were a' drunk in the _Christ-

Anna_, at the hinder end. There's nane could droon at sea wantin' the

brandy. Hoot awa, what do you ken?' with a sudden blast of anger. 'I

tell ye, it cannae be; they droon withoot it. Ha'e,' holding out the

bottle, 'tak' a sowp.'

I was about to refuse, but Rorie touched me as if in warning; and indeed

I had already thought better of the movement. I took the bottle,

therefore, and not only drank freely myself, but contrived to spill even

more as I was doing so. It was pure spirit, and almost strangled me to

swallow. My kinsman did not observe the loss, but, once more throwing

back his head, drained the remainder to the dregs. Then, with a loud

laugh, he cast the bottle forth among the Merry Men, who seemed to leap

up, shouting to receive it.

'Ha'e, bairns!' he cried, 'there's your han'sel. Ye'll get bonnier nor

that, or morning.'

Suddenly, out in the black night before us, and not two hundred yards

away, we heard, at a moment when the wind was silent, the clear note of a

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