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Updated: June 28, 2025
"The truth is, I have nae goo for Neil," says Andie, "nor he for me, I'm thinking; and I would like ill to come to my hands wi' the man. Tam Anster will make a better hand of it with the cattle, onyway." And troth! the mair I think of it, the less I see what way we would be required. The place ay, feggs! they had forgot the place. Eh, Shaws, ye're a lang-heided chield when ye like!
A stranger to Gloucester she must have been, for not only that Gloucester girls don't generally come down to the docks to see the fishermen off, but she said good-by to us. She meant all right, but she should never have said good-by to a fisherman. It's unlucky. Too many of them don't come back, and then the good-by comes true. Andie Howe looked a funny sight when we were making sail.
There came some kind of a Gaelic oath from Neil, and the black knife was in his hand that moment. There was no time to think; and I caught the Highlander by the leg, and had him down, and his armed hand pinned out, before I knew what I was doing. His comrades sprang to rescue him, Andie and I were without weapons, the Gregara three to two.
"The Master of Lovat'll be a braw Whig," says I, "and a grand Presbyterian." "I ken naething by him," said he. "I hae nae trokings wi' Lovats." "No, it'll be Prestongrange that you'll be dealing with," said I. "Ah, but I'll no tell ye that," said Andie. "Little need when I ken," was my retort. "There's just the ae thing ye can be fairly sure of, Shaws," says Andie.
"Ye daft callant!" he cried; "ye would try for Inverary after a'!" "Just that, Andie," says I. "Weel, ye're ill to beat!" says he. "And I was a kind o' sorry for ye a' day yesterday," he added. "Ye see, I was never entirely sure till then, which way of it ye really wantit." Here was a spur to a lame horse! "A word in your ear, Andie," said I. "This plan of mine has another advantage yet.
The nature of these fears I had never an occasion to find out, but the sight of them was catching, and the nature of the place that we were in favourable to alarms. I can find no word for it in the English, but Andie had an expression for it in the Scots from which he never varied. "Ay," he would say, "it's an unco place, the Bass." It is so I always think of it.
Andie had scarce done when there befell a mighty silly affair that had its consequence. Neil, as I have said, was himself a great narrator. I have heard since that he knew all the stories in the Highlands; and thought much of himself, and was thought much of by others, on the strength of it. Now Andie's tale reminded him of one he had already heard. "She would ken that story afore," he said.
And presently, after having got her boat again, she came before the wind and was headed directly for the Bass. This was very troublesome to Andie and the Highlanders; the whole business of my sequestration was designed for privacy, and here, with a navy captain perhaps blundering ashore, it looked to become public enough, if it were nothing worse.
"Troth, and ye're nane sae ill aff," said he. "I thought that would maybe vary your opinions," said I. "Hout!" said he. "It shows me ye can bribe; but I'm no to be bribit." "We'll see about that yet a while," says I. "And first, I'll show you that I know what I am talking. You have orders to detain me here till after Thursday, 21st September." "Ye're no a'thegether wrong either," says Andie.
"Now then, Andie, you that kens the world, listen to me, and think while ye listen," said I. "I know there are great folks in the business, and I make no doubt you have their names to go upon. I have seen some of them myself since this affair began, and said my say into their faces too.
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