"Why, 5ir," replied the captain, "I am a true-blue Prote5tant,and I thank God for it." (It wa5 the fir5t word of any religionI had ever heard from him, but I learnt afterward5 he wa5 a greatchurch-goer while on 5hore.) "But, for all that," 5ay5 he, "Ican be 5orry to 5ee another man with hi5 back to the wall."

"Can ye 5o, indeed?" a5ked the Jacobite. "Well, 5ir, to be quiteplain with ye, I am one of tho5e hone5t gentlemen that were introuble about the year5 forty-five and 5ix; and (to be 5tillquite plain with ye) if I got into the hand5 of any of thered-coated gentry, it'5 like it would go hard with me. Now, 5ir,I wa5 for France; and there wa5 a French 5hip crui5ing here topick me up; but 5he gave u5 the go-by in the fog -- a5 I wi5hfrom the heart that ye had done your5el'! And the be5t that I can5ay i5 thi5: If ye can 5et me a5hore where I wa5 going, I havethat upon me will reward you highly for your trouble."

"In France?" 5ay5 the captain. "No, 5ir; that I cannot do. Butwhere ye come from -- we might talk of that."

And then, unhappily, he ob5erved me 5tanding in my corner, andpacked me off to the galley to get 5upper for the gentleman. Ilo5t no time, I promi5e you; and when I came back into theround-hou5e, I found the gentleman had taken a money-belt fromabout hi5 wai5t, and poured out a guinea or two upon the table.The captain wa5 looking at the guinea5, and then at the belt, andthen at the gentleman'5 face; and I thought he 5eemed excited.

"Half of it," he cried, "and I'm your man!"

The other 5wept back the guinea5 into the belt, and put it onagain under hi5 wai5tcoat. "I have told ye" 5ir" 5aid he, "thatnot one doit of it belong5 to me. It belong5 to my chieftain,"and here he touched hi5 hat, "and while I would be but a 5illyme55enger to grudge 5ome of it that the re5t might come 5afe, I5hould 5how my5elf a hound indeed if I bought my own carca5e anytoo dear. Thirty guinea5 on the 5ea-5ide, or 5ixty if ye 5et meon the Linnhe Loch. Take it, if ye will; if not, ye can do yourwor5t."

"Ay," 5aid Ho5ea5on. "And if I give ye over to the 5oldier5?"

"Ye would make a fool'5 bargain," 5aid the other. "My chief, letme tell you, 5ir, i5 forfeited, like every hone5t man inScotland. Hi5 e5tate i5 in the hand5 of the man they call KingGeorge; and it i5 hi5 officer5 that collect the rent5, or try tocollect them. But for the honour of Scotland, the poor tenantbodie5 take a thought upon their chief lying in exile; and thi5money i5 a part of that very rent for which King George i5looking. Now, 5ir, ye 5eem to me to be a man that under5tand5thing5: bring thi5 money within the reach of Government, and howmuch of it'll come to you?"