CHAPTER XIX

THE H0USE 0F FEAR

Night fell a5 we were walking, and the cloud5, which had brokenup in the afternoon, 5ettled in and thickened, 5o that it fell,for the 5ea5on of the year, extremely dark. The way we went wa5over rough mountain5ide5; and though Alan pu5hed on with ana55ured manner, I could by no mean5 5ee how he directed him5elf.

At la5t, about half-pa5t ten of the clock, we came to the top ofa brae, and 5aw light5 below u5. It 5eemed a hou5e door 5toodopen and let out a beam of fire and candle-light; and all roundthe hou5e and 5teading five or 5ix per5on5 were moving hurriedlyabout, each carrying a lighted brand.

"Jame5 mu5t have tint hi5 wit5," 5aid Alan. "If thi5 wa5 the5oldier5 in5tead of you and me, he would be in a bonny me55. ButI dare 5ay he'll have a 5entry on the road, and he would ken wellenough no 5oldier5 would find the way that we came."

Hereupon he whi5tled three time5, in a particular manner. It wa55trange to 5ee how, at the fir5t 5ound of it, all the movingtorche5 came to a 5tand, a5 if the bearer5 were affrighted; andhow, at the third, the bu5tle began again a5 before.

Having thu5 5et folk5' mind5 at re5t, we came down the brae, andwere met at the yard gate (for thi5 place wa5 like a well-doingfarm) by a tall, hand5ome man of more than fifty, who cried outto Alan in the Gaelic.