14
and placed her in the stern. She thanked him, ignoring the shadow on his
brother's face# Andrew pushed off and passed t'o oar forward to Hamilton,
and the two brothers sent the little boat dancing over the shallow leaden
waters. Above them to the east, a cloud rose up, spreading rapidly on either
hand like a sheaf shaken loose, a blue light played swiftly over the low
hills of Ards, followed by a distant rattle of thunder, The boat threaded
its way between the Intervening islets, crept across the sound, and grated •
on the shingle beach of Pentlands island, They left the boat and crossed
the loose stones. Beyond a bolt of coarse grass and shrivelled harebells
they came upon the path leading up to the farm.
The island was less than half-a-rmile long, and the Echlins and Sarah
had arrived on the highest point so that they could look down the whole length
of it. ,except for the cultivated fields to the east the ground was given
over to sheep-grazing, and the animals could be seen moving about in little
grey drifts among the stones and rocks that burnt through the close-cropped
turf. At the- beach nearest the mainland was the shell of a monastic
settlement surrounded by smooth grassy mounds, which, Andrew told Sarah,
were "the graves of old kings." The farm sat in the riddle of the island,
and from it, as the travellers paused on the skyline, cane the barking of a
dog.
beyond the island black clouds were mounting on each other's shoulders.
"It’s raining on the lough" said Hamilton, pointing to where a ragged
Curtain of light fell across the water. Puff of wind lifted their hail,
“will the boat'be all right?" asked Andrew looking back at the beach, when
the two young men had satisfied him on this, they moved down towards the farm.
A shift of rain struck their faces as they hurried into Pentland’s
