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the door, his bellows, penetrating the storm, were answered by his plaintive
dams as they stood heads buried in the whins and tails out to the rain.
Pentland came stamping into the kitchen and it seemed to Sarah that some of
his good-nature had worn away. "Sorra take it for a bad beast, that!” he
declared, slapping his chafed hands on his soaked sleeves. The farmhand,
standing in the doorway, declared that it would be folly to attempt to drag
the ram over the island and suggested throwing him on the slipe and hauling •
him down to the boat.
Hamilton agreed with this, but Andrew seemed determined to oppose any
suggestions of Pentland's, and declared that a man could carry the beast
round the island, and going out he caught the ram by his woolly pow and with
the unwilling help of his sons raised it on his shoulders. But his triumph
was short-lived. The muscular arm could not hold the writhing animal, and
after a few staggering steps the ram slithered out of his grasp and would
have been away into the mist had not the servingman caught the tether and
Hamilton thrown himself on the animal(s fleecy back. "That’s enough o'
this foolishness” said Hamilton sharply, taking the rope in his hands. "Away
and fetch the slipe, Geordie,” he 3aid to the man, and when it was dragged
out the ram was tied and laid upon it.
By this time the Echlins were soaked and Mrs Pentland would have
delayed them further to dry themselves, but they were determined to go. Fergus
returned to- the kitchen with an armful of oilskins. As he unknotted the
strings of Sarah’s sou'wester he bent hi3 mouth to her ear "Let's hope there's
warmth and sunshine when ye come back" he said.
She looked up at him from tinder the hood. "Then its the summer ye want
to see us again?" she asked with a smile on her lips.
"Ah, I didn’t mean that, at all!” he protested laughingly. "Leave me to
