Part 80 (1/2)
”Very ancient, and weel respeckit,” the man answered.
”And who is your sheik, rajah, chieftain, or what you call him?”
”My lord Macdonald. I am cousin to my lord.”
”Indeed! He owns the whole island, I suppose?”
”There's Mackinnons live there. But they are interlopers; they are worthless trash,” and he spit in disgust.
”I suppose,” said the Doctor, ”a Mackinnon would return the compliment, if speaking of a Macdonald.”
The man laughed, and said, he supposed ”Yes,” then added, ”See! what's yon?”
”A white stump burnt black at one side,--what did you think it was?”
”I jaloused it might be a ghaist. There's a many ghaists and bogles about here.”
”I should have thought the country was too young for those gentry,”
said the Doctor.
”It's a young country, but there's been muckle wickedness done in it.
And what are those blacks do you think?--next thing to devils--at all events they're no' exactly human.”
”Impish, decidedly,” said the Doctor. ”Have you ever seen any ghosts, friend?”
”Ay! many. A fortnight agone, come to-morrow, I saw the ghost of my wife's brother in broad day. It was the time of the high wind ye mind of; and the rain drove so thick I could no see all my sheep at once.
And a man on a white horse came fleeing before the wind close past me; I knew him in a minute; it was my wife's brother, as I tell ye, that was hung fifteen years agone for sheep-stealing, and he wasn't so much altered as ye'd think.”
”Some one else like him!” suggested the Doctor.
”Deil a fear,” replied the man, ”for when I cried out and said, 'What, Col, lad! Gang hame, and lie in yer grave, and dinna trouble honest folk,' he turned and rode away through the rain, straight from me.”
”Well!” said the Doctor, ”I partly agree with you that the land's bewitched. I saw a man not two months ago who ought to have been dead five or six years at least. But are you quite sure the man you saw was hung?”
”Well nigh about,” he replied. ”When we sailed from Skye he was under sentence, and they weren't over much given to reprieve for sheep-stealing in those days. It was in consequence o' that that I came here.”
”That's a very tolerable ghost story,” said the Doctor. ”Have you got another? If you have, I shouldn't mind hearing it, as it will beguile the way.”
”Did ye ever hear how Faithful's lot were murdered by the blacks up on the Merrimerangbong?”
”No, but I should like to; is it a ghost story?”
”Deed ay, and is it. This is how it happened:--When Faithful came to take up his country across the mountains yonder, they were a strong party, enough to have been safe in any country, but whether it was food was scarce, or whether it was on account of getting water, I don't know, but they separated, and fifteen of them got into the Yackandandah country before the others.
”Well, you see, they were pretty confident, being still a strong mob, and didn't set any watch or take any care. There was one among them (Cranky Jim they used to call him--he as told me this yarn--he used to be about Reid's mill last year) who always was going on at them to take more care, but they never heeded him at all.
”They found a fine creek, with plenty of feed and water, and camped at it to wait till the others came up. They saw no blacks, nor heard of any, and three days were past, and they began to wonder why the others had not overtaken them.
”The third night they were all sitting round the fire, laughing and smoking, when they heard a loud co'ee on the opposite side of the scrub, and half-a-dozen of them started up, and sang out, ”There they are!”