I stood where he had left me, with my hands behind my back; Alan sat with his head turned watching me; and the boat drew smoothly away.  Of a sudden I came the nearest hand to shedding tears, and seemed to myself the most deserted, solitary lad in Scotland.  With that I turned my back upon the sea and faced the sand hills.  There was no sight or sound of man; the sun shone on the wet sand and the dry, the wind blew in the bents, the gulls made a dreary piping.  As I passed higher up the beach, the sand-lice were hopping nimbly about the stranded tangles.  The devil any other sight or sound in that unchancy place.  And yet I knew there were folk there, observing me, upon some secret purpose.  They were no soldiers, or they would have fallen on and taken us ere now; doubtless they were some common rogues hired for my undoing, perhaps to kidnap, perhaps to murder me outright.  From the position of those engaged, the first was the more likely; from what I knew of their character and ardency in this business, I thought the second very possible; and the blood ran cold about my heart.

I had a mad idea to loosen my sword in the scabbard; for though I was very unfit to stand up like a gentleman blade to blade, I thought I could do some scathe in a random combat.  But I perceived in time the folly of resistance.  This was no doubt the joint “expedient” on which Prestongrange and Fraser were agreed.  The first, I was very sure, had done something to secure my life; the second was pretty likely to have slipped in some contrary hints into the ears of Neil and his companions; and if I were to show bare steel I might play straight into the hands of my worst enemy and seal my own doom.

These thoughts brought me to the head of the beach.  I cast a look behind, the boat was nearing the brig, and Alan flew his handkerchief for a farewell, which I replied to with the waving of my hand.  But Alan himself was shrunk to a small thing in my view, alongside of this pass that lay in front of me.  I set my hat hard on my head, clenched my teeth, and went right before me up the face of the sand-wreath.  It made a hard climb, being steep, and the sand like water underfoot.  But I caught hold at last by the long bent grass on the brae-top, and pulled myself to a good footing.  The same moment men stirred and stood up here and there, six or seven of them, ragged-like knaves, each with a dagger in his hand.  The fair truth is, I shut my eyes and prayed.  When I opened them again, the rogues were crept the least thing nearer without speech or hurry.  Every eye was upon mine, which struck me with a strange sensation of their brightness, and of the fear with which they continued to approach me.  I held out my hands empty:  whereupon one asked, with a strong Highland brogue, if I surrendered.

“Under protest,” said I, “if ye ken what that means, which I misdoubt.”