"I thank you for this kindness," said I, "and will make so free as to repay it with a warning. You take a high responsibility in this affair. You are not like [pg 165]these ignorant, barbarous Highlanders, but know what the law is and the risks of those that break it."
"I am no just exactly what ye would ca' an extremist for the law," says he, "at the best of times; but in this business I act with a good warranty7."
"What are you going to do with me?" I asked.
"Nae harm," said he, "nae harm ava'. Ye'll hae strong freens, I'm thinking. Ye'll be richt eneuch yet."
There began to fall a greyness on the face of the sea; little dabs8 of pink and like coals of slow fire came in the east; and at the same time the geese awakened9, and began crying about the top of the Bass11. It is just the one crag of rock, as everybody knows, but great enough to carve a city from. The sea was extremely little, but there went a hollow plowter round the base of it. With the growing of the dawn I could see it clearer and clearer; the straight crags painted with sea-birds' droppings like a morning frost, the sloping top of it green with grass, the clan12 of white geese that cried about the sides, and the black, broken buildings of the prison sitting close on the sea's edge.
At the sight the truth came in upon me in a clap.
"It's there you're taking me!" I cried.
"Just to the Bass, mannie," said he: "whaur the auld13 sants were afore ye, and I misdoubt if ye have come so fairly by your preeson."
"But none dwells there now," I cried; "the place is long a ruin."
[pg 166]"It'll be the mair pleisand a change for the solan geese, then," quoth Andie dryly.
The day coming slowly brighter I observed on the bilge, among the big stones with which fisherfolk ballast their boats, several kegs and baskets, and a provision of fuel. All these were discharged upon the crag. Andie, myself, and my three Highlanders (I call them mine, although it was the other way about), landed along with them. The sun was not yet up when the boat moved away again, the noise of the oars14 on the thole-pins echoing from the cliffs, and left us in our singular reclusion15.
Andie Dale was the Prefect (as I would jocularly call him) of the Bass, being at once the shepherd and the gamekeeper of that small and rich estate. He had to mind the dozen or so of sheep that fed and fattened16 on the grass of the sloping part of it, like beasts grazing the roof of a cathedral. He had charge besides of the solan geese that roosted in the crags; and from these an extraordinary income is derived17. The young are dainty eating, as much as two shillings a-piece being a common price, and paid willingly by epicures18; even the grown birds are valuable for their oil and feathers; and a part of the minister's stipend19 of North Berwick is paid to this day in solan geese, which makes it (in some folks' eyes) a parish to be coveted20. To perform these several businesses, as well as to protect the geese from poachers, Andie had frequent occasion [pg 167]to sleep and pass days together on the crag; and we found the man at home there like a farmer in his steading. Bidding us all shoulder some of the packages, a matter in which I made haste to bear a hand, he led us in by a locked gate, which was the only admission to the island, and through the ruins of the fortress21, to the governor's house. There we saw, by the ashes in the chimney and a standing22 bed-place in one corner, that he made his usual occupation.
This bed he now offered me to use, saying he supposed I would set up to be gentry23.
"My gentrice has nothing to do with where I lie," said I. "I bless God I have lain hard ere now, and can do the same again with thankfulness. While I am here, Mr. Andie, if that be your name, I will do my part and take my place beside the rest of you; and I ask you on the other hand to spare me your mockery, which I own I like ill."
He grumbled24 a little at this speech, but seemed upon reflection to approve it. Indeed, he was a long-headed, sensible man, and a good Whig and Presbyterian; read daily in a pocket Bible, and was both able and eager to converse25 seriously on religion, leaning more than a little towards the Cameronian extremes. His morals were of a more doubtful colour. I found he was deep in the free trade, and used the ruins of Tantallon for a magazine of smuggled26 merchandise. As for a gauger27, I do not believe he valued the life of one at half-a-farthing. [pg 168]But that part of the coast of Lothian is to this day as wild a place, and the commons there as rough a crew as any in Scotland.
One incident of my imprisonment28 is made memorable29 by a consequence it had long after. There was a warship30 at this time stationed in the Firth, the Seahorse, Captain Palliser. It chanced she was cruising in the month of September, plying31 between Fife and Lothian, and sounding for sunk dangers. Early one fine morning she was seen about two miles to east of us, where she lowered a boat, and seemed to examine the Wildfire Rocks and Satan's Bush, famous dangers of that coast. And presently, after having got her boat again, she came before the wind and was headed directly for the Bass. This was very troublesome to Andie and the Highlanders; the whole business of my sequestration was designed for privacy, and here, with a navy captain perhaps blundering ashore32, it looked to become public enough, if it were nothing worse. I was in a minority of one, I am no Alan to fall upon so many, and I was far from sure that a warship was the least likely to improve my condition. All which considered, I gave Andie my parole of good behaviour and obedience33, and was had briskly to the summit of the rock, where we all lay down, at the cliff's edge, in different places of observation and concealment34. The Seahorse came straight on till I thought she would have struck, and we (looking giddily down) could see the ship's company at their [pg 169]quarters and hear the leadsman singing at the lead. Then she suddenly wore and let fly a volley of I know not how many great guns. The rock was shaken with the thunder of the sound, the smoke flowed over our heads, and the geese rose in number beyond computation or belief. To hear their screaming and to see the twinkling of their wings, made a most inimitable curiosity: and I suppose it was after this somewhat childish pleasure that Captain Palliser had come so near the Bass. He was to pay dear for it in time. During his approach I had the opportunity to make a remark upon the rigging of that ship by which I ever after knew it miles away; and this was a means (under Providence) of my averting35 from a friend a great calamity36, and inflicting37 on Captain Palliser himself a sensible disappointment.
All the time of my stay on the rock we lived well. We had small ale and brandy, and oatmeal of which we made our porridge night and morning. At times a boat came from the Castleton and brought us a quarter of mutton, for the sheep upon the rock we must not touch, these being specially38 fed to market. The geese were unfortunately out of season, and we let them be. We fished ourselves, and yet more often made the geese to fish for us: observing one when he had made a capture and scaring him from his
Join or Log In!
You need to log in to continue reading