Chapter XV. The Lad with the Silver Button: Through the Isle of Mull

by Robert Louis Stevenson

　　The Ross of Mull, which I had now got upon, was rugged andtrackless, like the isle I had just left; being all bog, andbrier, and big stone. There may be roads for them that know thatcountry well; but for my part I had no better guide than my ownnose, and no other landmark than Ben More.I aimed as well as I could for the smoke I had seen so often fromthe island; and with all my great weariness and the difficulty ofthe way came upon the house in the bottom of a little hollowabout five or six at night. It was low and longish, roofed withturf and built of unmortared stones; and on a mound in front ofit, an old gentleman sat smoking his pipe in the sun.With what little English he had, he gave me to understand that myshipmates had got safe ashore, and had broken bread in that veryhouse on the day after."Was there one," I asked, "dressed like a gentleman?"He said they all wore rough great-coats; but to be sure, thefirst of them, the one that came alone, wore breeches andstockings, while the rest had sailors' trousers."Ah," said I, "and he would have a feathered hat?"He told me, no, that he was bareheaded like myself.At first I thought Alan might have lost his hat; and then therain came in my mind, and I judged it more likely he had it outof harm's way under his great-coat. This set me smiling, partlybecause my friend was safe, partly to think of his vanity indress.And then the old gentleman clapped his hand to his brow, andcried out that I must be the lad with the silver button."Why, yes!" said I, in some wonder."Well, then," said the old gentleman, "I have a word for you,that you are to follow your friend to his country, by Torosay."He then asked me how I had fared, and I told him my tale. Asouth-country man would certainly have laughed; but this oldgentleman (I call him so because of his manners, for his clotheswere dropping off his back) heard me all through with nothing butgravity and pity. When I had done, he took me by the hand, ledme into his hut (it was no better) and presented me before hiswife, as if she had been the Queen and I a duke.The good woman set oat-bread before me and a cold grouse, pattingmy shoulder and smiling to me all the time, for she had noEnglish; and the old gentleman (not to be behind) brewed me astrong punch out of their country spirit. All the while I waseating, and after that when I was drinking the punch, I couldscarce come to believe in my good fortune; and the house, thoughit was thick with the peat-smoke and as full of holes as acolander, seemed like a palace.The punch threw me in a strong sweat and a deep slumber; the goodpeople let me lie; and it was near noon of the next day before Itook the road, my throat already easier and my spirits quiterestored by good fare and good news. The old gentleman, althoughI pressed him hard, would take no money, and gave me an oldbonnet for my head; though I am free to own I was no sooner outof view of the house than I very jealously washed this gift ofhis in a wayside fountain.Thought I to myself: "If these are the wild Highlanders, I couldwish my own folk wilder."I not only started late, but I must have wandered nearly half thetime. True, I met plenty of people, grubbing in little miserablefields that would not keep a cat, or herding little kine aboutthe bigness of asses. The Highland dress being forbidden by lawsince the rebellion, and the people condemned to the Lowlandhabit, which they much disliked, it was strange to see thevariety of their array. Some went bare, only for a hanging cloakor great-coat, and carried their trousers on their backs like auseless burthen: some had made an imitation of the tartan withlittle parti-coloured stripes patched together like an old wife'squilt; others, again, still wore the Highland philabeg, but byputting a few stitches between the legs transformed it into apair of trousers like a Dutchman's. All those makeshifts werecondemned and punished, for the law was harshly applied, in hopesto break up the clan spirit; but in that out-of-the-way,sea-bound isle, there were few to make remarks and fewer to telltales.They seemed in great poverty; which was no doubt natural, nowthat rapine was put down, and the chiefs kept no longer an openhouse; and the roads (even such a wandering, country by--track asthe one I followed) were infested with beggars. And here again Imarked a difference from my own part of the country. For ourLowland beggars -- even the gownsmen themselves, who beg bypatent -- had a louting, flattering way with them, and if yougave them a plaek and asked change, would very civilly return youa boddle. But these Highland beggars stood on their dignity,asked alms only to buy snuff (by their account) and would give nochange.To be sure, this was no concern of mine, except in so far as itentertained me by the way. What was much more to the purpose,few had any English, and these few (unless they were of thebrotherhood of beggars) not very anxious to place it at myservice. I knew Torosay to be my destination, and repeated thename to them and pointed; but instead of simply pointing inreply, they would give me a screed of the Gaelic that set mefoolish; so it was small wonder if I went out of my road as oftenas I stayed in it.At last, about eight at night, and already very weary, I came toa lone house, where I asked admittance, and was refused, until Ibethought me of the power of money in so poor a country, and heldup one of my guineas in my finger and thumb. Thereupon, the manof the house, who had hitherto pretended to have no English, anddriven me from his door by signals, suddenly began to speak asclearly as was needful, and agreed for five shillings to give mea night's lodging and guide me the next day to Torosay.I slept uneasily that night, fearing I should be robbed; but Imight have spared myself the pain; for my host was no robber,only miserably poor and a great cheat. He was not alone in hispoverty; for the next morning, we must go five miles about to thehouse of what he called a rich man to have one of my guineaschanged. This was perhaps a rich man for Mull; he would havescarce been thought so in the south; for it took all he had --the whole house was turned upside down, and a neighbour broughtunder contribution, before he could scrape together twentyshillings in silver. The odd shilling he kept for himself,protesting he could ill afford to have so great a sum of moneylying "locked up." For all that he was very courteous and wellspoken, made us both sit down with his family to dinner, andbrewed punch in a fine china bowl, over which my rascal guidegrew so merry that he refused to start.I was for getting angry, and appealed to the rich man (HectorMaclean was his name), who had been a witness to our bargain andto my payment of the five shillings. But Maclean had taken hisshare of the punch, and vowed that no gentleman should leave histable after the bowl was brewed; so there was nothing for it butto sit and hear Jacobite toasts and Gaelic songs, till all weretipsy and staggered off to the bed or the barn for their night'srest.Next day (the fourth of my travels) we were up before five uponthe clock; but my rascal guide got to the bottle at once, and itwas three hours before I had him clear of the house, and then (asyou shall hear) only for a worse disappointment.As long as we went down a heathery valley that lay before Mr.Maclean's house, all went well; only my guide looked constantlyover his shoulder, and when I asked him the cause, only grinnedat me. No sooner, however, had we crossed the back of a hill,and got out of sight of the house windows, than he told meTorosay lay right in front, and that a hill-top (which he pointedout) was my best landmark."I care very little for that," said I, "since you are going withme."The impudent cheat answered me in the Gaelic that he had noEnglish."My fine fellow," I said, "I know very well your English comesand goes. Tell me what will bring it back? Is it more money youwish?""Five shillings mair," said he, "and hersel' will bring yethere."I reflected awhile and then offered him two, which he acceptedgreedily, and insisted on having in his hands at once "for luck,"as he said, but I think it was rather for my misfortune.The two shillings carried him not quite as many miles; at the endof which distance, he sat down upon the wayside and took off hisbrogues from his feet, like a man about to rest.I was now red-hot. "Ha!" said I, "have you no more English?"He said impudently, "No."At that I boiled over, and lifted my hand to strike him; and he,drawing a knife from his rags, squatted back and grinned at melike a wildcat. At that, forgetting everything but my anger, Iran in upon him, put aside his knife with my left, and struck himin the mouth with the right. I was a strong lad and very angry,and he but a little man; and he went down before me heavily. Bygood luck, his knife flew out of his hand as he fell.I picked up both that and his brogues, wished him a good morning,and set off upon my way, leaving him barefoot and disarmed. Ichuckled to myself as I went, being sure I was done with thatrogue, for a variety of reasons. First, he knew he could have nomore of my money; next, the brogues were worth in that countryonly a few pence; and, lastly, the knife, which was really adagger, it was against the law for him to carry.In about half an hour of walk, I overtook a great, ragged man,moving pretty fast but feeling before him with a staff. He wasquite blind, and told me he was a catechist, which should haveput me at my ease. But his face went against me; it seemed darkand dangerous and secret; and presently, as we began to go onalongside, I saw the steel butt of a pistol sticking from underthe flap of his coat-pocket. To carry such a thing meant a fineof fifteen pounds sterling upon a first offence, andtransportation to the colonies upon a second. Nor could I quitesee why a religious teacher should go armed, or what a blind mancould be doing with a pistol.I told him about my guide, for I was proud of what I had done,and my vanity for once got the heels of my prudence. At themention of the five shillings he cried out so loud that I made upmy mind I should say nothing of the other two, and was glad hecould not see my blushes."Was it too much?" I asked, a little faltering."Too much!" cries he. "Why, I will guide you to Torosay myselffor a dram of brandy. And give you the great pleasure of mycompany (me that is a man of some learning) in the bargain."I said I did not see how a blind man could be a guide; but atthat he laughed aloud, and said his stick was eyes enough for aneagle."In the Isle of Mull, at least," says he, "where I know everystone and heather-bush by mark of head. See, now," he said,striking right and left, as if to make sure, "down there a burnis running; and at the head of it there stands a bit of a smallhill with a stone cocked upon the top of that; and it's hard atthe foot of the hill, that the way runs by to Torosay; and theway here, being for droves, is plainly trodden, and will showgrassy through the heather."I had to own he was right in every feature, and told my wonder."Ha!" says he, "that's nothing. Would ye believe me now, thatbefore the Act came out, and when there were weepons in thiscountry, I could shoot? Ay, could I!" cries he, and then with aleer: "If ye had such a thing as a pistol here to try with, Iwould show ye how it's done."I told him I had nothing of the sort, and gave him a wider berth.If he had known, his pistol stuck at that time quite plainly outof his pocket, and I could see the sun twinkle on the steel ofthe butt. But by the better luck for me, he knew nothing,thought all was covered, and lied on in the dark.He then began to question me cunningly, where I came from,whether I was rich, whether I could change a five-shilling piecefor him (which he declared he had that moment in his sporran),and all the time he kept edging up to me and I avoiding him. Wewere now upon a sort of green cattle-track which crossed thehills towards Torosay, and we kept changing sides upon that likeancers in a reel. I had so plainly the upper-hand that myspirits rose, and indeed I took a pleasure in this game ofblindman's buff; but the catechist grew angrier and angrier, andat last began to swear in Gaelic and to strike for my legs withhis staff.Then I told him that, sure enough, I had a pistol in my pocket aswell as he, and if he did not strike across the hill due south Iwould even blow his brains out.He became at once very polite, and after trying to soften me forsome time, but quite in vain, he cursed me once more in Gaelicand took himself off. I watched him striding along, through bogand brier, tapping with his stick, until he turned the end of ahill and disappeared in the next hollow. Then I struck on againfor Torosay, much better pleased to be alone than to travel withthat man of learning. This was an unlucky day; and these two, ofwhom I had just rid myself, one after the other, were the twoworst men I met with in the Highlands.At Torosay, on the Sound of Mull and looking over to the mainlandof Morven, there was an inn with an innkeeper, who was a Maclean,it appeared, of a very high family; for to keep an inn is thoughteven more genteel in the Highlands than it is with us, perhaps aspartaking of hospitality, or perhaps because the trade is idleand drunken. He spoke good English, and finding me to besomething of a scholar, tried me first in French, where he easilybeat me, and then in the Latin, in which I don't know which of usdid best. This pleasant rivalry put us at once upon friendlyterms; and I sat up and drank punch with him (or to be morecorrect, sat up and watched him drink it), until he was so tipsythat he wept upon my shoulder.I tried him, as if by accident, with a sight of Alan's button;but it was plain he had never seen or heard of it. Indeed, hebore some grudge against the family and friends of Ardshiel, andbefore he was drunk he read me a lampoon, in very good Latin, butwith a very ill meaning, which he had made in elegiac verses upona person of that house.When I told him of my catechist, he shook his head, and said Iwas lucky to have got clear off. "That is a very dangerous man,"he said; "Duncan Mackiegh is his name; he can shoot by the ear atseveral yards, and has been often accused of highway robberies,and once of murder.""The cream of it is," says I, "that he called himself acatechist.""And why should he not?" says he, "when that is what he is. Itwas Maclean of Duart gave it to him because he was blind. Butperhaps it was a peety," says my host, "for he is always on theroad, going from one place to another to hear the young folk saytheir religion; and, doubtless, that is a great temptation to thepoor man."At last, when my landlord could drink no more, he showed me to abed, and I lay down in very good spirits; having travelled thegreater part of that big and crooked Island of Mull, from Earraidto Torosay, fifty miles as the crow flies, and (with mywanderings) much nearer a hundred, in four days and with littlefatigue. Indeed I was by far in better heart and health of bodyat the end of that long tramp than I had been at the beginning.