THUOUGH   THE   ISLE   Of   MULL.                   143
"In the Isle of Mull, at least," says he, "where I
knew every stone and heather-bush by mark of head.
See, now," he said, striking right and left, as if to make
sure, " down there a burn is running; and at the head
of it there stands a bit of a small hill with a stone
cocked upon the top of that; and it's hard at the foot
of the hill, that the way runs by to Torosay; and the
way here, being for droves, is plainly trodden, and will
show grassy 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, that before the Act came out, and when there
were weepons in this country, I could shoot? Ay, could
I!" cries he, and then with a leer: "If ye had such a
thing as a pistol here to try with, I would 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 out of his pocket, and I could
see the sun twinkle on the steel of the 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 piece for 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. We were now upon
a sort of green cattle-track which crossed the hills