[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
They got a fire going in the firepit, and luckily there was enough of a
breeze above them so that most of its smoke was drawn out the smoke hole. With
eyes watering only slightly, they settled themselves as close to the fire as
possible and began to make a meal out of the meat and bread they had along
with them. At Jim's order, they shared it with MacDougall; althoughLachlan
Page 133
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
protested that this was a waste of good provender.
However, with the food down, Jim began to make an effort to talk to
MacDougall.
"M'Lord Viscount," he said, blinking against the smoke of the fire, at Ewen
MacDougall who was also blinking, "a little discussion between us will help us
both. Now I know why you were headed as you were; and why you were carrying
the gold you had with you. I know all about your plans. As it happens, they
won't work. They'll end in ashes, like a house that's caught fire. But how
much you're hurt by them will depend on how much you're willing to talk with
me and work with me."
He waited, but MacDougall said nothing.
"Well?" demanded Jim. "Do you intend to talk openly with me, or not?"
"Och, ye're wasting time on the man!" saidLachlan disgustedly. "He hasn't the
wit to understand what ye tell him. He still thinks it's a mighty thing he's
doing; and his honor won't permit him to say a word."
"That can't be so," said Jim, keeping his tone as conciliatory as possible as
he watched MacDougall.
"Wait and see!" saidLachlan . He opened the door of the hut and stamped
outside, apparently indifferent to the fact that the moon was not even up and
there was little to do outside there except take care of bodily necessities.
Of course, thought Jim, the latter reason may have been why he had left them.
Jim went on trying to talk to MacDougall. But he did not answer. He was
obviously very frightened of Jim, deep down; but he still would not cooperate.
Meanwhile,Lachlan had come back in and Jim turned his attention to him.
"Lachlan," he said, "there's something I need to speak to you about out of
this man's hearing. Could you make sure that he doesn't get into any trouble
if the two of us leave him alone?"
"That I can," saidLachlan . He proceeded to use everything including the
saddle girths from MacDougall's horse's saddle to tie the other to the frame
of a bed that was little more than a wooden tray on the ground with some dried
grass inside to soften it.
"Now," saidLachlan , standing back. "He'll do for a few minutes. But I'd not
give him much more than a few before we come back, slippery callant that he
is."
"Good," said Jim, and led the way outside, closing the door behind them.
By now, the moon had begun to show itself above the trees higher on the hill
above the pasture. It shed very little light, being only approaching full, but
it was better than the starlight only that had been available before. Jim led
a few steps away from the hut and then turned toward the shadowy form and
features ofLachlan , who had halted facing him.
"How am I to get him to talk?" Jim asked. "I have to study him how he talks,
how he walks, how he waves his hands.A dozen things. But the way he is now,
I'm not going to learn anything."
"I could have told y'that!" saidLachlan disgustedly. "Ye'll never see such
things in him up here on this sheiling. What ye must do is see him in
Page 134
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
something like the court setting he's used to; and there's no such thing near
here like that, except Castle de Mer. Moreover, to see him as he normally
struts and talks, he'll have to be let loose in most of the castle rooms, with
only guards on the outer door to keep him from leaving the building."
"But that will involve the de Mers!" said Jim. "The very thing I don't want
to do!"
"Ye've no choice," saidLachlan . "If ye want what ye say ye want, that's the
only way to get it. Let him play the honored prisoner and you'll see all the
ways of acting the man is capable of, including his flattery of Liseth, who
will be the only gentlewoman within sight and hearing of him."
Jim stood silent, himself. But he could see no other way out.
"I could have told ye this from the start, if I'd understood what ye'd
thought ye'd might be able to get out of him up here," said Lachlan. "He'll
never show it here. For one thing, a wee cattle hut like this is no setting
for him. Also, there's none of the type of gentles he's used to showing off
to, unless he gets to the de Mers'. He'll have to go there, and he'll have to
know he's there. We can solve that easily enough afterwards, with one thrust
of a dagger."
Jim winced in the darkness. That was not the type of solution he was hoping
to come up with.
"I still don't " he was beginning.
"Be sensible, man!" saidLachlan exasperatedly. "It's a popinjay ye have in
there, and popinjays only dance on the proper perch. It's not their nature to
do anything else. Is there no way ye can understand that?"
Jim had encountered this sort of situation before. He had constantly to
remind himself that he did not really know these people. Even after almost two
years he did not know all about how they acted; or even a great deal about why
they chose to act, when they did. In a case like this, he would simply have to
trustLachlan ; and hope that somehow he could come up with a solution that
would leave the MacDougall alive and still keep the de Mers from retribution
at the hands of the King of Scotland.
"Very well," he said, "we'll go on down to the castle tomorrow, then."
"Now ye're talking some sense," saidLachlan . Turning away from him, the Scot
went back into the hut. Jim followed.
MacDougall had made no attempt to get out of his bindings which seemed to
earn himLachlan 's contempt, instead of approval.
"He was always a poor play-toy of a man,"Lachlan said to Jim. "He was afraid
that we'd come in and find him half loose and maybe one of us would be annoyed
enough at that to cut his throat right now. Well, we should get some sleep.
But for all that he made no move while we were outside talking,it's best we
take turns sleeping. Would ye care to go first on the bed, or shall I?"
"You first," Jim said. For one thing, he had no intention of lying down on
that possibly verminous box of meadow-straw. For another, his mind was still
churning, trying to come up with ideas to make his wild plans work. He had a
general idea of what he wanted to do; from impersonating the MacDougall to
arranging things so that all the Hollow Men had to be in that spot that Snorrl
had found for him. But the details were something else again; and these
Page 135
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
hovered in a limbo full of question marks.
So he sat by the fire or at least at a distance from it, where its smoke and
heat were endurable, whileLachlan tumbled into the box of hay and was asleep
within seconds.
Twice during the night Jim was given the chance to sleep whileLachlan stood
watch. He rolled himself in his cloak, giving Lachlan the usual excuse that
magician's requirements kept him from using anything like a bed, and twice he
sat up watching a motionless, and occasionally sleeping, MacDougall; but when
morning came he had still not come up with one useful idea beyond those he had
had the night before.
As soon as the sun rose, they ate what was left of their food, cut the bonds
of MacDougall and let him hobble around for a while until the effect of his
cut-off circulation was restored, at least to the point of letting him get on
a horse and ride.
They reached Castle de Mer just about noon, were welcomed by the whole family
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]