Our hero was about to speak to the prophetess, when a voice, hoarse as the waves with which it mingled, halloo'd twice, and with increasing impatience "Meg, Meg Merrilies!-Gypsey-hagtousand deyvils!"

"I am coming, I am coming, captain," answered Meg, and in a moment or two the impatient Com. mander whom she addressed made his appearance from the broken parts of the ruins.

He was apparently a seafaring man, rather under the middle size, and with a countenance bronzed by a thousand conflicts with the north-east wind. His frame was prodigiously muscular, strong, and thick. set; so that it seemed as if a man of much greater height would have been an inadequate match in any close personal conflict. He was hard-favored, and, which was worse, his face bore nothing of the insouciance, the careless frolicsome jollity and vacant curiosity of a sailor on shore. These qualities, perhaps, as much as any others, contribute to the high popularity of our seamen, and the general good inclination which our society expresses towards them. Their gallantry, courage, and hardihood are qualities which excite reverence, and haps rather humble pacific landsmen in their presence; and neither respect, nor a sense of humiliation, are feelings easily combined with a famifondness towards those who inspire them. I the boyish frolics, the exulting high spirits, the 1 reflecting mirth of a sailor when enjoying hims on shore, temper the most formidable points of character. There was nothing like these in t

per

man's face; on the contrary, a surly and even savage scowl appeared to darken features which would have been harsh and unpleasant under any expression or modification. "Where are you, Mother Deyvilson ?" said he, with somewhat of a foreign accent, though speaking perfectly good English. "Donner and blitzen! we have been staying this half hour-Come, bless the good ship and the voyage, and be cursed to ye, for a hag of Satan!"

At this moment he noticed Mannering, who, I from the position which he had taken to watch Meg Merrilies's incantations, had the appearance of some one who was concealing himself, being half hidden by the buttress behind which he stood.The captain, for such he stiled himself, made a sudden and startled pause, and thrust his right hand into his bosom between his jacket and waistcoat, as if to draw some weapon. "What cheer, brother? you seen on the outlook-eh?"

Ere Mannering, somewhat struck by the man's gesture and insolent tone of voice, had made any answer, the gypsey emerged from her vault and joined the stranger. He questioned her in an under tone, looking at Mannering-" A shark alongside; eh?"

She answered in the same tone of under dialogue, using the canting language of her tribe"Cut ben whids, and stow them-a gentry cove of the ken."

The fellow's cloudy visage cleared up. "The top of the morning to you, sir; I find you are a

visitor of my friend Mr. Bertram-I beg pardon, but I took you for another sort of a person." Mannering replied, "And you, sir, I presume, are the master of that vessel in the bay?"

“Aye, aye, sir; I am Captain Dirk Hatteraick, of the Yungfrauw Hagenslaapen, well known on this coast; I am not ashamed of my name, nor of my vessel, nor of my cargo neither for that matter." "I dare say you have no reason, sir." "Tousend donner-no; I'm all in the way of fair trade-Just loaded yonder at Douglas, in the Isle of Man-neat coniac-real hyson and souchong -Mechlin lace, if you want any-We bumped ashore a hundred kegs last night."

Really, sir, I am only a traveller, and have no sort of occasion for any thing of the kind at present."

"Why, then, good morning to you, for business must be minded-unless ye'll go aboard and take schnaps you shall have a pouch full of tea ashoreDirk Hatteraick knows how to be civil.”

There was a mixture of impudence, hardihood, and suspicious fear about this man, which was inexpressibly disgusting. His manners were those of a ruffian, conscious of the suspicion attending his character, yet aiming to bear it down by the affectation of a careless and hardy familiarity. Mannering briefly rejected his proffered civilities; and, after a surly good morning, he retired with the Sypsey to that part of the ruins from which he had first made his appearance. A very narrow staircase here descended to the beach, intended probably

1

for the convenience of the garrison during a siege. By this stair, the couple, equally amiable in appearance, and respectable by profession, descended to the sea side. The soi-disant captain embarked in a small boat with two men who appeared to wait for him, and the gypsey remained on the shore, reciting or singing, and gesticulating with great vebemence.

CHAPTER V.

You have fed upon my seignories,

Disparked my parks, and felled my forest woods,
From mine own windows torn my household coat,
Raised out my impress, leaving me no sign,
Save men's opinions and my living blood,

To show the world I am a gentleman.-RICHARD II. WHEN the boat which carried the worthy Captain on board his vessel had accomplished that task, the sails began to ascend, and the ship was under e got way. She fired three guns as a salute to the house of Ellangowan, and then shot away rapidly before the wind, which blew off shore, under all the sail the could crowd.

100

es

"Aye, aye," said the Laird, who had sought Mannering for some time, and now joined him, "there they go-there go the free-traders-there goes Captain Dirk Hatteraick, and the Yungfrauw Hagenslaapen, half Manks, half Dutchman, half devil! run out the boltsprit, up mainsail, top and top-gallant sails, royals, and skyscrapers, and away -follow who can! That fellow, Mr Mannering, is the terror of all the excise and custom-house cruisers; they can make nothing of him; he drubs he distances then; and, speaking of

excise, I come to bring you to breakfast; and you shall have some tea, that".

Mannering, by this time, was aware that one thought linked strangely on to another in the concatenation of worthy Mr. Bertram's ideas,

"Like orient pearls at random strung;"

and, therefore, before the current of his associations had drifted farther from the point he had left, he brought him back by some enquiry about Dirk Hatteraick.

"O he's a—a—good sort of blackguard fellow enough-no one cares to trouble him-smuggler, when his guns are in ballast-privateer, or pirate faith, when he gets them mounted. He has done more mischief to the revenue folk than any rogue that ever came out of Ramsay.".

"But, my good sir, such being his character, I wonder he has any protection and encouragement on this coast?"

"Why, Mr. Mannering, people must have brandy and tea, and there's none in the country but what comes this way-and then there's short accounts, and maybe a keg or two, or a dozen pounds left at your stable door at Christmas, instead of a d-d lang account from Duncan Robb, the grocer at Kippletringan, who has aye a sum to make up, and either wants ready money, or a short-dated bill. Now, Hatteraick will take wood, or he'll take barley, or he'll take just what's convenient at the time. I'll tell you a good story about that. There was ance a laird-that's Macfie of Gudgeonford,-he had a great number of kain hens-that's hens that