Blair Collection > Celtic magazine > Volume 3

THE CELTIC ^lAGAZINE. 391
in:;- fortune might favour them hy sending a boat or vessel tliat way, in
wliich they might make good their escape. This they did, taking the
goat (which would not part from the boy) and their baggage along with
thi'Ui. As if in answer to their wishes, they no sooner arrived at the
slinre than they saw a large ship sailing towards them, and casting anchor
at Poolewe. Shortly after they saw one of the ship's boats, witli five or
six ]nen, rowing in their direction. Kenneth and Flora hastened forward
to hail it, and see if the men Avould take them on board. In their eager-
ness, they were nearly at the water's edge before they discovered that the
principal figure in the boat was none other than Hector Dubh himself.
With a scream of terror the affrighted Flora turned and fled, foUowed by
Xcimeth, back towards the child, for whose safety she had undergone so
111 my hardships ; but, alas, she was destined never to reach him, for in
lur haste she stumbled and fell. Kenneth stopped to raise her, the next
lunment they were surrounded, taken prisoners, and hurried to the boat.
Flora's anguish of mind at being thus cruelly separated from the boy
^v;ls pamful to "ttdtness. She prayed and entreated the men to return for
liim, promising that she would go quietly along with them if she only
]ia<l the child. But aU in vain, the men turned a deaf ear to her most
vtlioment and impressive appeals, Hector saying, " 'No, no, my pretty
madam, you have cheated me once already ; I'U take care you shan't do
it a second time. We can easily return for the boy if our lord
disires us to do so, but we will make sure of you, and Kenneth, at any-
ratc." So, in spite of Flora's tears and sobs, and the more violent expres-
.t^iiiiis of Kenneth's anger (who was deeply gTieved at leaving his mother
in such a critical situation), the boat speetlily bore them from the shore,
and shortly after Hector had the satisfaction of handing them over to the
custody of his chief.
The Lord of Castle Donain was very much put out at losing the boy,
■\\liuse fate he felt was strangely interwoven with his own, and in propor-
tion to his dread of what that fate might be was his anxiety to gain pos-
session of MacGabhar. Many a long and fruitless search he caused to be
made for him, many a sleepless night he passed in endeavouring to
unravel the mystic meaning of the prophecy, and many an hour he spent
in consulting his aged bard, Avho possessed the gift of second sight ; but
tiny could arrive at no satisfactory conclusion, save that MacGabhar
slandd surely in the end become the possessor of the vast estates of
Castle Donain, but whether it Avould be accomplished by victory in war,
or by more peaceful means, whether in the lifetime of the present lord, or
m that of his successors, was at present hidden from their vision.
Flora, who was kept in a kind of honourable captivity, woidd not
afford him the slightest clue to her own identity, or the parentage of the
boy, for whose loss she never ceased to gaieve. On being perfectly satis-
fied that Kenneth was as ignorant as himself regarding Flora's antecedents,
and being assured by her of Kenneth's absolute innocence of any design
agamst him, the chief allowed the young man to go free.
Kenneth, however, was too devoted to the fair Flora to leave the
place, while she was unwillingly detained there. He accordingly lingered
about at a safe distance until a favourable opportunity occurred which
enabled him to eflect her escape, and of safely conducting her to another