faint and distant skirl of the pipes, and yonder is the white-haired
hunchback, a mere speck in a waste of brown and green morass. What is
he playing to himself now?

"He is a foolish fellow, that John," said the tall keeper, "for if
he comes down to Borvabost this morning it iss Mr. Mackenzie will
fling his pipes in ta sea, and he will hef to go away and work in ta
steamboat. He iss a ferry foolish fellow; and it wass him tat wass
goin' into ta steamboat before, and he went to a tailor in Styornoway,
and he said to him, 'I want a pair o' troosers.' And the tailor said
to him, 'What sort o' troosers iss it you will want?' And he said to
him, 'I want a pair o' troosers for a steamboat.' A pair o' troosers
for a steamboat!--he is a teffle of a foolish fellow. And it wass him
that went in ta steamboat with a lot o' freens o' his, that wass a'
goin' to Skye to a big weddin' there; and it wass a very bad passage,
and when tey got into Portree the captain said to him, 'John, where
iss all your freens that tey do not come ashore?' And he said to him,
'I hef peen down below, sir, and four-thirds o' ta whole o' them are
a' half-trooned and sick and tead.' Four-thirds o' ta whole o' them!
And he iss just the ferry man to laugh at every other pody when it iss
a mistake you will make in ta English."

"I suppose," said Lavender, "you found it rather difficult to learn
good English?"

"Well, sir, I hefna got ta goot English yet. But Miss Sheila she has
put away all the Gaelic from the schools, and the young ones they will
learn more of ta good English after that."

"I wish I knew as much Gaelic as you know English," said the young