"He didna say ice," interposed Andrew. "The captain says his ship's
full o' mice."

"Ah, mice! What for does he not get a cat?"

"It's your own cat he was wanting to get," said Andrew.

"My cat! my Baudrons! Troth, I dinna think I could part with
Baudrons. I'm terrible fond of Baudrons. Was there not a cat in
Stromness forbye mine?"

Grace said this as she selected some of the largest trout and took
them away to clean.

As I sat on a chair near the door, weary after my long tramp with
the heavy burden of silver and the dead hawk, and somewhat bruised
by my fight, Mr. Drever and the captain engaged in a long
conversation relating to the Orkneys. But during an interval of
their talk I ventured to draw the schoolmaster's attention to the
dead bird that I had brought for him.

"We caught this bird over on the moor the day, sir," I said, "and I
brought it, thinking ye'd like to put it in one o' your glass
cases."

"Man, Halcro, but that's a bonny specimen! A harrier, a hen
harrier, I declare! 'Deed but it will be a right fine addition to
our collection. And what way did ye kill it, d'ye say? Not wi' a
gun, surely?"