The Heart of Mid-Lothian - Penn State University

“Join wi’ Rob Roy, or wi’ Sergeant More Cameron”
(noted freebooters at that time), “and revenge Donacha’s
death on all and sundry.”
“O ye unhappy boy,” said Jeanie, “do ye ken what
will come o’ ye when ye die?”
“I shall neither feel cauld nor hunger more,” said the
youth doggedly.
“To let him be execute in this dreadful state of mind
would be to destroy baith body and soul—and to let
him gang I dare not—what will be done?—But he is my
sister’s son—my own nephew—our flesh and blood—
and his hands and feet are yerked as tight as cords can
be drawn.—Whistler, do the cords hurt you?”
“Very much.”
“But, if I were to slacken them, you would harm me?”
“No, I would not—you never harmed me or mine.”
There may be good in him yet, thought Jeanie; I will
try fair play with him.
She cut his bonds—he stood upright, looked round
with a laugh of wild exultation, clapped his hands together,
and sprung from the ground, as if in transport
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on finding himself at liberty. He looked so wild, that
Jeanie trembled at what she had done.
“Let me out,” said the young savage.
“I wunna, unless you promise”
“Then I’ll make you glad to let us both out.”
He seized the lighted candle and threw it among the
flax, which was instantly in a flame. Jeanie screamed,
and ran out of the room; the prisoner rushed past her,
threw open a window in the passage, jumped into the
garden, sprung over its enclosure, bounded through the
woods like a deer, and gained the seashore. Meantime,
the fire was extinguished, but the prisoner was sought
in vain. As Jeanie kept her own secret, the share she had
in his escape was not discovered: but they learned his
fate some time afterwards—it was as wild as his life had
hitherto been.
The anxious inquiries of Butler at length learned, that
the youth had gained the ship in which his master,
Donacha, had designed to embark. But the avaricious
shipmaster, inured by his evil trade to every species of
treachery, and disappointed of the rich booty which