Meanwhile Sholto fared onwards down the side of the sullen water ofDee. The dwellers along the bank were all on the alert, and cried manyquestions to him about the death of the Earl, most thinking him amerchant travelling from Edinburgh to take ship at Kirkcudbright.Sholto answered shortly but civilly, for the inquirers were mostlydecent folk well on in years, whose lads had gone to the levy, and whonaturally desired to know wherefore their sons had been summoned.
In return he asked everywhere for news of any cavalcade which mighthave passed that way, but neither from the country folk, nor yet fromhoof-marks upon the grassy banks, could he glean the least informationpertinent to the purpose of his quest.
Not till he came within a few miles of the town did he meet with manor woman who could give him any material assistance. It was by theFords of Tongland that he first met with one Tib MacLellan, who withmuch volubility and some sagacity retailed fresh fish to the burghersof Kirkcudbright and the whole countryside, giving a day to eachdistrict so long as the supply of her staple did not fail.
"Fair good day to ye, mistress!" said Sholto, taking off his bonnet tothe sonsy upstanding fishwife.
"And to you, bonny lad," replied the complimented dame, dropping acourtesy, "may the corbie never cry at ye nor ill-faured pie juik atyour left elbow. May candle creesh never fa' on ye, red fire burn ye,nor water scald ye."
Tib was reeling off her catalogue of blessings when Sholto cut hershort.
"Can you tell me, good lady," he asked, in his most insinuating tones,"if there has been any vessel cleared from the port during these lastweeks?"
"'Deed, sir, that I should ken, for is no my ain sister marriet onJock Wabster, wha's cousin by marriage twice removed is the bailieofficer o' the port? So I can advise ye that there was a boat frae theIsle o' Man wi' herrin's for the great houses, though never a fin o'them like the halesome fish I carry here in my creel. Wad ye like tosee them, to buy a dozen for the bonny lass that's waiting for ye?That were a present to recommend ye, indeed--far mair than your gaudyflowers, fule ballads, and sic like trash!"
"You cannot remember any other ship of larger size than the Manxfishing-boat?" continued Sholto.
"Weel, no to ca' cleared frae the port," Tib went on, "but there was apair o' uncanny-looking foreign ships that lay oot there by theManxman's Lake for eight days, and the nicht afore yestreen they gaedoot with the tide. They were saying aboot the foreshore that they gaedwest to some other port to tak' on board the French monzie that cam'to the Thrieve at the great tournaying! But I kenna what wad tak' himawa' to the Fleet or the Ferry Toon o' Cree, and leave a' thepleasures o' Kirkcudbright ahint him. Forbye sic herrin's as aresupplied by me, Tib MacLellan, at less than cost price--as I houpyour honour will no forget, when in the course o' natur' and theprovidence o' God you and her comes to hae a family atween ye."
Sholto promised that he would not forget when the time alluded toarrived. Then, turning his jennet off the direct road to Kirkcudbrighttown, and betaking him through the Ardendee fords, he made all speedtowards a little port upon the water of Fleet, at the point where thatfair moorland stream winds lazily through the water-meadows for a mileor two, after its brawling passage down from the hills of heather andbefore it commits itself to the mother sea.
But it was not until he had long crossed it and reached the lonelyCassencary shore that Sholto found his first trace of the lostmaidens. For as he rode along the cliffs his keen eye noted awell-marked trail through the heather approaching the shore at rightangles to his own line of march. The tracks, still perfectly evidentin the grassy places, showed that as many as twenty horses had passedthat way within the last two or three days. He stood awhile examiningthe marks, and then, leading his beast slowly by the bridle, hecontinued to follow them westward till they became confused and lostnear a little jetty erected by the lairds of Cree and Cassencary forconvenience of traffic with Cumberland and the Isle of Man. Here onthe very edge of the foreshore, blown by some chance wind behind astone and wonderfully preserved there, Sholto found a child's chain ofwoodbine entwined with daisies and autumnal pheasant's eye. He took itup and examined it. Some of the flowers were not yet withered. Theinter-weaving was done after a fashion he had taught the little Maidof Galloway himself, one happy day when he had walked on air with theglamour of Maud Lindesay's smiles uplifting his heart. For thattricksome grace had asked him to teach her also, and he remembered thelingering touch of her fingers ere she could compass the quaint deviceof the pheasant's eye peeping out from the midst of each whitefestoon.
Then a deep despair settled down on Sholto's spirit. He knew that MaudLindesay and the fair Maid of Galloway had undoubtedly fallen into thepower of the terrible Marshal de Retz, Sieur of Machecoul, ambassadorof the King of France, and also many things else which need not inthis place be put on record.