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weir of hermiston-第15章

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burst; and he rode for home with a pistol…ball in him; three knife 

wounds; the loss of his front teeth; a broken rib and bridle; and a 

dying horse。  That was a race with death that the laird rode!  In the 

mirk night; with his broken bridle and his head swimming; he dug his 

spurs to the rowels in the horse's side; and the horse; that was even 

worse off than himself; the poor creature! screamed out loud like a 

person as he went; so that the hills echoed with it; and the folks at 

Cauldstaneslap got to their feet about the table and looked at each 

other with white faces。  The horse fell dead at the yard gate; the laird 

won the length of the house and fell there on the threshold。  To the son 

that raised him he gave the bag of money。  〃Hae;〃 said he。  All the way 

up the thieves had seemed to him to be at his heels; but now the 

hallucination left him … he saw them again in the place of the ambuscade 

… and the thirst of vengeance seized on his dying mind。  Raising himself 

and pointing with an imperious finger into the black night from which he 

had come; he uttered the single command; 〃Brocken Dykes;〃 and fainted。  

He had never been loved; but he had been feared in honour。  At that 

sight; at that word; gasped out at them from a toothless and bleeding 

mouth; the old Elliott spirit awoke with a shout in the four sons。

〃Wanting the hat;〃 continues my author; Kirstie; whom I but haltingly 

follow; for she told this tale like one inspired; 〃wanting guns; for 

there wasna twa grains o' pouder in the house; wi' nae mair weepons than 

their sticks into their hands; the fower o' them took the road。  Only 

Hob; and that was the eldest; hunkered at the doorsill where the blood 

had rin; fyled his hand wi' it … and haddit it up to Heeven in the way 

o' the auld Border aith。  ‘Hell shall have her ain again this nicht!' he 

raired; and rode forth upon his earrand。〃  It was three miles to Broken 

Dykes; down hill; and a sore road。  Kirstie has seen men from Edinburgh 

dismounting there in plain day to lead their horses。  But the four 

brothers rode it as if Auld Hornie were behind and Heaven in front。  

Come to the ford; and there was Dickieson。  By all tales; he was not 

dead; but breathed and reared upon his elbow; and cried out to them for 

help。  It was at a graceless face that he asked mercy。  As soon as Hob 

saw; by the glint of the lantern; the eyes shining and the whiteness of 

the teeth in the man's face; 〃Damn you!〃 says he; 〃ye hae your teeth; 

hae ye?〃 and rode his horse to and fro upon that human remnant。  Beyond 

that; Dandie must dismount with the lantern to be their guide; he was 

the youngest son; scarce twenty at the time。  〃A' nicht long they gaed 

in the wet heath and jennipers; and whaur they gaed they neither knew 

nor cared; but just followed the bluid stains and the footprints o' 

their faither's murderers。  And a' nicht Dandie had his nose to the 

grund like a tyke; and the ithers followed and spak' naething; neither 

black nor white。  There was nae noise to be heard; but just the sough of 

the swalled burns; and Hob; the dour yin; risping his teeth as he gaed。〃  

With the first glint of the morning they saw they were on the drove 

road; and at that the four stopped and had a dram to their breakfasts; 

for they knew that Dand must have guided them right; and the rogues 

could be but little ahead; hot foot for Edinburgh by the way of the 

Pentland Hills。  By eight o'clock they had word of them … a shepherd had 

seen four men 〃uncoly mishandled〃 go by in the last hour。  〃That's yin a 

piece;〃 says Clem; and swung his cudgel。  〃Five o' them!〃 says Hob。  

〃God's death; but the faither was a man!  And him drunk!〃  And then 

there befell them what my author termed 〃a sair misbegowk;〃 for they 

were overtaken by a posse of mounted neighbours come to aid in the 

pursuit。  Four sour faces looked on the reinforcement。  〃The Deil's 

broughten you!〃 said Clem; and they rode thenceforward in the rear of 

the party with hanging heads。  Before ten they had found and secured the 

rogues; and by three of the afternoon; as they rode up the Vennel with 

their prisoners; they were aware of a concourse of people bearing in 

their midst something that dripped。  〃For the boady of the saxt;〃 

pursued Kirstie; 〃wi' his head smashed like a hazelnit; had been a' that 

nicht in the chairge o' Hermiston Water; and it dunting it on the 

stanes; and grunding it on the shallows; and flinging the deid thing 

heels…ower…hurdie at the Fa's o' Spango; and in the first o' the day; 

Tweed had got a hold o' him and carried him off like a wind; for it was 

uncoly swalled; and raced wi' him; bobbing under brae…sides; and was 

long playing with the creature in the drumlie lynns under the castle; 

and at the hinder end of all cuist him up on the starling of 

Crossmichael brig。  Sae there they were a'thegither at last (for 

Dickieson had been brought in on a cart long syne); and folk could see 

what mainner o'man my brither had been that had held his head again sax 

and saved the siller; and him drunk!〃  Thus died of honourable injuries 

and in the savour of fame Gilbert Elliott of the Cauldstaneslap; but his 

sons had scarce less glory out of the business。  Their savage haste; the 

skill with which Dand had found and followed the trail; the barbarity to 

the wounded Dickieson (which was like an open secret in the county); and 

the doom which it was currently supposed they had intended for the 

others; struck and stirred popular imagination。  Some century earlier 

the last of the minstrels might have fashioned the last of the ballads 

out of that Homeric fight and chase; but the spirit was dead; or had 

been reincarnated already in Mr。 Sheriff Scott; and the degenerate 

moorsmen must be content to tell the tale in prose; and to make of the 

〃Four Black Brothers〃 a unit after the fashion of the 〃Twelve Apostles〃 

or the 〃Three Musketeers。〃



Robert; Gilbert; Clement; and Andrew … in the proper Border diminutives; 

Hob; Gib; Clem; and Dand Elliott … these ballad heroes; had much in 

common; in particular; their high sense of the family and the family 

honour; but they went diverse ways; and prospered and failed in 

different businesses。  According to Kirstie; 〃they had a' bees in their 

bonnets but Hob。〃  Hob the laird was; indeed; essentially a decent man。  

An elder of the Kirk; nobody had heard an oath upon his lips; save 

perhaps thrice or so at the sheep…washing; since the chase of his 

father's murderers。  The figure he had shown on that eventful night 

disappeared as if swallowed by a trap。  He who had ecstatically dipped 

his hand in the red blood; he who had ridden down Dickieson; became; 

from that moment on; a stiff and rather graceless model of the rustic 

proprieties; cannily profiting by the high war prices; and yearly 

stowing away a little nest…egg in the bank against calamity; approved of 

and sometimes consulted by the greater lairds for the massive and placid 

sense of what he said; when he could be induced to say anything; and 

particularly valued by the minister; Mr。 Torrance; as a right…hand man 

in the parish; and a model to parents。  The transfiguration had been for 

the moment only; some Barbarossa; some old Adam of our ancestors; sleeps 

in all of us till the fit circumstance shall call it into action; and; 

for as sober as he now seemed; Hob had given once for all the measure of 

the devil that haunted him。  He was married; and; by reason of the 

effulgence of that legendary night; was adored by his wife。

He had a mob of little lusty; barefoot children who marched in a caravan 

the long miles to school; the stages of whose pilgrimage were marked by 

acts of spoliation and mischief; and who were qualified in the country…

side as 〃fair pests。〃  But in the house; if 〃faither was in;〃 they were 

quiet as mice。  In short; Hob moved through life in a great peace … the 

reward of any one who shall have kille

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