In the evening he took leave of Mr. Martin's family, with a very sorrowful
heart, and set off for Mr. Laurie's. When he reached the house, the maid
bade him come in and sit down near the fire. The other servants began to
assemble, and in about ten minutes the supper was ready. It consisted of
boiled potatoes and whey, the common supper for farm servants. Jeannie,
the cook, then pressed John to eat: "he is shy yet, poor thing; but you
need not be afraid, if you are a good boy. Our master will be very kind to
you; and Will, the shepherd, is one of the drollest and best natured
fellows in the dale, and will keep you laughing all day long, when he goes
to the hill with you. You had best take care of his tricks, however, for
he is very fond of playing them off upon people, but they are always
harmless." Just as she finished this consoling address the door opened,
and in came Will, the shepherd. He was a stout, sun-burnt, good-looking
man of about thirty years of age, fun and good nature being strongly
expressed in his face. "Ah! have you all begun, and not waited for me? I
think that is not very good manners, considering that I am the life of the
company," he said, laughing, as he drew his chair near the table: "and
whom have we among us in this corner, looking so grave? I dare say it is
my new herd-boy, that our master was talking about this morning. Come,
man, cheer up, we shall be as merry as grigs to-morrow on the hill. You'll
never have a grave face in my company, I promise you, long together." "I
have been telling him, Will," said Jeannie, "I was sure you would be kind
to him, so that he had no need to be frightened. And indeed," continued
she, in a sort of whisper, "who would not be kind to a poor orphan boy
like him?" "Now my lad," said Will, "I must try what you are good for, and
send you on your first errand. Go into the stable for me; it stands on the
left hand as you go out, and at the back of the door you will see a coat
hanging up; put your hand in to the pocket, and bring me a whistle you
will find there. I have been making it, Jeannie, for your nephew, Tom
Little; poor fellow, he was so good natured the other day, in running down
to help me to drive the sheep over the hill; he is too young yet to be a
herd; but if he live he will be a fine, active, spirited fellow, some day.
I promised him a whistle, and I never break my word."
John found the whistle where Will had directed him to look, and brought it
to him. "Now, that is a clever fellow; and I think the least I can do, in
return, is to play you a tune. I hope you like music; it is the chief
pleasure we shepherds have; and it seems to me that it never sounds so
sweetly as it does up among the hills." So saying, he began to play a
pretty Scotch air upon Tom's whistle. When he had finished, John, whose
eyes were sparkling with delight (for he did, indeed, like music), lost
part of his timidity, and starting up said, "And did you make that whistle
all yourself?" "That I did, my man; and I am glad it has made you find
your tongue; for I began to be afraid that master had got a dumb boy for a
herd; and that would not suit me at all. If I find you a brisk, merry
fellow, that can sing a song, and dance a reel at times, you shall have a
whistle too; and, perhaps I may teach you to make it yourself; but it will
all depend upon your good behaviour. If you were always to look as grave
as you were when I first saw you, I don't think I should ever trouble my
head about you; but we had better go to bed. Mind that you be ready for me
tomorrow morning; I do not like to be kept waiting."
In the morning, John took good care not to keep Will waiting; but was up
and standing at the door when he made his appearance. "So you are ready, I
see, my lad; that's well: but take care you continue alert; for that
stupid boy, Sandy Laing, whom we had last, was the plague of my life, he
never was ready; and somehow he contrived always to put me out of humour
before we began our day's work; and then all went wrong." Will led John
across a little wooden bridge that was near the farm, and after walking
three miles over the hills, they came to the place were the sheep were
penned. Another shepherd had been left with the dogs to guard them through
the night, who, immediately after giving up his charge, set off to bed.
After letting the sheep out to feed, and giving John all the necessary
instructions how to manage both them and the dogs, which, when
well-trained, are of the most singular importance to the shepherd, Will
asked John what he had brought with him to do all day? John very
innocently said, he never had thought of doing any thing, but watching the
sheep. "Watching the sheep!" cried Will, "that to be sure you must do;
but, if you take care to direct the dogs right, they will do that, without
giving you much trouble. It will never answer for you to have nothing but
that to employ yourself on. You must either bring a book with you, if you
can read well enough, or else you must learn to knit, or make a whistle;
or, in short, any thing but being idle. No herd of mine, that I care a
farthing for, shall ever be a lazy fellow if I can help it; so, if you can
keep a secret, I will tell you one. I have in my pocket some knitting
needles and some worsted, which I will lend you. Knitting is easily
learnt, and you may then help me to work some stockings for David Little,
that met with that ugly accident the other day. When he begins to go
about, he will want stockings to keep his poor broken leg warm. But you
need not speak of this down at the farm; mind that, or I shall never trust
you again with any of my secrets; it would spoil all the pleasure of my
present." John promised faithfully to be silent, as to the stockings; and,
having accepted the offer of being taught to knit, succeeded far better
than he had expected himself, as he was a willing boy. "Very well, John,"
said Will, "you will make a famous knitter in your time; and you will,
perhaps, thank Will Oliver all your life, for having taught you to be so
useful. When you have become expert at it, you may always keep yourself
neat and tidy about the legs, on Sundays and handsel Mondays. Besides, you
will dance the better, when a wedding comes round; and I should be
ashamed, at my wedding, which will perhaps be sooner than some folks know
of," added he, laughing, "if my herd were to dance in any thing but hose
of his own working."
Thus encouraged, John persevered; and, by dinner-time, he had learned the
stitch perfectly. Meanwhile, the sheep had wandered farther up the hill,
and Will thought it proper to follow them; so, sometimes whistling,
sometimes singing, he beguiled the time, till they reached the very top of
the highest hill. When John had got thus far, he was surprised, on looking
down, to see that he was almost directly opposite to Mr. Scott's, at
Craigie Hall. "Oh dear," said he, "what would I give to know how poor
Marion is." "What is that you are saying, boy?" said Will, "Do you know
any thing of Mr. Scott's family?" "That I do," said John; and immediately
related all that had passed the day he had been there with Mr. Martin. He
hesitated a good deal when he got to that part of the story about the
spurs; but Will, who saw there was some sort of secret in the way, soon
contrived to get it out of him, and laughed so loud and so long at poor
John's mishap, that the latter was vexed at having said any thing about
it. But when Will had his laugh out, he said, "Well, John, since you are
anxious to hear of Marion, I will wait for you here; and you can easily
run down the hill. You will find stepping stones across the river, almost
exactly opposite the house, so that you may go and be back to me in half
an hour. Off with you, my boy, and let me see if you can be trusted." John
lost no time in reaching Mr. Scott's, where he learnt, to his great
consolation, that Marion was now doing well, and that Mr. Armstrong
considered her out of danger.
When John returned, Will, making a known signal to the dogs, ordered them
to bring in the sheep, that they might be penned for the night; and John,
to his surprise, saw the two dogs instantly set off to execute their task,
with extraordinary sagacity. The sheep were scattered all about the side
of the hill; and the dogs _wore_ them in (for such is the word used to
express this curious operation), by running all round the outside of the
flock, barking, and driving the stragglers towards the centre, but never
hurting one of them; and thus, at length, every sheep was got safe into
the fold; the shepherd merely overlooking his dogs, and giving them, from
time to time, the necessary word of command. "You are surprised," said
Will, "to see the dogs understand so well what I say to them. They have
been well-trained, and are of a particular breed, only common on these
hills. I can make them bring me any one particular sheep that I describe
to them out of the flock directly. We never should be able to bear the
fatigue, if we had not these faithful creatures with us. The going up and
down the hills so often after the sheep, would wear out any man's
strength, long before the day was over. You will soon learn the way of
managing them; and they, in time, will become accustomed to your voice. At
present, they know the sheep, and will allow no harm to happen to them."
Will now sent John home, as he himself was to remain till the other
shepherd came to his relief. John reached the farm, when it was nearly
dark, and having washed his face and hands, set out for the Manse. He
found Mr. Martin waiting for him in the study. "Well, John, how do you
like herding?" asked he, as his young scholar entered the room. "Very
well, Sir; much better, indeed, than I expected: the shepherd has been
very kind to me, and shown me every thing I have to do; and I think, Sir,
I shall be able very soon to learn the business." "I have no doubt, if you
take pains, you will very soon do so; but come, let us begin our evening
task." When this was over, John asked how Miss Helen was. "She is much
better, John; and I hope, in a few days, she will be able to come down and
admire your pretty flowers. I really think they are taking root." John was
glad to hear this; and having watered them, and shaken hands with his
friend Nelly, he told her he should never again be afraid to encounter his
reading; "for," said he, "the Minister has so much patience, and explains
every thing to me so clearly, that I must be a dunce indeed not to
understand him, and a very bad boy if I do not take pains to remember what
he says."
John continued this kind of life without interruption for two months, in
the course of which time he had become very expert in the management of
his sheep; and Will was so much pleased with his diligence, that he taught
him both to make and also to play upon the same sort of whistle on which
he was himself so skilful a performer. John could now play, very
tolerably, the old Scottish air of "_the Ewe-buchts, Marion!_" a very
particular favourite of his, although Will said he thought it rather the
name than the tune which had caught the boy's fancy. His reading had
likewise improved wonderfully. Mr. Martin had lent him a common copy of
Robinson Crusoe (for the elegant one with the plates was too valuable to
be carried to the hill), and this book, which had first excited his desire
of learning, now became the constant companion of his leisure moments.
Indeed it would have entirely driven the whistle, the knitting, and
everything else out of his head, if Will, who was somewhat proud of his
scholar, had not insisted on his continuing to work at his stockings some
part of every day, and to display his progress in music to his
fellow-servants every evening.
Helen and Marion had by this time both recovered, though Marion was still
delicate. The latter, however, had found out that John's sheep grazed very
often just opposite to her father's house; she therefore, more than once,
made her way across the water to listen to John's whistle, which she
greatly admired; and she at the same time convinced him that she could
sing, and, according to his taste, very sweetly.
Little offerings of friendship were continually passing, on these
occasions, between the children. Sometimes Marion would save the fruit
which her father was permitted to give her out of the hall garden, and she
would carry it over, in a cabbage-leaf, to share it with John. He, in
return, wishing to procure a basket for her greater accommodation, got his
friend Will to teach him how to make one, like that which the shepherds in
general use for carrying their provisions to the hill, and which is shaped
something like a pouch, and slung by a strap over the shoulder. To make
the basket the more acceptable, John filled it with the prettiest mosses
that he could find on the hills. These mosses are remarkably fine in
Eskdale, and very much in request among the ladies, who ornament their
garden seats and bowers with them. The frames being made of a sort of
basket-work, the moss, when fresh gathered, with the roots unbroken, is
twisted into the frame so as to leave the green part only visible. Thus
they take root, and if carefully watered, in a very little time have the
appearance of having grown there naturally. They are called _fogg
houses_, and are very common. Seats and tables are likewise added, as
furniture to the fogg house, and for this purpose the most beautiful moss
is always reserved. The greater the variety of shades, the more it is
prized; and they are sometimes seen shaded, from the darkest green to the
most beautiful rose-colour. This last colour is the most rare, and is only
found on one particular moor, at the top of a distant hill. John
contrived, one afternoon, to coax Will to take his place with the sheep,
and let him go in search of his much-coveted prize; which, having
succeeded in obtaining, he arranged all the various sorts he had picked up
in the basket, taking care to place the rose-coloured just at the top, and
carried it over to Mr. Scott's.
On John's arrival, it was unluckily damp, and Marion's mother had desired
her not to go out. He therefore peeped around the house a long time to no
purpose, and was at last obliged to go up and knock boldly at the door, in
order to deliver his present; otherwise he would have had to take it home
and return another day with it, which he thought would be a pity, as the
beauty of the moss would be impaired if immediate precaution were not
taken to prevent it. Mrs. Scott opened the door herself. "John Telfer, I
declare!" cried she. "What can possibly have brought you here so late? I
hope no accident has happened that you are not gone to the Minister's as
usual." "No," said John, "there is no accident; the minister could not
have me to read to-night, for the family are all occupied with the arrival
of Capt. Elliot. He was expected to dine there to day, and I took the
opportunity, with Will Oliver's leave, to go up to the black moor to get
some moss for Marion. She told me she wanted to make a table for her
bower, and I have brought her this, which I hope she will accept."
"Oh!" cried Marion, who had been reading to her father, "what a beautiful
sight! Did you ever see so much pink moss together?" "Indeed," said Mr.
Scott, taking the basket out of his hand, "I have seldom seen so fine a
specimen. I think, if you take pains with your table, it will surpass that
which the ladies at the lodge have made, and theirs is reckoned the most
beautiful in the country. I am sure, John, you must have had a great deal
of trouble and fatigue to get at this. Pray, wife, give the boy something
to eat, he must be hungry." "I don't mind the trouble a bit," said John,
"if Marion is pleased; but I can't stop to eat any thing, for it is
growing late, and I must run home as fast as I can, that I may be in time
to play to Will, or he will be angry, and never let me go again." So
saying he ran off, and scarcely slackened his pace till he reached Mr.
Laurie's.