"Pshaw! will not this bribe you?" said Huske, slipping three guineas from his purse into Ronald's hand.
Though nurtured amid civil war and sore adversity, the poor boy knew well the value of the bribe so infamously offered by Huske, who had never forgotten nor forgiven his meetings with Rob Roy in Moffatdale and elsewhere. Ronald drew himself proudly up, and said—
"You ask me—you, a soldier—to betray my father?"
"Nay, nay; to discover——"
"To betray—Saxon captain, or Saxon dog, mince the words as you will!"
"A mutinous cur; but I'll tame him yet," muttered the major.
"You shall never get my father, alive at least; for he is strong and brave as Cuchullin!"
"Some other Highland savage, I suppose; but, egad, we shall see."
"Sir," said the soldier who acted as interpreter, "would it not be a good plan to let the young cub loose, and watch him well? in the end he would be sure to lead us to the old wolf's den."
"He would scramble up rocks where none but a cat or a monkey could follow, or leave us all floundering to the neck in some treacherous bog. No, no, I know better than that. Offer him three guineas more."