side. 'A watch fire. The Armstrongs have posted men there.' He studied the fire, slowly counting. 'I see five men.'
'Can't we go round?' I asked.
In reply he took me by the hand and helped me, quite gently from the back of my horse. He led me ten steps to the right. 'Stop there,' he said, 'and stretch out one foot.'
I did so. The mud sucked at me so fiercely I thought I might lose my boot. I withdrew quickly, with Hugh holding me.
'There is a stretch of black bog like that all the way around this damnable moss,' Hugh said, 'mile upon mile of it, except for three places, the three yetts, or gates of Tarras. This is the Black Yett, the least known of them. We can drown in the bog or face the Armstrongs.'
I was silent for a space. 'What do we do?'
'I need you to keep your tongue under control and do exactly as I say,' Hugh had his answer ready. 'Can you do that?'
'I don't know about my tongue…' I began, and stopped myself. 'Yes,' I said. 'Yes I can do that.'
'Good.' He helped me back on Kailzie, where the renewed pressure pushed into my tender parts. I did not protest. 'Now hold on and trust me.' Walking in front, he led me a full fifty paces into the dark to one of the wind-twisted Scots Pines. 'Stand here,' he said, 'and the tree will shield your shape. The wind is coming from the west so it will drive your scent away from the track.'
I nodded, obeying his instructions not to speak.
'I will distract the Armstrongs long enough for them to leave the yett unguarded. They will ride past you into the Moss. I want you to wait until all five have passed and then you will come out and ride through the yett as if all the devils of hell were sticking red hot pokers into your…' he stopped as I concealed my smile. Hugh had nearly dropped his guard then and I liked him all the more for it. 'When all five have passed I want you to ride as fast as you can through the yett. There is a small slope on the other side. Go down the slope and turn right. Ride straight and true until you come to a ruined chapel. Wait for me there. Have you got that?'
'I have got that,' I said.
'If I am not there within two hours then I am not coming,' Hugh continued. 'In that case you must wait for dark tomorrow and ride northward; follow the Pole Star.'
'Why would you not come?' I asked in a small voice.
'Because I will be dead,' Hugh said.
'What?' But I spoke to myself. Hugh had vanished into the dark as if he had never been there. I sat on Kailzie beside that gnarled pine with the ache of loneliness in my heart and fear in my soul. 'But I don't want you dead,' I said softly, 'I want you with me.' Nobody heard except the wind, and the wind does not care what we want. It follows its own course, whatever that happens to be. And anyway, Hugh was not my man; Robert was my man and he would be out there somewhere, scouring the hills for me.
I could see the flicker of firelight by the darker patch that I knew to be woodland, and I could smell the occasional whiff of smoke, sweet and pleasant in the night air. It was a few long minutes before I heard a long drawn out call, like the scream of a hunting vixen, and the words 'A Veitch! A Veitch!'
That was Hugh. There was no other Veitch in the area and nobody else would beard the Armstrongs in their own Tarras Moss. I heard the clash of steel on steel and then the sound of galloping hooves as one horseman thundered past me. A few seconds later came the shout 'A Veitch! A Veitch!' once again and then more horsemen and the cry, 'An Armstrong!' Long drawn out and echoing to the silent sky.
Tempted to charge in their wake and help Hugh, I knew that I would be more hindrance than help and instead pushed Kailzie forward and toward the Black Yett. I was nervous for Hugh and apprehensive in case the Armstrongs had left a man behind. I should not have bothered; the only man there lay on his back, arms outstretched. He may have been dead, he may have been alive, I did not know. I passed him with a scared glance
'Can't we go round?' I asked.
In reply he took me by the hand and helped me, quite gently from the back of my horse. He led me ten steps to the right. 'Stop there,' he said, 'and stretch out one foot.'
I did so. The mud sucked at me so fiercely I thought I might lose my boot. I withdrew quickly, with Hugh holding me.
'There is a stretch of black bog like that all the way around this damnable moss,' Hugh said, 'mile upon mile of it, except for three places, the three yetts, or gates of Tarras. This is the Black Yett, the least known of them. We can drown in the bog or face the Armstrongs.'
I was silent for a space. 'What do we do?'
'I need you to keep your tongue under control and do exactly as I say,' Hugh had his answer ready. 'Can you do that?'
'I don't know about my tongue…' I began, and stopped myself. 'Yes,' I said. 'Yes I can do that.'
'Good.' He helped me back on Kailzie, where the renewed pressure pushed into my tender parts. I did not protest. 'Now hold on and trust me.' Walking in front, he led me a full fifty paces into the dark to one of the wind-twisted Scots Pines. 'Stand here,' he said, 'and the tree will shield your shape. The wind is coming from the west so it will drive your scent away from the track.'
I nodded, obeying his instructions not to speak.
'I will distract the Armstrongs long enough for them to leave the yett unguarded. They will ride past you into the Moss. I want you to wait until all five have passed and then you will come out and ride through the yett as if all the devils of hell were sticking red hot pokers into your…' he stopped as I concealed my smile. Hugh had nearly dropped his guard then and I liked him all the more for it. 'When all five have passed I want you to ride as fast as you can through the yett. There is a small slope on the other side. Go down the slope and turn right. Ride straight and true until you come to a ruined chapel. Wait for me there. Have you got that?'
'I have got that,' I said.
'If I am not there within two hours then I am not coming,' Hugh continued. 'In that case you must wait for dark tomorrow and ride northward; follow the Pole Star.'
'Why would you not come?' I asked in a small voice.
'Because I will be dead,' Hugh said.
'What?' But I spoke to myself. Hugh had vanished into the dark as if he had never been there. I sat on Kailzie beside that gnarled pine with the ache of loneliness in my heart and fear in my soul. 'But I don't want you dead,' I said softly, 'I want you with me.' Nobody heard except the wind, and the wind does not care what we want. It follows its own course, whatever that happens to be. And anyway, Hugh was not my man; Robert was my man and he would be out there somewhere, scouring the hills for me.
I could see the flicker of firelight by the darker patch that I knew to be woodland, and I could smell the occasional whiff of smoke, sweet and pleasant in the night air. It was a few long minutes before I heard a long drawn out call, like the scream of a hunting vixen, and the words 'A Veitch! A Veitch!'
That was Hugh. There was no other Veitch in the area and nobody else would beard the Armstrongs in their own Tarras Moss. I heard the clash of steel on steel and then the sound of galloping hooves as one horseman thundered past me. A few seconds later came the shout 'A Veitch! A Veitch!' once again and then more horsemen and the cry, 'An Armstrong!' Long drawn out and echoing to the silent sky.
Tempted to charge in their wake and help Hugh, I knew that I would be more hindrance than help and instead pushed Kailzie forward and toward the Black Yett. I was nervous for Hugh and apprehensive in case the Armstrongs had left a man behind. I should not have bothered; the only man there lay on his back, arms outstretched. He may have been dead, he may have been alive, I did not know. I passed him with a scared glance
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