Kidnapped / Похищенный. Книга для чтения на английском языке

Even so far up the firth, the smell of the sea-water was exceedingly salt and stirring; the Covenant, besides, was beginning to shake out her sails, which hung upon the yards in clusters; and the spirit of all that I beheld put me in thoughts of far voyages and foreign places.

Ransome soon came out of the inn and ran to me, crying for a bowl of punch. I told him I would give him no such thing, for neither he nor I was of an age for such indulgences. �But a glass of ale you may have, and welcome,’ said I.

He mopped and mowed at me, and called me names; but he was glad to get the ale, for all that; and presently we were set down at a table in the front room of the inn, and both eating and drinking with a good appetite.

Here it occurred to me that, as the landlord was a man of that county, I might do well to make a friend of him. I offered him a share, as was much the custom in those days; but he was far too great a man to sit with such poor customers as Ransome and myself, and he was leaving the room, when I called him back to ask if he knew Mr.

Rankeillor.

�Hoot, ay,’ says he, �and a very honest man. And, O, by-the-by,’ says he, �was it you that came in with Ebenezer?’ And when I had told him yes, �Ye’ll be no friend of his?’ he asked, meaning, in the Scottish way, that I would be no relative.

I told him no, none.

�I thought not,’ said he, �and yet ye have a kind of gliff[34 - gliff = look (примеч.

авт.)] of Mr. Alexander.’ I said it seemed that Ebenezer was ill-seen in the country.

�Nae doubt,’ said the landlord. �He’s a wicked auld man, and there’s many would like to see him girning in the tow[35 - tow = rope (примеч. авт.)]. Jennet Clouston and mony mair that he has harried out of house and hame. And yet he was ance[36 - ance = once – (шотл.) когда-то] a fine young fellow, too. But that was before the sough[37 - sough = report.

(примеч. авт.)] gaed abroad about Mr. Alexander, that was like the death of him.’

�And what was it?’ I asked.

�Ou, just that he had killed him,’ said the landlord.

�Did ye never hear that?’

�And what would he kill him for?’ said I.

�And what for, but just to get the place,’ said he.

�The place?’ said I. �The Shaws?’

�Nae other place that I ken,’ said he.

�Ay, man?’ said I.