"I never saw it played before," Gavin said, standing up in his turn.
"What a din they make! McQueen, I believe they are fighting!"
"No, no," said the excited doctor, "they are just a bit daft. That"s the proper spirit for the game. Look, that"s the baron-bailie near standing on his head, and there"s Mr. Duthie off his head a"
thegither. Yon"s twa weavers and a mason cursing the laird, and the man wi" the besom is the Master of Crumnathie."
"A democracy, at all events," said Gavin.
"By no means," said the doctor, "it"s an aristocracy of intellect. Gee up, Lightning, or the frost will be gone before we are there."
"It is my opinion, doctor," said Gavin, "that you will have bones to set before that game is finished. I can see nothing but legs now."
"Don"t say a word against curling, sir, to me," said McQueen, whom the sight of a game in which he must not play had turned crusty.
"Dangerous! It"s the best medicine I know of. Look at that man coming across the field. It is Jo Strachan. Well, sir, curling saved Jo"s life after I had given him up. You don"t believe me? Hie, Jo, Jo Strachan, come here and tell the minister how curling put you on your legs again."
Strachan came forward, a tough, little, wizened man, with red flannel round his ears to keep out the cold.
"It"s gospel what the doctor says, Mr. Dishart," he declared. "Me and my brither Sandy was baith ill, and in the same bed, and the doctor had hopes o" Sandy, but nane o" me. Ay, weel, when I heard that, I thocht I micht as weel die on the ice as in my bed, so I up and on wi"
my claethes. Sandy was mad at me, for he was no curler, and he says, "Jo Strachan, if you gang to Rashie-bog you"ll a.s.suredly be brocht hame a corp." I didna heed him, though, and off I gaed."
"And I see you did not die," said Gavin.
"Not me," answered the fish cadger, with a grin. "Na, but the joke o"t is, it was Sandy that died."
"Not the joke, Jo," corrected the doctor, "the moral."
"Ay, the moral; I"m aye forgetting the word."
McQueen, enjoying Gavin"s discomfiture, turned Lightning down the Rashie-bog road, which would be impa.s.sable as soon as the thaw came.
In summer Rashie-bog is several fields in which a cart does not sink unless it stands still, but in winter it is a loch with here and there a spring where dead men are said to lie. There are no rushes at its east end, and here the dogcart drew up near the curlers, a crowd of men dancing, screaming, shaking their fists and sweeping, while half a hundred onlookers got in their way, gesticulating and advising.
"Hold me tight," the doctor whispered to Gavin, "or I"ll be leaving you to drive Nanny to the poorhouse by yourself."
He had no sooner said this than he tried to jump out of the trap.
"You donnert fule, John Robbie," he shouted to a player, "soop her up, man, soop her up; no, no, dinna, dinna; leave her alane. Bailie, leave her alane, you blazing idiot. Mr. Dishart, let me go; what do you mean, sir, by hanging on to my coat tails? Dang it all, Duthie"s winning. He has it, he has it!"
"You"re to play, doctor?" some cried, running to the dogcart. "We hae missed you sair."
"Jeames, I--I--. No, I daurna."
"Then we get our licks. I never saw the minister in sic form. We can do nothing against him."
"Then," cried McQueen, "I"ll play. Come what will, I"ll play. Let go my tails, Mr. Dishart, or I"ll cut them off. Duty? Fiddlesticks!"
"Shame on you, sir," said Gavin; "yes, and on you others who would entice him from his duty."
"Shame!" the doctor cried. "Look at Mr. Duthie. Is he ashamed? And yet that man has been reproving me for a twelvemonths because I"ve refused to become one of his elders. Duthie," he shouted, "think shame of yourself for curling this day."
Mr. Duthie had carefully turned his back to the trap, for Gavin"s presence in it annoyed him. We seldom care to be reminded of our duty by seeing another do it. Now, however, he advanced to the dogcart, taking the far side of Gavin.
"Put on your coat, Mr. Duthie," said the doctor, "and come with me to Nanny Webster"s. You promised."
Mr. Duthie looked quizzically at Gavin, and then at the sky.
"The thaw may come at any moment," he said.
"I think the frost is to hold," said Gavin.
"It may hold over to-morrow," Mr. Duthie admitted; "but to-morrow"s the Sabbath, and so a lost day."
"A what?" exclaimed Gavin, horrified.
"I only mean," Mr. Duthie answered, colouring, "that we can"t curl on the Lord"s day. As for what it may be like on Monday, no one can say.
No, doctor, I won"t risk it. We"re in the middle of a game, man."
Gavin looked very grave.
"I see what you are thinking, Mr. Dishart," the old minister said doggedly; "but then, you don"t curl. You are very wise. I have forbidden my sons to curl."
"Then you openly snap your fingers at your duty, Mr. Duthie?" said the doctor, loftily. ("You can let go my tails now, Mr. Dishart, for the madness has pa.s.sed.")
"None of your virtuous airs, McQueen," said Mr. Duthie, hotly. "What was the name of the doctor that warned women never to have bairns while it was hauding?"
"And what," retorted McQueen, "was the name of the minister that told his session he would neither preach nor pray while the black frost lasted?"
"Hoots, doctor," said Duthie, "don"t lose your temper because I"m in such form."
"Don"t lose yours, Duthie, because I aye beat you."
"You beat me, McQueen! Go home, sir, and don"t talk havers. Who beat you at----"
"Who made you sing small at----"
"Who won----"
"Who----"
"Who----"
"I"ll play you on Monday for whatever you like!" shrieked the doctor.
"If it holds," cried the minister, "I"ll be here the whole day. Name the stakes yourself. A stone?"
"No," the doctor said, "but I"ll tell you what we"ll play for. You"ve been dinging me doited about that eldership, and we"ll play for"t. If you win I accept office."
"Done," said the minister, recklessly.
The dogcart was now turned toward Windyghoul, its driver once more good-humoured, but Gavin silent.