



Produced by Al Haines.





                             *THE GREY MAN*


                                   BY

                            *S. R. Crockett*



                           _POPULAR EDITION_



                                 LONDON
                            T. FISHER UNWIN
                            ADELPHI TERRACE
                                  MCMX




                                  _To
                              W. R. NICOLL
                      are affectionately inscribed
                  these Chronicles of a Stormy Time--
                              in memory of
                unforgotten Days of Peace and Quietness
                        spent with him and his._



                        [_All rights reserved_]




                               *CONTENTS*

      I. The Oath of Swords
     II. The Lass of the White Tower
    III. The Second Taunting of Spurheel
     IV. The Inn on the Red Moss
      V. The Throwing of the Bloody Dagger
     VI. The Crown of the Causeway
    VII. My Lady's Favours
   VIII. The Laird of Auchendrayne
     IX. Cartel of Contumely
      X. Sir Thomas of the Top-Knot
     XI. Sword and Spit
    XII. The Flitting of the Sow
   XIII. The Tryst at Midnight
    XIV. The Adventure of the Garden
     XV. A Midnight Leaguer
    XVI. Greybeards and Dimple Chins
   XVII. The Corbies at the Eagle's Nest
  XVIII. Bairns' Play
    XIX. Fighting the Beasts
     XX. The Secret of the Caird
    XXI. Mine Ancient Sweetheart
   XXII. A Marriage made in Hell
  XXIII. A Galloway Raid
   XXIV. The Slaughter in the Snow
    XXV. Marjorie bids her Love Good-night
   XXVI. Days of Quiet
  XXVII. On the Heartsome Heather
 XXVIII. Warm Backs make Braw Bairns
   XXIX. The Murder among the Sandhills
    XXX. I seek for Vengeance
   XXXI. The Blue Blanket
  XXXII. Greek meets Greek
 XXXIII. The Devil is a Gentleman
  XXXIV. In the Enemy's Country
   XXXV. The Ogre's Castle
  XXXVI. The Defence of Castle Ailsa
 XXXVII. The Voice out of the Night
XXXVIII. A Rescue from the Sea
  XXXIX. The Cleft in the Rock
     XL. The Cave of Death
    XLI. The Were-Wolf of Benerard
   XLII. Ane Lochaber Aix gied Him his Paiks
  XLIII. The Moot Hill of Girvan
   XLIV. The Murder upon the Beach
    XLV. The Man in the Wide Breeches
   XLVI. The Judgment of God
  XLVII. The Place of the Legion of Devils
 XLVIII. The Finding of the Treasure of Kelwood
   XLIX. The Great Day of Trial
      L. The Last of the Grey Man
     LI. Marjorie's Good-night
    LII. Home-coming




                             *THE GREY MAN*



                              *CHAPTER I*

                          *THE OATH OF SWORDS*


Well do I mind the first time that ever I was in the heartsome town of
Ballantrae.  My father seldom went thither, because it was a hold of the
Bargany folk, and it argued therefore sounder sense to give it the
go-by.  But it came to pass upon a time that it was necessary for my
father to adventure from Kirrieoch on the border of Galloway, where we
dwelt high on the moors, to the seaside of Ayr.

My father's sister had married a man named Hew Grier, an indweller in
Maybole, who for gear's sake had settled down to his trade of tanner in
Ballantrae.  It was to his burying that we went.  We had seen him snugly
happed up, and the burial supper was over.  We were already in a mind to
set about returning, when we heard the sound of a great rushing of
people hither and thither.  I went aloft and looked through a gable
window upon the street.  Arms were hastily being brought from beneath
the thatch, to which the laws of the King had committed them under the
late ordinance anent weapons of war.  Leathern jackets were being
donned, and many folk cried 'Bargany!' in the streets without knowing
why.

My Aunt Grisel went out to ask what the stir might be,