"
It came into my mind suddenly how I had burrowed in the straw to hide
myself after running from Dame Shand's. But whether that or the
thought of burrowing in the peat-stack came first, I cannot tell. I
turned and felt whether I could draw out a peat. With a little
loosening I succeeded.
"Father," I said, "couldn't we make a hole in the peat-stalk, and
build ourselves in?"
"A capital idea, my boy!" he answered, with a gladness in his voice
which I venture to attribute in part to his satisfaction at finding
that I had some practical sense in me. "We'll try it at once."
"I've got two or three out already," I said, for I had gone on
pulling, and it was easy enough after one had been started.
"We must take care we don't bring down the whole stack though," said
my father.
"Even then," I returned, "we could build ourselves up in them, and
that would be something."
"Right, Ranald! It would be only making houses to our own shape,
instead of big enough to move about in--turning crustaceous animals,
you know."
"It would be a peat-greatcoat at least," I remarked, pulling away.
"Here," he said, "I will put my stick in under the top row. That will
be a sort of lintel to support those above."
He always carried his walking-stick whether he rode or walked.
We worked with a will, piling up the peats a little in front that we
might with them build up the door of our cave after we were inside.
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