At last, as the afternoon ebbed away, and the hour of sundown and homecoming wore on, his anxiety waxed pitiful. He turned and twisted to free his hands, so that the only way I could quiet him was to lift a pistol and point it at him. But even that did not appear to soothe him for any length of time. At last he raised his head. ’Master,’ said he, sullenly, but speaking not that ill, ’ye have me, I grant, in the cleaving of a stick. Now I will tell you a thing you greatly desire to know. Will ye promise to let me go, and I will never meddle you more?’ ’I do not mean that you should,’ said I, ’nevertheless, what is the thing that you can tell me? And when I know, I shall judge its worth—on the honour of a gentleman.’ ’I can tell you,’ said he, ’where you will find the treasure of Kelwood!’ ’What bald-crowned blethers!’ I cried scornfully. ’Pray, how am I to know that you speak the truth? Ye may tell me that it is with the gold cup, at the end of the rainbow!’ ’It is true,’ said the man, ’I might lie to you; but I will not, for I need my life. It is sweet to me as yours to you.’ ’How can such a life be sweet?’ I asked, daffing with the man in my power—which was ’bad form,’ as John Mure himself sayeth in his history of the troubles. ’It is not a time to argue,’ said he, ’but my life is as pleasant as the trees that toss their branches, and as the free life of the forest.’ ’Too free altogether,’ said I, ’thus to come in and threaten the life and honour of a decent woman. We must have such freedom trussed and stretched on a tow rope.’ ’I did but fright her,’ said he, sullenly. ’That is as may be,’ replied I, keeping my pistol trained for his left eye-hole, ’and in any case it will be all the same in two hours.’ ’But,’ said he, ’hear me concerning the treasure of Kelwood. Ye have conquest the key. I can tell you where the box itself is. For if I win clear this time, I must escape over seas from the vengeance of the Grey Man.’ ’But you may lie even as you have stolen, and I fear me murdered also, for by your talk you are one of a murderous set.’ ’Of the lying you must e’en take your chance—even as, after telling you, I must take my chance of your cutting my bonds and letting me go.’ ’You have a gentleman’s word,’ I answered him. ’And how much is that worth in Carrick this day,’ he said harshly and bitterly, ’even with a bond to back it?’ ’Mine,’ said I, with what dignity I could muster, ’is worth as much as truth itself’—which, I grant, was but a windy saying. ’I believe it, and I will trust it,’ said he. ’The treasure of Kelwood is in the cave of Sawny Bean, on the seashore of Bennanbrack, over against the hill of Benerard.’ And not another word would he say. So when Mistress Allison had locked herself in the milk-house, and advised me that the haymakers were in full sight, I caused my man to roll himself to the door of the bedroom. There with my sword I cut the bonds.