TheCaptainwaslyingdead，withouthisclothes，onthebed；onemanwasdiscoveredatadistance，anotherneartheCaptain。Thenitwasrememberedthat，atthesamebothyamonthbefore，ashepherdladhadinquiredfortheCaptain，hadwalkedwithhimforsometime，andthat，ontheofficer\'sreturn，\"amysteriousanxietyhungabouthim。\"Afirehadalsobeenseenblazingonanoppositeheight，andwhensomeofthegillieswenttothespot，\"therewasnofiretobeseen。\"Onthedaywhentheexpeditionhadstarted，theCaptainwaswarnedoftheillweather，buthesaid\"heMUST
go。\"Hewasanunpopularman，andwasaccusedofgettingmoneybyprocuringrecruitsfromtheHighlands，oftenbycruelmeans。\"Ourinformertoldusnothingmore；heneithertoldushisownopinion，northatofthecountry，butleftittoourownnotionsofthemannerinwhichgoodandevilisrewardedinthislifetosuggesttheauthorofthemiserableevent。Heseemedimpressedwithsuperstitiousaweonthesubject，andsaid，\'Therewasnathelikeseenina\'Scotland。\'ThemanisfaradvancedinyearsandisaschoolmasterintheneighbourhoodofRannoch。\"
SirWaltersaysthat\"thefeelingofsuperstitiousaweannexedtothecatastrophecouldnothavebeenimprovedbyanycircumstancesofadditionalhorrorwhichapoetcouldhaveinvented。Butistherenotsomethingmoremovingstillintheboatman\'sversion:
\"theywereneverseenagain……theywerenotfoundindeedtillthisday\"？
Thefolklorist，ofcourse，iseagertoknowwhethertheboatman\'smuchmorecompleteandconnectednarrativeisapopularmythicaldevelopmentintheyearsbetween1820and1890，orwhethertheschoolmasterofRannochdidnottellallheknew。Itisunlikely，Ithink，thatthesiegeofSeringapatamwouldhavebeenrememberedsolonginconnectionwiththeBlackOfficerifithadnotformedpartofhisoriginallegend。MeanwhiletheearliestprintednoticeoftheeventwithwhichIamacquainted，anoticeonlytenyearslaterthanthedateoftheMajor\'sdeathin1799，isgivenbyHoggin\"TheSpy，\"1810-11，pp。101-3。Iofferanabridgmentofthenarrative。