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Edited by
Gerhard Dehm, James M. Howe,
and Josef Zweck
Hardcover
ISBN: 978-3-527-31982-4
Edited by
Gerhard Dehm, James M. Howe,
and Josef Zweck
Contents
Index 371
XIII
List of Contributors
Preface
Today, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) represents one of the most impor-
tant tools used to characterize materials. Electron diffraction provides information
on the crystallographic structure of materials, conventional TEM with bright-field
and dark-field imaging on their microstructure, high-resolution TEM on their
atomic structure, scanning TEM on their elemental distributions, and analytical
TEM on their chemical composition and bonding mechanisms. Each of these
techniques is explained in detail in various textbooks on TEM techniques, including
Transmission Electron Microscopy: A Textbook for Materials Science (D.B. Williams and
C.B. Carter, Plenum Press, New York, 1996), and Transmission Electron Microscopy
and Diffractometry of Materials (3rd edition, B. Fultz and J. M. Howe, Springer-Verlag,
Berlin, Heidelberg, 2008).
Most interestingly, however, TEM also enables dynamical processes in materials
to be studied through dedicated in-situ experiments. To watch changes occurring in a
material of interest allows not only the development but also the refinement of
models, so as to explain the underlying physics and chemistry of materials pro-
cesses. The possibilities for in-situ experiments span from thermodynamics and
kinetics (including chemical reactions, oxidation, and phase transformations) to
mechanical, electrical, ferroelectric, and magnetic material properties, as well as
materials synthesis.
The present book is focused on the state-of-the-art possibilities for performing
dynamic experiments inside the electron microscope, with attention centered on
TEM but including scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Whilst seeing is believing is
one aspect of in-situ experiments in electron microscopy, the possibility to obtain
quantitative data is of almost equal importance when accessing critical data in
relation to physics, chemistry, and the materials sciences. The equipment needed
to obtain quantitative data on various stimuli – such as temperature and gas flow for
materials synthesis, load and displacement for mechanical properties, and electrical
current and voltage for electrical properties, to name but a few examples – are
described in the individual sections that relate to Growth and Interactions (Part Two),
Mechanical Properties (Part Three), and Physical Properties (Part Four).
XVIII Preface
During the past decade, interest in in-situ electron microscopy experiments has
grown considerably, due mainly to new developments in quantitative stages and
micro-/nano-electromechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS) that provide a ‘‘lab on chip’’
platform which can fit inside the narrow space of the pole-pieces in the transmission
electron microscope. In addition, the advent of imaging correctors that compensate
for the spherical and, more recently, the chromatic aberration of electromagnetic
lenses has not only increased the resolution of TEM but has also permitted the use of
larger pole-piece gaps (and thus more space for stages inside the microscope), even
when designed for imaging at atomic resolution. Another driving force of in-situ
experimentation using electron probes has been the small length-scales that are
accessible with focused ion beam/SEM platforms and TEM instruments. These are
of direct relevance for nanocrystalline materials and thin-film structures with
micrometer and nanometer dimensions, as well as for structural defects such as
interfaces in materials.
This book provides an overview of dynamic experiments in electron microscopy,
and is especially targeted at students, scientists, and engineers working in the fields
of chemistry, physics, and the materials sciences. Although experience in electron
microscopy techniques is not a prerequisite for readers, as the basic information on
these techniques is summarized in the first two chapters of Part One, Basics and
Methods, some basic knowledge would help to use the book to its full extent. Details
of specialized in-situ methods, such as Dynamic TEM and Reflection Electron Micro-
scopy are also included in Part One, to highlight the science which emanates from
these fields.
Part I
Basics and Methods
In-situ Electron Microscopy: Applications in Physics, Chemistry and Materials Science, First Edition.
Edited by Gerhard Dehm, James M. Howe, and Josef Zweck.
Ó 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. Published 2012 by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.
j3
1
Introduction to Scanning Electron Microscopy
Christina Scheu and Wayne D. Kaplan
The scanning electron microscope is without doubt one of the most widely used
characterization tools available to materials scientists and materials engineers. Today,
modern instruments achieve amazing levels of resolution, and can be equipped with
various accessories that provide information on local chemistry and crystallography.
These data, together with the morphological information derived from the sample,
are important when characterizing the microstructure of materials used in a wide
number of applications. A schematic overview of the signals that are generated when
an electron beam interacts with a solid sample, and which are used in the scanning
electron microscope for microstructural characterization, is shown in Figure 1.1. The
most frequently detected signals are high-energy backscattered electrons, low-energy
secondary electrons and X-rays, while less common signals include Auger electrons,
cathodoluminescence, and measurements of beam-induced current. The origin of
these signals will be discussed in detail later in the chapter.
Due to the mechanisms by which the image is formed in the scanning electron
microscope, the micrographs acquired often appear to be directly interpretable; that
is, the contrast in the image is often directly associated with the microstructural
features of the sample. Unfortunately, however, this may often lead to gross errors in
the measurement of microstructural features, and in the interpretation of the
microstructure of a material. At the same time, the fundamental mechanisms by
which the images are formed in the scanning electron microscope are reasonably
straightforward, and a little effort from the materials scientist or engineer in
correlating the microstructural features detected by the imaging mechanisms makes
the technique of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) being extremely powerful.
Unlike conventional optical microscopy or conventional transmission electron
microscopy (TEM), in SEM a focused beam of electrons is rastered across the
specimen, and the signals emitted from the specimen are collected as a function
of position of the incident focused electron beam. As such, the final image is collected
in a sequential manner across the surface of the sample. As the image in SEM is
formed from signals emitted due to the interaction of a focused incident electron
probe with the sample, two critical issues are involved in understanding SEM images,
as well as in the correlated analytical techniques: (i) the nature of the incident electron
probe; and (ii) the manner by which incident electrons interact with matter.
In-situ Electron Microscopy: Applications in Physics, Chemistry and Materials Science, First Edition.
Edited by Gerhard Dehm, James M. Howe, and Josef Zweck.
Ó 2012 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. Published 2012 by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.
4 j 1 Introduction to Scanning Electron Microscopy
Figure 1.1 Schematic drawing of possible signals created when an incident electron beam interacts
with a solid sample. Reproduced with permission from Ref. [4]; Ó 2008, John Wiley & Sons.
1.1
Components of the Scanning Electron Microscope
Figure 1.2 Schematic drawing of the major probe, and to control the beam current density.
components of a scanning electron The demagnified beam is than scanned across
microscope. The electron lenses and apertures the sample. Various detectors are used to
are used to demagnify the electron beam that is register the signals arising from various
emitted from the electron source into a small electron–matter interactions.
6 j 1 Introduction to Scanning Electron Microscopy
oxidation, which would limit the lifetime of the gun and may cause instabilities in the
intensity of the emitted electrons. Second, a high level of vacuum is required to
prevent the scattering of electrons as they traverse the column from the gun to the
specimen. Third, it is important to reduce the partial pressure of water and carbon in
the vicinity of the sample, as any interaction of the incident electron beam with such
molecules on the surface of the sample may lead to the formation of what is
commonly termed a carbonaceous (or contamination) layer, which can obscure
the sample itself. The prevention of carbonaceous layer formation depends both on
the partial pressure of water and carbon in the vacuum near the sample, and the
amount of carbon and water molecules that are adsorbed onto the surface of the
sample prior to its introduction into the microscope. Thus, while a minimum level of
vacuum is always required to prevent the scattering of electrons by molecules (the
concentration of which in the vacuum is determined from a measure of partial
pressure), it is the partial pressure of oxygen in the region of the electron gun, and the
partial pressure of carbon and water in the region of the specimen, that are in fact
critical to operation of the microscope. Unfortunately, most scanning electron
microscopes do not provide such measures of partial pressure, but rather maintain
different levels of vacuum in the different regions of the instrument. Normally, the
highest vacuum (i.e., the lowest pressure) is in the vicinity of the electron gun and,
depending on the type of electron source, an ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) level
(pressure <108 Pa) may be attained. The nominal pressure in the vicinity of the
specimen is normally in the range of 103 Pa. Some scanning electron microscopes
that have been designed for the characterization of low-vapor pressure liquids,
moist biological specimens or nonconducting materials, have differential
apertures between the regions of the microscope. This allows a base vacuum as
high as approximately 0.3 Pa close to the sample. These instruments, which
are often referred to as environmental scanning electron microscopes, offer
unique possibilities, but their detailed description is beyond the scope of the present
chapter.
1.1.1
Electron Guns
The role of the electron gun is to produce a high-intensity source of electrons which
can be focused into a fine electron beam. In principle, free electrons can be generated
by thermal emission or field emission from a metal surface (Figure 1.3). In thermal
emission, the energy necessary to overcome the work function is supplied by heating
the tip. In order to reduce the work function an electric field is applied (Schottky
effect). If the electric field is of the order of 10 V nm1, the height and width of the
potential barrier is strongly reduced, such that the electrons may leave the metal via
field emission.
Although several different electron sources have been developed, their basic
design is rather similar (see Figure 1.4). In a thermionic source, the electrons are
extracted from a heated filament at a low bias voltage that is applied between the
source and a cylindrical cap (the Wehnelt cylinder). This beam of thermionic
1.1 Components of the Scanning Electron Microscope j7
Figure 1.3 Schematic drawing of the The work function can be lowered by applying an
electrostatic potential barrier at a metal surface. electric field (Schottky effect). If the field is very
In order to remove an electron from the metal high, the electrons can tunnel through the
surface, the work function must be overcome. potential barrier. Redrawn from Ref. [1].
Figure 1.4 Schematic drawings of (a) a Wehnelt cylinder). (e) In FEGs, the electrons are
tungsten filament and (b) a LaB6 tip for extracted by a high electric field applied to the
thermionic electron sources. (c) For a field- sharp tip by a counterelectrode aperture, and
emission gun (FEG) source, a sharp tungsten then focused by an anode to image the
tip is used. (d) In thermionic sources the source. Reproduced with permission from
filament or tip is heated to eject electrons, which Ref. [4]; Ó 2008, John Wiley & Sons.
are then focused with an electrostatic lens (the
The effective source size can be significantly reduced (leading to the term high-
resolution SEM) by using a cold field emission gun (FEG), in which the electrons
tunnel out of a sharp tip under the influence of a high electric field (Figures 1.3
and 1.4). Cold FEG sources can generate a brightness of the order of 107 A cm2 sr1,
and the sharp tip of the tungsten needle that emits the electrons is of the order of
0.2 mm in diameter; hence, the effective source size is less than 5 nm. More often, a
hot source replaces the cold source, in which case a sharp tungsten needle is
heated to enhance the emission (this is termed a thermal field emitter, or TFE). The
heating of the tip leads to a self-cleaning process; this has proved to be another benefit
of TFEs in that they can be operated at a lower vacuum level (higher pressures). In the
1.1 Components of the Scanning Electron Microscope j9
Table 1.1 A comparison of the properties of different electron sources.
so-called Schottky emitters, the electrostatic field is mainly used to reduce the work
function, such that electrons leave the tip via thermal emission (see Figure 1.3). A
zirconium-coated tip is often used to reduce the work function even further.
Although Schottky emitters have a slightly larger effective source size than cold
field emission sources, they are more stable and require less stringent vacuum
requirements than cold FEG sources. Equally important, the probe current at
the specimen is significantly larger than for cold FEG sources; this is important
for other analytical techniques used with SEM, such as energy dispersive X-ray
spectroscopy (EDS).
1.1.2
Electromagnetic Lenses
Within the scanning electron microscope, the role of the general lens system is to
demagnify an image of the initial crossover of the electron probe to the final size of
the electron probe on the sample surface (1–50 nm), and to raster the probe across
the surface of the specimen. As a rule, this system provides demagnifications in the
range of 1000- to 10 000-fold. Since one is dealing with electrons rather than photons
the lenses may be either electrostatic or electromagnetic. The simplest example of
these is the electrostatic lens that is used in the electron gun.
Electromagnetic lenses are more commonly encountered, and consist of a large
number of turns of a copper wire wound around an iron core (the pole-piece). A small
gap located at the center of the core separates the upper and lower pole-pieces. The
magnetic flux of the lens is concentrated within a small volume by the pole-pieces,
and the stray field at the gap forms the magnetic field. The magnetic field distribution
is inhomogeneous in order to focus electrons traveling parallel to the optical axis onto
a point on the optical axis; otherwise, they would be unaffected. Thereby, the radial
component of the field will force these electrons to change their direction in such a
way that they possess a velocity component normal to the optical axis; the longitudinal
component of the field would then force them towards the optical axis. Accordingly,
the electrons move within the lens along screw trajectories about the optical axis due
10 j 1 Introduction to Scanning Electron Microscopy
to the Lorentz force associated with the longitudinal and radial magnetic field
components.
Generally, in order to determine the image position and magnification (demagni-
fication) for the given position of the object, it is possible to use the lens formula:
1 1 1
¼ þ ð1:2Þ
F U V
where F is the focal length of the lens, U is the distance between the object and the
lens, and V is the distance between the image and the lens. The magnification
(demagnification) of the image – that is, the ratio of the linear image size h to the
corresponding linear size of the object H – is equal to (see Figure 1.5):
h V
M¼ ¼ : ð1:3Þ
H U
If U F, then for the total demagnification of a three-lens system a spot is obtained
with a geometric diameter of
F1 F2 F3
d0 ¼ dgun ¼ Mdgun ð1:4Þ
U1 U2 U3
where dgun is the initial crossover diameter. To obtain d0 10 nm for a thermionic
cathode, which possesses an initial crossover dgun of 20–50 mm, the total demagni-
fication must be 1/5000. A Schottky or field-emission gun can result in dgun
10 nm, such that only one probe-forming (objective) lens is necessary to demagnify
the electron probe to d0 1 nm. The distance between the objective lens and the
sample surface is termed the working distance of the microscope. From the above
discussion, it follows that a short working distance will lead to a stronger demagni-
fication and thus to a smaller electron probe size.
Figure 1.5 Schematic drawing of the relationship between focal length and magnification for a
ideal thin lens. Reproduced with permission from Ref. [4]; Ó 2008, John Wiley & Sons.
1.1 Components of the Scanning Electron Microscope j11
As with any lens system, the final size (and shape) of the electron probe will
also depend on aberrations intrinsic to the electromagnetic lenses used in the
scanning electron microscope. In a simplistic approach, the three main lens
aberrations are spherical and chromatic aberrations (Figure 1.6) and astigmatism
(Figure 1.7):
. Spherical aberration results in electrons traversing different radial distances in the
lens (r1 and r2 in Figure 1.6a), to be focused at different focal lengths; this will
result in a blurring of the image (and a finite resolution).
. Due to chromatic aberrations, electrons having a difference in energy (wavelength)
are focused to different focal lengths along the optical column (Figure 1.6b). In
contrast to optical microscopy, electrons with shorter wavelengths (i.e., higher
energy) will reach a focal point at larger focal lengths.
. Finally, astigmatism results in different focal lengths for electrons entering the
lens at different tangential angles about the optical axis (Figure 1.7).
Figure 1.6 (a, b) Schematic drawings of the influence of (a) spherical and (b) chromatic
aberrations on the focused electron probe. In this schematic drawing the angles of deflection are
exaggerated. Reproduced with permission from Ref. [4]; Ó 2008, John Wiley & Sons.
12 j 1 Introduction to Scanning Electron Microscopy
Figure 1.7 Schematic drawing of the influence of astigmatism on size of a focused electron probe.
Reproduced with permission from Ref. [4]; Ó 2008, John Wiley & Sons.
jp ¼ pba2p : ð1:5Þ
If it is assumed, for simplicity, that the current density is uniform over a circle of
diameter d0, then the total probe current will be given by:
p 2
ip ¼ d jp : ð1:6Þ
4 0
Then:
sffiffiffiffiffiffi
4ip 1 1
d0 ¼ ¼ C0 : ð1:7Þ
b pap ap
h i
2 2 DE 2 2
dp2 ¼ C0 þ ð0:6lÞ ap þ 0:25Cs ap þ Cc
2 2 6
ap ð1:9Þ
E
where C0 contains the probe current and the gun brightness, dd is the diffraction limit
due to the apertures, and CS and CC are the spherical and chromatic aberration
coefficients, respectively. When using a scanning electron microscope with a
1.1 Components of the Scanning Electron Microscope j13
thermionic cathode, the constant C0 is much larger than l, which means that the
diffraction error can be neglected. The dominant terms are those containing C0 and
CS because, for energies in the 10 to 20 kV range, the term that contains CC becomes
small due to the presence of DE/E. When operating with E < 5 keV, the chromatic
error term dominates and C0 is increased owing to the decrease in b (which is
proportional to E).
1.1.3
Deflection System
As mentioned above, the image is formed by scanning a focused electron beam along
a raster where, at each point, a signal produced by the interaction between the
incident electron beam and the sample is detected, amplified, and displayed.
Scanning over a raster is accomplished by two pairs of scanning coils which deflect
the electron beam along a line; the coils then move the beam to the beginning of the
next line where it is again deflected. By repeating this process the entire rastered area
can be scanned. Simultaneously, a spot is scanned over the viewing screen, and
displays the detected signal at each point. The viewing screen is either a cathode ray
tube (these are rarely used in modern systems) or a liquid crystal display (LCD)
computer monitor-based system.
Due to the image formation process, the magnification M of a scanning electron
microscope is given by the ratio of the length of the raster on the viewing screen
LScreen and the length of the raster on the sample surface LSample:
M ¼ LScreen L : ð1:10Þ
Sample
1.1.4
Electron Detectors
Captain Windham was not stunned for very long, though to him it
was an unknown space of time that he lay sprawling in the dust by
the side of the pine-trunk. When he dizzily raised himself and looked
about him no human being was in sight, but there on the road, within
a few feet of him, with snorting nostrils and terrified eyes, lay his
unfortunate horse, trying desperately and repeatedly to get to its feet
again, despite a broken foreleg. For an instant Keith stared at the
poor sweating, plunging brute, then, passing a hand over his bruised
and bleeding forehead, he got to his own feet. There was only one
thing to be done; though the sound of a shot would very likely draw
undesirable attention upon himself, he could not leave the animal
there in agony. His remaining pistol was in his holster, and during the
process of extracting it he realized that he had twisted an ankle in his
fall. A moment or two later the sound of a shot went ringing over the
waters of Loch Oich, and the troubles of Captain Windham’s charger
were over.
But his were not; indeed he fancied that they had but just begun.
Dismounted, his brilliant scarlet-and-blue uniform rendering him in
the highest degree conspicuous, his head aching, and in one place
excoriated by contact with the tree-trunk, he saw that he could never
summon reinforcements in time now; it was doubtful whether he
would reach Fort Augustus at all. His ankle, as he soon discovered,
was swollen and painful; moreover he had somehow to get back to
Wade’s road when he reached the end of this lake. With his hand to
his head he glanced in disgust at the prostrate trunk with which it
had just made such painful acquaintance. Detestable country, where
even the wildfowl and the vegetation were in league with the
inhabitants!
Hearing a sound of water, he looked about till he found a tiny ice-
cold spring between the track and the lake, and, dipping his
handkerchief into this, bathed his forehead. Had he known of the
seven gory severed heads which had been washed in that innocent-
looking little source less than a hundred years before, perhaps he
would not have done so. Hardly had he reloaded his pistol, his next
care, when a distant noise, like many running feet, sent him hurriedly
to the shelter of the steep, tree-clad hillside on his left. Here, among
the scanty undergrowth, he crouched as best he could while, some
minutes later, a score of armed Highlanders poured past on the track
below him. So this side of the lake was gathering, too!
Captain Windham waited in his concealment until the way was
clear and silent again, and then descended, since it was impossible
for him to keep in cover if he meant to reach Fort Augustus—and
where else should he make for? Leaning on the branch of oak which
he had broken off to assist his steps, he began to trudge grimly
forward.
There soon came in sight, on its rock by the lake side, the keep
of Invergarry Castle. Captain Windham did not know that it belonged
to the chief of Glengarry, but he was sure that it was the hold of
some robber or other, and that he himself might not improbably see
the inside of it. It looked ruinous, but that was no safeguard—on the
contrary. And here were some dwellings, little, roughly thatched
buildings, but obviously inhabited. Yet all he saw of their occupants
were a few white-haired children who ran screaming away, and one
old woman at her door, who crossed herself devoutly at sight of him.
So, to add to all their other vices, the people of these parts were
Papists!
The next obstacle was a river, which he had to cross as best he
could on insecure and slippery stones, and the difficulties of doing
this with an injured ankle took his mind off remoter possibilities, so
that when he was safely over he was surprised to find the ominous
tower well behind him, and he went on somewhat cheered. The sun
was now getting lower, and though the other side of the glen was in
full warm light, this side felt almost cold. Another peculiarity of this
repulsively mountainous district. Gently swelling hills one could
admire, but masses of rock, scored with useless and inconvenient
torrents, had nothing to recommend them. He did not wonder at the
melancholy complaints he had heard last night from the officers
quartered at Fort Augustus.
And what would the garrison there say when they heard of this
afternoon’s disgrace? Captain Windham’s thoughts went angrily
back to it. What, too, had happened to those chicken-hearted
recruits by this time? He pulled out his watch; to his surprise it was
already after six o’clock. And he still had the watch in his hand when
his ear was caught by the sound of horse’s hoofs behind him. He
stopped to listen. The pace, a smart trot, did not seem hurried; the
rider might be some unconcerned traveller. But he might on the other
hand be an enemy. Keith Windham looked for cover, but here there
was none convenient as a while ago, and the best he could do was
to hobble on ahead to where a solitary oak-tree reared itself by the
side of the road, for he was minded to have something to set his
back against if necessary.
When he was nearly there he looked round, and saw the rider, a
big Highlander on a grey horse. He was not alone, for at his heels
came another, keeping up with the horse with long loping strides like
a wolf’s. To Keith one tartan was as yet like another, so, for all he
knew, these two might be of a friendly clan. He awaited them by the
oak-tree.
As the horseman came on Keith saw that he was young,
vigorous-looking and well armed. He wore trews, not a kilt like the
other. But as he came he rose in his stirrups and shouted something
in which Keith clearly caught the word ‘surrender’. So he was not
friendly. Very well then! Captain Windham raised the pistol which he
had ready, and fired—rather at the horse than the rider. The young
Highlander, with a dexterity which he could not but admire, pulled
aside the animal in the nick of time, and the shot missed. Keith’s
sword leapt out as, with a yell, the man on foot flung himself past the
horse towards him, dirk in hand. But the rider called out something in
Gaelic, which had an immediate effect, for the gillie, or whatever he
was, came to an abrupt stop, his eyes glowering and his lips drawn
back, as like a wolf about to spring as possible.
Meanwhile, to Keith’s surprise, the horseman sprang to earth,
flung the reins to his henchman, and came forward empty-handed—
a magnificent specimen of young manhood, as the soldier could not
help admitting.
“I advise you to surrender, sir,” he said courteously, lifting his
bonnet, in which were fastened two eagle’s feathers. “I am sorry to
take advantage of an injured man, but I have my Chief’s orders. You
are completely cut off, and moreover your men are all prisoners—
indeed Captain Scott is at this moment in Lochiel’s custody. If you
will give up your sword I shall be honoured to take you into mine.”
“The deuce you will!” exclaimed Keith, secretly astonished at the
polish of his manner—a man who wore a plaid! “And who are you,
pray?”
“Cameron of Ardroy,” answered the young man. “Lochiel’s
second cousin,” he added.
“I don’t care whose second cousin you are, Mr. Cameron of
Ardroy,” returned Captain Windham to this, “but if you think that you
are going to have my sword for the asking, you and your cut-throat
there, you are vastly mistaken!”
For provided—but it was a big proviso—that the two did not rush
upon him at once he thought that he could deal with each separately.
Splendidly built as this young Highlander was, lean too, and,
doubtless, muscular, he probably knew no more of swordplay than
was required to wield that heavy basket-hilted weapon of his, and
Captain Windham himself was a good swordsman. Yes, provided
Lochiel’s second cousin did not use the pistol that he wore (which so
far he had made no motion to do) and provided that the wolf-like
person remained holding the horse . . .
“Come on and take me,” he said provocatively, flourishing his
sword. “You are not afraid, surely, of a lame man!” And he pointed
with it to the rough staff at his feet.
Under his tan the large young Highlander seemed to flush
slightly. “I know that you are lame; and your forehead is cut. You had
a fall; I came upon your dead horse. That is why I do not wish to fight
you. Give up your sword, sir; it is no disgrace. We are two to one,
and you are disabled. Do not, I pray you, constrain me to disable you
further!”
Hang the fellow, why did he behave so out of his cateran’s rôle?
“You are considerate indeed!” retorted Captain Windham mockingly.
“Suppose you try first whether you can disable me further!—Now, Mr.
Cameron, as I don’t intend to be stopped on my road by mere words,
I must request you to stand out of my way!” And—rashly, no doubt,
since in so doing he no longer had one eye on that murderous-
looking gillie—he advanced sword in hand upon his reluctant
opponent. Frowning, and muttering something under his breath, the
young man with the eagle’s feathers at last drew his own weapon,
and the blades rang together.
Thirty seconds of it, and Keith Windham knew that he had
attacked a swordsman quite as good if not better than himself.
Breathing hard, he was being forced back to the trunk of the oak
again, and neither his aching head nor his damaged ankle was
wholly to blame for this. Who said that broadsword play was not
capable of finesse? This surprisingly scrupulous young barbarian
could have cut him down just then, but he drew back when he had
made the opening. The certitude of being spared irritated the soldier;
he lost his judgment and began to fight wildly, and so the end came,
for his sword was suddenly torn from his hand, sailed up into the
oak-tree above him, balanced a moment on a branch, and then fell a
couple of yards away. And his adversary had his foot upon it in a
second.
As for Keith Windham, he leant back against the oak-tree, his
head all at once going round like a mill-wheel, with the noise of a
sluice, too, in his ears. For a flash everything was blank; then he felt
that someone was supporting him by an arm, and a voice said in his
ear, “Drink this, sir, and accept my apologies. But indeed you forced
me to it.”
Keith drank, and, though it was only water, sight was restored to
him. It was his late opponent who had his arm under his, and who
was looking at him with a pair of very blue eyes.
“Yes, I forced you to it,” confessed Captain Windham, drawing a
long breath. “I surrender—I can do nothing else, Mr. . . . Cameron.”
“Then I will take you home with me, and your hurts can be
dressed,” said the Highlander, showing no trace of elation. “We shall
have to go back as far as the pass, but fortunately I have a horse.
Lachuin, thoir dhomh an t’each!”
The gillie, scowling, brought forward the grey. His captor loosed
Keith’s arm and held the stirrup. “Can you mount, sir?”
“But I am not going to ride your horse!” said Keith, astonished. “It
will not carry two of us—and what will you do yourself?”
“I? Oh, I will walk,” answered the victor carelessly. “I assure you
that I am more accustomed to it. But you would never reach Ardroy
on foot, lame as you are.” And as Keith hesitated, looking at this
disturbing exponent of Highland chivalry, the exponent added,
hesitating a little himself, “There is only one difficulty. If you are
mounted, I fear I must ask you for your parole of honour?”
“I give it you—and that willingly,” answered Keith, with a sudden
spurt of good feeling. “Here’s my hand on it, if you like, Mr.
Cameron!”
CHAPTER II