‘It’s on its way, lad, don’t worry. And your sisters will do all they can. Now, go up to the house and get Florrie and Rosie here, and get yourself into some dry clothes. Eeh, my lad, I’m right proud of you, but they shouldn’t take one so young with them.’

Betsy marvelled at the skill of her girls. In the hour it took for the ambulance to arrive, they had administered to all seven injured men, bandaging wounds with ripped-up sheets, setting broken limbs with splints made from pieces of wood that the landlord provided, and stemming blood-flow with tourniquets. But it was when she witnessed Daisy removing shrapnel from a man’s stomach that she felt the most admiration she’d ever felt in her life.

Orders shouted by Daisy were obeyed without question. Needles were brought to her and sterilized by Betsy and Susan, in the pots of boiling water that the landlord kept going on his stove; as was fine fish-gut, which was used to stitch the wound and gashes sustained by other patients.

As the last man was put into a van that was to follow the ambulance, everyone cheered. The landlord came over to Daisy and Florrie and held up their hands in the air. ‘Well, me lassies, I ken ye did a great job there. Ye deserve a medal. Lives have been saved this neet, so they have. I’d offer everyone a drink, but our own lads aren’t back in yet. We need to keep a vigil going.’

‘Thanks, Willum, but can you get everyone to set to and scrub this room, and can you sterilize everything again? Rosie and Florrie, come with me, we’ll get cleaned up. I ordered the ambulance to come back. We need to be ready for when the next boat comes in.’

It was two hours later that they brought in the men from the raft. To Betsy’s great relief, Angus and Rory were on it, and neither was hurt, just shocked at what they’d seen.

‘Me bonny wee lassie, I’ve visited hell.’

Betsy looked up into Angus’s weather-beaten face and felt her love for him swell inside her. ‘Eeh, Angus, thank God you’re home.’

Within the circle of his arms Betsy felt a lifting of all her troubles, but she couldn’t enjoy it for long, as her help was required. ‘Take yourself home, love. I’ll be there as soon as the girls are done here.’

‘I’ll have meself a wee dram first, lassie. I’ll be in the bar, as I see Willum has opened it up, now that we’re back.’

‘Go on with you. Any excuse.’

‘Are ye not for thinking that I have the best excuse ever, then, me lassie?’