Rats, bats and other beasties

It was quite late and and darkness was falling fast on our way back, and I felt shivers run down my back when we got to the small road that led to our cottage, the wildness of the majestic Ben More, and the eery quietness of Loch Na Keal that enveloped us in strange world that felt like we were the only people on the earth.
But once we were safely home, Liz had her belated five o'clock red, and she perked up miraculously, declaring herself ready to go out and get wood to start a fire.We had decided that while on holiday I would do the cooking while she took care of the fire, as the nights had become really chilly.
The dogs were left at the cottage while we went to Tobermory, and for me it was absolute bliss to be driving around without Benny's killer breath blowing hotly down my neck. Shame, the poor darling was an extremely bad passenger, and that first night he just collapsed in front of the fire, never to stir again until Liz took him to bed. But she did tell me in the morning that he became very restless during the night, and she had her work cut out to keep him quiet, as he was whining and barking the whole night at something outside.
She called the dogs to go out to the barn where the wood was kept, and I was happily peeling and frying and boiling, when a loud scream, then another suddenly rang out, disturbing the wonderful peace, and I left everything and legged it to the barn, where I found Liz standing on an old working bench together with Stouty, while Benny was trying frantically to unearth something from underneath the neatly stacked fire wood! According to Liz there was a rat as big as a tiger that was spying on her from underneath the wood, ready to pounce and devour her and the dogs, and that this beast had already taken a bite at her feet, as she saw him coming for her in the semi darkness, and could I please rescue the poor Benny! The poor woman was shivering like she was having some kind of fit, and her eyes were as big and as round as saucers!
Nothing could induce Liz to come down from the table until she was sure that she wasn't in mortal danger, and as nothing I said got through to her, I sprinted back to the kitchen, where I was just in time to rescue the food from becoming charcoaled! After a long time, with the food ready and getting cold, I managed to talk Liz off the table, from where she legged it straight to the bottle of red for fortification!
Then Benny started again, making funny growling sounds the one minute, then barking excitedly, trying all the time to scratch down the front door. As Liz was sitting nursing her fears with a large red, and being unable to get her courage up enough to see what was outside, upsetting Benny like that, I cautiously opened the door, and had a cautious peep, but Benny gave one lionlike growl and slipped through my legs, now barking like he was quite demented, looking up at the huge dark cliffs rising into space!
When Liz realized that her darling was in danger, she overcame her fears miraculously, and stormed outside, commanding Benny to come to her immediately, but Benny saw her coming, and him being busy showing to the beasts up the cliffs how cross he was, inviting them to come down and have it out, he sprinted neatly away from her, running across the road, with the by now steaming Liz at his heels, screaming like a bally banjee!
My mouth I think hung open at this delicious piece of comedy, and I was enjoying the happenings tremendously, but froze in my shoes when suddenly both Liz and Benny came running back from the mountain, both in big haste, and letting out the most amazing yelps I had ever heard coming from man or beast, while behind them in the darkness I could see large shapes running up the hillside, and I realized that it was some deer that must have been grazing on a green patch!
That night we had no peace, and trying to sit and read in front of the fire was useless, as Benny, his tail now again out from between his legs, had regained his courage, and growled and barked without pausing. I felt sorry for Liz, but thinking about Annette's offer to look after the dogs, my heart hardened, and I took my book up to my loft, where I closed the door firmly, shutting out the noise quite adequately to have a good sleep!