218 SALMON FISHING IN THE TWEED 



pony, but walking down hill ; and I went to meet 

 him, that he might not miss us at the river. I came 

 up to him precisely at the turnpike by Newton, 

 and overheard the following little dialogue between 

 him and the turnpike woman : — 



" Here's twopence for you, good woman." 



" What for do ye gie me this ? " 



" Why, for my horse, to be sure." 



" And whaur may your horse be ? " 



" Where ? why here, behind me, my good dame." 



" It must be a gey piece ahint then, I'm think- 

 ing, for I canna see the beast." 



At this he began to pull the bridle rein which 

 he had in his hand ; and, upon finding it very 

 particularly obedient, he looked round and found, 

 true enough, that the pony whom he fancied he 

 had been leading down hill, and was at the end of 

 the said bridle, had slipped out his head, and 

 trotted back the way he came. At this incident, 

 he seemed almost as much amused as we were ; 

 though I thought I saw a lurking appearance of 

 distress in his countenance, too, as having further 

 to walk than he had bargained for. 



Let us now see what the fishermen were doing. 

 Charles Purdie and Thomas Jamieson, whilst sit- 

 ting on a rock by the water-side, at length descried 

 Tom Purdie making up to them with his leister. 



" Well, Tom," said Jamieson, " I never knew ye 

 keep ahint afore, when there was any wark for the 

 leister. What makes ye so late, mon ? " 



" Why, I cudna get awa' frae Abbotsford ; 

 there was a gentleman wi' Sir Walter ; but wha he 

 was 1 dunna ken, but I think he was English. Sir 



