1914-15.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDIXBUKGH 393 



to have waiting for me at a certain Alehouse in the same 

 Street and after having arm'd myself at the house on the 

 left side I was to visit the several] Decads as we ealFd 

 them by the way and give them the word and having 

 united my men with the Souldiers my Brothers man 

 s[ai]d he had engad'gd to dessert who were to be at the 

 head of the garden opposete almost to our part of the 

 wall and other three fellows from Leith had comprehended 

 on with my Brother whom he said he would lodge in the 

 Grey fryars Churchyard. I having put them in a con- 

 venient Station I had agreed on with my Brother. I was 

 .to be before at the foot of the wall in order to goe up first 

 with him hard upon ten reakoning it our advantage to 

 have all the gates shut after us. I met with one interrup- 

 tion which gave me abundance of perplexity and fatigue. 

 One Mr. MacKenzie a lusty young Gentleman was sent 

 to my Brother who it seems had fall'n very untimeously 

 into a demurr about the authority we had for what we 

 were about to doe and he not beeing satisfy 'd with what 

 my Brother could alledge, I durst not decline the imploy- 

 ment of trying if I coud still find Mr. Forb[es] and there- 

 fore made him run with all his speed, it beeing then very 

 dark, down to the middle of the Cannongate where he 

 lodg'd. But finding he was gone nine minuts and after 

 having upbraided him and his company rudely enough at 

 the foot of the stair begging him only to hold his peace for 

 one hour I broke off from him at the former rate. He did 

 all he coud to to overtake me. But hearing him blow at a 

 terrible rate in a terrible manner I believ'd him resolv'd, 

 and stop't about the trone Church. He begg'd only I 

 would give him leave to bring his sword which he s[ai]d 

 the wou'd doe in a minut I am not able to express the 

 uneasyness I was in he stay'd a long while and ten was 

 struck at which time they shut the Potterrow port. A 

 thousand times I was like to break olf but the thoughts 

 of the importance these men might come to be of to us 

 and how censureable I woud be if we sutfer'd any thing 

 by the want of them restrained me tho' not beeing ac- 

 quainted with him I did not know but I might be betray Yl. 

 When he came I did not fail to chide him and finding they 

 were all gone from the Tavern I made him begin his race 



TRANS. BOT. SOC. EDiy. VOL. XXVI. 28 



