1 68 JOHN DUNCAN, WEAVER AND BOTANIST. 



unbend under the genial sunshine of the heart, and could 

 give thrust for thrust, sally for sally. He could sing his 

 song with the best, though the organ pipes were not of the 

 clearest, and even discourse sweet music for the dance. 

 This he did on the Jew's harp, which he carried when he 

 went from home fastened on a cork, with a slit cut at the 

 end for the thin tongue, and which he used to keep in salt 

 to preserve it from rust for he was careful and methodical 

 in the minutest item of his life. 



At times, John did become not a little cross, and, from 

 his painful history, it is a wonder his temper was not worse 

 than it was. But Charles " never fell oot wi' 'im, and," as 

 he added with generous appreciation, " I never had ony 

 occasion." Sometimes, as he confessed, he would give John 

 a sharp retort, but he was immediately sorry for it, and said 

 so ; for, as he felt and still feels, " John's love for me was 

 an enduring love." 



These reminiscences are sufficient to prove that, as John 

 sometimes phrased it, Charles was at that time " a gae 

 sportsman chappie " and " awfu' merry." But then he was, 

 as he said, " a steady honest man," and " meant and said 

 and did nae hairm," for " I aye liked Charlie Black, and sae 

 did he me." 



As for Charles, he would not have hurt even a hair of 

 John's head, much less ruffled his feelings of set purpose 

 to pain him ; his love and respect for him were too deep. 

 As he says, " a more truly honest man than John Duncan 

 never lived. I did try him at times, from sheer fun and 

 suppressed steam, but the dear, kind soul seldom got angry 

 with me on these occasions, but would in general only 

 remonstrate with me on what he considered my daftness ! " 



