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with a durke in my shoulder, and a stroak with my 

 owen sword; robbed me of my money, my linens, some 

 cloathes, my sword, and provisions." They also took 

 Hugh's letters, bound him and his company, and 

 " allways" threatened him with " present death" for 

 executing " the foresaid letters." They offered his 

 life to any one of the company who would hang the 

 rest ; and finally, having secured them with " horse 

 roaps," left them in the wood, where they lay on the 

 ground " in cold, hunger, and great miserie for four 

 days and three nights." Such was the treatment of 

 which cattle lifters deemed the myrmidons of the law 

 fit subjects. 



The thefts and depredations committed upon some 

 lands by Rob Roy and his followers are said to have 

 been equal to the rents of those lands. The practice of 

 cattle lifting had indeed come to be a well-systeniatised 

 business, and the freebooting Highlanders had their 

 own code of honour in conducting it. When cattle 

 were stolen, one means of recovery used was to send an 

 emissary into the region where the thief was supposed 

 to be, and offer a reward for his discovery. This re- 

 ward was looked on with great abhorrence. With the 

 high-minded Highlander, who scrupled not to rob his 

 Lowland neighbour's byres and his girnal, tascal money, 

 as he called it, was the " unclean thing," and he and 

 his fellows would solemnly swear over their drawn dirks 

 that they would never defile their consciences by taking 

 any such reward from the vile " Lallander." " Black 

 mail " was exacted with very peculiar coolness. When 

 a district was almost ruined by the depredations of a 

 band of thieves, their leader or some friend of his would 

 generously propose that for a certain annual payment he 

 would protect it from plunder. There was no help but 

 comply, as those who refused were made special victims ; 

 and it occasionally happened that some of the thieves 

 themselves, living within the district, were hypocritical 

 enough to pay black mail to keep up appearances. 

 



