Vagrant Life. 171 



endeavour at this distance of time to injure Willie's 

 credit, by suggesting that Tibbie Campbell had per- 

 haps been shrewd enough to fix on the wildest-look- 

 ing ox by the mere use of her eyesight and powers of 

 observation ; perhaps, by leading questions had picked 

 it out of Willie Nicol himself, or even his master, Jock 

 Tait ; or that, perhaps, it was a mere fancy on the 

 part of the superstitious ploughmen to believe the ox 

 thus pointed at to be more guilty than his other 

 brethren of the yoke. At all events, having secured 

 confidence thus far, Tibbie would have little difficulty 

 in getting her employer to put faith in such remedies 

 as she might be pleased to prescribe for the glamoured 

 oxen. 



