Popular Amusements. 179 



To put him out of harm's way, and make him useful 

 according to his capacity, he was set up on the top of 

 the " boun' bed, " with a blazing " fir " in his hand, 

 to give light for the operations about to commence on 

 the floor below him. And there the two set on in 

 their fierce if unskilled wrestle, which, being equally 

 matched, they kept up with the most unflinching de- 

 termination till so completely exhausted that the un- 

 boastful weaver declared they were " like twa burs'n 

 cocks I cud 'a rappit their heids thegither mysel'. " 

 It was one of these two again who went to Lowrin' 

 Fair in search of amusement ; and in passing an un- 

 known Highlandman, after deliberately surveying the 

 stranger from head to foot, dealt the unsuspecting 

 Celt a heavy blow on the face, a hand to hand combat 

 instantly ensuing without a word spoken on either 

 side. The reason given for this unusual mode of salut- 

 ing a man he had never seen before, was that the 

 Highlandman " was a gey stout-like chiel ; " whose 

 appearance gave the prospect of a good fight, wanting 

 which Lowrin' Fair would have been dull to the High- 

 landman's assailant. 



" Wad " shooting was another Yule sport of later 

 origin, " the wad " being a prize of some sort laid in 

 pledge. The pieces they shot with were in no sense 

 arms of precision. So little of that indeed, that the man 

 who owned, or could command the use of a rifle, became 

 disqualified as a competitor. What good in shooting 

 against a man who, if he took his aim well, could count 

 on hitting within a foot or so of the bull's-eye 1 The 

 sturdy, single barrelled flint-lock musket, which had 

 seen service at Fontenoy or elsewhere in its time, and 

 was now used for the miscellaneous discharge of pellets, 

 from swan-shot downward, against the pests of the 

 farm, was common enough ; and quite as good for 

 " wad sheetin' " as the lighter fowling-pieces of the 

 rough and rusty class owned by others of the marks- 

 men. Neither one nor the other would drive a ball 



