Smuggling. 189 



the mastery, with bludgeons, or still more dangerous 

 weapons. And we speedily find the dog so employed 

 during an engagement, in which " a deal of bloodshed 

 occurred on both sides." But indeed the dog got so 

 perfect at his work, that when any of the horses were 

 running past him, that had no load on their backs, he 

 paid no attention to them ; and when he seized any 

 of them it was always by the nose, which he would 

 never quit, " until the goods were either thrown off," 

 or in possession of his master. The ultimate fate of 

 this valuable animal to the great grief of the zealous 

 gauger was to be killed by a shot " promiscuously " 

 fired in a preliminary skirmish that occurred on a 

 certain night while he stood by, muzzled, waiting his 

 part in the play. 



Gillespie had in his pay no fewer than five assist- 

 ants, men who doubtless possessed qualities fitting 

 them for his purposes, but of whose moral character 

 even he does not seem disposed to give us any strong 

 warranty. And in his various encounters he ordi- 

 narily had the support of more or fewer of his men. 

 Meeting a couple of smuggling carts in the woods of 

 Drum, with a " strong hardened desperado, named 

 Hay," employed to go along as a protecting bully, a 

 severe engagement ensued, during which one of the 

 excise force got three balls lodged in his groin, by 

 the accidental discharge of his own pistol ; Hay's 

 cheek was nearly severed from his face, by a stroke 

 from a sabre wielded by Gillespie himself, and another 

 smuggler got an arm broken, which terminated the 

 fight. On another occasion, in an encounter with 

 ten or twelve Highlanders, near Kintore, Gillespie 

 got thrown down, with three or four fellows above 

 him, " beating him in a most unmerciful manner." 

 The sabre was twisted out of his hand, and, while he 

 was still kept down, a stroke from the weapon laid 

 open his chin to a great extent. He then discharged 

 his pistol at the smuggler, the ball lodging in his 



