R A B 



might, and as she said, " lookin' fearsome." 

 James, who was out of breath and temper, 

 being past his time, explained to Ailie, that 

 this " muckle brute o' a whalp " had been 

 worrying sheep, and terrifying everybody up 

 at Sir George Montgomery's at Macbie Hill, 

 and that Sir George had ordered him to be 

 hanged, which, however, was sooner said than 

 done, as " the thief " showed his intentions of 

 dying hard. James came up just as Sir 

 George had sent for his gun ; and as the dog 

 had more than once shown a liking for him, 

 he said he "wad gie him a chance" ; and so 

 he tied him to his cart. Young Rab, fearing 

 some mischief, had been entering a series of 

 protests all the way, and nearly strangling 

 himself to spite James and Jess, besides giving 

 Jess more than usual to do. " I wish I had 

 let Sir George pit that charge into him, the 

 thrawn brute," said James. But Ailie had 

 seen that in his foreleg there was a splinter of 

 wood, which he had likely got when objecting 

 to be hanged, and that he was miserably 



10 



