R A B 



my man." In an instant Rab was standing 

 over him, threatening strangulation if he 

 stirred. James pushed on, leaving Rab in 

 charge ; he looked back, and saw that every 

 attempt to rise was summarily put down. As 

 he was telling Ailie the story, up came Rab 

 with that great swing of his. It turned out 

 that the robber was a Howgate lad, the 

 worthless son of a neighbour, and Rab 

 knowing him had let him cheaply off; the 

 only thing, which was seen by a man from a 

 field, was, that before letting him rise, he 

 quenched (pro tempore) the fire of the eyes of 

 the ruffian, by a familiar Gulliverian appli- 

 cation of Hydraulics, which I need not 

 further particularize. James, who did not 

 know the way to tell an untruth, or embellish 

 anything, told me this as what he called " a 

 fact positeevefy" 



12 



