RAB AND HIS FRIENDS 



possible ways of ending it. " Water ! " but 

 there was none near, and many cried for it 

 who might have got it from the well at Black- 

 friar's Wynd. " Bite the tail ! " and a large, 

 vague, benevolent, middle-aged man, more 

 desirous than wise, with some struggle got the 

 bushy end of Yarrow's tail into his ample 

 mouth, and bit it with all his might. This 

 was more than enough for the much-endur- 

 ing, much-perspiring shepherd, who, with a 

 gleam of joy over his broad visage, delivered 

 a terrific facer upon our large, vague, bene- 

 volent, middle-aged friend who went down 

 like a shot. 



Still the Chicken holds ; death not far off. 

 " Snuff ! a pinch of snuff ! " observed a calm, 

 highly-dressed young buck, with an eyeglass 

 in his eye. " Snuff, indeed ! " growled the 

 angry crowd, affronted and glaring. " Snuff ! 

 a pinch of snuff ! " again observes the buck, 

 but with more urgency ; whereon were pro- 

 duced several open boxes, and from a mull 

 which may have been at Culloden, he took a 



16 



