NORTHERN MEMOIRS. 159 



But whether there be or be not such mortal de- 

 mons, I suspend my judgment, and proceed to 

 the adventure. 



Tlieoph. I long to hear it, and you are loth to 

 come at it. 



Am. Have patience but a little, and you shall 

 have it. Early one morning (before the sun had 

 adorned the day with his beautiful beam of light 

 to gild the azure firmament) I set forward, as at 

 other times, to this fatal Lough of Pitloil ; and 

 riding along, observ'd a large and lusty hare (but 

 they call her Maukin) sitting upon a large and 

 gritty stone, washing and furbishing her face 

 with her feet ; and on the bought of her near 

 buttock (as to my observation) was branded a 

 remarkable patch of an obscure blackish colour, 

 altogether different from the rest of her fur ; 

 which appeared to the bigness of a five shilling 

 piece of new minted silver ; but dismounting my 

 horse, she discovered me approach her with my 

 greyhound-bitch, which I suddenly slipt, and 

 she as suddenly forsook her station, but trusted 

 so little to the nimbleness of her heels, as if her 

 life was but of little value. On the other hand, 

 my bitch was so slow in her motion, as if they 

 had mutually combined not to hurt one another. 

 So leaving that pursuit to pursue my first inten- 

 tion, I left the mountains to trace vallies to this 

 unfortunate Lough of Pitloil ; for what happen- 



