98 DAYS OF DEEB-STALKING. 



Lochaber Gaelic for a deer to this day ; an' fan the auld 

 guidman was getting his repreef for takin' an apple frae the 

 guidwife, a' the beasties in Liosmor cam roon them, an* 

 among the rest twa bonny raes ; an' fan the guidman said, 

 /See how miserable we twa are left: there stands a' the 

 bonny beasties weel clad in their ain hair, an' here we 

 stand shame-faced and nakit aweel, fan the twa raes 

 heard that, they lap oot o' their skins, for very love to 

 their sufferin' maister, as any true clansman wad do to this 

 day. Fan the guidman saw this, he drew ae flag's skin on 

 her nainsel', an the tither o'er the guidwife : noo, let me tell 

 ye, thae were the first kilts in the world." 



" By this account, Mac, our first parents spoke Gaelic." 

 " An' fat ither had they to spake, tell me ? Our minister 

 says they spoke Hebrew ; and fat's Hebrew but Gaelic, the 

 warst o' Gaelic, let alane Welsh Gaelic." 



" Well done, Mac ; success to you and your Gaelic." 

 " Success to me an' my Gaelic ! I tell ye that the Hieland 

 Society, or Gaelic Society, or a' the societies in the world, 

 canna ca' again' my Gaelic ! no the name or origin o' the 

 first dress worn by man, for 



' Ere the laird cardit, or the lady span, 

 In nags' skins their hale race ran.' " 



" We would require proof for this, Mac." 



" Proof, man ! disna your Bible say, ' cursed is the ground 

 for Adam's sake,' an' that curse lies on Badenoch an Loch- 

 aber to this day; for if there be in all Scotland a mair 

 blastit poverty-stricken part than 'ither o' the twa, may 

 Themus Mac-na-Toishach's auld een never see it ! an' for the 

 truth o' fat I'm saying, its joost as true as any story of the 

 kind that's been tauld this mony a day : let them contradic 

 me fa can." 



Thus the Gown-cromb's wit at length fairly got the better 

 of his patriotism. 



