100 THE GOWN-CKOMB OF BADENOCH. 



bottle went round, and all were gossiping together like 

 brothers. 



The Highlander, who accompanied the stranger as his 

 guide, was a well-known good companion, pretty consider- 

 ably addicted to poaching, like many of his compeers : but 

 in this instance he well knew that he could not appropriate 

 the deer, and that the rifleman must be in pursuit, so 

 that he would willingly have stopped the stranger, had 

 it been in his power to overtake him. 



There was a great deal of merriment between the 

 Atholl men and this Highlander, who was the Gown- 

 cromb * or blacksmith, of some village in Badenoch. He 

 was taxed, but in a merry mood, with many dexterous 

 feats of poaching, and driving the duke's deer to the 

 north, when the wind served, which he did not altogether 

 deny. 



" Well," said Tortoise, " take some more whiskey, and 

 a pinch of snuff from my mull ; but you must not steal 

 the duke's deer, mon" 



" Hout-tout ! Ye're a trou Sassnach, an the like 

 o' ye chiels aye ca' liftin, stealing, which is na joost 

 Christian-like." 



" Well, what would you give for such bonny braes 

 and birks and rivers as are in the forest of Atholl, if 

 they could be transferred to your wild country ? " 



" And are there na bonny braes and birks in Bad - 

 enoch ? Ye're joost as bad as our minister ; but fat need 

 the man say ony thing mair about the matter, fan I tell 

 'im that I'll prove, frae his ain Bible, ony day he likes, 



* This term has reference to the stooping- position of a smith. I 

 have spelt it as it is pronounced, but I have seen it written Gowcrom. 



