278 ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE DAY. 



dispense with sleep, I pray you not to dispense with 

 breakfast. I always eat before I go out ; my father and 

 mother did so before me. Now here I am, you see, fresh 



as a ; j us t give me a helping hand will you, my good 



friend? thank you: now then, on goes my best jacket; 

 for this day I mean to do ( a deed of mighty note.'" 



" Bravo ! up with you then, my good fellow, quanta 

 prima : in the mean time I will go out and examine the 

 three harts." 



" Three! THREE harts ! why, thou said'st twenty, ere 

 now!" 



" Ay, in buckram : twenty deer, you know, will rouse 

 your somnolent man sooner than three : there is a great 

 charm in numbers." 



Tortoise clapped on his bonnet, and marched forth with 

 his telescope, all unclad as he was, save in slippers and 

 dressing-gown. The harts were perused, and found pro- 

 digious of course. A brief toilette a breakfast short, 

 sharp, and decisive, and perhaps a caulker, as the Ettrick 

 Shepherd has it. 



All now were ready and about to start, when a hill-man 

 came panting in with a letter from the Duke of Atholl 

 containing instructions for Tortoise to bring down as 

 many deer as he could, and to be at the Green Knows at 

 three o'clock, mentioning where he and his parties would 

 be posted, and saying that his men would keep them in on 

 the west after they had passed a certain point. In the 

 mean time, Tortoise and his friend were to kill what they 

 could. This was pleasant news. They had a long day 

 before them, and plenty of time for all operations both 

 private and public. 



