94 A SUPPOSITION. 



the eye of the landscape, — before whose brilliant sides 

 Runjeet Sing's diamond, called " the mountain of 

 light," would sink into the deep obscure ; — dazzled 

 with the magnificent sight, I chuckled in the pleni- 

 tude of victory. This was unbecoming in me, I 

 own, for I should have borne my faculties meekly ; but 

 I was young and sanguine ; so (horresco referens) I 

 gave a smart turn of my body, and, placing an arm 

 akimbo, said, in an exulting tone, and with a scrutinis- 

 ing look, " There, what do you think of that ? " I did 

 not see the astonishment in Sawny's face that I had 

 anticipated, neither did he seem to regard me with the 

 least degree of veneration ; but, giving my pet a shove 

 with his nasty iron-shod shoes, he simply said, 



" Houte ! that's a wee bit gilse." 



This was laconic. I could hold no longer, for I hate 

 a detractor ; so I roundly told him that I did not think 

 he had ever caught so large a fish in all his life. 



" Did you, now ? — own." 



" I suppose I have." 



" Suppose ! But don't you know ? " 



" I suppose I have." 



(i Speak decidedly, yes or no. That is no answer." 



" Well, then, I suppose* I have." 



And this was the sum total of what I could extract 

 from this nil admirari fellow. 



A third person now joined us, whom I afterwards 

 discovered to be the renter of that part of the river. He 

 had a rod and tackle of the selfsame fashion with the 



* Suppose, in Scotch, does not imply a doubt, but denotes a cer- 

 tainty. 



