HEATHER LIGHTS. 199 



a kin-kind o' mischief and ploys, and, I believe, was 

 sound asleep in five minutes. 



" As for mysel', I need hardly say I never steekit an 

 e'e. I kend fu' weel that if we war na at Queedside by 

 the first o' the Monanday morning, the hempies out o' 

 twae or three o' the touns o' the north side o' the water 

 wad be bleezin' up afore us ; and some devilrie came 

 o'er the cock that sat on the Byre balks aside us, for 

 he never mist to skirl every ten minutes thrae the time 

 I lay doon ; sae I was as often grapin the hands o' my 

 watch, which I had gotten in a coup thrae Geordie 

 Matheson three weeks afore. 



" At last, whan I had a gude guess it was drawing 

 near to twal o'clock, and nae fear o' breaking the 

 Sabath, I gat up and shook Sandy by the shouther, 

 who was out o' bed in a giffy. We went to the barn, 

 and tyed up twae prime heather lights, thrae a bunch 

 or twae, which I had gae'd the miller lad dry on the 

 killn ten days afore. They may talk o' ruffies and birk 

 bark baith ; but gie me a good heather light, weel dried 

 on the killn, for a throat o' the Queed. HoAvever, I 

 got the lights on my back, Sandie carried a weel dried 

 bairdie, and I took in my hand my clodding waster. I 

 had gi'en the Runchies o' Yarrowford seven white shil- 

 lings for her; but nane could make a waster wi' the 

 Hunches*, nor track an otter either; they had clean 



* The Runches (Runcimans) of Yarrowford were two celebrated 

 smiths, probably brought to Selkirkshire by Murray of Phillip- 

 haugh. They were famous for a peculiar art in tempering edo-c 

 tools. Their otter hounds and terriers also were capital. Singular 

 stories were told of their sagacity. Rob Runchy, as a forlorn hope, 



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