PONY AHINT. 207 



and overheard the following little dialogue between him 

 and the turnpike woman : — 



" Here's twopence for you, good woman." 



" What for do ye gie me this?" 



" Why, for my horse, to be sure." 



" And whar may your horse be ? " 



" Where ? why here, behind me, my good dame." 



" It must be a gay piece ahint then, I'm thinking, 

 for I canna see the beast." 



At this he began to pull the bridle rein which he 

 had in his hand ; and, upon finding it very particularly 

 obedient, he looked round and found, true enough, that 

 the pony whom he fancied he had been leading down 

 hill, and was at the end of the said bridle, had slipped 

 out his head, and trotted back the way he came. At 

 this incident, he seemed almost as much amused as we 

 were ; though I thought I saw a lurking appearance of 

 distress in his countenance, too, as having further to 

 walk than he had bargained for. 



Let us now see what the fishermen were doing. 

 Charles Purdie and Thomas Jamieson, whilst sitting on 

 a rock by the water-side, at length descried Tom 

 Purdie making up to them with his leister. 



" Well, Tom," said Jamieson, " I never knew ye 

 keep ahint afore, when there was any wark for the 

 leister. What makes ye so late, mon?" 



" Why, I cudna get aw a' from Abbotsford ; there 

 was a gentleman wi' Sir Walter; but wha he was I 

 dunna ken, but I think he was English. Sir Walter 

 gaed out to tak a walk, and cried to me to follow him. 

 When we war joost gaen up near to the turn before we 



