56 The Natiiralist of Cumbrae. 



pleaded for trying her a little longer. This was 

 allowed. In a short time he entered into her ways, 

 and found little or no difficulty in working with her. 



The managing brothers, seeing by this circumstance 

 that he was finding more favour with their employer, 

 and having more responsible work with the mare, 

 now began to try every means to be rid of him. 

 They had nothing really to say against him further 

 than that he had not the pith in him to do a day's 

 work, and considering his age there might be some 

 semblance of truth in such a suggestion. Neverthe- 

 less, the laird did not appear to pay much heed to 

 their remarks. He was in the habit of going to 

 Glasgow every Tuesday morning and coming back 

 every Friday evening, and he was mostly out with 

 his men in the field on Saturday and Monday. 



On one occasion they happened to be carting peat 

 moss from the lower end of a field up to a higher part, 

 to be spread over some tough clay soil. Each of the 

 three worked a horse and cart, and had just time to 

 fill the cart, while the other two were out emptying 

 theirs. As there was not room for more than one to fill 

 at a time, it was proposed that the cart which was 

 being loaded should move off, whether full or not, as 

 soon as another cart returned. No objections were 

 made, and this would be a means, the brothers said, of 

 keeping the whole party more constantly at work. 

 The brothers, as already intimated, were heavy power- 

 ful men, and each began to fill his cart with all his 

 strength, emptying it likewise with all speed, and 

 whipping the horse back so soon, that David had not 

 time fully to load his cart, but had to leave, according 



