64 The Naturalist of Cumbrae. 



old sheep market which had now dwindled down to 

 the attendance of a few scores of sheep and a few 

 cows from the neighbouring districts. The fair, 

 however, was largely attended by farm servants as 

 a holiday, when jumping, throwing or putting the 

 stone, and other such sports, were much practised. 

 At one of these fairs David noticed among the sheep 

 for sale a pretty little parti-coloured lamb, and took 

 a fancy to it and bought it. He knew T:hat the laird 

 would not allow him to take it to the farm as his 

 own on any terms, so he arranged with a farmer 

 whom he knew to grass it for him for six months. 

 He did not keep the transaction a secret, and as soon 

 as the laird heard of it, he went to him, and a con- 

 versation followed on this wise : 



" He began, ' I understand that you were in the 

 trading way on Sheep Friday ; ' and he added, ' As 

 you have entered into business on your own account, 

 it must abstract your mind from your duties to me.' 



" ' Well,' I said, ' if you think so, I shall remove 

 that objection. The party who has the lamb will, 

 I believe, take it off my hands at the price that I 

 paid for it, and if not, he can have it at what he 

 thinks it is worth.' 



" He said, ' You can think over it.' 

 " I answered, ' I have already done so.' " 

 There was no more said about the lamb. David 

 went to the farmer who was taking charge of it, and 

 received from him a little more than he had himself 

 paid for it, so that he was no loser in a money point 

 of view, though the affair was vexatious. 



Although he had been kindly treated the few years 



