RAB AND HIS FRIENDS 93 



friends," but this is a story from " Our Dogs," 

 of the same Rab, in his youthful days. Rab had 

 made friends with Ailie, who had taken a splinter 

 out of his foot, and through her had become 

 friendly with James, and had accompanied him 

 to Edinburgh. 



" One morning James came home without 

 him. He had left Edinburgh very early, and in 

 coming near Auchindinny, at a lonely part of 

 the road, a man sprang out on him, and de- 

 manded his money. James, who was a cool 

 hand, said 'Weel a weel, let me get it,' and 

 stepping back, he said to Rab, ' Speak till him, 

 my man.' In an instant Rab was standing over 

 him, threatening strangulation if he stirred. 

 James pushed on, leaving Rab in charge; he 

 looked back, and saw that every attempt to rise 

 was summarily put down. As he was telling 

 Ailie the story, up came Rab with that great 

 swing of his. It turned out that the robber was 

 a Howgate lad, the worthless son of a neigh- 

 bour, and Rab knowing him had let him cheaply 

 off; the only thing, which was seen by a man 

 from a field, was, that before letting him rise he 

 quenched (pro tempore] the fire of the eyes of 

 the ruffian, by a familiar Gulliverian application 

 of Hydraulics which I need not further particu- 

 larize. James, who did not know the way to tell 

 an untruth, or embellish anything, told me 

 this as what he called ' a fact positeevely? " 



My chief regret about this little expedition is 

 that, owing to the great kindness of our friends 

 and neighbours, we have been quite unable to do 



