IN GREAT BRITAIN. 258 



and twa or three trees the same that your accomplished 

 freen 5 , George Moir, made sae tastefu' a sketch o j there, 

 wull ye believe me were lying five- and -twunty eels and 

 five-and-twunty pikes in all saxty till I cou'd hae 

 dream't that the meadow had been pairt o j the bay that 

 moment drained by some sort o' subterraneous suction 

 and that a' the fishy life the water had contained was noo 

 wallopin' and wriglin' in the sudden shunshine o' unex- 

 pected day. I brak a branch aff an ash, and ran in 

 amang them wi* my rung, lounderin' awa richt and left, 

 and loupin' oot o' the way o' the pikes, some of which 

 showed fecht, arid offered to attack me on my ain element, 

 and I was obliged to wrestle wi' an eel thet speel'd up me 

 till his faulds were wounded round my legs, theeghs, 

 and body, in ever sae mony plies, and his snake head 

 och ! the ugly auld serpent thrust outowr my shouther 

 and hissin' in my face till I flang him a fair back-fa" 

 and then ruggin' him frae me fauld by fauld strechtened 

 him oot a* his length and treddin' on his tail, sent his 

 wicket speerit to soom about on the fiery lake wi* his 

 father, the great dragon. 



North (in the arbour). Ha! ha! ha! our inimitable 

 pastor has reached his grand climacteric I 



Tickler (in the shed). And where, my dear James, are 

 they all ? Did you bring them along with you ? 



Shep. I left the pikes to be fetched forrit by the Moffat 

 carrier. 



Tickler. And the eels ? 



22 



