THOMAS A' THING. 359 



one day, when unfortunately the wind rose a little. He 

 became so paralysed with terror as to be useless at the oar, 

 so we placed him at the helm. His great object then was 

 to steer in for the shore, so that we were in continual 

 danger of being stranded on some sunken rock. We 

 ordered him peremptorily to put out a little, when he 

 answered in a perfect agony, " Gentlemen, gentlemen, 

 I'll gang up as high as ever ye like, but oh ! keep me frae 

 the water." In justice to Thomas, I must say, that I have 

 seen him in a situation on the roof of a house, which I 

 would not have exchanged with him for a good deal. 



Thomas has a great opinion of his own powers of 

 reasoning. He will not succumb even to the minister, 

 certainly not to the schoolmaster ; but he has always tact 

 enough not to get beyond his depth, and, if driven to give 

 an opinion on any point where he is not quite sure, he 

 generally evades the difficulty by saying, " Weel, gentle- 

 men, ye maun jist consult yer ain raison." There is at 

 these times a grotesque assumption of dignity, as he 

 measures out his reply ; and, indeed, at all times a certain 

 air of innate pomposity, that prevents one from addressing 

 him otherwise than by his full designation, however tempted 

 by wind or distance to call out a Tom" As to his ward- 

 robe, it is certainly not very smart, with the exception of 

 an old weather-beaten tarpaulin, which is rather gaudy 

 than becoming. He always gives it a fresh coat of paint 

 to keep out the November rain, when he is painting a door 

 or rail, so that it constantly changes from yellow to pea- 

 green, and from pea-green to sky-blue. Thomas mean- 



