298 The Buchanites and Crocketford. 



There were thus early in the career of the Bar no less than 

 four innkeepers and four shoemakers— a striking evidence 

 surely of the prevalence of foot and mouth disorder in the dis- 

 trict. In the immediate neighbourhood lint was grown annu- 

 ally. I have myself seen two hanks of linen made from lint 

 grown on Bogfoot ; and all the processes of its manufacture 

 into linen were carried through in the district. The farmer 

 pulled up his lint, bound it into sheaves, steeped it and sent 

 it to the neighbouring lint-mill to come back as " heids " 

 for the spinner, who in turn prepared it for the weaver. In 

 like manner the wool of the district was made by the neigh- 

 bouring wool-and-waulk mill into " rowin's " and brought 

 home to be spun into yarn and thereafter passed on to the 

 weaver. 



The villagers were not, however, so independent of the 

 outer world as they might at first sight appear to be. Each 

 was in his own degree dependent on that larger world whose 

 treasures passed the very door in daily, in weekly, or in 

 ampler cycles. And who can estimate the profit in money, in 

 information, in stimulus which accrued to the village from 

 the ceaseless ebb and flow before its doors of t e multifarious 

 and growing business of the county? 



The yellow mail coach passed daily back and forth 

 between Dumfries and Portpatrick, bringing its whiff of town 

 bustle to blend with the quiet airs of the Nine-Mile Bar. The 

 produce of a large part of the county, packed into its score and 

 more of carriers' carts halted over every Tuesday night in 

 the Tollbar close, en route for the Wednesday market in 

 Dumfries. 



Long trains of carts filled with the carcases of Galloway- 

 reared pigs filed past in their season bound for the same in- 

 satiable market. Great droves of cattle periodically found 

 their way into the Nine-Mile Bar on their long journey to 

 Hempton Green or Brough Hill. By reason of its proximity 

 to Dumfries, its fine open close, and its public-houses, it was 

 a very convenient and welcome halting place for tired and 

 thirsty drovers and weary footsore cattle. And often the 

 village boys would watch the tapsman as he inspected the 

 cracked and worn hoofs of those cattle which had gone lame 



