V AFFRA Y WITH POACHERS J3 



in a hurry to do so, I went at them with my staff, but they did 

 na bide my coming, and were all tumbling out of the door in a 

 heap, before I was near them : I could na help laughing to see 

 them. It was coming on a wild night, and the poor fellow in 

 the bed seemed vera bad, so I called to them and told them 

 they might just come back and sleep in the shealing if they 

 would leave me in peace — and after a little talk they all came in, 

 and I laid down in my plaid at one end of the bothy, leaving 

 them the other. I made the lad who was with me watch part 

 of the night to see they didn't get at me when I was asleep, 

 though I didn't want him to join in helping me, as they knew 

 his name, and it might have got him into trouble. In the 

 morning I made my breakfast with some meal I had with me, 

 and gave them the lave of it. They would have been right 

 pleased to have got me with them, — but as they could na do it, 

 like wise chiels, they didn't try — so I wished them a good day, 

 and took the road. I had my gun and four brace of grouse, 

 which they looked at very hard indeed, but I did not let them 

 lay hands on anything. When I had just got a few hundred 

 yards away, I missed my shot belt, so I went back and found that 

 the keeper had it, and would not give it up. ' You'll be giving 

 me my property, lad, I'm thinking,' I said to him ; but he was 

 just mad like with rage, and said that he would not let me have 

 it. However, I took him by the coat and shook him a bit, 

 and he soon gave it me, but he could na keep his hands off, and 

 as I turned away, he struck me a sair blow with a stick on my 

 back ; so I turned to him, and 'deed I was near beating him 

 weel, but after all I thocht that the poor lad was only doing his 

 duty, so I only gave him a lift into the burn, taking care not to 

 hurt him ; but he got a grand ducking — and. Lord ! how he 

 did swear. I was thinking, as I travelled over the hills that 

 day, it was lucky that these twa dogs were not with me, for 

 there would have been wild work in the shealing. Bran there 

 canna bide a scuffle but what he must join in it, and the other 

 dog would go to help him ; and the Lord pity the man they 

 took hold of — he would be in a bad way before I could get 

 this one off his throat — wouldn't he, poor dog ? " — and Bran 

 looked up in Ronald's face with such a half leer, half snake-like 

 expression, that I thought to myself, that I would about as soon 

 encounter a tiger as such a dog, if his blood was well roused. 



