CHAP. V.] POACHERS AND KEEPERS. . 45 
show it to them, as I was a stranger there, and I didn’t wish 
them to know my name. Weel, we went on in this way, till at 
last the laird’s keeper, who I knew well enough, though he didn’t 
know me, whispered to the rest, and all three made a push at 
me, while the chiels below me tried to get up too. The keeper 
was the only one with any pluck amongst them, and he sprang 
on my neck, and as he was a clever like lad, I began to get sore 
pressed. Just then, however, I lifted up my left hand, and 
pulled one of the sticks that served for rafters, out of the roof 
above me, and my blood was getting quite mad like, and the 
Lord only knows what would have happened if they hadn’t all 
been abit frightened at seeing me get the stick, and when part of 
the roof came falling on them, and so they all left me and went 
to the other end of the shealing. The keeper was but ill pleased 
though—as for the bit constable body, his painted stick came into 
my hand some how, and he never got it again! One of the lads 
below my knee got hurt in this scuffle too, indeed one of his ribs 
was broken, so I helped to lift him up, and put him on the bed. 
The others threatened me a great deal, but did na like the looks 
of the bit constable’s staff I hadin my hand. At last, when they 
found that they could do nothing, they begged me, in the Lord’s 
name, to leave the shealing and gang my way in peace. But I 
did na like this, as it was six hours at least to the next bothy 
where I could get a good rest, so I just told them to go them- 
selves—and as they did na seem ina 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 ona 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 
J 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 
