Author(s): Professor James Hogg

Religion

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1822. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... the secret who these skin-dealers were, thus strangely accoutred. "Will Laidlaw o' Craik, ye're a gayan auld-farrant chield. Come near me, and sit down, and tell me gin ye can hae ony guess what our master the Warden can be wanting wi' a' thir confoundit ill-smelled hides?" "I hae puzzled my brain to nae purpose about it, Dan Chisholm; but am convinced it is some way connected wi' the siege of that unlucky castle; and the maist part o' us trows that they are for making raip-ladders, or rather whing-ladders, for climbing ower the wa's; an gin that be the case, Dan, there will mony ane o' us throw away our lives to little purpose." "Now to hear you talk about fock throwing away their lives! You that wad risk your life for naething but a broken crown every day o' the year. Why, Will Laidlaw, I hae foughten often in the same field wi' you afore this time, and I never saw you set your life at a cow's horn, let be the hide o' ane (for whilk we wad gie a good deal the day.) I hae seen ye ride from your ain party, when that win* wasna hotly enough engaged, and biatter into the very thickest and hettest part o" the field, just girning and laying on like some lang-nosed deil come out o' the pit But let me tell ye, Will o' Craik, it is a sair fault o' your's, and it is a clagg o* the hale clan, --the deil be your landlord, (as be has already been mine, quietly.) gin the hale tott o' ye be nae ill for saving ae thing an' thinking another. If ane hear a Laidlaw complaining o' pinching and poverty, ye may amaist be sure that he has the best stockit mailings, and the best filled beef-barrels in the country. If ye hear him complaining, that the English are herrying the Scots up, stoop and roop, ye mav rely on it the Scots hae been getting the upper hand and enriching themsels; ...