send
two-three lively, brisk young birkies, and if they thought that I was
to appear in the employ, I daresay ten or twelve," said he.

It was no use, I gave a little crack of laughter.

"And I think your own two eyes will have seen me drive that number, or
the double of it, nearer hand!" cries he.

"It matters the less," said I, "because I am well rid of them for this
time."

"Nae doubt that's your opinion," said he; "but I wouldna be the least
surprised if they were hunkering this wood. Ye see, David man, they'll
be Hieland folk. There'll be some Frasers, I'm thinking, and some of the
Gregara; and I would never deny but what the both of them, and the
Gregara in especial, were clever experienced persons. A man kens little
till he's driven a spreagh of neat cattle (say) ten miles through a
throng lowland country and the black soldiers maybe at his tail. It's
there that I learned a great part of my penetration. And ye needna tell
me: it's better than war; which is the next best, however, though
generally rather a bauchle of a business. Now the Gregara have had grand
practice."

"No doubt that's a branch of education that was left out with me," said
I.

"And I can see the marks of it upon ye constantly," said Alan. "But
that's the strange thing about you folk of the college learning: ye're
ignorant, and ye canna see't. Wae's me for my Greek and Hebrew; but,
man, I ken that I dinna ken them--there's the differ of it. Now, here's
you. Ye lie on your wame a bittie in the bield of this wood, and ye tell
me that ye've cuist off these Frasers and Macgregors. Why! _Because I
couldna see them_, says you. Ye blockhead, that's their livelihood."

"Take the worst of it," said I, "and what are we to do?"

"I am thinking of that same," said he. "We might twine. It wouldna be
greatly to my taste; and forbye that, I see reasons against it. First,
it's now unco dark, and it's just humanly possible we might give them
the clean slip. If we keep together, we make but the ae line of it; if
we gang separate, we make twae of them: the more likelihood to stave in
upon some of these gentry of yours. And then, second, if they keep the
track of us, it may come to a fecht for it yet, Davie; and then, I'll
confess I would be blithe to have you at my oxter, and I think you would
be none the worse of having me at yours. So, by my way of it, we should
creep out of this wood no further gone than just the inside of next
minute, and hold away e