vel and extraordinary. He had indeed often heard of
Highland thieves, but had no idea of the systematic mode in which their
depredations were conducted; and that the practice was connived at, and
even encouraged, by many of the Highland chieftains, who not only found
the creaghs, or forays, useful for the purpose of training individuals of
their clan to the practice of arms, but also of maintaining a wholesome
terror among their Lowland neighbours, and levying, as we have seen, a
tribute from them, under colour of protection-money.

Bailie Macwheeble, who soon afterwards entered, expatiated still more at
length upon the same topic. This honest gentleman's conversation was so
formed upon his professional practice, that Davie Gellatley once said his
discourse was like a 'charge of horning.' He assured our hero, that 'from
the maist ancient times of record, the lawless thieves, limmers, and
broken men of the Highlands, had been in fellowship together by reason of
their surnames, for the committing of divers thefts, reifs, and herships
upon the honest men of the Low Country, when they not only intromitted
with their whole goods and gear, corn, cattle, horse, nolt, sheep,
outsight and insight plenishing, at their wicked pleasure, but moreover
made prisoners, ransomed them, or concussed them into giving borrows
(pledges) to enter into captivity again;--all which was directly
prohibited in divers parts of the Statute Book, both by the act one
thousand five hundred and sixty-seven, and various others; the whilk
statutes, with all that had followed and might follow thereupon, were
shamefully broken and vilipended by the said sorners, limmers, and broken
men, associated into fellowships, for the aforesaid purposes of theft,
stouthreef, fire-raising, murther, raptus mulierum, or forcible abduction
of women, and such like as aforesaid.'

It seemed like a dream to Waverley that these deeds of violence should be
familiar to men's minds, and currently talked of as falling within the
common order of things, and happening daily in the immediate vicinity,
without his having crossed the seas, and while he was yet in the
otherwise well-ordered island of Great Britain.

CHAPTER XVI

AN UNEXPECTED ALLY APPEARS

The Baron returned at the dinner-hour, and had in a great measure
recovered his composure and good-humour. He not only confirmed the
stories which Edward had heard from Rose and Bailie Macwheeble, but added
many anecdotes