eid wi' drink an' droonin' thegither. An' noo a wird or twa
aboot----"

Bandy touched Sandy here, an' he stoppit, an' a' the lads clappit their
hands.

Then Bandy gae Sandy a touch here an' there, an' ye never saw the like.
He ate a penny can'le, an' drank half a bottle o' ink, an' I cudna tell
ye a' what. The billies lookit as gin they were gettin' terrifeed at
Sandy, when I noticed him gie Bandy a bit wink on the sly; an' I saw
syne that Sandy was nae mair mismirized than I was.

"There's neen o' ye here 'at Sandy has ony ill-will at," says Bandy;
"we'll see what like his fechtin' bump wirks." Wi' that he gae him a
touch ahent the lug, an' Sandy was layin' aboot him in a wink. "Dinna
touch him, or he'll mittal some o' ye," says Bandy; an' the billies a'
cleared awa' to the ither end o' the washin'-hoose.

A' o' a sudden Sandy grippit an' auld roosty hewk that was lyin' on the
boiler, an' roarin', "Whaur's Pottie Lawson, an' I'll cut his wizand
till him," he made a flee at the door. You never saw sic a scramblin'
an' fleein'. Stumpie Merlin dived in ablo the sofa, an' Dauvid Kenawee
jumpit up on the boiler, an' aff wi' the lid for a shield. Pottie was
gaen bang oot at the door when Sandy grippit him by the cuff o' the
neck. But Pottie sprang oot o' the coat--it wasna ill to get ooten,
puir chield--an' doon the yaird a' he cud flee, wi' Sandy at his tail,
whirlin' the hewk roond his heid, an' skreechin' like the very
mischief. Bandy an' a' the rest cam' fleein' efter Sandy. Pottie took
the yaird dyke at ae loup, an' landit richt on Mistress Mollison's
back, an' sent her bung into the middle o' a lot o' Jacob's ledder 'at
she has growin' in her yaird. She gaed clean oot o' sicht, an' juist
lay an' roared till her man cam' oot an' helpit her into the hoose.

"O, it's the deevil fleein' efter somebody," she said. "An' he has an
auld hewk in his hand, an' I saw the sparks o' feyre fleein' frae his
tail. An' there's aboot sixteen hunder ither deevils at his heels."

On floo Pottie yalpin' "Pileece," "Murder," "Help," wi' Sandy at his
tails, an' the ither half-dizzen followin' up, pechin' like cadgers'
pownies. Pottie gaed clash into Stumpie Mertin's coal cellar, an'
lockit the door i' the inside. Sandy kickit at the door, an' Pottie
yalled like a wild cat. Sandy cam' awa' an' met the ither billies,
an', stoppin' them, tell'd them he was nae mare mismirized than they
were. "I wantit to gie Pottie a fleg