g
himself as he best could with the butt of his heavy whip. Our traveller
hastened on to his assistance; but ere he could get up a stroke had
levelled the farmer with the earth, and one of the robbers, improving his
victory, struck him some merciless blows on the head. The other villain,
hastening to meet Brown, called to his companion to come along, 'for that
one's CONTENT,' meaning, probably, past resistance or complaint. One
ruffian was armed with a cutlass, the other with a bludgeon; but as the
road was pretty narrow, 'bar fire-arms,' thought Brown, 'and I may manage
them well enough.' They met accordingly, with the most murderous threats
on the part of the ruffians. They soon found, however, that their new
opponent was equally stout and resolute; and, after exchanging two or
three blows, one of them told him to 'follow his nose over the heath, in
the devil's name, for they had nothing to say to him.'

Brown rejected this composition as leaving to their mercy the unfortunate
man whom they were about to pillage, if not to murder outright; and the
skirmish had just recommenced when Dinmont unexpectedly recovered his
senses, his feet, and his weapon, and hastened to the scene of action. As
he had been no easy antagonist, even when surprised and alone, the
villains did not choose to wait his joining forces with a man who had
singly proved a match for them both, but fled across the bog as fast as
their feet could carry them, pursued by Wasp, who had acted gloriously
during the skirmish, annoying the heels of the enemy, and repeatedly
effecting a moment's diversion in his master's favour.

'Deil, but your dog's weel entered wi' the vermin now, sir!' were the
first words uttered by the jolly farmer as he came up, his head streaming
with blood, and recognised his deliverer and his little attendant.

'I hope, sir, you are not hurt dangerously?'

'O, deil a bit, my head can stand a gay clour; nae thanks to them,
though, and mony to you. But now, hinney, ye maun help me to catch the
beast, and ye maun get on behind me, for we maun off like whittrets
before the whole clanjamfray be doun upon us; the rest o' them will no be
far off.' The galloway was, by good fortune, easily caught, and Brown
made some apology for overloading the animal.

'Deil a fear, man,' answered the proprietor; 'Dumple could carry six
folk, if his back was lang eneugh; but God's sake, haste ye, get on, for
I see some folk coming through the slack yonder