the same infernal thing. Never, frae you, or him,
or the pair o' ye."

This was a turn I had not expected, and I was wondering what to do next
when Red Murdo said, "I'll tell ye what I'll dae. I'll wrestle the
sergeant which o's will eat a copy of that ugly oath, and that'll also
satisfy him who's the better man."

The sergeant did not show an instant keenness for this challenge, but
it got me round a corner, and must be accepted. I declared to that
effect, and desired both men to get ready, saying I would be umpire. I
added that there should be only one bout because, secretly, I had no
wish to see them hurt one another.

Red Murdo and the sergeant put their plaids, their jackets, their
bonnets, their sporans, and their brogues, in little heaps, with each
man's weapons above each man's things. Neither spoke, for action,
which naturally has the effect of sealing the tongue, had now arrived,
and I chose a level piece of sward where they might fall with
comparative softness.

When I saw how nearly they were matched in physique, the spirit of
primitive combat in me began to be interested, to calculate who would
win. True to the fighting tactics he knew Red Murdo rushed to grips,
but the sergeant drove him off, and they manoeuvred round each other
for the next effort. It was pretty to see them, that bright morning,
with the whole picturesque valley for arena and I for the only
spectator of their prowess. Moreover, they were warming to the fight,
which was one between the disciplined strength and skill of the soldier
and the wild agility of Red Murdo.

Those different qualities met so evenly that feint, and catch and heave
as each combatant would, the other remained unthrown. Once Red Murdo
got his antagonist by the waist, lifted him clean off the ground and
whirled him round like a totum, only to have him alight on his feet.
Once, also, the sergeant, by a supple twist of arm and leg, working
together, got Red Murdo half down and no more. Really it was a toss-up
who should win, or whether there would be a winner at all.

My only ground of interference would be foul play, and although they
went at each other almost savagely there was no absolute act of that
kind. But the strain was telling on both men, for they took no rest,
and hardly waited to get fresh breath. The sinews of their legs stood
out like whip-cord, their chest heaved like bellows in distress, their
necks were scarlet with the tumult of the bl