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ss of prideful man. But Tammie had gotten his drappikie, and the tongue of the body would not lie still a moment; so he blethered on from one thing to another, as we jogged along, till I was forced at the last to give up thinking, and begin a twa-handed crack with him. "Have you your snuff-box upon ye?"--said Tammie. "Gi'e me a pinch." Having given him the box, I observed to him, that "it was beginning to grow dark and dowie." "'Deed is't," said Tammie; "but a body can now scarcely meet on the road wi' ony think waur than themsell. Mony a witch, de'il, and bogle, however, did my grannie see and hear tell of, that used to scud and scamper hereaway langsyne like maukins." "Witches!" quo' I. "No, no Tammie, all these things are out of the land now; and muckle luck to them. But we have other things to fear; what think ye of highway robbers?" "Highway robbers!" said Tammie. "Kay, kay; I'll tell ye of something that I met in wi' mysell. Ae dark winter night, as I was daundering hame frae Pathhead--it was pitmirk, and about the twall--losh me, I couldna see my finger afore me!--that a stupid thocht cam into my head that I wad never wun hame, but be either killed, lost, murdered, or drowned, between that and the dawing. All o' a sudden I sees a light coming dancing forrit amang the trees; and my hair began to stand up on end. Then, in the next moment--save us a'!--I sees anither light, and forrit, forrit they baith cam, like the een of some great fiery monster, let loose frae the pit o' darkness by its maister, to seek whom it might devour." "Stop, Tammie," said I to him, "yell wauken Benjie. How far are we from Dalkeith?" "Twa mile and a bittock," answered Tammie. "But wait a wee.--Up cam the two lights snoov-snooving, nearer and nearer; and I heard distinctly the sound of feet that werena men's--cloven feet, maybe--but nae wheels. Sae nearer it cam and nearer, till the sweat began to pour owre my een as cauld as ice; and, at lang and last, I fand my knees beginning to gi'e way; and, after tot-tottering for half a minute, I fell down, my staff playing bleach out before me. When I cam to mysell, and opened my een, there were the twa lights before me, bleez-bleezing, as if they wad blast my sight out. And what did they turn out to be, think ye? The de'il or spunkie, whilk o' them?" "I'm sure I canna tell," said I. "Naithing mair then," answered Tammie, "but twa bowets; ane tied to ilka knee of
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