r
he understood only too well the dangerous temper of the cow, and saw
that Gibbie was a mere child, and unarmed--an object most
provocative of attack to Hornie--so named, indeed, because of her
readiness to use the weapons with which Nature had provided her.
She was in fact a malicious cow, and but that she was a splendid
milker, would have been long ago fatted up and sent to the butcher.
The boy as he ran full speed to the rescue, kept shouting to warn
Gibbie from his purpose, but Gibbie was too intent to understand the
sounds he uttered, and supposed them addressed to the cow. With the
fearless service that belonged to his very being, he ran straight at
Hornie, and, having nothing to strike her with, flung himself
against her with a great shove towards the dyke. Hornie, absorbed
in her delicious robbery, neither heard nor saw before she felt him,
and, startled by the sudden attack, turned tail. It was but for a
moment. In turning, she caught sight of her ruler, sceptre in hand,
at some little distance, and turned again, either to have another
mouthful, or in the mere instinct to escape him. Then she caught
sight of the insignificant object that had scared her, and in
contemptuous indignation lowered her head between her forefeet, and
was just making a rush at Gibbie, when a stone struck her on a horn,
and the next moment the herd came up, and with a storm of fiercest
blows, delivered with the full might of his arm, drove her in
absolute rout back into the meadow. Drawing himself up in the
unconscious majesty of success, Donal Grant looked down upon Gibbie,
but with eyes of admiration.

"Haith, cratur!" he said, "ye're mair o' a man nor ye'll luik this
saven year! What garred ye rin upo' the deevil's verra horns that
gait?"

Gibbie stood smiling.

"Gien't hadna been for my club we wad baith be owre the mune 'gain
this time. What ca' they ye, man?"

Still Gibbie only smiled.

"Whaur come ye frae?--Wha's yer fowk?--Whaur div ye bide?--Haena ye
a tongue i' yer heid, ye rascal?"

Gibbie burst out laughing, and his eyes sparkled and shone: he was
delighted with the herd-boy, and it was so long since he had heard
human speech addressed to himself!

"The cratur's feel (foolish)!" concluded Donal to himself pityingly.
"Puir thing! puir thing!" he added aloud, and laid his hand on
Gibbie's head.

It was but the second touch of kindness Gibbie had received since he
was the dog's guest: had he been acq