, who was one of Tammas's most
staunch admirers, "'at another mark o' the rale humorist was his seein'
humour in all things?"

Tammas shook his head--a way he had when Hendry advanced theories.

"I dinna haud wi' that ava," he said. "I ken fine 'at Davit Lunan gaes
aboot sayin' he sees humour in everything, but there's nae surer sign
'at he's no a genuine humorist. Na, the rale humorist kens vara weel
'at there's subjects withoot a spark o' humour in them. When a subject
rises to the sublime it should be regairded philosophically, an' no
humorously. Davit would lauch 'at the grandest thochts, whaur they
only fill the true humorist wi' awe. I've found it necessary to rebuke
'im at times whaur his lauchin' was oot o' place. He pretended aince
on this vara spot to see humour i' the origin o' cock-fightin'."

"Did he, man?" said Hendry; "I wasna here. But what is the origin o'
cock-fechtin'?"

"It was a' i' the _Cheap Magazine_," said T'nowhead.

"Was I sayin' it wasna?" demanded Tammas. "It was through me readin'
the account oot o' the _Cheap Magazine_ 'at the discussion arose."

"But what said the _Cheapy_ was the origin o' cock-fechtin'?"

"T'nowhead 'll tell ye," answered Tammas; "he says I dinna ken."

"I never said naething o' the kind," returned T'nowhead, indignantly;
"I mind o' ye readin't oot fine."

"Ay, weel," said Tammas, "that's a' richt. Ou, the origin o'
cock-fightin' gangs back to the time o' the Greek wars, a thoosand or
twa years syne, mair or less. There was ane, Miltiades by name, 'at
was the captain o' the Greek army, an' one day he led them doon the
mountains to attack the biggest army 'at was ever gathered thegither."

"They were Persians," interposed T'nowhead.

"Are you tellin' the story, or am I?" asked Tammas. "I kent fine 'at
they were Persians. Weel, Miltiades had the matter o' twenty thoosand
men wi' im', and when they got to the foot o' the mountain, behold
there was two cocks fechtin'."

"Man, man," said Hendry, "an' was there cocks in thae days?"

"Ondoubtedly," said Tammas, "or hoo could thae twa hae been fechtin'?"

"Ye have me there, Tammas," admitted Hendry. "Ye're perfectly richt."

"Ay, then," continued the stone-breaker, "when Miltiades saw the cocks
at it wi' all their micht, he stopped the army and addressed it.
'Behold!' he cried, at the top o' his voice, 'these cocks do not fight
for their household gods, nor for the monuments of their ancestors, nor